Category: Matthew

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Let There Be Light

Recently we have replaced several light bulbs in the house. It’s amazing!

Dave is very handy and he has built a number of the lights in our home. He built a light to go over the bar from an old double tree. It’s one of my favorite things in the house! Has four bulbs.  We bought some of those indoor flood style bulbs – only 65w each but man, they light up the whole room.

A while back we replaced one of the bulbs in the microwave. It’s a built in microwave above the stove and one of the bulbs burned out. It made it hard to see what I was cooking on the burners. After that was replaced I realized how dim the other one was. It was grease coated and very little light was getting through. That bulb got replaced as well.

What a difference! The old bulb in the microwave was dingy and covered with grime. The bulbs that had been in the double tree had been larger watts but their light was less effective because of the way the bulb was constructed.

Sitting here this morning enjoying the bright light from the double tree I had to ask myself, “How much light am I giving to the world?”

Am I dingy, having picked up a lot of grime or am I under utilizing the power flowing through me because I have molded my life after the world’s design and not God’s?

I’ll be pondering that today. Letting the Holy Spirit brighten my bulb and even upgrade/transform my shape so that I am a brighter representative of the power source, the Father, that flows through me!

“You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. 15 People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 ERV

Lord, I desire to be shining brightly.

This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine…

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The Greatest

Didn’t Mohammed Ali claimed to be “the greatest”? He would pose for the photographers and do his little rope-a-dope dance all the while chanting “I am the greatest”.  But that’s who or what I want to talk about this morning.

We all have a desire or ambition to succeed, to achieve or to excel. God has given us that desire; like any good Father he is there to cheer us on. However, our motives need to be right. They can’t be based on greed, selfishness or vanity.

Jesus was asked a question by the Pharisees about what was the greatest or most important of God’s laws. Their motive was to undermine Jesus and his ministry. They wanted to discredit Him.

“34 The Pharisees learned that Jesus had made the Sadducees look so foolish that they stopped trying to argue with him. So the Pharisees had a meeting. 35 Then one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. 36 He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”
37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 40 All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands… None of the Pharisees could answer Jesus’ question. And after that day, no one was brave enough to ask him any more questions.” Matthew 22:34-46 CEV

The Pharisees were trying to test and even trick Jesus into a wrong answer; something that would discredit him to his followers and better yet, something that would give them place to prosecute him and silence him in public.

What Jesus did with his answer was discredit the Pharisees. By giving the answer that He did, Jesus proved that their heart’s motive was anything but love. And if they weren’t walking in love toward Him and their neighbor, they weren’t keeping what they called the greatest commandments. He went on to correct them in their thinking about the Messiah as well. No wonder they decided not to ask Him anymore questions.

The Pharisees had all the outward trappings of religion and righteousness but their hearts were wrong. It was a self-righteousness and it was religion instead of relationship. Jesus was talking about a living relationship with the Father.

As we spent time loving the Father we will reflect His love to others. The moon has no light source in itself but it reflects the light of the sun. In the same way, as we spend time absorbing the Father’s love we will reflect that love to others. We can’t give what we don’t have – so as we receive more and more love from the Father we are able to love others more.

“ So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 ERV

Father, I desire to love You with all that I am and then to reflect Your love to those around me today.

 

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Common Sense & Truth

Remember yesterday when I said we should  read our Bibles until we read something that will stay with us the entire day?

Well, I have three short verses to share this morning. These verses are filled with a life time of common sense.

“I tell you that everyone will have to answer for all the careless things they have said. This will happen on the day of judgment. 37 Your words will be used to judge you. What you have said will show whether you are right or whether you are guilty.” Matthew 12:26-27 ERV

Jesus said those words above.

He knew the power and importance of words. After all, the world and all that is in it was created when God spoke. When Jesus spoke blind eyes opened, the lame began to walk and sinners were forgiven.

Jesus wants us to be aware of our words and to use them carefully. That’s just good common sense.

Now we have all spoken things we wished we hadn’t and most of us have probably talked just to hear our own voice. If we take time to confess those idle and careless words they will be forgiven and we won’t be judged for them.

