Tag Archives: Matthew

Before your head hits the pillow

I’m just a trucker.

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…Before your head hits the pillow…

I’m just a trucker.

Have you ever been asked to do something either in church or in the community that you thought was just too much for you? You may have said, “I’m just a trucker, just a housewife, just a mechanic, just a carpenter, or just a daycare worker!” You could decide to make an excuse and tell them that you are just too busy or that you don’t believe you are up for the task.

Some 2000 years ago there was a guy who was just a fisherman. His name was Peter. Jesus asked him and his brother to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. Peter could have made excuses. He could have said that he was not equipped. He could have said, “I am just a fisherman!” But that is not what Peter did. Peter quickly decided to follow Jesus. And Peter followed with reckless abandonment! I guess we could say that Peter was ALL IN for Jesus!

In Matthew 14, we read that it was Peter who trusted Jesus enough to get out of the boat and walk on water. Now that faith was limited and He soon began to sink, but Jesus was right there to pick Him up.

It was Peter who on the Mountain of Transfiguration when Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus suggested that he could build three shelters. One for Jesus, one for Elijah, and one for Moses. Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured. They saw His face shine and His garments become dazzling white. Then out of nowhere appeared Elijah and Moses. The disciples were treated to seeing men from the past alive. This was a testimony to the fact of the afterlife. Jesus didn’t even respond to Peter’s zeal, his desire to build lasting shelters. I think He might have thought, “Oh Peter!”

It was Peter in Matthew 16:15 stated of Christ, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And it was to Peter that Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, by my Father who is in heaven.”

It was Peter who lopped off the ear of the guard who was involved in arresting Jesus and it was Jesus who rebuked him and touched the man’s ear and healed him.

And it was Peter who three times denied knowing Jesus as Jesus was on trial for His very life. I can only imagine what Peter must have felt after that third denial when his eyes and they eyes of Jesus met. Luke 22: 61 says, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”

Peter was impulsive and at times reckless but He was chosen and He was loved. Peter was not anymore physically equipped to serve Jesus than you or I. He was chosen to serve Jesus and Jesus equipped him for that service.

Peter, even after seeing the many miracles of Christ and professing that he would never deny Christ, did so three times. Peter was far from perfect, but he was chosen to serve. Peter got out of the boat and walked on water. He faltered, just as we might, but Jesus was there to rescue him, just as He is there to provide and care for us.

So when we are called to take part in the kingdom of God will we be like Peter, who in all his imperfections, readily said yes? Or will we make excuses? Will we have enough faith to walk on water, to do those things that seem humanly impossible, knowing that Jesus will be there to help us, or will we just stay in the boat?

Jesus knows that we are imperfect. He knows that we will fall, even as He knew that Peter would deny Him. But Jesus still chose him. Jesus still wanted Peter as one of His disciples and He still wants us as one of His followers. So the next time you are called to serve, say yes. The next time you are asked to lead, don’t think of your weakness, think of God’s strength. You are NOT just a trucker…You are a child of the KING!

Before your head hits the pillow

Are you using them or burying them?

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…Before your head hits the pillow…

Are you using them or burying them?

What a blessing it is to know that our earthly death is not final! But what is our response to the amazing love that Christ demonstrated through His ultimate sacrifice? Our response MUST be action. Our response must be – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Colossians 3:23-24.

Christ told us what is expected of us in Matthew 25:14-30. This parable about the talents lets us know what we must be doing. A master was about to leave on a journey. Before He left, he gave each of three servants talents. One was given five talents, one was given two and yet another was given one. What exactly a “talent” was in the New Testament is debatable; however it was a large sum of money. Some scholars value one talent at $1,000-$30,000 in our American dollars; others equate five talents to the equivalent of what an ordinary person might make in 20 years of wages. But there is no dispute over the fact that a New Testament talent was a large sum of money.

The person who was given five talents doubled his master’s resources as did the person who was given two talents. But the person who was given one talent became fearful and buried his so as not to lose it.

But this parable is not really about money, this parable is about what our master has given us. The master in the parable entrusted his servants with his possessions, just as our Lord entrusts us with His possessions. Nothing that we have here on earth is ours; rather everything that we have belongs to the Giver, to our Lord.

The Lord entrusts his possessions to us in according to the ability He has given us, just as the master in the parable did. Matthew 25:15 states that each was given according to his own ability. God expects us to use the gifts and talents He has given us. He expects us to use them with boldness. He expects us to discover HOW to use them and then go about doing so.

