Matthew 21 Little Children Praising Jesus

The Triumphal Entry happened on Sunday. Adults laid garments and palm brances out as they ran ahead of the procession, Jesus was in the center, and others followed, all shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (21:10)(Probably Martha was last in line, picking up the branches and cleaning up the mess left by the others. But that's another story!)

On Monday, little children are in the Temple, shouting what they had heard from the adults the day before: "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (21:15) I imagine it was one of those simple melodies children use in taunting and in play (like "nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah - nyah!") Over and over they shouted, disturbing the peace of the low rumble of adult prayers and conversations. No doubt they were also dancing, perhaps in a circle, going faster and faster in a dirbish until they fell down in a giggling and laughing.

The religious leaders were still cleaning up the place from the mess Jesus had made when He turned over tables and shouted them into silence for changing money and selling doves in the Temple. (21:12-13) The anger was seething in them, and the stage was being set in their hearts for showdowns of questions and confrontations and warnings and death plots and trial and crucifixion. But right now it was these children, these rowdy little children, who were disrespecting the Temple. Whose kids were these? Children of the moneychangers or the Pharisees? Neighborhood urchins? Why didn't Jesus yell at THEM? They were shouting, almost mocking the Pharisees, and what were they saying? Jesus is the Son of David? Praise God for Jesus? Do these kids even know what they are saying?

Sometimes I wonder about children in worship. Do they know the meaning of everything they sing? There are plenty of stories of misunderstandings from childhood; is it wrong for children to sing, "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear," or, in God bless America, "guide her through the night with a light from a bulb?" Should we make them stop?

No, somehow Jesus knew that God meant it when He said that He had ordained praise from the lips of children and [even] infants. (21:16) Jesus was pleased, not irritated, with the cacophony of innocent shouts, and it was beautiful to His holy ears, even when not sung with understanding. God receives the praise of trees, of birds, of rivers and stars, though they do not have conscious knowledge of their praise. So He gladly receives the gurglings and burbles and laughter and shouts and cries of babies. They are praising Him, too! And someday they will know the depth of meaning behind those words they now mimick from adults. I'm sure that if He were brought in as a worship consultant to our church, He would say, "Let the little children come. Let them sing and shout and laugh and dance and praise Me with their innocence. Of such is the Kingdom of heaven."

"LORD, thank You for loving me when I was too young and ignorant to know You, when I was a youth wavering in my faith, when as a teen I tried on several personalities and theologies in order to find myself, and even today when I only begin to scratch the surface of Who You are and what You are all about. You have received all of my praise to this very day, and I will continue to offer it with wild abandonment, in Jesus' name, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
-ker

Matthew 20 The Last Shall be First

I have often used Jesus' famous statement, "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first" at potluck dinners as I stood near the back of the line. Of course, it was tongue-in-cheek. But I suspect that the concept is far more profound than I make it out to be, and it could change my whole worldview if I apply it to myself. Here I go:

"Whoever wants to be a leader (great) among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave." (20:26,27) I notice a few things about what Jesus said here:

First, He recognizes my ambition! He knows that I have always wanted to be a leader, always wanted to be great, always wanted to be first. He has watched me from childhood and seen my competitiveness. He saw me cheat and lie to get ahead. He watches me fill out my taxes. He has seen the envy that wells up in me when I see powerful people and famous musicians. And, surprisingly, He doesn't tell me to "cut it out!"

Rather, He tells me what to do with my ambition. Channel it into a rush down the ladder instead of up. Focus on being a servant or a slave. The more I want to be a somebody, take that desire and make myself a nobody. Then, Ken, who always needs to win, can "win" at serving others. I can make others' agenda my own. After all, Jesus did. And look where it got Him! Killed! Then risen and seated at the right hand of the Father, with all authority in heaven and on earth given to Him! Can't get any lower, or any higher, all by making the agenda of others His own.

The power pyramid of the Kingdom is upside down, but most people don't see it. A few months ago I looked in the Christian bookstore for books on this concept of servanthood. I found 30 titles using the word LEADERSHIP and NO titles of books about SERVANTHOOD (except one book called "Servant Leadership," and that doesn't really count!). We American Christians are mistaken. We think the church needs more leaders, and most of us in paid ministry seem perfectly willing to fill the role. But Jesus didn't use the word, except to use it to talk about being a servant of all.