“Wise people always think before they speak, so what they say is worth listening to. 24 Kind words are like honey; they are easy to accept and good for your health.” Proverbs 16:23-24 ERV

We need to stop and think before we speak. If we do, we won’t be  saying something unkind, rude, or embarrassing. Our words will be sweet as honey.

“My children, if you show good sense, I will be happy, 16 and if you are truthful, I will really be glad. 17 Don’t be jealous of sinners, but always honor the Lord.” Proverbs 23:15-17 CEV

I can hear the Lord’s instruction in this. Use good sense, be truthful and don’t envy those who do evil. ALWAYS honor the Lord!

Good advice – ’nuff said.

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R E S P E C T

How many of you were alive in 1967 when Aretha Franklin had her big hit, RESPECT?

 

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB
Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)
A little respect (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)
Whoa, babe (just a little bit)
A little respect (just a little bit)…by Otis Redding

Did that start your morning with a smile? I hope so. Do you know what the Bible says about respect?

Did you know that God is no respecter of persons?

“ Then Peter said, “I can see, for sure, that God does not respect one person more than another. 35 He is pleased with any man in any nation who honors Him and does what is right. ” Acts 10:34-35 NLV

When Peter made this statement he was in the home of Cornelius. Cornelius was a Gentile, a non-Jew, and he was considered unclean, second-rate by the Jewish people.  The Lord gave Peter a vision confirming to him that it was ok for Peter to go and preach to these people.

You see what Peter is saying here. God doesn’t prefer one race or nationality of people. What God does look at is the heart of man; does he honor God and do right.

Our respect or admiration should have the same basis. We often display prejudice because of someone’s educational or financial standing or lack of it. James is quick to point out that this is wrong. What we should be looking at is their character.

“My brothers and sisters, practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by not favoring (respect) one person over another. 2 For example, two men come to your worship service. One man is wearing gold rings and fine clothes; the other man, who is poor, is wearing shabby clothes. 3 Suppose you give special attention (respect) to the man wearing fine clothes and say to him, “Please have a seat.” But you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor at my feet.” 4 Aren’t you discriminating against people and using a corrupt standard to make judgments?

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Didn’t God choose poor people in the world to become rich in faith and to receive the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 Yet, you show no respect to poor people. Don’t rich people oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Don’t they curse the good name of Jesus, the name that was used to bless you?

8 You are doing right if you obey this law from the highest authority: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 9 If you favor (respect) one person over another, you’re sinning, and this law convicts you of being disobedient. 10 If someone obeys all of God’s laws except one, that person is guilty of breaking all of them.” James 2:1-10 GW

And then there are those who show respect or preference to some because of occupational standing. Many times the CEO is treated with more respect than the janitor. Again this isn’t God’s way of thinking.

“Slaves, you must obey your earthly masters. Show them great respect and be as loyal to them as you are to Christ. 6 Try to please them at all times, and not just when you think they are watching. You are slaves of Christ, so with your whole heart you must do what God wants you to do. 7 Gladly serve your masters, as though they were the Lord himself, and not simply people. 8 You know that you will be rewarded for any good things you do, whether you are slaves or free.

9 Slave owners, you must treat your slaves with this same respect. Don’t threaten them. They have the same Master in heaven that you do, and he doesn’t have any favorites.” Ephesians 6:5-9 CEV

Respect, Biblical respect, has nothing to do with class, education, wealth or nationality. God says that all men and women  are worthy of respect because they are His creation, created in His image. He wants us to show honor or value to one another, displaying His love.

“Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself.”  Romans 12:10 ERV

I realize this is an area where I still need some work. I am embarrassed by the times where I have looked at someone and judged them strictly on their appearance without knowing their character. God isn’t pleased when I do that.

I want to see through His eyes, having compassion for everyone I see. I truly want to live as Jesus did – He had no prejudice, He didn’t respect or prefer one person over another.  His love for His Father was always first and then He loved us with the same love He had for himself.

 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 CEV

Now back to a line from Aretha’s song:

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T…Find out what it means to me”

To me it means loving the way God does!

 

 

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Labor of the Day – Do It

This morning I learned something very interesting about the word labor.