Some time ago a woman in our church and I were talking about the wonderful service we had and how thankful we were for our pastor. Then she proceeded to tell me that she sat right down and wrote the pastor a note to thank him for his leadership. That woman was using the gifts and talents she has been given. She was using her gift of encouragement to bless our pastor. And I am sure that she will be rewarded for doing so.

Sometimes I think that we look at people who have BIG talents. People who have beautiful singing voices, people who can speak eloquently, people who have an amazing gift to write, people who know how to lead thousands and then think, what in the world do I have? Well, let me assure you, you do have gifts and talents! You may have the gift of encouragement, you may be a wonderful hostess, you may be fantastic with kids, or you may be a wiz on the computer. Whatever gift or talent the Lord has given you, you MUST use it!

What kept the third servant from trying to multiply the talent he had been given? What stopped him was fear! I believe that fear is the devils best tool. Fear can paralyze us and keep us from using the gifts and talents that God has given us. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, or fear of ridicule may keep us from serving faithfully. Fear and Faith cannot co-exist. Fear not only keeps you from doing what needs to be done, you not only fail to increase, but you actually lose what you had in the first place, just as the third servant did.

Mark Dunagan of the Beaverton Church of Christ gives five practical steps to excavate long buried talents: 1) Define your passions; what do you love to do? Ask yourself what are the dreams and goals you had years ago that you may have buried? 2) Don’t get discouraged. Start out small. Talents need to be developed and trained. Talents often take practice. No excellent pianist becomes excellent without practice. 3) Seek advice from others to help you discover and fine tune your talents. 4) Don’t focus on immediate results. Start immediately but don’t think that everything will happen overnight. 5) You cannot use your gift merely for your own personal benefit; find a way to use it to benefit others.

So are you using or burying your talents? I think that we must all acknowledge that we can always do better, we can always serve better. The important thing is to not bury what it is that God has given us to multiply. And remember the words of Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

This world, the world we live in, is the world of service, the place to use the talents we have been given. When we die, it will be too late to use them, so use them wisely and use them boldly in His service today!

Before your head hits the pillow

How important is planning? or Should a Christian Plan for the Future?

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…Before your head hits the pillow…

How important is planning? or Should a Christian Plan for the Future?

Many of you may remember the Doris Day song, Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be will be. The future’s not ours to see, Que Sera, Sera. I know of Christians who live this way. They believe that investing in their future shows a lack of faith. They say that God will supply all of their needs so there is no reason to make plans, no reason to invest in the future.

Does planning for the future show a lack of faith. Does working hard, making a good living, saving and investing for the future of your family show that you don’t believe that God will take care of you?

Matthew 6:19-20 say, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;…

Matthew 6:28 says, “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”

And Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

People often use these verses to say that planning for the future does show a lack of faith. That Que, Sera, Sera should be our motto. Trust in God, whatever will be will be. I believe this is wrong thinking.

Proverbs 21:5 tells us just the opposite. “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”

Vic Williams in the September 12th writing of InHisFootsteps.com in an article entitled: Should Christians Plan or Simply Trust God? says this “The phrase ‘the plans of the diligent’ is an interesting phrase as the word translated here as ‘plans’ comes from the Hebrew words ‘machashabah machashebeth’ which can be translated as thoughts, intentions, advice, imaginations or purpose. The word diligent could also be translated as incisive, determined or eager. We could therefore read this verse of scripture as, ‘The thoughts, advice, intentions, purposes and plans of the incisive, determined, eager and diligent lead to plenty.”

We shouldn’t JUST plan for the future, we should be deliberate and intentional in our plans. We need to look at what God has for us to do and make plans to fulfill that purpose.

I was struck while reading I Chronicles 22 how David planned for the building of the temple. God had told David that he was not to build the temple, he had killed too many in battle. David’s son Solomon was to build the temple. But David didn’t just say, “Oh, okay, I will leave that up to my son, if that is what God wants.” No he made PLANS to help his son’s efforts. Although David was not to build the temple he could still plan for its building so he gathered iron for the nails and more bronze than could be weighed. He gathered nearly 4,000 tons of gold and 40,000 tons of silver. He also gathered timber and stones for the walls. Before he died he ordered all of the leaders of Israel to help Solomon build the temple. David planned.

Paul made plans in Acts 15:36 and in Romans 1:13. The apostles made plans in Acts 6:1-3

Proverbs 6:6-8 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has not commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

Yes, not only should we plan for the future, we MUST plan for the future. Planning is wise. But we must make sure that all of our plans are covered with prayer and a petition for God’s will to be done in our lives. If we are storing up things on this earth as a replacement for honoring God, these plans will lead to nothing but destruction.

