So I'm back tracking to yesterday! Even though it's Monday, I'll read Sunday -- Sorry Chris if I messed this up:)
God working in us seems to be a theme that pops us! It's in 1:6 "God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it's finally finished on the day" (apparently it's a life-long work -- we're continually in process" It's a few verses down in 11 "filled with the fruit . . . produced in your life by Jesus Christ (I love thinking of our works simply as fruit that springs from those roots going down deep into relationship with Him) The connection is the roots in the ground -- the fruit is only a bi-product) and finally we see it again in 2:13 "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (this gives me GREAT hope! Because a lot of times I'm lacking the desire to be good!! and along with desire, He gives power -- what more could the H.S. give us to be victorious?"
I appreciate Paul's firm grasp on the bigger picture. Didn't matter if he was a prisoner -- no complaining there. In fact in 1:14, he sees it as an advantage causing others to gain confidence and boldly speak!!
Again, Paul wasn't worried about "groups" or "churches" in 1:18. He left motives to God and rejoiced that God's word was being preached by any and all. We should be as generous!
1:27-30 reminded me of the movie Miracle. "Who do you play for?" "We are in this struggle together -- fighting together for the faith together for the faith, which is the Good News!!"
No worries, I didn't have time to read yesterday either.
ReplyDeleteRead in Matt 11 today. I really appreciate Jesus, always giving us the choice. He just asks & lets us make decisions. No manipulation, it's just amazing. Love doesn't need to manipulate. It is selfless. It lives for others. That's why the Godhead is the very definition of Love. They exist for each other. Very much the mind bender, blower - outer!
He says in v28 "...let me teach you...". Why do I struggle against learning from the greatest Teacher ever? I'm not the brightest pupil at all! And yet, He doesn't deride or remind me of all my failures - He doesn't even remember them. He just sees my future & asks me if I will let Him teach me. Wow!
How is it that the people knew the story around Jesus' birth but not the part that He was the Son of David? Matt 12:23. They only knew the juicy part. We run with half the story or leave out parts too when we gossip. Must be why it's something God hates. In a way, we become judge & jury when we gossip. Telling only 1 side/part & leaving out stuff, etc. Definitely better to keep the mouth shut & walk away when someone else is flapping at the gums.
ReplyDeleteI also was amazed when the leaders asked Jesus for a miraculous sign to prove His authority. He had healed several hundred by now I'm thinking. Cast out demons, made blind see, lepers cleansed, walked on water (though they probably didn't know), but it's incredible stuff. No one else had done a work like this so consistently.
It's like a police officers watching someone pull out a gun & kill someone & then the defense attorney tells them to prove that his client did it. What more proof do you need?
Jesus died for me. That should be enough. Yet satan has woven such a beautiful tapestry of lies into our brains that we need even more proof. We think that doesn't apply to us. We believe the lies. It's really quite amazing that God hasn't tossed us aside & started over on another planet.
I've just been sitting here & contemplating this thought for a while & it just continually blows my mind. He is dedicated to me. He is not walking out on me, He is not giving up on me. He loves me & is sticking around, committed to opening my eyes to the truth & setting me free. Mind boggling.
forty days seems to be a theme in the Bible. YOu see it again in 1 Kings 19:8 where the food the angel gave Elijah strengthened him for the 40 day journey. But also -- wasn't Jesus in the wilderness 40 days, Moses up on the mountain 40 days, and Noah in the ark 40 days (or is my Biblical history a bit rusty?)
ReplyDeleteWhen Elijah had had enough -- God heard him and sent him his replacement. I believe God understands when we've had enough
Ahab seemed like such a waffler -- blown about by the winds of the day. Jezebel obviously had a big part in all his decisions; and it's interesting that when threatened with death, he humbled himself, and God responded to his temporary humility (because later, he wanted no part of hearing from Maciah) I find in interesting that in a couple of verses (20:42 and 21:4 the author says he's angry and sullen -- just sounds like a pouty little kid)
Once again (as last year) I am amazed the Jehoshephat would go along with dressing up as king in a war. Makes no sense to me - -
And in 22:47 it shows that disaster comes to those that do what God asks them to do; J lost all his ships, but he continues to follow God. That's refreshing!