In the King James Bible the word is spelled labour. So when I first looked up verses on labor there were none to be found. When I tried using the Old English spelling I found 128 references.

Isn’t that just the way it is. There is no real labour with “u”.

So often people think that they need to be super saints to be used by God. Not so…God is looking for people who are available. You don’t have to be someone who has been a Christian for a long time – someone who has been to Bible school or seminary – or even someone who has lived an exemplary life.

God is looking for the willing and obedient!

“Come on now, let’s discuss this!” says the Lord. “Though your sins are bright red, they will become as white as snow. Though they are dark red, they will become as white as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.” Isaiah 1:18-19 GW

At the marriage feast in Cana Jesus mother told him that they were running low on wine. She expected Jesus to do something and then she said to the servants standing nearby, “whatever he tells you to do, do it”. They did and a miracle took place.

If we will just “do” what we hear from God, He will work the miracles. We don’t have to know great amounts of Scripture, but we need to be willing to do what we hear.

“His mother told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Six stone water jars were there. They were used for Jewish purification rituals. Each jar held 18 to 27 gallons.

7 Jesus told the servers, “Fill the jars with water.” The servers filled the jars to the brim. 8 Jesus said to them, “Pour some, and take it to the person in charge.” The servers did as they were told.

9 The person in charge tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it had come from, although the servers who had poured the water knew. The person in charge called the groom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the best wine first. When people are drunk, the host serves cheap wine. But you have saved the best wine for now.”

11 Cana in Galilee was the place where Jesus began to perform miracles. He made his glory public there, and his disciples believed in him.” John 2:5-11 GW

Obedience was a big part of Jesus ministry. He told Lazarus to “come forth”. To the cripple man, He said “rise up and walk”, Zacchaeus heard Him say “come down” and to the harlot he said “sin no more”. These are just a few examples but each of them were willing  to do what Jesus said and then they were obedient to “do it”.

You know this is a play on words but it’s important that “u” stays in labor.

We can’t earn our salvation. God’s love is unconditional. By our obedience we do show the love and gratitude in our hearts. “U” must be involved, it’s called faith.  Our obedience is an outward expression of our inner heart.

Jesus said He would provide rest if “u” (we) come to Him and learn.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 KJV

or perhaps this is easier to understand

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

I encourage “U” to labour today.  Work hard to be obedient and you will see God’s power working in your life bringing you to a place of rest.

Lord, today, I desire to be willing and obedient!

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Bread or Crackers

I really enjoy bread…sour dough is my favorite. Then of course there are fresh biscuits, thick cut multigrain bread and don’t tell anyone but occasionally I sneak in a donut or two.

I’m a little more picky about crackers. Not too many really wake up my palate but if I had to choose I would grab a box of Cheese-Its or Town House crackers.

The major difference between bread and crackers is the yeast. In the Bible we will find it called leaven. Jesus taught numerous times about removing leaven. The traditional Jewish feast of Passover is celebrated with unleavened bread.

There’s a true correlation in life between the two.

The Apostle Paul talks about our lives as dough. Dough without yeast was a sign of purity. This went back to the time of the Passover in Egypt. The Israelites were told to boil the lamb and eat unleavened bread.

They were waiting on God to move and deliver them from Egypt. They had to be ready at a moments notice. There wasn’t time to let the bread rise or the meat to roast. Boiling the meat and baking the bread without leaven was the fastest way to make their meal.

“Your proud talk is not good. You know the saying, “Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.” 7 Take out all the old yeast, so that you will be a new batch of dough. You really are bread without yeast—Passover bread. Yes, Christ our Passover Lamb has already been killed. 8 So let us eat our Passover meal, but not with the bread that has the old yeast, the yeast of sin and wrongdoing. But let us eat the bread that has no yeast. This is the bread of goodness and truth.” I Corinthians 5:6-8 ERV

Paul is referring to our daily life – it should be leaven free! Pretty appropriate for this day and age when everyone is wanting to be “gluten free”.

Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed to bring forgiveness and restoration to our lives. We need to  be an example of His goodness and truth.

Take out the yeast! Periodically I have to take inventory and have the Holy Spirit reveal to me areas in my life that have leaven. He’s faithful to do that when I ask.

