going

Matthew 28

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,

        baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

And be sure of this:

     I am with you always, even to the end of the age."


For each of us, what are the realities of this challenge of Jesus?

Couldn't it mean to talk to that person we know at work, simply sharing with him or her what connecting with God through Jesus had done for us, personally?

     Or maybe a cashier at the grocery we use?

     Or that person who cuts our hair?

     Or the person who lives next to us, or across the street?

     Or a family member?

     Or a friend we've know for a long time - or maybe a short time?

     Or... well.. you get the picture.

For some people may mean picking up & moving across town,

     or across state,

     or across the country.

For some it may mean going outside our country.

For some going to another place is certainly His will for them.

But I've often wondered if for the vast majority of us, maybe it means simply reaching out to the people around us.

     There's certainly plenty of them who have no connection with God.


Perhaps the other thing that we should glean from this is equally as important as the mandate to go...

     ...that Jesus will be with us in the going.

us rich folks

Before reading this, bear in mind that America is the richest nation that's ever been.

And all things being equal, those of us who live here in America are considered the richest population on earth.

ok, remember all that as we read this...
I just share what stands out...

James 5

1 Look here, you rich people:

     Weep and groan with anguish

     because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.
2 Your wealth is rotting away,

     and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.
3 Your gold and silver have become worthless.

The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire.

This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment.



4 For listen!

     Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay.

     The wages you held back cry out against you.

     The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven's Armies.

5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury,

       satisfying your every desire.

You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and killed innocent people,

       who do not resist you.

harsh words

James really lets us have it in chapter 4.

It's just 17 verses, but you'd better buckle up!

James 4

1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?

Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you?

2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it.

You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it,

     so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.

Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.

3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong;

     you want only what will give you pleasure.


  4 You adulterers!

Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?

I say it again:

     If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?

6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires.

As the Scriptures say,

     "God opposes the proud
 
      but favors the humble."


  7 So humble yourselves before God.

Resist the devil,

     and he will flee from you.

8 Come close to God,

     and God will come close to you.

Wash your hands, you sinners;

     purify your hearts,

     for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

     9 Let there be tears for what you have done.

     Let there be sorrow and deep grief.

     Let there be sadness instead of laughter,

     and gloom instead of joy.

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord,

      and he will lift you up in honor.


11 Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.

 If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law.

But your job is to obey the law,

     not to judge whether it applies to you.

12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge.

He alone has the power to save or to destroy.

So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?


13 Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit."

14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?

      Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone.

15 What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."

16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans,

      and all such boasting is evil.


17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

read & heed

This is Jesus talking here in this passage.

Read this, & then juxtapose it with a prevalent attitude towards low-income / no-income poor.

Jesus speaks pretty plainly about which attitude He espouses,

     what is the appropriate behavior & attitude,

     as well as the consequences for both groups & behaviors & attitudes.

He doesn't give us any wiggle room in the matter.


Matthew 25

31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory,

        and all the angels with him,

        then he will sit upon his glorious throne.

32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence,

        and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 He will place the sheep at his right hand

        and the goats at his left.


34 "Then the King will say to those on his right,

        'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry,

     and you fed me.

I was thirsty,

     and you gave me a drink.

I was a stranger,

     and you invited me into your home.

36 I was naked,

     and you gave me clothing.

I was sick,

     and you cared for me.

I was in prison,

     and you visited me.'


37 "Then these righteous ones will reply,

        'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?

        Or thirsty and give you something to drink?

        38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality?

        Or naked and give you clothing?

       39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'


40 "And the King will say,

        'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'



41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say,

        'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.

42 For I was hungry,

     and you didn't feed me.

I was thirsty,

     and you didn't give me a drink.

43 I was a stranger,

     and you didn't invite me into your home.

I was naked,

     and you didn't give me clothing.

I was sick and in prison,

     and you didn't visit me.'


44 "Then they will reply,

        'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'


45 "And he will answer,

        'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'
 

46 "And they will go away into eternal punishment,

        but the righteous will go into eternal life."

thankful

Who was it who used to say,"if you don't know what to say, you can at least be thankful"?
Sometimes, when the world seems pretty crazy...

I know, I know - when does the world ever seem NOT crazy?

Anyway...

Sometimes, when the world seems crazier than its normal crazy, the best thing to be & do is be thankful.


Psalm 100

1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!

2   Worship the LORD with gladness.

  Come before him, singing with joy.

3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God!

  He made us, and we are his.

  We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

  go into his courts with praise.

  Give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good.

  His unfailing love continues forever,

  and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

James 1

The book of James, written to Jewish Christians, is just chock full of all kinds of good stuff.

Here's what stands out for me in the first chapter.

Maybe it will speak to you, too...



2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
4 So let it grow,

     for when your endurance is fully developed,

     you will be perfect and complete,

     needing nothing.


5 If you need wisdom,

     ask our generous God,

     and he will give it to you.

He will not rebuke you for asking.

6 But when you ask him,

     be sure that your faith is in God alone.

Do not waver,

     for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
     7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

     8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world,

          and they are unstable in everything they do.
 


12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.

        Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me."

God is never tempted to do wrong,

     and he never tempts anyone else.

14 Temptation comes from our own desires,

       which entice us and drag us away.
15 These desires give birth to sinful actions.

      And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.



7 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father,

     who created all the lights in the heavens.

     He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word.

And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.


19b ...be quick to listen,

     slow to speak,

     and slow to get angry.

20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,

      and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts,

      for it has the power to save your souls.
 

22 But don't just listen to God's word.

     You must do what it says.

     Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

23 For if you listen to the word and don't obey,

      it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.

      24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

      25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free,

          and if you do what it says

          and don't forget what you heard,

          then God will bless you for doing it.



  26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.



27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means...

       caring for orphans and widows in their distress

        and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

4 words

Matthew 22

34 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...

Jesus boiled it all down to basically 4 words...

Love God, love people.