Tag Archives: Gospel of Matthew

A Rock is Just a Rock.

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Image by louisvolant via Flickr

A curious problem is beginning to gel in my mind.  By “gel” I mean I think I’m grasping the importance and answer to a problem that plagues all men, but especially Christians.

If we allow ourselves to interpret what we do as who we are we will surely learn to hate ourselves when we find we can’t do any more.

I’ve seen many come to anger, bitterness, hatred, and selfish thinking, when they come to the place in their lives where they are no longer able to accomplish what they thought was their strength.  The allowed themselves to become identified by the work they could accomplish. 

Beyond the power of words to convey, it is important to remember that a servant is not a king.  You are only a servant.  And you will wear out.  You have no right to claim praise for what you do.  Doing good deeds is what is expected of you.  And the fact that so many don’t do what is good should not allow you licence to consider yourself a “good person”. 

The one who remembers this will enter into inability with peace.  When life brings you to that place where you can’t do anything to be proud of (and it surely will), you will become a servant of inability.  Any other approach will lead to everything negative.  A rock is a rock, regardless where it finds itself.  Be like that in your heart.  And remember that Jesus is the Lord, not you.

 

By His Grace.

Acknowledge His Ownership.

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KJV Bible

Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness so that you will earn praise or even anger from men.  But in all ways please the Lord who made you.  And do not refrain from speaking out in regard to the sinfulness of man.  We are put in a serious condition by these words:  ” “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”  (Matt. 10:32)

What is it to acknowledge?  Accept or admit the existence or truth of.  And what is it to disown?  Refuse to acknowledge or maintain any connection with.

We either stand with the Lord in this “Place of Testing”, or we stand against Him.  Speak without shame.  For you are bought with the price of the Blood of God’s Son.  Recount your excuses on paper.  Look at them and consider rendering them to the Lord when you meet Him face to face.  And consider that while you’re telling Him why you didn’t speak up, you’ll be noticing the scars on his hands and feet and the hole in His side.

by His Grace.

Through or Into the Flames We Go.

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Image by matthewvenn via Flickr

Making a choice regarding religion is not like buying a new car.  Though there are a myriad of religions and a gaggle of new cars to choose from, there is only one God.  So how can we decide what’s right?  There are a few items for thought regarding religions.  And we will prove ourselves wise if we consider them.

1. God is the creator.  So what is made is not the creator Himself.  We can expect then that any religion which holds creation as greater than God is false.

2. Man is sinful and wicked to the core.  Look at how many times you’ve lied in the last 24 hours.  Either you lied because you wanted something and thought it would be the best way around, or you lied because you weren’t completely up to speed with reality.  But you lied.  Consider how many times you looked at your speedometer and found you were going to fast for the speed zone.  Isn’t this breaking the law?  And don’t all people know that breaking the law is to be imperfect?  Bottom line, you’re not potentially perfect.  You’re full to over flowing with sin.  God does not lie.  So any religion which brings man to the place of potential perfection is false.

3. If God is true and every man a liar.  And if He says that all men will die eternally because of their wickedness.  And if Christianity provides a sacrifice for our sins in Jesus (which it does).  Then the choices get very limited very quickly.

 

You’re not going to find a religion, regardless what they say, which offers the hope of the Lord Jesus.  Cults abound.  False hope is as plentiful as corn dogs at the state fair.  But there is One who is true.  And He has marked out the way in the Bible.  Spurn the Lord Jesus and you will reap a whirlwind of horror.  Embrace Him and you will find the power to hope and live.  We have been given one life.  It’s this one you’re using right now to read this.  There is no other chance to get it right.  The Bible holds the Gospel (good news).  Don’t listen to all the trash in this world.  Go straight to the source.

When you read the Bible you’ll become afraid.  I promise that.  And you’ll be tempted to put it down in a hurry.  But that fear is a recognition that the Holy Fire of God is present in those words.  You have to walk through that fire to find the Lord Jesus.  Live or die.  It’s your choice.

By His Grace.

Agree?

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Photo of the Praying Hands statue in Web City,...

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“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 18:19)

I’ve been in Christian gatherings where a request was presented by someone.  And it was the decision of the leader of the group that we should pray for this request.  Though I had some reservations regarding this request, I did not voice my reservation.  I allowed the people to pray without contention from me. 

I consider this text above.  And I look to some of the things current in my life.  One statement stands out in my mind, as if it were screaming.  God is not stupid.  He is not blind to our hearts.  And He is the absolute authority.  What should I do in regard to this statement (God is not stupid)? 

Should I risk offending my siblings in Christ by voicing my concerns?  Should I politely dismiss myself from the prayer?  Considering the offence such a dismissal would cause, there is only one possible answer: “No.”  And James wrote well, in regard to this.  “. . . judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.”  The ones asking for prayer have a valid need.  Just because I don’t agree, doesn’t mean an answer should not come from God.

But should I expect that their prayer will be answered?  Perhaps.  What of the cases which appear between my companions in this life and myself?  When I have a need and bring it to them?   What if they don’t agree with my assessment of the need?  It would be my desire to receive an answer from God.  And an answer which supports my personal view would be nice. 

In the end, I am forced to accept that I might not know the whole implications of what I desire to appear.   So I am forced to accept that the answer to my prayer desire might be “No”.  Humility simply teaches that we are to bend our appreciation of life and truth toward the will of God.  After all, who knows better? 

