Blog Archives

Matthew 22

9/30/2011

Please read the entire Parable.
Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to meet the guest, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. Friend, he asked, how is it that you are here without wedding clothes? But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
I have been praying about this and I just keep getting that this parable is talking about us who have come to the Lord and believe who He is but are not willing to clothe ourselves with the proper clothes. We are just fans and not followers, we think because we are at the wedding that is good enough. But we are called to love Christ and be different than we were. Verse 14 says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” I really think that is saying God loves us all right were we are, and He has shown us that by sending His Son, but what are we going to do with that invitation? He doesn’t love us because we have done anything, He loves us because He created and called us. Will we show Him our love by accepting the Son and clothing ourselves to be like Him? Does our love show that we love Him above all else? When we just believe we are still working but it is in our own strength, but when we die to self and surrender to God’s will we are lead by the Spirit and we work even harder to be like Christ. That is what separates the wheat and the chaff. When it is not by our own strength but His, that moves us to put on the wedding clothes and be a light. Jesus challenged people and ate with the sinners so He could show them the right road and He loved them where they were but He then said go and sin no more. I say we should fill ourselves daily and ask God to reveal Christ strength to us and when we do we will truly understand Philippians 4:13 which says, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Love is as it is told to us in Mark 12:29-31 which says, “Jesus replied, The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

We are called to do something with our faith not just sit back and hope that we learn and grow. In His strength it is our responsibility to be different. Love is so important because true love will keep us focused even in the worst of times. Praise God for His unfailing love and Him sending His Son to show us how to love God, enough to lay down our life for Him. Amen

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Matthew 16

9/26/2011

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Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.”

This is Jesus explaining that our lives have got to change. I hope we are all striving to be followers of Jesus not just believers. Follower’s has such a more committed sound and makes you want to be a part of the entire relationship. We should long for being a part of everything Jesus shows us not just be in the crowd listening and cheering. Jesus says “take up your cross, and follow Me.” That alone is calling us to do more not just the bare minimum.

Verse 25 says, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

Nothing that we want or we can do is enough. When we work on doing everything Jesus has shown us we can be free and understand our lives as fully devoted followers. This world moves fast and is full of things we desire; can we slow down and take up our cross? When we understand our cross is with us daily not just sometimes we will realize our journey with not end until we are home. Jesus is open and high challenge, we need to realize He is not hoping we change some of our life; He wants us to change all of it. When we think we are good on the middle road or lukewarm we need to ask ourselves why? What is keeping us from fully surrendering?

In Matthew chapter 16 verse 23 Jesus challenges Peter, “Jesus turned to Peter and said, ‘Get away from me, satan! You are a dangerous trap for me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

What point of view are we going through life with, the world’s or God’s? Be all you can be in Christ and never be satisfied with where you are. Seek God’s point of view and die to self. Amen

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Lamentations 3

9/22/2011

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Lamentations 3:22-25 “The faithful love of the Lord never end! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him! The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him.”

I was reading a devotion to my boys and these verses really hit my heart. I thought it was a great reminder of how faithful God’s love is for us. We are is creation and He loves us so much that He sent His only Son for us even when we struggled so much to love Him above all else.

Verse 25 kept jumping out to me when I was reading, “The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him.”

Are we searching for Him with all our heart? I love the fact that we have His word every day to turn to and we have the words of Jesus to teach us and the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts. Are we joyfully searching and depending on Him for everything in our lives?

In verse 27 it says, “And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of His discipline.”

Submit is such a key word because we are called to die to self and live for Him. Die to what we think is right and good and submit to what Jesus has shown us in His journey as a person in love with the Father. God sent His Son to be our guide and our example, but mostly to be the way to Him.

Jesus says in John chapter 14 verse 6, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

We need to search and submit to Him daily and grow in our knowledge and understanding so we can be just like Christ; not focused on self but focused on God. If you ever are questioning what you need to do it is all summed up in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21, which says, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” Live for Christ not for self and submit to what Jesus did and know that God’s way is the only way. So never be satisfied always be searching. Amen

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Matthew 13

9/19/2011

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Matthew 13:13 Jesus explains why He teaches in parables. “That is why I use these parables, for they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.”