The last little detail of His instruction is WHO to serve. He says the one must be "your" servant and "your" slave. It is good to be God's servant, but the way to do that is to be the servant of people. I am called to let myself serve the agendas of other people. Slaves don't set the agenda. They carry out the agendas of others. When I see the way that Ellen serves her family, as well as others in the church, I see that I have a long, long way to go in understanding what this means.

"LORD, let me rush headlong into an uncompromised, unheeding pursuit of service, without another thought of me. Forgive me for the times in recent weeks when I have bemoaned doing the business of others, and when I have been impatient to get around to do my own agenda. My agenda is Yours, and Your agenda is to serve others. So I shall do, in Jesus' name. Amen."
-ker

I've been reading "Signature of Jesus" - Brennan Manning; last night I read a bit about how Jesus seems to be there at the wrong times- I guess the author was saying Jesus is never there when you really need him to be right there, he is silent when you want lots of wisdom and guidance from him- the easy out!
I was thinking he might be giving that impression so that we grow up as his followers. We believe he's there somewhere, we just can't feel him through the pain or confusion of the moment... it's unsettling when God is quiet! That means I'm supposed to make the RIGHT decision, all on my own! Oh, the pressure!

Part of the pain I've had in the past is having neighborhood kids vandalise my property, virtually take it over as their own, so I can feel what Ken was talking about, in that. It was very disquieting to me not to be able to grow a garden in my own yard, not to be able to erect a picket fence, and try as I might to ease my pain with knowledge that these kids destroy things when they feel the need for something different in life than what they've been given, it still hurt. It still made me hate living in the tough area I lived in.

I was sure that it only happened in high-strife areas, but I was very surprised when talking with Taos pueblo Native Americans to find that they too had vandalism among their young. Somehow, I was going at this thinking that the pueblo culture wouldn't have that problem, since they de-emphasize materialism, and they're so close-knit a community. But the oppression and poverty and substance abuse that are rampant in the place make it a breeding ground for vandalism, just like we see in the inner cities.

I'm glad that someone finally stated that some hurts may always be with us. I think that's true; I suspect we'll carry some hurts to our graves.
-cer

Matthew 19 The Law is Death

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2) I know that the law is deadly, and all through the OT I see how often law is associated with death (animals die, or if a person breaks the law, the person must die). Truly, the law does not lead to holiness, but rather to death. It's all through Matthew 19 as well.

The Pharisees, who had committed themselves to keeping each and every law to the fullest degree, came with a question to trap Jesus. Notice four clues of legalism in the question itself:

"SHOULD a man be ALLOWED to DIVORCE his wife for ANY REASON?" they asked. (19:3) That's a mark of the law, and law is a mark of death. So, when I ask questions or make decisions with words like SHOULD (or ought to), it's a mark of fleshly motivation, not of the Spirit. Or if I focus on whether I am ALLOWED (or permitted) to do something, I am asking questions of law and permission, not of Spirit and life. If I find myself using negative words like DIVORCE (or no), rather than positive ones, I am on the law side of an issue. And if I start wondering whether it's okay or not for ANY REASON (or in certain situations), I am going down the road of death. This is a serious matter!

In contrast, Jesus uses words like READ (to see what God originally intended) (19:4,8), and CAN (to those whom God helps to remain single) (19:11,12), and LET (to bless the little children) (19:14,15). The Spirit gives freedom and guides individually, saying "yes" to holiness. The Law limits and controls impersonally, saying "no" to sin.

The rich young man comes to Jesus, also asking about some law questions. "What good thing must I DO" (there's another law word) "to inherit eternal life?" (19:16) Jesus brings it to him directly: "Keep the commandments." (19:17) Would the young man recognize the unending trap that law leads him into? He does not. "WHICH ones?" (19:18) Another clue of law thinking. Jesus gives a sampling of laws impossible to keep (such as "Love your neighbor as yourself.")(19:19) Will the young man recognize that he stands guilty?

"I have OBEYED (another clue) all these commandments," he claims. (19:20) "WHAT ELSE must I do?" (There's is always more! Law is a whirlpool that inexorably sucks me down in its vortex.) So Jesus gives him a harder commandment: "Sell everything you own and give it to the poor." Will the guy see that you can never be "good enough" to merit eternal life? (19:21) Of course, he does not.

It is impossible for a sinful person to please God through perfect keeping of the law. Am I hearing that? It is a road from which there is no successful return! But what is impossible for man is possible with God. (19:26) That's the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which sets me free from the law of sin and death! Praise the Lord!

