Childlike faith

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2 He called a little child and had him stand among them.
3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
6 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

We all know this famous scene I guess. We can see Jesus loves children and the ones who have childlike faith. I'm thinking about what children's faith is like. Jesus mentioned "to humble" which might include exhibiting trust, openness, and eagerness to learn. Children come to trust someone easily and also once they think this is someone they can trust, they never doubt, like my students believe that I know everything about English. Children open their mind easily. They're always ready to accept things especially new things. Children are eager to learn because there are so many things they've never seen or heard. And they say, more, more and more!

We need to look into our faith and compare these things. Do I totally trust God or God's words? Am I open to what he's saying and ready to accept whatever he gets for me? Am I eager to learn "more" about his words and will?


Here's another thing I got from this part. Jesus says anyone causes these faithful ones(children) to sin would be better to sink into the sea to die. what a strong expression he uses..This also shows how important our influence to the others is.
Again, it is so obvious how important to raise my children not to sin but to live in God even though I'm not a mom yet.

The Temple Tax

²⁴After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"

²⁵"Yes, he does," he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?"

²⁶"From others," Peter answered.

"Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. ²⁷"But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

I've notice was verse 25 and 26. We would all assume that Jesus being the son of God would be exempted to follow any laws on earth or heaven but he chose to even though he didn't have to.

I think this passage tells us that we need to do what we have to do in this life like he says in verse 27, but also that God will provide what we need as Jesus told them to catch a fish that has money in its stomach.

A Boy Is Healed by Faith

14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

When the disciples asked why they couldn't heal the boy, Jesus rebukes them. Also, like the time when Peter tried to walk on water! There are things they should have been able to do "by now!"

A mustard seed is smaller than a poppy seed, it is one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. If my faith was at least "one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter," then i can move mountains and heal the sick... so, exactly how small is my faith?

These passages made me think of what blessings i forfeit because of my unbelief/lack of faith... what kinds of thing should I be able to do "by now!"

"Listen to Him"

Our passage for today tells the story of how Peter, James and John came to know Jesus as the Son of God. It's a puzzling story to me but what stands out for me is that as God clearly reveals Jesus as His Son, He commands the men to listen to Jesus. Of all the things that could have been said, God says " Listen to him!"

Maybe it stands out to me because I know I need to listen to Jesus. While my heart understands the value of this command, I know it's a command I fail to live up to. It's so much more than what I need to do with just my ears. Listening to Jesus would mean I have to take time and make the effort to recognize His voice. It means I have to curb my own will and do what He says is right and good. Listening to Jesus means rejecting what the world tells me or even what my head and my feelings tell me. It means being able to trust Him and follow His lead. This command has revealed to me what I lack in my relationship with Jesus. I feel the need to refocus my attention to Him, devote my time and energies to Him. With all that's happening and about to happen, it certainly is a struggle but I realized once again that it's a struggle worth pursuing more than anything else on my plate right now.

Btw, sorry for the late post ^^

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

²³Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. ²⁶What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. ²⁸I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Jesus is very straightforward and commands that we must deny ourselves and take up His cross and follow Him if we want to come after Him. Denying oneself is so difficult especially in the society we live in. We're consistently encouraged to live for ourselves and for our own glory, which is completely opposite of the way God calls us to live our lives.

How does everyone else interpret the idea of "denying oneself"...? I know for me personally, I really struggle in this area when it comes to work. I can't help but want to receive acknowledgement and praise for what I do in the classroom. But then as this passage points out, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world..." or in my case, what good will it be for me to gain such praise from those so unworthy compared to our God?

Peter's Confession of Christ

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

This passage reminds me of my trip to the Vatican where I saw the enormous chair built for Peter to sit and judge and hold the keys to heaven--like a gatekeeper. I remember being awed but scared at the same time.  I think right underneath this is where Peter is buried along with all of the other popes. I think this is all derived from this passage?

To me this passage points to a pivotal moment where Jesus has empowered the church with His power to go and reclaim what has been taken by satan and act on behalf of the kingdom of heaven  because the gates of hell CANNOT resist the church. Jesus is sharing all that the Father has given to Him with the church to join him in his mission. 

That is really all I have for this passage. I would love to hear how you guys understood this passage.

the yeast of the pharisees and sadducees

"be on your guard aginst the yeast of the pharisees and sadducees" (matthew 15:6)

after witnessing the miraculous feeding of five thousand people with a few fish and a few loaves of bread, and then the feeding of four thousand people with similar meagre resources, the disciples were still worried that they wouldn't have something to eat that day, having "forgot[ten] to take bread" when they went across the lake. Jesus rebukes them for having such "little faith". didn't they know by now that if Jesus were in the midst of them that they would never go hungry? apparently they needed reminding, even after witnessing with their own eyes these wondrous miracles. Jesus reminds them visually of the picture of so many basketfuls of food left over after everyone was fed. we mustn't be too hard on these poor disciples. are we not exactly the same? we praise God for the provision of something we have prayed for, but then immediately worry and complain about the next need that we perceive is not being met.

