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 guests 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.”

So, the question always is, would you be comfortable connecting with people our society & culture deem as "scum".

And the other question is are you or I the kind of person "scum" would want to hang out with?

real love

1 Corinthians 13 

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, 

but didn’t love others, 

I would only be a noisy gong 

or a clanging cymbal. 

2 If I had the gift of prophecy, 

and if I understood all of God’s secret plans 

and possessed all knowledge, 

and if I had such faith 

that I could move mountains, 

but didn’t love others, 

I would be nothing. 

3 If I gave everything I have to the poor 

and even sacrificed my body, 

I could boast about it; 

but if I didn’t love others, 

I would have gained nothing.

4 Love is patient 

and kind. 

Love is not jealous 

or boastful 

or proud 

5 or rude. 

It does not demand its own way. 

It is not irritable, 

and it keeps no record of being wronged. 

6 It does not rejoice about injustice 

but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

7 Love never gives up, 

never loses faith, 

is always hopeful, 

and endures through every circumstance.

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. 

But love will last forever! 

9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, 

and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 

10 But when the time of perfection comes, 

these partial things will become useless.

11 When I was a child, 

I spoke 

and thought 

and reasoned as a child. 

But when I grew up, 

I put away childish things. 

12 Now we see things imperfectly, 

like puzzling reflections in a mirror, 

but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. 

All that I know now is partial 

and incomplete, 

but then I will know everything completely, 

just as God now knows me completely.

13 Three things will last forever—

faith, 

hope, 

and love—

and the greatest of these is love.

gifts

1 Corinthians 12 

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, 

but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 

5 There are different kinds of service, 

but we serve the same Lord. 

6 God works in different ways, 

but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 

8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; 

to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 

9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, 

and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 

10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, 

and another the ability to prophesy. 

He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. 

Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, 

while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 

11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. 

He alone decides which gift each person should have.

twoeight

 

Psalm 28

1 I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.
    Do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you are silent,
    I might as well give up and die.
2 Listen to my prayer for mercy
    as I cry out to you for help,
    as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

6 Praise the Lord!
    For he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

8 The Lord gives his people strength.
    He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.

vingt-sept

 

Psalm 27

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
    so why should I tremble?
2 When evil people come to devour me,
    when my enemies and foes attack me,
    they will stumble and fall.
3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,
    my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
    I will remain confident.

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—
    the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
    delighting in the Lord’s perfections
    and meditating in his Temple.
5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
    he will hide me in his sanctuary.
    He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
6 Then I will hold my head high
    above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
    singing and praising the Lord with music.

7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
    Be merciful and answer me!
8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
    And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
9 Do not turn your back on me.
    Do not reject your servant in anger.
    You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
    O God of my salvation!
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
    the Lord will hold me close.

11 Teach me how to live, O Lord.
    Lead me along the right path,
    for my enemies are waiting for me.
12 Do not let me fall into their hands.
    For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
    with every breath they threaten me with violence.
13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
    while I am here in the land of the living.

14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

all things to all people

1 Corinthians 9 

19 Even though I am a free man with no master, 

I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 

20 When I was with the Jews, 

I lived like a Jew 

to bring the Jews to Christ. 

When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, 

I too lived under that law. 

Even though I am not subject to the law, 

I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 

21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, 

I too live apart from that law 

so I can bring them to Christ. 

But I do not ignore the law of God; 

I obey the law of Christ.

22 When I am with those who are weak, 

I share their weakness, 

for I want to bring the weak to Christ. 

Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, 

doing everything I can to save some. 

23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, 

but only one person gets the prize? 

So run to win! 

25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. 

They do it to win a prize that will fade away, 

but we do it for an eternal prize. 

26 So I run with purpose in every step. 

I am not just shadowboxing. 

27 I discipline my body like an athlete, 

training it to do what it should. 

Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

vingt-cinq

 

Psalm 25

1 O Lord, I give my life to you.
2     I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
    or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
    but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
    point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
    which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
    Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
    for you are merciful, O Lord.

8 The Lord is good and does what is right;
    he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
    all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

11 For the honor of your name, O Lord,
    forgive my many, many sins.
12 Who are those who fear the Lord?
    He will show them the path they should choose.
13 They will live in prosperity,
    and their children will inherit the land.
14 The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
    He teaches them his covenant.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
    for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

16 Turn to me and have mercy,
    for I am alone and in deep distress.
17 My problems go from bad to worse.
    Oh, save me from them all!
18 Feel my pain and see my trouble.
    Forgive all my sins.
19 See how many enemies I have
    and how viciously they hate me!
20 Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
    Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.
21 May integrity and honesty protect me,
    for I put my hope in you.

vingt-quatre

 

Psalm 24

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
    The world and all its people belong to him.
2 For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
    and built it on the ocean depths.

3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
    who do not worship idols
    and never tell lies.
5 They will receive the Lord’s blessing
    and have a right relationship with God their savior.
6 Such people may seek you
    and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

7 Open up, ancient gates!
    Open up, ancient doors,
    and let the King of glory enter.
8 Who is the King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty;
    the Lord, invincible in battle.
9 Open up, ancient gates!
    Open up, ancient doors,
    and let the King of glory enter.
10 Who is the King of glory?
    The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—
    he is the King of glory. 

hang on to, or not

Mark 8 

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, Jesus said, 

“If any of you wants to be my follower, 

you must give up your selfish ambition, 

take up your cross, 

and follow me. 

35 If you try to hang on to your life, 

you will lose it. 

But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, 

you will save it. 

36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world 

but lose your own soul? 

37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, 

the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person 

when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

twothree

 Psalm 23 (The Message)

1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

6 Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

5 loaves, 2 fish

Mark 6 

30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”

37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”

38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed. 

5 loaves, & 2 fish?

Like the old hymn says...

"Little is much, when God is in it."

heavens declare

 

Psalm 19

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
    It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens
    and follows its course to the other end.
    Nothing can hide from its heat.

7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
    reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
    bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
    giving insight for living.
9 Reverence for the Lord is pure,
    lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
    each one is fair.
10 They are more desirable than gold,
    even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
    even honey dripping from the comb.
11 They are a warning to your servant,
    a great reward for those who obey them.

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
    and innocent of great sin.

14 May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.