Leavened bread is full of air that is caused by a chemical reaction in the yeast. That’s what makes it rise. Our lives can be full of air! We get so caught up in ourselves that we puff up. You know the sayings, “he’s full of hot air” or “they are puffed up like a peacock”. These are referring to someone who is selfish, conceited or prideful.

Look at these two translations of the same verse from I Corinthians 13.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” verse 4 KJV

“Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud,” verse 4 CEV

Jesus warned people to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. He wasn’t talking about the bread they were serving but of their teachings. The Pharisees were inflicting all types of rules and regulations on the people. Their teaching was based on what “they” could and needed to do to be in right relationship with God. They taught the people that if they weren’t good enough, didn’t celebrate enough festivals, bring enough sacrifices, give enough tithe that God wouldn’t be pleased with them and they couldn’t have relationship with Him.

Jesus’ teaching and God’s desire were completely opposite. Jesus told us to come as we are. God’s love is unconditional, not based on our good works. It is His free gift to us, presented by Jesus who died for our sins.

Pharisees teaching: “ Why is it that you do not see that I was not talking to you about bread? I was talking to you about keeping away from the yeast of the proud religious law-keepers and the religious group of people who believe no one will be raised from the dead.” 12 Then they understood that it was not the yeast of bread that He was talking about. But He was talking about the teaching of the proud religious law-keepers and of the other religious group of people.” Matthew 16:11-12 NLV

Jesus’ teaching: “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever. ” John 3:16 NLV

Am I big and fluffy or flat and salty? Am I puffed up with self or am I deflated of selfish ambition and trusting God to use me how He sees fit?

I am so glad that we have a loving heavenly Father who desires that we have a life of goodness and truth free from selfishness and pride.

 

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On A Clear Day

I think the words go, on a clear day you can see forever but our view yesterday was far from clear.

This is what we saw from the windows of the truck as we drove from Idaho to Nevada. Smoke from the fires is everywhere. We planned our trip home through areas we haven’t been to before and wanted to see the ranch country of Jordan Valley and around Winnemucca. Guess we’ll save that for another trip.

But all that smoke got me to thinking about what it’s like to have a foggy mind and not be clear headed. There’s a lot of that going around these days. People doing and saying things that are irrational and selfish.

If we’d all just take time to think a bit more before we open our mouths. Jesus was giving some instruction to His followers about this very thing.

Everyone was so eager to correct their neighbors, family members and co-workers that Jesus had to explain to them the importance of removing offensive actions from their own lives before they started “Helping” others see their faults.

I think there’s a lesson here for all of us.  We seem to make allowances for our own actions that we aren’t willing to concede to others.

“Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. 5 You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:4-5 ERV

The Apostle Paul wrote all about love in the 13th chapter of I Corinthians. I’ve shared it with you on numerous occasions. He tells us that love is gentle, kind, not jealous, overlooks wrong actions, doesn’t keep score. And then he ends is definition of love by saying that it never fails.

I will admit we will never be able to live this life of love perfectly but that doesn’t mean we quit trying. Paul goes on to say a few verses later that as we mature we will put away foolish thinking or as I like to call it selfishness. There is nothing more foolish than a “me” centered life. Paul tells us that kind of living is like looking into a dark or smoky mirror. Our vision of what is true and real is obscured.

But…he goes on to say, that when we look into Jesus face we will see clearly. Now I do believe that this verse is making reference to how things will be in heaven but they also apply to how things should be here on earth. When we look closely at Jesus we see how everything he said and did was motivated by love. As we grow and mature we will see that our lives are also reflecting more of His love.

“When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. 12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture  in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.” I Corinthians 13:11-12 CEV

One more Biblical example on being able to see clearly. It comes from the Old Testament. Moses had just led the Jews out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. They were wandering in the Sinai Desert. The Lord sent a pillar, a cloud to cover them in the day to protect them from the overwhelming heat and He sent a pillar or cloud of fire to protect them at night from the bitter cold.