By His Grace.

got love?

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As I sought to worship with the Lord one morning, I had a most wonderful experience.  A feeling of acceptance began to roll over me.  It started as a peace and ended up in great tears.  Beautiful, wonderful, peaceful, pure, and full, are words which begin to describe the experience.  The Lord had come near. 

Still marveling at the experience, I hooked my trailer and began to drive my route.  As I drove through town I noticed people walking.  And for the first time in my life I saw them as the Lord sees them.  There are a number of radical differences between how we see people and how He sees them.  There was no judgment against them.  He considers no fault at their door.  He knows their plight and desires to relieve them from their burdens.  He doesn’t notice their appearance.  Yet He knows the very grains of dirt their feet crush as they walk.  He knows where we are at all times.  He would help them do what they are doing (if, indeed, what they are doing is struggling to do what is good).  Forgiveness and an embrace of love is waiting right at the end of their nose, if they would just reach out and take it.  In short, He desires to Love all of us. 

Many see the Lord through the eyes of do and don’t.  In this perspective Love cannot flurish.  But a few, who have been touched by this Great Love come to understand Him from an entirely different perspective.  All of a sudden, nothing I encounter matters.  This is how those who Love Him can endure such horrible beatings.  His love swamps them with marvel as their captors engage them with impliments of torture.  This is how His children can endure the loss of anything and still echo back to God’s Holy Throne, “Thank you Lord, for all Your Holy Love”.

There is a horrible story in the book of Matthew.  I’d never seen the impact of this story like I do today.  You’ll find it in Matthew 22: 1 – 14.

 1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

   4“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

   5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

   8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

   11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

   13“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

   14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Take note of verse 11 and 12.  Who is this man?  He is one who understands the Lord is love and that the invitation is open to attend.  But he does not love the Lord.  His purpose in attending is to escape the estrangement from the Lord of Life and Love.  He’s there because he is cheating.  Though he understands the nature of God, he did not dress himself in this Love which he knows God offers and demands from His people here on earth.  Where are his clothes?  And how did he think he would go unnoticed among all those others who shine so brightly?

I testify that the Lord is Love.  But He reserves the right to limit enterence into Heaven according to His wisdom.  No wickedness will enter eternity.  On the other hand, He is offering you that beautiful gift right now.  Are you ready to work with Him to transform your heart and mind?  Are you willing or even able to put down your tools of sin and war?  If you take an inventory of your willingness and realize you’re not able to join Him in this Holy war of transformation, reach your heart toward Him and beg for His gorgeous wisdom and mercy.  Now is the day of transformation.  If you wait for heaven to do the will of God, you will become like that one who was not dressed for the wedding.

By His Grace.

Hell is Big Enough to Receive the Humanist

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There is a difference between doing good  acts of righteousness and doing the Father’s Good and Holy Will.  There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death.  A man might go about doing what he thinks is good all the days of his life and still miss the promise of eternal life in Jesus.

Want proof?  Consider the following:

We see men and women all over the planet busily convincing others that doing good for their neighbor is the proper way to lead a meaningful and “godly” life.  Yet how do they know what good to do?  Are they, perhaps, stepping on the “toes” of God’s will?  When I was a willingly sinful man, I had no right to claim help from anyone.  Yet these people helped me.  What did they do to bring me to God’s will for my life?  Didn’t they enable me to remain in my situation?  I don’t say that I didn’t appreciate their good deeds.   But were their good intentions simply promoting a life I was willing to live?  Since I knew I could get help from men when I needed it, I continued in my willing sin.

Another aspect of this error of doing good to all for the sake of doing good is the reality of limits.  A man with a loaf of bread must feed his family first.  If there is something left over then he is allowed to feed the needy.  This limit of resources extends to everything man has at his disposal.  Sometimes we see men giving from their basic necessities for the sake of doing good for others.  But eventually the resources run out.  So by limits placed on man he can only give of what is available.  After that we see promises and hopes dashed.  This is not so when it comes to the will of the Father in Heaven.  To God there is no limit to His resources.  And if a man chases after God’s will in Jesus the Christ, he will find enough to satisfy the needs of God’s will.   And only God can truly change a life.  Man’s efforts are only a bandaid over the sinful nature within the man.  God, through Jesus, comes in and removes the necessity to live a sinful life.  That man’s ways become godly by virtue of the unlimited resources of God.  Not the limited resources of man.

In short, we see man trying to do good yet failing because of the limits God has placed on him.  These limits are in place that we might recognize our need to rely on God alone.  But man, without the Spirit of God,  does not see the need to rely on God as long as there are still resources left.  Politicians are in demand for every resource the people under them can generate.  They are seriously damaging their own household that they might provide for their own greedy minds and hearts.  Yet they don’t take into account the dwindling resources under their control.  God will judge with eternal wisdom.  And every man will give account of his willingness to serve the God who made him.

Do not be fooled by the “Good Doers of this age.  Serve God first then all things good will be provided.  You will find your resources expand where others watch them recede.   Become God powered doers.  And this is done by accepting Jesus’ perfect desire for your life.  This is the reason we are given life in the first place.  In this Place of Testing, we are put to a choice; serve God or serve man.

By His Grace.