"LORD, thank you for life. Thank you for freeing me from the law of sin and death. Keep me from the SHOULDS and the ALLOWS and the NOS and the REASONS and the DOS and the WHICHES, and especially from the WHAT MORES of law. Let me recognize the law's ugly face and run from it when it comes to my door, in Jesus' name."
-ker

Matthew 18 Forgiving from the Heart

At the end of this wonderful, practical chapter about relationships in the Kingdom, Jesus says that I will be outside of the Kingdom unless I forgive my brother from my heart. It occurs to me that there are some things I cannot do for myself (such as baptize myself or grant myself authority), but there are also other things that Jesus told me to do, not to ask for help in doing them (I tend to ask, "Lord, help me to forgive," or "God, give me the strength to stop dwelling on the hurt.") Jesus says, "Just do it."

Forgive. How can I? Apparently, Jesus doesn't know how badly it hurts, or He wouldn't command such a thing of me.

But wait. In this story of the unforgiving servant, the dude was forgiven a debt of several million dollars. No way he could ever pay it back, of course. He was forgiven the debt! (Something about "forgive us our debt as we forgive" comes to mind.) So far I'm tracking with You, Lord.

Yet, in the story here, my main man had another servant who owed him "several thousand dollars" (NLV). It wasn't just a couple of bucks, but 100 denarii, which is over 3 months' wages! This was a serious debt. I don't know how one servant could get so indebted to another, really. Perhaps he wrecked the dude's car without insurance. Or perhaps he had been irresponsible with gambling or substance abuse, and had to borrow from his friend to cover his problem. Either way, it was serious. And somehow, my hero's residual guilt caused him to forget the perspective that his debt was now forgiven and he didn't need the money anymore!

Truth is, I have been hurt like that. There are people with splinters in their eyes. Friends have wounded me. Church people have betrayed me. Neighbor kids have stolen my goods and vandalized my property after swimming in my pool and eating my food. I have been beaten up, with words and with fists. It hurts. And it's hard to forgive that. Maybe impossible.

That's where Jesus' law of proportions comes in. Proportionately, a person may have hurt me far more than I hurt that person. But when I add up all the wrong I have done in my life, things spoken and deeds done, things done and left undone, love withheld and slander given, all ultimately against God, I suppose I have committed millions of sins. And no one, however cruel they have been, has committed more than thousands of sins against me. If that is true, how can I hold onto my bitterness and anger?

"LORD, give me Your perspective on my sins and those of others towards me. And when I truly see my own sinfulness, Your Word seems to tell me that I will be able to forgive when You command me to do so. So I won't ask You to help me. I will simply obey. I forgive, as You have forgiven me, through the blood of Jesus. Amen."
-ker

I don't know how important this is, but the 3 men of the Transfiguration all fasted for 40 days. I've heard that all 3 fasts were fasts only God could give, being a fast from water as well as food.

Wow. I can't even make it for a few days without food before I keel!

I'd say the cross was the turning point in His ministry for the world, the tomb was the turning point for Believers, and the mountain was the turning point for everyone involved directly with His life and mission, though I haven't clearly seen much distinction between the cross and the tomb in importance or impact. The transfiguration was always kind of baffling to me, it seemed like a mystery, a wondrous ghost story to tell the folks back home, I couldn't see significance in the event. What was the purpose of getting those 3 men together? Why Moses and Elijah? Why not Joseph of Egypt, often said to be the model of Jesus, or Abraham? Why not "Israel"? The only link I could find was the 40-day fast...

Oh, wait, didn't Moses and Elijah both see God before they were dead?

In the middle of the day, in the afternoon sun, in the twilight and the dawn, Lord, let me be recalled to You. Let me hear Your words in my heart- "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10)
cel

Amen. I think Moses represents the Law and Elijah the prophets. The Law and the prophets both point to Jesus and the cross. I had never noticed about the fasts before. Very interesting "coincidence!"
-ker

Matthew 17 The Turning Point

The Transfiguration of Jesus is a powerful moment, and I have always been interested in the temporary glimpse of the glory of Christ. That glimpse changed the lives of Peter and John, and both wrote about it at the beginning of their letters. However, I had not seen the Transfiguration as being so pivotal in the history of the Kingdom as I see today.

In all three synoptic Gospels, the last thing mentioned before this glorious event is Jesus' strange assurance that "some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom."(16:28) All three then mention that it was about a week later that the mountaintop experience took place. (17:1) Apparently, this seemed at the time to be some sort of fulfillment of that promise. It couldn't have referred to the Second Coming, which I might have assumed without the context.

