Matt 20-21

Matthew 20  
¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

There are many time when I let the world shape my views on expectations or my "wants". I need to learn to be content with what God has blessed me with keeping the above in mind.

Matthew 21
¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

I wonder why the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree is followed by having faith to move mountains... There are very few instances in the bible where Jesus seems mad and I wonder why he cursed the fig tree. Though I do not understand what Jesus was thinking, I think it is safe to pray that I be fruitful so that I will not be cursed. I think John says that unfruitful branches are cut off and burned. So I need to be fruitful and encourage others to be fruitful as well.

Matt 18 & 19

Matt 18 - I am glad to see that the disciples were competitive asking, "Who gets the highest rank in God's Kingdom." Jesus's response is for them to become like a little child. The amplified bible adds that children are trusting, lowly, loving and forgiving in parentheses. If someone humbles themselves and becomes like a child will be greatest in Heaven. In reflecting on my childhood, it is kid of a blur, so I think about my children and how fast they are growing up and I wonder if one of the reason the world pushes us to grow up so quickly is to shorten that time of innocence when we can see the kingdom of God more clearly. I need to be more childlike and that is rather hard to understand. But one thing I do remember was thinking that my parents could do anything. I grew up without having everything I wanted, but my family had each other and I had faith in my family even before I knew what faith was. I need that again, Lord strengthen my faith!

Matt 19 -   ²⁶But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.
I know this fact but still I try to handle my own life and exclude God thinking I am helping Him but that is far from the case. God, help me to not only believe that fact that all things are possible to you but help me to live my life in that way.

Matt 16-17

Matt 16 - How many times have I asked for or maybe demanded a sign from God? I do not like it, but in those cases I am just like the Pharisees and Sadducees and that hurts, but does that stop me from doing it again? God Help me to not be like them...

Matt 17 - ²⁰ [Jesus] He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ^{[21] [a]} Faith that can move mountains... I want and need more Faith. Faith is a gift but what is it we can do to "exercise" it. Lord help me to exercise Faith and to live by the Spirit.

Matthew 14-15

In Matthew 14 - Who am I in this story? If Jesus calls to me will I be one of the afraid people or will I be like Peter and be willing to step out of the boat. All the disciples knew Jesus, they have seen Him do miracles but they were worried about a Ghost... I want to focus on what I know of God and His Son and not on my imagination and speculation. Lord help me to be one to step out past my fear...

In Matthew 15 - The faith of the Canaanite Woman was interesting and I wonder how I would do asking a man whom I did not know, who had performed many miracles and had a following of disciples. She asked the first time and was ignored and Jesus's disciples told her to leave. Then Jesus himself tells her he won't help her and she has the bravery to confront him another time. When I am confronted with obstacles what do I normally do? I think I take it as a "Sign for God" that I need to redirect or change course. Lord help me to doggedly pursue the things of your heart without being distracted or mis-directed to other "good" things. I want to skip the good and focus on the God things like a pit bull with a steak. I love steak, i think i can take a pit bull right now...

Matthew 13 and the Sabboth

The Sabbath - The Sabbath was something that was important enough to be part of the 10 commandments. I have reflected on setting aside a day of rest and looking back I have not ever paid much attention to it. The next thing that this brought up was setting aside something as holy... Time, Money, how do we battle our flesh to set aside our own desires to give to God. I will ponder this some more as I dive back into Matthew.

Back to Matthew 13 - I like how Jesus uses parables to teach people. The fact that the stories are simple yet still have the ability to cause deep thoughts. These parables are simple but still can be missed and I wonder how much of the Holy Spirit has to enlighten us to truly catch the full meaning. I need more understanding.

John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Matthew 11 - 12

I am still meditating on verse 10 but have read chapters 11 and 12 today and will post on them later today. Hope this helps Mandy, Love you!

Matt 10 - Slapped in the face...

For a chapter that I know I have read many times in the past, this chapter slapped me up side my head. The second half of the chapter was more difficult for me but I will start and work my way down the chapter by verses.