Jesus is far more concerned that we expend our energy, not on worrying about what we will eat, but on being on our guard against the "yeast of the pharisees and sadducees". He is telling us that even the tiniest, most minuscule seed of hypocrisy, legalism, self-righteousness, laziness, pride, arrogance, hatred, judgmentalism, hard-heartedness, cynicism, and unbelief, will slowly infiltrate our mind and our hearts deep from within, and eventually corrupt the whole inner spirit. He is imploring us to guard our hearts against every evil.

what an important command Jesus gives us! how can we undo or "reverse" the corrupt images we have seen, the gossip we have heard, words and thoughts that dishonor God and each other? about as easily as undoing or reversing the spreading of yeast through a loaf of bread.

The Demand for a sign

1The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
2He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' 3and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away. (NIV)

Pharisees and Sadducees were always trying to test Jesus, find a way to acuse Him. Their spiritual eyes and ears were closed, "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand". I pray that God will give us understanding about the heavenly things!

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 A canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."
28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Hope you guys have great days in Jesus Chirst.
I see Jesus showed people including his disciples that even non-Israel people can be saved with their great faith like the Canaanite woman had. I believe that this is what Jesus intended from the first place. Showing God's mercy for those Gentile people, Jesus might have intended to teach his disciples and Israel people that the judgement is not by their ethnicity but by their faith.
Our great faith will transform ourselves from the dogs to the children of God.
So grateful for this granted right of becoming His children.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

²⁹Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

³²Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."

³³His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"

³⁴"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.
"Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."

³⁵He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. ³⁷They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. ³⁹After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

just before in chapter 14 Jesus fed 5,000 and now 4,000!... He fed the hungry and healed the broken... He meets our needs with power and compassion!

verse 37 says, "They all ate and were satisfied." i wonder if they were satisfied because they were hungry and then full or perhaps because they met someone in the person of Jesus Christ who met them where they are, just as they are... and knew just what they needed...

Hmmm...providence?

As I logged in to write my blog, I read Kwijung's and was compelled to respond before I went on with my own. Then as I was about to start mine, I decided to check the verse I was assigned to and realized it is the same as Kwijung's. I can't help to think that it was just meant to be. I hope you will be blessed as I was in reading today's post.

Clean and Unclean

I am so sorry but blogging yesterday. Dulla reminded me twice. I was so busy yesterday that put off doing blog until late last night. Of course I fell a sleep while typing it. Instead of my own reflection, I read great commentary on the passage that I'd like to share with you.


What makes a person unclean or unfit to offer God acceptable worship? The Jews went to great pains to ensure that their worship would conform to the instructions which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. God's call to his people was a call to holiness: "be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44; 19:2). In their zeal for holiness many elders developed elaborate traditions which became a burden for the people to carry out in their everyday lives. The Scribes and Pharisees were upset with Jesus because he allowed his disciples to break with their ritual traditions by eating with unclean hands. They sent a delegation all the way from Jerusalem to Galilee to bring their accusation in a face-to-face confrontation with Jesus. Jesus dealt with their accusation by going to the heart of the matter -- by looking at God's intention and purpose for the commandments. Jesus gave an example of how their use of ritual tradition excused them from fulfilling the commandment to honor one's father and mother. If someone wanted to avoid the duty of financially providing for their parents in old age or sickness they could say that their money or goods were an offering "given over to God" and thus exempt from any claim of charity or duty to help others. They broke God's law to fulfull a law of their own making. Jesus explained that they void God's command because they allowed their hearts and minds to be clouded by their own notions of religion.
Jesus accused them specifically of two things. First of hypocrisy. Like actors, who put on a show, they appear to obey God's word in their external practices while they inwardly harbor evil desires and intentions. Secondly, he accused them of abandoning God's word by substituting their own arguments and ingenious interpretations for what God requires. They listened to clever arguments rather than to God's word. Jesus refers them to the prophecy of Isaiah (29:31) where the prophet accuses the people of his day for honoring God with their lips while their hearts went astray because of disobedience to God's laws.

Jesus shocked the religious sensibilities of the Jews by declaring that nothing which "goes into the mouth defiles a person" (Matt. 15:10). This statement meant that all the ritual food laws of the Old Testament were now canceled. God gave these laws to teach his people of the old covenant the importance of offering right sacrifice and worship to God with a clean conscience. Ritual purification was intended to show people the necessity of being not just outwardly clean, but inwardly clean and holy in thought as well as in deed. Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement -- evil desires which come from inside a person's innermost being. Sin does not just happen. It first springs from the innermost recesses of our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual soul can conceive. This is precisely why Jesus came to free sinful men and women deceived by the glamor of sin and enslaved by its seductive powers.