So there they are on this memorable day, transformed by the image of Jesus with His flesh peeled back and His glory revealed. (17:2) Moses and Elijah speak with Him. (17:3) It doesn't say in Matthew what they talked about, though we have hints of it in this chapter, but it says in Luke that they talked about His coming trip to Jerusalem. And in this chapter of Matthew, we suddenly find Jesus mention His coming death three times, when He had not really talked about before then. (17:9,12,22).

What was the turning point in Jesus' ministry? Perhaps a case could be made for the cross, or for the tomb, but I'm going to say that it is this mountain. On the mountain, three of the disciples see Him "coming in His Kingdom," and it changes their view of Him forever. On the mountain, Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem, and the mood of His ministry takes on a darker tone. On the mountain, everyone got a clearer picture of heavenly reality, and it set in motion all that was to come.

LORD, let me behold You in Your glory. Let me see why You came, and what You accomplished on the cross. And let me never be the same again. Let me never settle for same-ol religion or ho-hum routine. And let me never think that my purpose on this earth is for me and my satisfaction. I am about Your business, and that's all I ever want.
-ker

Matthew 16 The Yeast of the Pharisees

The Pharisees and Sadducees had gotten together to test Jesus by asking Him for a miraculous sign from heaven. In light of the OT prophecies (such as Joel 2:30-32), it seems like a reasonable request. Yet, Jesus says that they are an evil, faithless generation to ask for a miraculous sign, and He turns and walks away (16:4).

The next place we find our Savior is at least a few hours later. The disciples are talking about needing bread, and Jesus tells them, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (16:6,11) No doubt, whatever the P&S had done wrong with their question, it was sticking in Jesus' mind as being insideous and dangerous.

Of course, Jesus often did not explain His metaphors. It's up to us to recognize of what we should beware. Jesus said it is yeast: some sort of subtle, insinuating sin that creeps in without noticing. What fits that description?

Pragmatism is a yeast. It starts with making decisions that don't fit my ideals, but seem to get me out of a jam at the moment. Soon, I compromise what I know is right in the name of what will bring short-term benefit. I teach what gains followers for myself, what makes friends of the people I want to be friendly with, and enemies of the ones I hate. Before long, when God sends the very One that every page of my Bible screams about, I can't recognize Him, because He is not advancing my ambitions.

External focus is a yeast. It begins with wanting to do the right thing, but perhaps for the reason of impressing or pleasing people, rather than God. Soon, I spend more effort on thinking about what people will think about me than I do on what God wants. I spend years getting my credentials in order, so that people will know that I am an expert. Before long, I am wearing holy clothing and talking holy talk and walking with that certain "holy" look on my face, admired by all, except the One who can see my heart. And armed with that kind of sickness in my soul, I watch my own Savior heal and feed and serve and teach, and none of it is enough. I need one more sign, this time from heaven itself.

We walk by faith, not by sight. If I can see it, it's not faith anymore. If I always need yet another confirmation that God is there, that He is hearing me, or that He is my personal genie doing my every command, then I have silently slipped into the realm of doubt, not of faith. My eyes will never be satisfied with the evidence, if I can't see that the heavens are already shouting the glory of God.

Perhaps some of these symptoms are marks of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. I think there are more, but they don't lend themselves so well to the context of this passage. LORD, deliver me from the yeast that so silently invades my dreams and robs me of my soul. Make me a man of integrity, who seeks after you and you alone.
-ker

Clergy/Laity: the Cause of Division in the Church?

I've been reading a challenging book called RETHINKING THE WINESKIN by Frank Viola. He advocates house churches, and talks about how the church should not have walls that divide Christians from one another. There is only one church in one city. He says, if you and I lived in Jerusalem in the first century, we belonged to the same church! Likewise, today there is only one church in Price Hill! Amen!

But now listen to the author as he illustrates why we have so many divisions:

"Perhaps an anlogy will help to illustrate this sad chain of events. Suppose that Bob, a so-called "layman," feels called to teach Scripture. In most modern basilica [building-centered] churches, he will have to "go into the ministry" and establish a church himself to fulfill his calling. Perish the thought of the pastor sharing his pulpit with a "layman" on a continuous basis--even if that "layman" has the gift of teaching! (See 1 Corinthians 14:26 for the folly in this mentality.)

"After going through the proper institutional channels, Bob becomes a pastor. He begins a new church in his vicinity. In reality, Bob's "church" is nothing more than an extension of his own ministry. It is also an unneeded addition to the endless sects that already exist in his community. All of which are competing with each other to recruit members!