Jesus sends out his disciples after giving them authority to heal every kind of disease and cast out evil spirits. They had a specific mission to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus then says in verse 8 that they are also to raise the dead while they are out spreading the news that "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." I have read that the 12 disciples is significant for the 12 tribes of Judah and that the good news had to be preached first to the Jew and then when rejected then to the gentile. A few questions that jump into my mind are how long has this core group of disciples been with Jesus prior to being sent out? How long were they out seeking the lost sheep? and What did Jesus do while they were gone. I think some of these questions will be answered in scripture but want to track my journey and thought processes. A statement in a commentary I read states the following:

Both Jesus' proclamation and practical acts of compassion go beyond what many Christians call ministry today. Our communities are ravaged by demonic forces, violence, injustice and all kinds of human pain, while the church often remains irrelevant except to the few who venture through our doors. To follow Jesus' model of ministry, more Christians must stop simply going to church and learn rather to become the church among our communities in evangelism and ministry to social needs.

After reading this, I wondered if this was referring to the 1st century church or today. I think both and am further shocked that Jesus warns the disciples of what to expect while going out in His name. Sheep among wolves and scourged are two things mentioned that denote pain or at least the possibility of great pain.  Verse  21 starts me wondering. Fathers will betray their children and children will rise against parents and cause them to be put to death. Verse 22 says "You will be hated by all because of my name..." Are the fathers and children that are fighting Christians or non-Christians??? This is further complicated by verse 34-39

³⁴ “^(AZ)Do not think that I came to ^[ac]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to ^(BA)SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; ³⁶ and ^(BB)A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. ³⁷ “^(BC)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And ^(BD)he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ^{39 (BE)}He who has found his ^[ad]life will lose it, and he who has lost his ^[ae]life for My sake will find it. 

If I am honest with myself, I have bought into the easy Christianity where I confess my sins and pray and I get a comfortable life with little problems. When I hear stories about missionaries in India and other countries that truly persecute Christians, I wonder how strong is my faith. I was recently invited by a friend to visit Africa and bring my kids.  I never voiced the thought out loud, but in my mind I was thinking that I can handle myself pretty well (with Gods help) but I am not sure I can trust God to protect my kids from the dangers of Africa. Even after reading this several times, verse 37 is screaming at me. I love my parents and my wife and kids are Gods greatest blessings to me but who do I love more? I wonder if I am worthy of Christ and am going to continue to meditate on this scripture. I welcome thoughts and comments. Blessings to all.

Matthew 9

I apologize for not posting for a few days and am only doing 1 chapter today but in a weird way it is a God Speak. I have read the book of Matthew many times and I was trying to group together several chapter since I figured it would take that much for God to speak... Ya, I know, God can speak when and how ever he wants, but chapter 9 was full of stuff that I wanted to slow down and really try to meditiate on the life of Jesus. My goal is not quatity but quality and so with that said, below is my blog...

After reading Matt 9, the main thing I got was how busy Jesus was. Busy might not be the right word since it can be considered negative, but this is a basic run down. Jesus crosses over the sea and heals a paralyzed man and confronts the religious establishment (verses 1-7). He then finds Matthew the tax collector and has a meal with him and his disciples and confronts the religious establishment again (verses 9-13). Then the non traditional religious people ask about fasting (verses 14 - 17). (This is were I get tired) Verse 18, "While he was talking... "someone came and mention that their daughter just died. While on his way to the house, the lady touches the fridge of His cloak and is healed. When he gets to the house and declares that the girl is just sleeping, he is laughed at by the crowd. He heals/raises for the dead and then was sought out by 2 blind men whom Jesus restore their sight and then a demon possessed man was brought to Him to be healed (verses 18 - 34).
The Bible does not give an exact time frame, but as I read this I see how Jesus was pulled in many directions. I get frustrated when my plans change or someone interrupts me, but I see clearly that Jesus made time and helped those in His path. I love how Chapter 9 (verses 36-38) ends with "Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because there were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

Matthew 7 - 8

In Matthew 7:1 we are told to Judge not unless you want to be judged. I have read that this verse has passed over John 3:16 as the most commonly used verse and I wonder how often I judge others and also if I judge myself when I should not. As far as oneself, self condemnation is an easy attack of the enemy on me and I guess it is similar to lack of faith but my prayer for this is to be able to see others as God sees them and not not focus on myself at all. Ask, Seek, Knock... What doors do I want open versus what doors do I need open?