Vic Williams ended his writing with these words and I think they are a good way to end this writing of mine, “Planning for the future, with prayerful consideration is good for you and your family. It is Biblical. It shows faith and trust and it establishes your commitment to do what God has directed you to do. Plan diligently, act purposefully, and live abundantly.”

Before your head hits the pillow

The Parable of the Sower

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…Before your head hits the pillow…

The Parable of the Sower

So what is a parable and who uses them? When I was a child, I was told that a parable was an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Now that I am older I think I would view them as extended metaphors. The story (parable) is a doorway to a greater truth, a larger reality. These parables were also understood by those with discernment, those who had ears to hear and eyes to see. (Matthew 13:10-17).

Parables or allegories were told in both the Old and New Testament. You will find parables in the Psalms, in Proverbs, and even in Ezekiel. Jesus told more than 30 parables during His lifetime. He told parables about the Kingdom of God, about service and obedience, about prayer, about neighbors, about humility, about wealth, about God’s love, about thankfulness, about Christ’s return, and about God’s values.

Tonight let’s talk about the Parable of the Sower. You can read this parable in Matthew 13:1-8 and in Luke 8:4-8. The Luke passage says, “While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told this parable, ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.’”

The seed in this parable represents the word of God. You and I might consider ourselves the sowers. As Christians we are called to go into the world and make disciples. We don’t know where we will find these disciples, and whether the seeds we plant grow into productive crop is not up to us, that is in the Lord’s hands. It is our duty to plant seeds wherever we can. We may plant some seeds on the by-ways and some in the rocks and some may be sown where they can be choked out. But if we plant enough seeds some will be planted in fertile soil. C.H. Spurgeon once stated, “Our duty is not measured by the character of our hearers, but by the command of our God. We are bound to preach the gospel, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear. It is ours to sow beside all waters.”

The seed that was sown by the way-side is like the Word that is spread to men with hardened hearts. God’s Word sits on the outside of this person’s heart but never penetrates it. It never sinks in so cannot grow.

The next seeds fall among rocks. The seed sprouts but because of lack of moisture it soon dies. The people who are like these seeds hear the Word, they may even become emotional about what they hear, but their professions are not true. It is based on emotion not on deep-seeded faith. These individuals never really accept the truth or act on its commands so they also die.

Then there were the seeds that were sown among thorns. These seeds are those individuals who hear the Word, they listen, they take the words home with them and may even make a profession of religion. They worship with believers; they may attend your services, and appear to be growing. But they have allowed the things of this world to grow side by side with the Word of God. They have chosen not to die to self. They don’t want to put aside the things of the world, and eventually those very things choke out the Words that they heard so that it never takes root. They never make a complete profession of their faith.

The last is the seed that falls on fertile soil. This seed represents the true Christian. This seed represents the Christian who gives his/her life totally to the Lord, grows in truth and knowledge, and then becomes capable of planting seeds themselves!

It is our responsibility to plant seeds. We must sow them everywhere! Some will fall on non-fertile land but some will fall on fertile soil. Others may come and water your seeds. Another believer may bring in the fertilizer. But that fertile soil plant would not have spouted had you not planted the seed. What a blessing it will be when one day the seeds that you sowed begin sowing seeds of their own!

Before your head hits the pillow

What does it mean to judge, or what does the Bible say about judging?

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…Before your head hits the pillow…

What does it mean to judge, or what does the Bible say about judging?

The Bible speaks often about judging and in many cases the word judge has a different meaning.

Below are many passages that warn us against judging. I believe that Jesus warned so frequently against judging, for when we judge others we don’t take an introspective look at ourselves and our own spiritual deficiencies.

We can talk about Sue at the office and how often she gossips, or we can discuss how Larry has such terrible language, or how frustrated that Mr. and Mrs. Lewis never seem to volunteer for anything at church. When we do this, we don’t take the time to look at the plank in our own eye. When Jesus was speaking about this type of judgment he was telling us not to judge hypocritically.

Judging others seems to give us a reprieve, and that is not what the Lord would want. Here are the passages on this type of judging:

Matt. 7:1-3″Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.…

Luke 6:37″Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Luke 6:41″Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

John 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Romans 14:10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

So if we think it is okay to judge others’ sins or deficiencies we had better make sure that we have taken a good look at our own lives before we do. There may be time when spiritual discipline is in order, but we must be sure that we are the correct person to administer that discipline and we are doing so in love.

Now this doesn’t mean that we ignore sin, but it does mean that we must be careful before we judge someone else’s sin. We do however have a responsibility to assist another Christian who is sinning, to lovingly and respectfully let them understand their error. James 5:20 states: — let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. 2 Timothy 4:2 says – preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

I think we often confuse discernment for judging. I do believe that it is valid to be discerning. It is appropriate for a parent to look at their teenage children’s friends and make a determination whether they believe those friends are appropriate for their child.