God in his mercy freely offers us pardon, healing, and grace for overcoming sin and evil in our lives. But to receive God's mercy and help, we must admit our faults and ask for God's pardon. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9). Only God can change our hearts and make them clean and whole through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings our sinful intentions and deeds into the light of our conscience that we may recognize them for what they are and call upon his mercy and grace for pardon and healing. Ask the Lord to cleanse you with the purifying fire of his Holy Spirit.

"Lord, let the fire of your Holy Spirit cleanse my mind and my heart that I may love you purely and serve you worthily."

Jesus Walks on Water

[NIV]

²²Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.²³After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

²⁸"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

²⁹"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

³¹Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

³²And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.³³Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

³⁴When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him ³⁶and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

What Jesus did in this passage still amazes me, and I must admit there are times when I have trouble believing or imagining Him walking on water. But I'm even more surprised that Peter started to walk on the water as well. When I put myself in Peter's shoes, I know I would not have walked out onto the water especially considering the condition of the weather. I would have hid myself in the corner of the boat and just prayed that I would make it back to shore safely.

I'm assuming Peter was the only one who had faith that it was Jesus considering he started to walk out onto the water towards Jesus when he was told to do so. But we see how quickly he asks for help as soon as he starts to sink and the wind picks up. In that moment, Peter's faith was tested by Jesus and his faith started out strong but quickly went away as soon as fear and calamity came.

I often find this true in my life, where I tell myself and others that I just have to faith in God no matter what...but when calamity strikes in my life..how quickly my faith disappears. I instantly start to doubt and become fearful of what's to happen next. I, too, just like Peter cry out for help in panic mode without realizing God was with me all along.

Our true colors really show in certain moments of our lives. There may have been instances where we acted on very little faith. May we continue to earnestly seek and pray for a greater faith in our God.

Here are some verses that came to mind after reflecting on this passage:

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Mark 9:24 "..I do believe, help me to over come my unbelief!"

Matthew 17:20 "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can tho this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

 16Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

 17"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

 18"Bring them here to me," he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

When I read this passage I felt Jesus' compassion for the sick and the hungry. His ministry was not only preaching the word. Jesus truly met the needs of the people whether it was healing the sick or feeding the hungry. I think this is a good example of how we should minister to the world around us. We should not only minister with the word but we should also have compassion and help meet people's physical needs as well.

This passage was also very encouraging to me in reminding me that when we put our faith in God, He ALWAYS provides for us and meets our needs.

In this passage, when Jesus said to feed the people, the disciples questioned Jesus about how to feed the mass crowd of people with the five loaves of bread and two fish they had. I would have questioned this too.

I am thinking back on missed opportunities to help others in their time of need or to share the word with others because I don't think I am knowledgeable enough, or I don't have enough money to help, or I don't have enough energy to do a particular task. I  am always only looking at what I can see and relying solely on myself.

I am reminded of the verse Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." I pray that we will all be encouraged by this passage and trust in God to provide all that we need as we act as His hands and feet.
Happy Weekend Everyone!! :)

john the baptist beheaded

"Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet" (matthew 14:5)

was there ever anyone more miserable or pitiable than herod? he was constantly doing things he didn't want to do or not doing things he wanted to do because he was so slavishly driven by a pathological need for other people's approval. there are three examples in our passage today:

verse 3:  "herod had arrested john and bound him and put him in prison" NOT because he wanted to, "but because of Herodias, his brother's wife".
verse 5 "herod wanted to kill john, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered john a prophet".
verses 9-10 "herod was distressed (when herodias's daughter asks for the head of john the baptist on a platter) but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had john beheaded".

poor herod knew that john was a righteous man and spoke the very words of God, but in living a miserable, illicit, dishonest, and exceedingly worldly and sinful life, he could not bring himself to do the right thing. enslaved by a psychological compulsion to please others, flatter himself, preserve his power, squash his guilt, and maintain his sinful lifestyle, he silenced the only righteous and godly influence in his life that could have saved him. i wonder if we recognize shadows of ourselves in this most wretched of role models. we may feel more affinity with herod than we'd like to admit.
 
and herod is guilt-ridden, haunted by john, even after his death. everywhere he hears his voice, sees his face, remembers his words of warning. reports of Jesus even convince herod that john the baptist has risen from the dead. i can't help wondering if herod's guilt and terror after the murder of a righteous man didn't cause "the weeping and gnashing of teeth"--that Jesus predicts for unbelievers in eternity--to start for herod right there on earth.