Like we were talking about last night, if I've done all this good, then God, you should reward me. But J lost his ships. Makes me think also of the pig owners who lost all their herd when the demons entered them. Jesus permitted them to enter the pigs. So it must have been for a reason. The owners maybe trusted in their wealth instead of looking to God. Helps to see both sides instead of my own little world.
ReplyDeleteI got stuck in Matt 13 right after the sower parable. Jesus was asked by His disciples why He taught in stories or parables. Part of His reply, got my mind to thinking of all the people who read the Bible but misinterpret it to match their own desires. And then I started judging, which is what God has really been bringing to my attention lately.
I do it a lot & it's usually to make myself look good. But to whom? Must be myself because nobody else is buying it! ha ha. Everyone else sees my flaws very clearly, but it's like I'm walking with a blindfold on thinking nobody can see me. Just like a little kid.
I'm thinking satan has gets us in the mode so early that it becomes 2nd nature to us. We don't need to look better to Jesus, He already paid the ultimate to redeem us. And we're definitely not fooling each other. The more perfect someone looks, the better to stay away. Touch them & they will crumble apart.
I don't want a facade of a life. I want to live the life that Jesus has planned for me, willingly. I have to remember, freely I have received mercy, so freely I must give mercy. I need His help to walk humbly before Him.
75:1 We give thanks because you are near! Reminds me of last night when Leslie described how God is not up here at the top of our pyramid, but in here, in our hearts; as near as He can get!
ReplyDelete75:7 It is God alone who judges; it is freeing not to feel like it's our duty to judge someone else, to simply leave their story in God's hands.
Chapter 77 has a pivot point. It's verse 11. Vs 1-10 are filled with gloom and doom, of abandonment, but THEN; Asaph shows how to pull ourselves out of our funk. "BUT THEN I recall all you have done O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. SO -- look back on all He has done; live in a aura of gratitude.
My goal for today!
I wonder if Jesus had the part written of how He was treated in Nazareth to encourage His people when they are called for a specific task. It seems like family are the ones to remind you of you mistakes & question your abilities more than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteJesus' response of compassion on people interrupting His much needed rest is so different from mine. I get frustrated/irritated. I don't see those words being used to describe Jesus at any point in His life. He just trusted His Father to provide even time for Him to recuperate & rest.
As much as I like to sleep, I think that most of His strength gaining time was when He got up early or spent all night in prayer talking with His Father. Humanly speaking it seems counter productive. But God doesn't work the way we do.
Finished Matt 14 today. The part after feeding the 5000 where He makes the disciples go away in a boat while He dismisses the crowd & then walks on the water during the storm to the disciples.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if He knew that He would walk on the water at that point? He obviously didn't worry about how He was going to get across. He trusted in His Father's care for Him regardless.
He definitely had to trust when He started walking on the water!
He came to the disciples in the middle of a storm & told them not to be afraid because He was there with them. He didn't invite Himself into the boat. We might have said this last year but it was good for me to remember again. He is with us in the storm of whatever that's lashing out at us.
He can comfort us as the storm rages, His Presence is enough. Now this might be a stretch but Peter chooses to go out of the safety of the boat & walk on the water with Jesus. Does that equate when we are claiming promises & swinging the sword beside Jesus? I don't know, just a thought.
The battle or the waves get too intense for Peter (& me this week) & after Jesus grabs him by the hand in response to Peter's cry for help, Jesus tells him that he doesn't have much faith. Faith for? Faith that I didn't have to swing my sword but just keep doing what I'm doing & let Jesus fight for me, like He's covering me & keeping the enemy off me so I have time to finish my job? Faith that He can give me peace even though mentally I'm being assailed by satan & his lies?
Then they go back to the boat. Just thinking out loud here again... Does this represent going back to where I had support from others, getting my spiritual strength back & getting ready for another battle.
Also the thought that once Jesus was invited inside the boat, the wind stopped. So there was peace within. Peace within my heart & mind?
Just a lot of thoughts there. It's been a battle this week so I'm just thinking out loud.
