Fasting Day 8 – 1/19/2009

Adult / Teen Journal

January 19, 2009

Day 8. Lord of the flies

    Matthew 12:24

24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

“Beelzebub,” being interpreted by some as the, “Lord of Flies.” Not a great thought. Hey, I read that book when I was I Junior High School. As I remember a bunch of kids are, for some reason, abandoned alone on an island and left to fend for themselves. What follows is anarchy and total epic failure of any organization. The end result is leadership by bullies and something of the “survival of the fittest” domination. I have tried to forget much about that book as is at the very least somewhat weird. All of that said, as Jesus was casting out a demon the religious leaders were looking on and did not understand this kind of power. Remember Jesus also taught as one having authority, not like the Scribes and Pharisees! The only way they could explain away their own inability to help this man was to criticize Jesus. All of this brings us to today’s point, God has an order for everything and all things will eventually submit to that order. There are always those, like pesky flies, which try to get out of the God given order, leading to anarchy and chaos. When Jesus puts the demonic spirit in its place, that order is restored. What is out of order in your life, or do you have some of those pesky flies trying to bring disorder and chaos into your life and home. Today is the day to turn to the one who can control the flies and bring order and peace back for you. Don’t be surprised, be amazed at Him!

Children’s Journal

January 19, 2009

Day 8. Jesus Dies for Us

Jesus loves each and every one of us that He died on a cross for us. He died so that our sins can be forgiven. All we must do is ask Him to forgive us of our sins and come into our hearts to be our Lord and Savior.

Today’s Puzzle