I'm a Christian woman who is learning daily from God's Word, and growing into the woman God has called me to be. Here you will find thoughts, questions, musings, and reflections of small issues, big issues, daily life, things that interest me, things that confuse me, and Bible verses.
Good afternoon, everyone! Today I read Matthew 20-21. In today's reading, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a landowner with a vineyard. He hires workers, and they agree to the payment of one denairus, which is...let me check...about $3.62. The landowner continues to find workers, and sends them when he finds them. This means that some of them only work for an hour, while others have worked for much longer. When everyone gets paid at the end of the day, the landowner has the last come first, and the first come last. Those who began work last get paid the same amount as those who began work first, and worked longer. Those who worked longer complained because they felt they should get more. However, the landowner reminds them that they agreed to work for one denarius. This is like the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said. It doesn't matter when you are called. All who come into the kingdom through the Son are saved, and get the same reward: eternal life. Jesus then foretells His death. But first, He makes his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. As He passed, the crowds cried Matthew 21:9 - "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!" Hosanna: an expression of adoration or praise. One of my favorite songs includes this phrase. I'll share it at the end. But oh, how quickly the crowd will change its mind. Please join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 22-23.
Good morning, everyone! Today I read Matthew 18-19. In today's reading, Jesus continues teaching His disciples and the people who come to hear Him. The disciples ask who will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus calls a child to Him and replies: Matthew 18:3-6 - "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." We must humble ourselves as children. And we must be very careful what we teach our children. Matthew 18:12-14 - "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. God wants everyone to be with Him in heaven forever. Sadly, sometimes people choose to sin, and choose to be cut off from God. But that's not His will. Ultimately, He wants to find all the lost sheep and bring them back into the flock. Now, Peter has a well-known question for Jesus. Matthew 18:21-22 - Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." I may have talked about this before. Seventy times seven is 490 times. In case this means something like fourscore, we could also say 77 times. Now, who keeps track of how often you forgive someone? I don't. Some things are harder to forgive than others, but we're still supposed to do it. Let it go! Let it go! Sorry. I was singing there for a minute. Got sidetracked. But you get the point. It's not always easy, but when we know we're supposed to do it, we do it. And every time afterward gets easier. Or that's how I've found it. There's a lot more I could talk about, but I'll leave it there for today. I encourage you to read the chapters for yourselves, and leave a comment if you have questions or anything to add. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 20-21.
Good evening, everyone! Today I read Matthew 15-17. In today's reading, the Pharisees complained to Jesus that the disciples had broken tradition by eating bread without washing their hands. Jesus rebuked them, saying that what comes out of your mouth is worse than the food you put into it. Matthew 15:11 - It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man. The disciples approached Jesus after this, and said something like "Um, Jesus, you totally offended them by what you said." Jesus replies that it is of no concern, because the Pharisees will see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear, and believe what they want to believe. When the disciples question Him about what the parable meant, He replies,
Matthew 15:17-20 - "Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." Sometimes people are so concerned with the "proper" way to do things, that they forget the whole point. Sometimes churches get so caught up with "religion" that they forget the whole point. Jesus was very much concerned about the Law. He did not come to break it, after all, only to teach people the truth about the law. Jesus' point was, so often, that the religious leaders of the time were so focused on being "proper" in the eyes of others, that they had missed the whole point. They were focused on the wrong things. Instead of teaching God's people, reaching God's people, helping God's people, they were only concerned with how many people "broke" the law. And pointing fingers was their specialty. Just not at themselves. Oh, the disciples didn't wash their hands before they ate the bread! Oh, Jesus is eating with sinners! Oh, Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath! Totally missing the point. Going back to our last few posts: God said "I desire compassion, and not sacrifice." Those who will see, will see. Those who will hear, will hear. And those who will understand, will understand. Don't stress if someone in your life seems to be missing the point. Just keep praying for them. God can move hearts, after all. And let's all try not to miss the point. The law is important, but we shouldn't get so bogged down with the law that we forget what God really wants. He's not a tyrant with a whip just watching for people to mess up. He is loving and compassionate and merciful. He wants obedience, yes. But He also wants all people to hear the Truth. Even if that means we need to eat with sinners, without washing our hands, or to help people even during our time of rest. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 18-19.