In 7:14 it says "that small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  This makes it sound like the majority will get it wrong and miss the correct road, am I going with the Majority or trying to hear the still small voice to make sure I am on the correct path and not blindly following after others...

In Chapter 8:26 I feel like this is written to me, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" With all the storms in my life, are there more than in any other life? I do not think so but at times the circumstances of life seem to strive to focus our attention and effort on ourselves. Lord help me to have more faith and not to be scared.

Matthew 5 - 6

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. How salty am I to this world who needs God? And then Jesus says in verse 22 "that if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment." I wonder how many times a week I find myself getting angry at Mandy or my kids and knowing this is similar to murder as far as judgment. Lord forgive me and help me to manage my temper and be slow to anger.

(Verse 27) If you look at someone with lust then you have committed adultery... I may be wrong but it seems that there are females in the world that find joy in trying to attract the attention of men. I wonder if there is a similar faction of men that purposely tempt women with emotions of something similar. I think this is something that the enemy uses to drive wedges between couples. I pray for protection for my marriage and my children.

In Chapter 6:19 we are told not to store up treasures here on earth and as I have been reflecting on what my treasures are. When I asked God about what are my treasures, he shows me pictures of Mandy, Chase, Pierce and Brooke. As we work to get out of debt, Lord help me to focus on your desires and your treasures.

Chapter 6 ends with the saying "Do not worry..." and as I reflect on the last several years I have been doing more worrying that is healthy. Worry seems to be a sin that is almost expected by those of this world. May this not be so, Lord help me to know worry but to have stronger faith in you and your purposes.

Matthew 3-4 (or 5 for those aggressive readers :))

I will post the section of scripture that I want to meditate on today. I will read and ponder and add comments throughout the day. In this section we have friends, baptism, testing and then preaching. I want to see Jesus better, it is like I need stronger glasses to see Him more clearly so God give us all super strong glasses to see your Holy Spirit and teach us with your words. Help us to be is a constant state of prayer and to not give in to the cares of this world. Thank you Jesus!

Last night I had trouble sleeping and felt like I was being attacked. I tried something that I have seen my wife do, I turned on worship music and put on head phones at 11:30 at night and after 30 minutes of WOW worship I was able to sleep with greater peace. The song that spoke to me last night and helped is below.

Day 1 - Matthew 1-2

Matthew 1:1-17 - I understand that geneologies are important and wonder what the significance of 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David to the exile in Babylon and 14 generations from th exile to the Messiah might be.

Matthew 1:20-21 - Joseph was told from the beginning that the child that Mary was carrying was going to "save his people from their sins." As a parent the pressure of raising a child is pretty heavy but I wonder what Joseph and Mary thought about during the pregnancy before the birth. I also like that the angel of the lord appeared in a dream to Joseph.

Matthew 2:9-10 - How does a star move to be over the location of Jesus's birth, and I wonder would the Magi call themselves christian or say that they were used by God?

Joseph had a few more dream angels to direct and protect him and Jesus.

These are my thoughts as I read Matthew asking God to help me see more. It is hard to focus and the cares of the world seem to constantly encroach on my time and thoughts. Lord help me to hear you more clearly and be able to ignore the things of the world that are distractions.

Birth of an idea

Mandy has challenged me to read through the new testament with her and I have started several times. I find myself thinking every time I start in Matthew, How many times have I read this, do genealogies really matter, does it count if I skim... After several failed attempts, I have decided to raise the bar and have a little accountability as well. I plan to post a section of scripture daily which will consist of 3-5 chapters and my prayer is that Mandy and I will find something new or old in a different light that will help us to see God more clearly. I plan to for this to be a place for me to share what God has been doing and my hopes are that others may be encouraged and like to take a dive with us :).