A Prophet Without Honor

53When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.
54Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked.
55"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
56Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"
57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
58And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (NIV)

We need to be aware of becoming so " familiar" with Jesus that we don't fear him anymore, don't let him change any expectations of who he is. That was what happend to people in Nazareth, they had evidence that Jesus was more than the carpenter's son, but they chose not to believe in him. They assumed he couldn't be the Son of God because they "knew" him, his family...his background, there was nothing special about it.

I want to talk about fear, fear of the Lord " means that our heart fully sense who we are, who is He that sits on the throne and how much higher is He from us".God wants to have deep relationship with us, he loves us. But sometimes we forget who He is... I am talking about myself...yes, God is god, but he is big! He is the creator of all things!

In the last verse we can see that Jesus didn't do much because of their indifference and pride. God can't change us unless we come to Him in humble, teachable faith.

Have a good day everyone!

The net and the houseowner (Matt 13:47-52)

47 "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
48 When it was full, the fishmen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous.
50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
51 Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied.
52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."


Jesus points up what the kingdom of heaven is like and how the end of the age will be. It is so obvious that entering the kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything else. We must be able to give up Everything to get it.

Secondly, I think this passage shows that we all seem in the net and good to be in His kingdom, but the day of judgement will come and separat what's the good or bad. The net might mean a church or..maybe a christian-like life. But we know that just being in a church or pretending a chirstian doesn't mean we're safe from being thrown into the fiery furnance.

Last, the houseowner is the teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven, it says. I think we're all those teachers who have been taught about it. Aren't we supposed to keep on bringing out those new and old messages to others?

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

First of all, I apologize for the late post!

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Today's passage refers the kingdom of heave to be something of great value, like a hidden treasure or a pearl. The passage mentions that all those who found these treasure went and sold all their possessions so they could obtain these precious things because you would be a fool not to.

I sometime forget or do really see the true value and how precious the God's kingdom really is because I'm distracted by the junk of the world. After reading this passage, I realize that I, too, am a fool because I still value all my sins, aka junk, over something so good and precious as the gospel.

I remember Pastor James's sermon from yesterday. I wonder if I'm so afraid that I'll be missing out on something if I live according to God's Word. In all truth, if I keep living the way that I'm living out of fear and greed, I think I will be missing out on something truly great.

Happy Easter :)

I know this is so random, but I can't help but express how thankful I am for our church and our members that make up the body. The fact that we can come to church so freely and listen to God's word with our fellow brothers and sisters on a consistent basis is so amazing. Why us? Why are we so blessed with this privilege? I initially felt so guilty for always abusing this great privilege, but today's message was a great reminder to me that living a life of guilt is such a horrible way to live. If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we no longer have to live in our guilt and shame. We can live a life of freedom and joy knowing that all our sins have been paid for.

Even as soon as I left church and carried on with my usual Sunday afternoon routine, I started to feel overwhelmed by guilt for a variety of things that I haven't done or shouldn't have done..but I thank God that I was able to stop myself from feeling this way when it started to really intensify. This sense of guilt is very powerful to the point where it paralyzes me from doing anything. It is such a horrible way to live life. I know this is an issue that I will continue to struggle with. But may I be able to humble myself in those moments and come to God instead of allowing this guilt to overpower me.

I thank God that He is so patient with me and continues to teach me the same truth over and over and over again through prayer, His word, His people, His church..... God is truly so good.

What evil conspiracy do we fall prey to?

I think it's a bit ironic that while the Jews were the ones hoping for a Messiah that would overthrow the oppressive government over Israel, they would would end up influencing the governing parties to kill the true Messiah they had at their mercy.

I heard it taught many times on how the Jews were waiting for a Messiah that would free them from the Roman authorities and rebuild Israel to it's former glory. Even some of His disciples turned away from Jesus because they did not see in Him what they wanted. Then eventually, the Jews end up manipulating the government they so despised to kill their true Savior.

This brings me back to when Jesus said: "But this is your hour-when darkness reigns" Matt 22:53b

What evil conspiracy reigned from the moment Satan entered Judas to the moment Pilate and Herod became friends...

What evil deeds were committed by Pilate, Herod, the soldiers, and the crowd of people that had Jesus, the Son of God in their midst...

Under the reign of darkness, even Jesus' close disciples ran from Him. Perhaps that's why He urged them to pray on the Mount of Olives lest they fall into temptation.

What evil conspiracy might be surrounding us right now. Am I part of it? or fighting against it? And what evil deeds I commit under the reign of sin in my life- all the while as Christ is with me...

I feel a greater need to pray. What an evil world and what evil hearts we fall prey so easily to. I second what Esther shared a couple days ago-

"I, not anywhere near Jesus' perfection, need to be in prayer ALL the time so that I could fight these temptations and also continue to follow His will for me.

I pray that I will have the strength to fight off any temptations and come to Jesus instead."

Amen sisters!