scum

Luke 5 

27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. 

“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 

28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other notorious sinners also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”

31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

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Jesus clearly WANTED to be with people his culture & society considered awful & despicable.

And there was obviously something about Jesus that made these "notorious sinners" WANTED to be with Him.

Which begs the question - do we, as followers of Jesus & supposedly filled with His love, WANT to hang out with the "notorious sinners" of our time?

And is there truly so much of Jesus' love & personality resident in our souls that the "scum" of this earth WANT to hang with us?

word

Hebrews 4 

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. 

It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, 

cutting between soul and spirit, 

between joint and marrow. 

It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. 

Everything is naked 

and exposed 

before his eyes, 

and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, 

Jesus the Son of God, 

let us hold firmly to what we believe. 

15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, 

for he faced all of the same testings we do, 

yet he did not sin. 

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. 

There we will receive his mercy, 

and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

being faithful

Hebrews 3 

14 For if we are faithful to the end, 

trusting God 

just as firmly as when we first believed, 

we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 

15 Remember what it says:

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
    as Israel did when they rebelled.”

LGLO

Mark 12 

28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. 

He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, 

“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: 

‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 

30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

all your soul, 

all your mind, 

and all your strength.’ 

31 The second is equally important: 

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

No other commandment is greater than these.”

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Boil down what Jesus said?

Love God, love others.

LGLO

billionaires, listen

 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.

being child-like

Mark 10 

13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus 

so he could touch and bless them. 

But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. 

He said to them, 

“Let the children come to me. 

Don’t stop them! 

For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 

15 I tell you the truth, 

anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child 

will never enter it.” 

16 Then he took the children in his arms 

and placed his hands on their heads 

and blessed them.

straightforward

Mark 9 

33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, 

Jesus asked his disciples, 

“What were you discussing out on the road?” 

34 But they didn’t answer, 

because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 

35 He sat down, 

called the twelve disciples over to him, 

and said, 

“Whoever wants to be first must take last place 

and be the servant of everyone else.”

36 Then he put a little child among them. 

hmmmmmm... maybe I should forward this to a few politicians...?

Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 

37 “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, 

and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me 

but also my Father who sent me.”