“The Lord went before them, in a pillar of cloud during the day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire during the night to give them light. So they could travel day and night. 22 The pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night did not leave the people.” Exodus 13:21-22 NLV

God’s love was displayed in the fire. It made it possible for the Israelites to see clearly at night. God is still displaying His love to us. He wants us to see clearly. He doesn’t want us to stumble or fall in the dark.

Thank you Lord for letting me see Your love clearly. For lighting my way and keeping me out of the smoke and the fog.

 

 

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Super Hero Christians

Have you noticed that there are more super heroes than there used to be? When I was a kid we had Superman, Batman, Mighty Mouse and Underdog.

Oh yes the Marvel Comics had their super heroes but it wasn’t something I knew much about. I never aspired to be a super hero. If I read comics it was Archie, Blondie, Porky Pig, or Bugs Bunny.

Did you know there were those who considered themselves “super” men in Jesus day too? They called themselves Pharisees, Sadducees and Rulers of the Temple.

These were the folks who went around correcting every one for the tiniest of infractions of the Law. They followed Jesus, constantly trying to catch Him doing something wrong, so that they could condemn Him and disperse His followers. This is what Jesus said about their super pious and religious ways.

“You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you’re in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either.” Matthew 23:23 CEV

They criticized Jesus for eating dinner with common people (sinners) and for healing the crippled and the blind. His kindness to a prostitute and a tax collector was despised and ridiculed. His followers were common place; men who owned fishing businesses. The only one of any real stature in society was Luke the physician.

Sad to say, there are still many who think they should be awarded some superior status and  even have letters sewn to their chest and don a cape. There letters might be SSC, Super Spiritual Christian. However, they would meet with the same message from Christ that the rich man, Simon, was given when he invited Jesus to dinner.

Simon invited Him with ulterior motives. He and his associates were always trying to trip Jesus up. A woman of questionable reputation came into the house and she poured expensive perfume on Jesus. The dinner guests began to whisper demeaning words.

“Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

“Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied.

41 Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn’t have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?”

43 Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn’t have to pay it back.”

“You are right,” Jesus said.

44 He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn’t give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t even pour olive oil on my head, but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. 47 So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.”

48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:40-48 CEV

We are called to be like Christ not like the Pharisees. Our hearts should be filled with compassion, understanding, love and grace. People don’t need to be condemned for what they’ve done wrong. We all know, full well, when and where we have failed. We have been forgiven much!

Ours is a mission of forgiveness. We are called to walk in love; to treat one another kindly; to encourage and build up; to strengthen and support. We must live “graceful” lives; lives full of grace showing others that we understand it is only by God’s Grace that we have been forgiven.

“God raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the heavens. 7 He did this to show us through all the time to come the great riches of His loving-favor. He has shown us His kindness (grace)  through Christ Jesus.

8 For by His loving-favor (grace) you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. 9 It is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud. 10 We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this.” Ephesians 2:6-10 NLV

If we are to wear any banner on our chest instead of it declaring us to be super heroes I think it would be best that we make it “GG” for God’s Grace!

We will encounter folks each day who have met a religious super saint and have been condemned. Let’s bee a grace giver; let them be changed by God’s love.

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What Did Ya Come For?

Yesterday we had a strange experience I’d like to share with you.

Dave and I have toyed with the idea of getting an RV since we fully retired 4 years ago. We are up here in the Spokane/Couer d’Alene area and there are a lot of RV dealerships. We decided to just go and look at what’s available.  Mid-morning we took off with our friend, and headed to a few different dealerships.

Since we’ve been thinking about this for a while we know what we want and what we feel would work best for us. We wanted to see what’s available in our price range. This was a fun fact finding mission.

The first place we stopped only had two 5th wheel trailers that matched our criteria. The sales person was very nice and helpful. He understood that he really couldn’t help us. Off we went to the next dealership.

Once again we explained what we were looking for and why. This salesman got his inventory list and was unable to find anything on his lot that matched our wish list. He told us they were having a big sale this weekend, Dave told him we wouldn’t be buying this weekend. Then he blurted out in frustration “then what did ya come in for”.

Oh boy!

Those words stuck with me throughout the rest of the afternoon and I woke thinking about them this morning, “then what did ya come in for”.