Good morning, everyone! Today I read Matthew 13-14. In today's reading, Jesus taught in parables, and I want to share a few of them today. The first parable is that of the sower. He sows seed, and some seed falls beside the road, only to be eaten by birds, others fell on the rocks and did not have a good foundation to grow, others fell among the thorns, where they were choked, and still others fell upon good soil, and took root. This parable is about God's Word. Sometimes the Word gets snatched away by the Enemy; sometimes it takes root, but does not have good soil to grow in; sometimes it gets choked by doubts and fears. Yet, sometimes the Word also grows in good soil, where it takes root and flourishes and produces fruit. Someone once said something I will never forget: It's not our job to save people. That belongs to Jesus. What we are supposed to do is to tell people about Jesus, and teach or preach His word (if those words seem too strong to you, just consider it a conversation). We are supposed to plant the seed. God moves in people's hearts, and will continue to move whenever we speak His true word. All we have to do is sow the seed, and God will tend the soil. Sometimes, the seed does not take root, and that isn't something we can control in other people's lives. We can only make sure that the seed in our own lives produces fruit. But Jesus is the only one who saves. The other parable I want to talk about is the parable of the pearl. Matthew 13:45-46 - "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. You are that pearl. Jesus saw so much value in you that He gave all that He had - His very life - just to redeem you for His own. I know sometimes it's easier to believe the lies, easier to believe that Jesus would never want anything to do with you, easier to give in to the doubts. But remember, these are lies. Jesus loved you so much that He died so that you could have eternal life - with Him, in heaven, forever. You have been redeemed at a great price - the life of Jesus Christ, our Savior - because you are of great value. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 15-17.
Good afternoon, everyone! Today I read Matthew 11-12. John is in prison, and begins to doubt, so Jesus sends his disciples to tell him of all they had witnessed: of the blind receiving sight, of the lame walking, and of the dead being raised. Jesus declares that John is the special prophet who was sent to pave the way for Jesus' ministry. Matthew 11:10 -This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' After this, Jesus goes on to teach the people. What He says is relevant to us today. And the invitation is still open. Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." After that, Jesus and His disciples were walking on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick grain and eat it. The pharisees objected, and declared it a sin. "Not lawful." Jesus reminds them of how David went into a temple when he was on the run from Saul and ate the holy bread. Then Jesus reminds them: Matthew 12:7 - But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent. Those are powerful words. And the more I read them, the more they resound within me. "I desire compassion, and not sacrifice." What good is service if it is in name only? What good are good deeds if they are only to draw attention to ourselves, and not because we mean it? What good is sacrificing to God - tithes, time, self - if we aren't compassionate to all people? Aren't we, after all, meant to be a light for Him to all people? We are meant to be walking, talking, living, breathing examples of Christ's love. Examples of what He did for us. And that's just given me a lot to think about. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 13-14.
Good morning, everyone! Today I read Matthew 9-10. In today's reading, Jesus instructs His disciples, heals the sick, raises a girl from the dead, restores the blind to sight, and casts out demons. But today I want to focus on just a couple verses. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. In Matthew 9, Jesus was dining with tax collectors (the worst!) and sinners. The Pharisees didn't like it, and began to murmur and question His disciples. Jesus said this: "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:12-13). It is those who do not know Jesus, those who are living in sin, who need Him the most. If Jesus Himself did not shy away from sitting with them, and helping them, how can we justify doing so? Actually, this goes along with yesterday's post about not judging people. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 11-12.