Chris -- I just caught up on some of your posts this week; lots of food for thought for me. Can you imagine (I'm talking to myself here) how peace filled I would be if I could live judge free? I really appreciated your thoughts on judging makes myself look good, but to whom? Ha ha -- you nailed it! Bother, we waste a lot of pointless energy on judging. I appreciate that 12 step book, because it has you looking at yourself and your shortfalls as the solution to your stress as opposed to someone else! and yeah -- the more perfect someone looks . . . everyone has a story and baggage, even the perfect people. I don't know if we need to stay away, sometimes they're the people that need support the most because their perfect lives are very unperfect and it's a huge weight to try to keep the perfect image going . . . but for sure, we don't need to envy them!!
ReplyDeleteAlso -- I was thinking about how Jesus came to them in the middle of the storm. I LOVE that! If he'd warned them ahead of time or kept the storm at bay, they'd have never seen His power. So again, can we embrace problems that blow over us? He may have in mind to show us his power through the mid-storm trial. and yeah -- interesting that they went back to the boat -- no doubt Peter was exuberant that He'd found the way out of the storm (focus on Jesus) and He was to go back and encourage the others (thinking of the demoniac that Jesus told to go back to his friends and share what had happened) But also, as you pointed out, Chris -- it's a two way street, go back to the encouragement of friends too! No doubt his friends were cheering him on with step one and step two etc!! Cool thought - we need each other, God didn't create us as individual islands, but so that we could grow in relationship with Him and with others.
So tax collectors where thought of as NOTORIOUS sinners! That's pretty severe! I think it's a comment on the rest of the reading today -- how the Pharisees (16:14) dearly loved their money. They held on to it tight-fisted, and anything or anyone who tried to pry it loose was a notorious sinner!
ReplyDeleteThe stories of the "losts" reminded me of earthly families. A family might have 2 kids, one being the responsible, the other the irresponsible. A parent can spend 90% of their thoughts trying to fix/encourage the irresponsible - -
In verses 17-20 "home" is used 3 times by the lost son. I'm the lost son and "all I know is I'm not home yet!!"
The end of 15, talking about the "good" son reminds me Chris on your thoughts earlier on judging. Judging is simply a matter of comparing my situation with someone else's, which we see clearly in the older son's response. If he'd focused on his relationship only with his father, he wouldn't have noticed the fact that he'd labored, the other had squandered. It must have made the father sad in many ways (thinking of myself here and how MANY times I've made my Father sad) that the older son was bitter that he'd done all the work (notice how judgement breads bitterness), that the older son was missing out on the party, that the older son didn't trust his father's judgement -- a multitude of things.
16 has always been a tough one for me to understand! I like the explanation in the NLT in 8 "Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then when your earthly possessions are gone they will welcome you to an eternal home" another way of saying store up treasure in heaven. What draws the admiration of the rich man (God) is a generous heart toward others.
Generosity toward others is the theme of 16 in both parables.
I really am grateful that Jesus mingled & even ate! (GASP) with notorious sinners like me. Super religious people are always judging those that struggle & labeling them. I'm tired of being religious. I just want to be real & at the feet of Jesus. I am a sinner & I struggle all the time. It's easy to look at people I see all around me & judge them. I can see their faults easily because I have the same. If I were sinless I think it'd be easier for me to see Jesus, we'd be on the same level, at least in that regard. But I'm definitely not sinless. Can't look around for righteousness, gotta look up.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the parable of the lost sheep is where some people get the idea that if they haven't strayed out into the world like the prodigal son, that they can't experience a rich relationship with Jesus. If they think that, then they are like the other son who didn't leave His father. Everything the father had was his & he didn't realize how rich he was! He fell into the trap of comparing. Satan doesn't care how he gets us, he just wants us to fall & create seeds of doubt, bitterness & slander.
Think of losing your best friend through an argument & how a hole would be in your heart where you used to do things together & talk for hours & laugh & enjoy each other's company. Now there's nothing. But then you patch things up & you're so happy that you've regained that friend. Just a small look into the party & joy that fills heaven when 1 person who's rejected Jesus finally realizes the truth & accepts Him!
Luke 16:14,15 Jesus told the rel. ldrs that they liked to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. So true about me to. I just want to appear as the work in progress I am. That's the real me - wrapped in caution tape!
Yes, it's so true that judgment breeds bitterness! Natural companions!
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