It is appropriate for us to discern that certain people are not good for us so we should not associate with them. That is discernment.

Understanding that something is not Godly, is not judging.

Many have cited the passage that indicates we will know them by the fruit on their tree. This passage, Matt. 7:15-20 is specifically speaking about false prophets and how important it is for us to be able to identify them.

Matthew 7:15-21″Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.…

Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Luke 6:44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.

As Christians we must be ever vigilant about from whom we are taking spiritual leadership. I think the most dangerous are those who speak some truth, but not all of the truth. They can sound good, they reference God and His power but they may also espouse Buddha or Confucius. If you find a spiritual leader like this RUN!!!

And lastly there is the judging of one’s eternal destination. I think we will all agree on this one. That is left entirely up to the Lord! We must NEVER judge someone’s salvation, for only God knows this!

So I guess the long and the short of it is: Look at yourself before you pass judgment on anyone else. If a fellow believer is sinning, approach them with love and respect and NEVER judge anyone’s salvation. That is entirely up to God!

From Our Readers

Bible verses about Mercy as Larger Obligation

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Our reader Elsie Mckenzie writes:

Bible verses about Mercy as Larger Obligation

Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus truly knew God’s law and that other concerns (mercy, in this case; verse 7) may sometimes override the strict letter-of-the-law approach the Pharisees used. The Pharisees no doubt thought Jesus a flaming liberal, but to Jesus, He was simply working within the liberty God’s law allows (see Psalm 119:45; John 8:31-32; II Corinthians 3:17; James 1:25; I Peter 2:16).

Forgiveness
Matthew 23:1-39

In one chapter, Matthew 23, Jesus Christ rips the scribes and Pharisees to shreds. Eight times He pronounces on them woe—defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “deep suffering, grief, affliction, ruinous trouble.” He dubs them “hypocrites” seven times, “blind guides” twice, “fools and blind” twice, “blind” once, “whitewashed tombs” once, and finishes His name-calling tirade by designating them “brood of vipers”!

He then accuses them of being the children of those who had killed the prophets—a heavy-duty insult considering how proud they were of their ancestry. He predicts they would do the same themselves and declares that He would have nothing to do with them until they accept and bless the ones He sends.

Jesus was really worked up over this! Why? These people were extremely careful in keeping every minor article of the law. They even added many precise rules themselves to ensure they did not overlook the law’s details.

Their lives, and the lives of those under their jurisdiction, consisted of endless, mindless details. Endless, for they continued to break branches of the law down to twigs down to leaves. Mindless, because this focus hampered their ability to think and properly weigh what was most important. They became so involved in making sure everyone else obeyed their demands that they no longer remembered the fundamental purpose of the law or kept it properly themselves. Even worse, they used the law against others and took advantage even to the point of “devouring widows’ houses” (verse 14). Hence Christ’s remonstrance: Hypocrites!

Yet they LOOKED good, publicly counting their mint, cummin and anise. It is not wrong or unlawful to count each seed; tithing should be done, as Christ pointed out (verse 23). But there are far more important issues of the law to consider than counting individual seeds—namely, JUDGMENT, MERCY AND FAITH.

Notice Christ’s scathing indictment of the Pharisees’ religion and it’s effects:

• They set a horrid example by not following their own teaching (verse 3).
• They abused their office by burdening others with strict requirements while not requiring the same of themselves (verse 4).
• What they did do was only for vanity and show (verse 5).
• They were social climbers (verse 6).
•Their teaching had negative results, driving people farther from the Kingdom rather than closer to it (verse 13).
• Their twisted reasoning led them to steal even from the weak (verse 14).
• Their misguided zeal made their proselytes twice as bad as they were before they were even “converted” to Pharisaism (verse 16).
• Gold, money, and greed became their main focus and god (verses 16-18).
• Their perspective was so perverted that they would pay more attention to keep from swallowing a gnat than they would a camel (verses 23-24).
• How others saw them was far more important than moral values (verses 27-28).
• While they extolled the virtues of past men of God, they were so deeply hateful and murderous that they would kill Christ and any of His followers that they could (verses 29-37).
• Their religious house was utterly worthless and desolate, bereft of any contact with or influence of God, though they thought they were perfectly righteous. In a word, they were self-righteous.

We could easily break these attitudes down into many more categories of sin, but the point is obvious: The total of all their religious efforts was zero. Actually, Pharisaism had negative value, for the scribes and Pharisees took what people already had and made them even worse off than before!