Good morning, everyone! Today I read Matthew 7-8. And here's where the hard part begins. There's so much I want to talk about, and I just don't have time! So, I'm going to pick just a few verses. Here we go! Jesus says, in Matthew 7:1-5 - "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. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not noticed the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. So, basically, we shouldn't judge other people for their sins, because we have all sinned. And all sin is equal to God. But once we have repented and sin has been cleansed from our lives, we can help others to recognize sin in their own lives and repent. I still have trouble with this sometimes. I have very high standards, even for myself. And often, people fall short of those standards. I'm learning to be less judgmental, and more caring. Matthew 7:7-11 - "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! God is the best Father. He always listens, and He only gives us good things. In fact, He gives us the best things. Sometimes we have to wait a while so we can move out of a particular season, or so we will appreciate them more, but God always comes through. Now, in chapter 8, is the story of the centurion's faith. Now, a centurion was a Roman soldier. They were the oppressors of the Israelites, and this story is special because it is unusual. This centurion's servant is sick, and he comes to Jesus asking Him to heal his servant. Jesus agrees to go, but the centurion says "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." (Matthew 8:8-9) Jesus marveled at this, because it was the greatest show of faith He had seen. And the centurian's servant was healed at that moment. There is a lot more, but I have to stop for now. Please read the chapters for yourselves, and if you have any comments, leave them below. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 9-10.
Good evening, everyone! Today I read Matthew 5-6. And today I'm going to share just a few of the wonderful verses I read today, commonly called the Beatitudes. Matthew 5:1-11 - When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Blessed are...those who follow Jesus, and seek His kingdom first, above all things. That's you and me, friend. Even when it's not easy, keep hanging in there. The blessing will be worth it. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 7-8.
Good evening, everyone! Today I read Matthew 1-4. In today's reading, we learn of Jesus' birth, and the beginning of His ministry. Most of us know those stories, and Mark, Luke, and John talk about them too, so today I want to focus on His genealogy. Matthew 1: Abraham Isaac Jacob Judah Perez Hezron Ram Amminadab Nahshon Salmon Boaz (by Rahab) Obed (by Ruth, the Moabitess) Jesse David (God's chosen king) Solomon (by Bathsheba, whose husband he had killed) Rehoboam Abijah Asa Jehoshaphat Joram Uzziah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah Manasseh Amon Josiah Jeconiah (Then the Israelites were deported to Babylon) Shealtiel Zerubbabel Abihud Eliakim Azor Zadok Achim Eliud Eleazar Matthan Jacob Joseph (Mary's husband) These are the generations of Jesus' family, through His adopted father, Joseph, who raised Him. Did you recognize some names? Did you also notice that those names you recognized were not perfect people? Some of them had terrible reputations, and some did bad things. But all of them had a purpose. I love looking at this lineage. No family is perfect. Even Jesus' own earthly family wasn't perfect. His disciples weren't perfect either. We don't have to be perfect. We are chosen. And that's enough. We serve God to the best of our abilities. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 5-6.
Good morning, everyone! Today I read Malachi 1-4. In today's reading, God declares that He has loved His people, but they have doubted it and turned from Him (Malachi 1:2). And that's what I want to focus on today. Don't we all feel that way sometimes? Or is it just me? Sometimes I doubt God's love for me. Sometimes I feel so messed up, so engulfed by trouble that I forget how much He loves me. And He does love us. Each of us. All of us. So very much. But that's easy to forget when one thing after another is going wrong. And there's no easy solution. No easy way to remember that God loves us and will take care of us. Some days it's easy to get back where I'm supposed to be. Other times, it takes an act of rebellion to truly break me and remind me that I don't want to be that person anymore because I have experienced God's enduring love. Do you ever forget how much God loves you? If so, how do you remind yourself? Or was this the reminder you needed today? Speaking of God's love, this post finishes the Old Testament books, and tomorrow we're moving on to the gospels! If any of us need a reminder of God's love, we'll find it there. I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Matthew 1-4.