Are we stuck in our relationship with the Lord where we listen and hear what we want not what He says? I truly believe that God’s word is specifically for us and all that is in it is for us to learn and use to live. This takes us seeking to learn it and understand it. We can’t hope that all the pieces will fall into place if we are not willing to study our life manual constantly.

In verse 14 Jesus says, “This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘when you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.”

We are here to glorify God in all we do and Jesus came to show us how to do this. All He did was good and all He said is truth, we must open God’s word and ask for understanding and wisdom so we can listen and hear as Jesus is challenging us to do.

Verse 15 says, “For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and let Me heal them.”

Does this sound like us in our walk? Do we want to hear and see and listen to what we want to so we don’t turn to Christ and learn? We might say we want to, but then our actions keep us from living a full life in Christ.

Jesus said to His disciples in Luke chapter 6 verses 22-23, “What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.”

Can we surrender to Jesus and be excited when we are hated because we love Him and not the world? We need to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of mediocrity and feel that church and the basic things are enough. We are called to be different and set apart, open God’s word and learn it so well that you work hard to live it out everyday. And when the hard situations come up you know where to turn; God’s word and you choose right because your heart can understand. Amen

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Matthew 11

9/14/2011

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Matthew 11:11-12 “I tell you the truth, of all who have lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom is greater than he is. And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.”

I liked this as I read it because we are called to be as bold as John the Baptist and never sway with our love for the Lord. Jesus asks these questions in verse 7, “…What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind?”

How important is it for us to learn God’s word and model our lives after Jesus, and then be strong bold Christians that live out their faith. To be bold means to be confident in what you believe in. And to believe in something means you accept it and embrace it to be real. When something is real to us we should do all we can to be that example. A friend shared with me an example about bank teller. He said that the trainees are paid to count money so much that they are familiar with what real money feels like, this is so they can tell a fake the instance they feel it. We need to get so familiar with God’s word and how Jesus lived that we can discern from truth or lies. We should commit to understand all God shows us and always be ready for more. Our walk will be attacked daily by the world and satan, what will keep us grounded and secure if you don’t really know Him. Our strength comes from Jesus and we have confidence when we know that and trust in that.

Ephesians 3:12 says, “Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” So when we read in the last part of Matthew chapter 11 verse 8 “…and violent people are attacking it.” Know that our protection is God’s word and prayer and the Holy Spirit is in us to guide us and help us be bold in the name of Jesus. Amen

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Matthew 10

9/12/2011

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Matthew 10:34-36 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!’

I believe this is because the truth, which is Jesus, is going to challenge us to be different and it is going to make us hold on loosely to God’s stuff. We will be tempted and have to work hard to understand what we learn about Jesus and then follow Him. Even if our family is not willing to learn and grow we have to put God first and keep our eyes on Christ. The people closest to us will challenge us the most because they are family. Our worldly love for them will make us feel they belong to us, but we must realize nothing is ours and we need to strive to surrender to His will. It is so important for us to pray and ask God for wisdom so we can discern what is right and wrong. This world will challenge us constantly to choose it; satan will use all avenues to make us think we are in control. We will have the desire to handle things ourselves and think it is up to us to do everything, when our job is to learn and understand all that God wants.

In verses 38-39 they say, “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it.”

Our life is not our own it is given to us from God and He wants us to love Him and be willing to work hard to deny self and be like Christ. We need to pray saying thanks for everything and please show me all I can do to be a light. Help me to keep my eyes on you and not on me. Fill me with the Spirit of strength that is Holy so I can choose you always and keep me open to grow and learn, in Jesus name, Amen.

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Matthew 7

9/10/2011

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Matthew 7:24 "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock."

This is so important as we work on growing and maturing our relationship with the Lord. Jesus is telling us we just can't sit there and listen to His teachings we have to follow what He is teaching.

Verse 26 says, "But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand."