There are so many times I go to the Lord and I’m not really sure what I need or what I’m wanting. I have confusion and need clarity. Or it maybe that I just need to talk, uninterrupted and unafraid, as I sort through emotions and circumstances.

The Lord is always there for me and never once has He lost his cool and asked me what I came for. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He tells me to come and I will find help when I need it.

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

The Lord tells me to come when I’m tired and need rest.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

When I need wisdom the Father tells me to come and receive teaching that will give me a long and prosperous life.

“The young lions suffer want and hunger. But they who look for the Lord will not be without any good thing. 11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man who has a desire for life, and wants to live long so that he may see good things? 13 Keep your tongue from sin and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn away from what is sinful. Do what is good. Look for peace and follow it.” Psalm 34:10-14 NLV

I did a word search for “come” this morning and I found that there are over 2100 listings in the King James version. I will tell you honestly that I did not read all 2106 verses. However, this one from the book of John has to be one of my favorites.

“Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry. He who puts his trust in Me will never be thirsty. 36 I said to you that you have seen Me and yet you do not put your trust in Me. 37 All whom My Father has given to Me will come to Me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me. 38 I came down from heaven. I did not come to do what I wanted to do. I came to do what My Father wanted Me to do. He is the One Who sent Me.

39 “The Father sent Me. He did not want Me to lose any of all those He gave Me. He wants Me to raise them to life on the last day. 40 He wants everyone who sees the Son to put his trust in Him and have life that lasts forever. I will raise that one up on the last day.” John 6:35-40 NLV

I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me. 

What a promise!

He will NEVER turn away anyone who comes to Him. That is an absolute, all encompassing promise.

So forget the rude and frustrated salesman; forget the customer service rep; forget the harsh tone of the banker or the mortgage broker, forget the misdirected words of a mate or friend.

Come boldly and find help, rest, instruction and life. We’ll never be turned away when we come to the Lord!

 

 

 

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All A-Twitter

When someone used to say that they were all a-twitter it meant that they were infatuated or romantically smitten.

Those of us who are fans of Disney, remember well the scenes in Bambi when all the characters became twitterpated in the Spring.

However now when the word “Twitter” is used it’s connected to social media and “following” some of your favorite friends, sports figures, politicians and news makers.

Dave and I are not very tech savvy. Our world is simplistic and old-fashioned. We read books from hard copy, like to have phone conversations instead of texting and enjoyed writing letters instead of emails so when our friend began to tell us about the advantages of Twitter yesterday we were  uninformed but interested.

I do post the blog to Twitter each morning but don’t really have any followers nor do I follow anyone. But our simple tutorial  yesterday morning got me to thinking.

Tweets from the people I follow with just  pop up throughout the day…interesting. So if I find someone who, like me, enjoys sharing Scripture then I could be receiving random verses of encouragement all during the day.

I like that!

If Jesus were alive and ministering today I can see Him having a Twitter account.

“Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. They were preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told the brothers to come with him. 22 So they immediately left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

23 Jesus went everywhere in the country of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses.” Matthew 4:21-23 ERV

He reached out to people everywhere He went. So it’s not hard to imagine that he would have a Facebook page, a Twitter account and be on Instagram. Jesus was a people person.  He showed up where they did, touched their lives and they followed him.

“When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.” Matthew 8:1

“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.” Matthew 8:23

“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.” Matthew 9:27

“But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;” Matthew 12:15

Doesn’t the same hold true for us? Don’t we really desire to follow Jesus? King David gave us the example of the Lord being our shepherd. Sheep follow their shepherd instinctively.

“Jesus said:   I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. 2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.

4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5 The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.” John 10:1-5 CEV

It’s important that we listen and then follow as Christ leads us to those green pastures and still waters. It’s there we find rest and peace from life’s stresses.

Our days become so busy. It’s hard to find time to sit and reflect on God’s word without being interrupted. So let me challenge you with this. Find a Twitter account to follow that will periodically tweet out a Scripture verse. When that notification comes, read the verse and say this simple prayer: “Lord what are you saying to me right now, I am determined to follow You.”

We can become more twitterpated for Christ by reading God’s word on Twitter.

“Be followers of God as dear children, 2 and walk in love, even as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet savour to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

 

 

 

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