word

These words seemed appropriate in the midst of all this craziness happening all around us...


Trust in the Lord

with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek His will in all you do,

& He will direct your paths.

(dan note: we all identify readily to those words, but we never hear these words that follow immediately.)

Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.

Instead,

fear the Lord

& turn your back on evil.

Then

you will regain renewed health

& vitality.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NLT, 1st ed.)

LGLO

Matthew 22

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

There you have it.

Love God, love others.

LGLO

so, what do we make of this?

Matthew 21

18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.

20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

So, what are we to make of all this?

What are the practicalities for everyday life from what Jesus says here?

hubris

I think this speaks to the hubris of those of us who have been "walking with the Lord" for a LONG time.

We sometimes feel we deserve recognition & better seating at the table than folks who were spectacular sinners for a BIG chunk of their lives & then "find the Lord."

Just sayin'...

Matthew 20 

1 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

now or later or both?

This is Jesus talking here...

I get the part about eternal life.

I get the part about some who are a big deal here may not be a big deal there.

And I understand that many who seem unimportant here will be big deals in heaven.

But the hundred times in return part - is Jesus talking about during our lives here, or later, or both?

I really am curious what y'all think - I don't have an answer & thought maybe y'all did



Matthew 19

29 And everyone who has given up houses 

or brothers 

or sisters 

or father 

or mother 

or children 

or property, 

for my sake, 

will receive 

a hundred times as much in return 

and will inherit eternal life. 


30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, 

and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

the greatest

In a day when it seems we have an overabundance of whacko voices within Christianity,

maybe we should remember these words of Jesus...

Matthew 18 

1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

pertinent?

2 Thessalonians 2 

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

keep / lose

Yeah... this a big...



Matthew 16

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, 

“If any of you wants to be my follower, 

you must give up your selfish ambition, 

take up your cross, 

and follow me. 

25 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. 

26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 

Is anything worth more than your soul?

final advice from Paul

Here's Paul closing words in his first letter the the followers of Jesus who live in Thessalonica.

Not bad advice for us, too...

1 Thessalonians 5

14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. 

Encourage those who are timid. 

Take tender care of those who are weak. 

Be patient with everyone.

15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, 

but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

16 Always be joyful. 

17 Never stop praying. 

18 No matter what happens, 

always be thankful, 

for this is God’s will 

for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 

20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 

21 but test everything that is said. 

Hold on to what is good. 

22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

just 5000?

Matthew 14

13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.

18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

I've wondered how many people were really there.

Verse 21 says 5000 men were there, plus women & children.

Now I've never been to a meeting where men outnumbered women. 

But for the sake of conversation, let's say there were an equal number of women - 5000

So now we're talking 10000 adults.

I don't think there were many daycare centers back then, so women had their kids with them (bless their hearts!)

We know that there was very little birth control back then.

At the same time, infant mortality was pretty high.

So would it probably be safe to say that each of the women had kids with them.

For the sake of conversation, let's say each woman had a couple of kids with her.

They probably had more than that, but for now let's a 2 kids with each woman.

That's 10000 kids (yikes!).

So that makes the total attendance to be around 20000 people.

To grasp that number, think of it this way...

Have you ever seen on TV or been to a professional hockey game?

Or a college or professional basketball game?

Those arenas where they hold those games usually hold between 18000 & 20000 people.

THAT's how many people really could have been there that day Jesus fed them all & had 12 baskets of leftovers.

Think about that...

fivetoeight

We're all familiar with the first part of this passage...

but it's interesting what it says right after the familiar part.

This is one of the passages for 2020.



Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek His will in all you do,

& He will direct your paths.

Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.

Instead, fear the Lord

& turn your back on evil.

Then you will gain renewed healthy & vitality.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NLT, 1st ed.)

from Hebrews

This seems to be all I have to share today, from my verses for 2020...



Don't throw away this confident trust in the Lord,

no matter what happens.

Remember the great reward it brings you!

Patient endurance is what you need now,

so you will continue to do God's will.

Then you will receive all that He has promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT, 1st ed.)

come

I think the most important words of Jesus in this passage are "come to me".

iow, the God of the universes says to us, "come to me."

hmmmmmmm...

Who among us is a little weary these days?

And who of us carry seriously heavy burdens that crush us unrelentingly & unendingly?

Jesus, the God of the universes, is speaking fantabulously to those of us who are SO weary & burdened.



Matthew 11

28 Then Jesus said, 

“Come to me, 

all of you who are weary 

and carry heavy burdens, 

and I will give you rest. 

29 Take my yoke upon you. 

Let me teach you, 

because I am humble 

and gentle at heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls. 

30 For my yoke is easy to bear, 

and the burden I give you is light.”

words to live by

I've lived this, & have seen these words of Jesus lived out in others...


If you cling to your life,

you will lose it;

but if you give it up for me,

you will find it.

Matthew 10:39 (NLT, 1st. ed.)

fournine

Psalm 49

1 Listen to this, all you people!
    Pay attention, everyone in the world!
2 High and low,
    rich and poor—listen!
3 For my words are wise,
    and my thoughts are filled with insight.
4 I listen carefully to many proverbs
    and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

5 Why should I fear when trouble comes,
    when enemies surround me?
6 They trust in their wealth
    and boast of great riches.
7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
    by paying a ransom to God.
8 Redemption does not come so easily,
    for no one can ever pay enough
9 to live forever
    and never see the grave.

10 Those who are wise must finally die,
    just like the foolish and senseless,
    leaving all their wealth behind.
11 The grave is their eternal home,
    where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
12     but their fame will not last.
    They will die, just like animals.
13 This is the fate of fools,
    though they are remembered as being wise. 

14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave,
    where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
    Their bodies will rot in the grave,
    far from their grand estates.
15 But as for me, God will redeem my life.
    He will snatch me from the power of the grave. 

16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
    and their homes become ever more splendid.
17 For when they die, they take nothing with them.
    Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate
    and are applauded for their success.
19 But they will die like all before them
    and never again see the light of day.
20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;
    they will die, just like animals.