Are we understanding this? We have to put into action what we are learning from God's word. It is not OK to go to church and not change how we live, turning from our old ways and being Christ-like. It is not OK to ignore what we are learning in the Bible, we need to be actively seeking how to be different. If going to church is enough for us, we need to ask why? If we are not giving or serving people we need to ask ourselves why? And if we are comfortable and not challenged to be a light we need to ask why?

Matthew 7:7 says, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

We can't think because we know Jesus Christ that is good enough to make us fully devoted followers. He asks us to be like Him and be different from the world. Here are a few more scriptures I want to take a look at and pray about.

Matthew 7:14 which says, "But the gateway to life is VERY narrow and the road is DIFFICULT, and only a few ever find it." Now look at Matthew 7:22-23, which say, "On judgment day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'

We are called to be servants just like Christ and be people who work hard to show that we love Him as He loves the Father. There is so much more God wants us to find out, are we willing to get on the difficult road and love God above all else and then love others as ourselves? Amen

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Matthew 6

9/8/2011

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Matthew 6:20-21 “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Think about this, what motivates us most or drives us most day to day? Our goal should be seeking a relationship with God and wanting more understanding and wisdom so we can live a glorifying life. “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” When your treasure is Jesus Christ and you think of how He came to save us all you will desire learning. The more we grow the more we can understand how Christ came to show us how to live. As we learn to be like Him we start acting like Him and our actions are what build up our treasures. We need to stop daily and thank God and then ask Him for the right words and actions to be a light. When we desire this we long for being different and we will work hard to achieve Christ-like behavior.

I love what Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously and He will give you everything you need.”

To me that is building our treasure in heaven. We need to move from our belief to belonging or being a Christian by name to a fully devoted Christian transformed and different. Talk is cheap, we all need to learn and grow. Let’s fill our hearts with Him and be bold with our changed lives and know what our treasure is. Amen

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Matthew 4

9/7/2011

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Matthew 4:3-4 “…If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

This was intriguing to me as I read it today. Jesus tells us that people –that is us- live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Why is it so hard for us to let go of the world and spend time daily in His word? Too me, this means that if we are to live a full life we have got to open God’s word and learn to live what it says. A full life is one that has the qualities of Galatians 5:22 which says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Do our lives resemble these character traits? If not, why? There is a good chance the why is because we are trying to fit God in our lives instead of fitting our lives into His. Open God’s word and surrender to it. See how Jesus lived and know that He is the only way to heaven, and then work to change the way we think so it aligns with Jesus and what God says. This takes us opening the Bible and praying for understanding and then actually living it out in our day to day walk. Then we will notice a transformation that changes our lives and we will show all the fruits of the Spirit and the Kingdom will be reached. Amen

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Nehemiah 1

9/3/2011

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Nehemiah 1:8-9 "Please remember what you told your servant Moses: 'If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored."

This is a prayer from Nehemiah and I like how it shows God's love for us in our working to obey. This is old covenant and the law but I feel it is the same with Jesus and the new covenant. When we are of the world and are sinning, we are scattered among the world. But when we turn back to Christ and live our lives like He did, we will be brought back. God can't be in sin so we separate ourselves when we sin, but He is right there to help us when we choose. We need to understand that it will take work on our part to continually die to self and obey what Christ has shown us. It is not a loose attitude of; I can live how I want and then repent and be good, it is the constant work of focus and growth that keeps our eyes fixed on the prize...Christ.

I really am amazed by these scriptures in Luke 13:24-27 which says, "Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the Master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Lord, open the door for us' but He will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. ' Then you will say, 'But we ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets.' And He will reply, 'I tell you, I don't know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil."

Wow! How little does belief mean in our definition. Our walk needs to show action and constant growth to be like Jesus. It is calling us to not be perfect, but to work at it. In Nehemiah's prayer, it says, "...if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them..." When we accept Christ and live by His example, we show our love for Him and we are active. Don't be comfortable - be diligent, because God's love is greater than anything. Amen.

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Matthew 22

Matthew 16

Lamentations 3

Matthew 13

Matthew 11

Matthew 10

Matthew 7

Matthew 6

Matthew 4

Nehemiah 1

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