"Herein lies the root of the problem. The institutional church Bob attended would not permit him to freely exercise his teaching gift. Therefore, he saw no other alternative but to begin a congregation of his own. (By the way, most modern churches exist to give the pastor a platform by which to exercise his teaching gift.)

"The clergy/laity distinction is the seed-bed for the production of endless schisms in the Body of Christ. When gifted people are prevented from fulfilling their God-given callings, they feel forced to begin their own churches. Even though God never called them to do such a thing."

I don't know that I agree with the strength of Viola's insights, but they are definitely thought-provoking, and I wanted to write them down.

LORD, prevent me from keeping anyone from ministry by trying to protect my own turf. Let me equip and train and promote people to do the ministry that You have called them to do. Let our small groups be placed where people discover and exercise their gifts to Your glory. Protect us from egos and selfish sects.
-ker

Too true. But in today's lifestyles, we swing the other way. I was totally guilty of that, doing everything I could cram in, believing I was doing God's work without asking God what He wanted me to do. Somewhere along the way, I started being shown that we have to listen to the Lord, and be guided by Him, or we'll be too busy to do the things He wants us to do; or worse, we'll be so busy with EVERYTHING, both work He didn't want us to do and work He asks of us, that we keel over. These days, I don't know anyone who isn't extremely busy...
Cool.
Keep 'em comin'.
cel

I agree that the old Abba was rather sharp in his reply, and perhaps Jesus would have been more gentle, as He was with Martha. And yes, the visiting brother was judgmental in the way that he viewed the reasonable work that the brothers had to do in order to be able to eat (to the glory of God). He made the very mistake that Ben was talking about: He categorized life into righteous prayer and unrighteous (or less righteous) work. The point of the old man was that we can't enjoy sitting at Jesus' feet or living the contemplative life without someone doing some work so that we can eat and have the strength to worship and pray. And yes, I agree that Mary was praised for her heart, and Martha was criticized lovingly for her judgmental spirit (not for doing work). Jesus Himself said that worship is "better." But the old man's point is that you can't read and pray ALL of the time. I think that's about all I can get from it.
-ker

I understood this story till the end - the brother was taking two verses out of context and stringing them together. The men were not choosing labor over their prayers or meditation times, they were not doing something autonomously, against what the Lord would have them do, so his comment was out of place. The old man was sharper than Jesus would have been, though. Jesus gently chided when someone had something mixed up, but this Abba Silvanus gave a sting, a sharp rebuke that seemed born more out of dislike and "rightness" than out of love and the hope of helping a new guy get things straight. The comment at the end makes me wonder - would he say that Mary only was praised for pouring the nard on Jesus because of the indignant ones who spoke out against her "wasteful" action?
This I don't understand. It was because of Mary's own heart that she was praised, wasn't it?

Mary and Martha in the Desert

This is a little story with a good point from one of the Desert Fathers:

A brother went to see Abba Silvanus on the mountain of Sinai. When he saw the brothers working hard, he said to the old man, "Do not labor for the food that perishes. Mary has chosen the good portion."

The old man said to a disciple, "Zacharias, give the brother a book, and put him in a [room] without anything else."

So when the ninth hour came, this brother watched the door expecting someone would be sent to call him to the meal. When no one called him, he got up, went to find the old man, and said to him, "Have the brothers not eaten today?"

The old man replied that they had.

Then he said, "Why did you not call me?"

The old man said to him, "Because you are a spiritual man and do not need that kind of food. We, being carnal, want to eat, and that is why we work. But you have chosen the good portion and read the whole day long, and you do not want to eat carnal food."

When he heard these words, the brother made a prostration saying, "Forgive me, Abba."

The old man said to him, "Mary needs Martha. It is really thanks to Martha that Mary is praised."
(from Christianity Today Sept 4, 2000, p. 66)
-ker

Matthew 12 Lord of the Sabbath

Jesus walks through some grainfields with His disciples on the Sabbath, and they pick some grain and rub the grain in their hands to be able to eat the kernels as a snack. According to rabbinic law, that was technically defined as "work." (12:2) Jesus' reply contains a phrase that has fascinated me and left me a little confused. His conclusion is, "For the Son of Man is Lord (master), even of the Sabbath." (12:8)

In the last few chapters, watching Jesus' life through the lens of worship, I see Jesus demonstrating that He is master of the wind, of the waves, of disease, and of demons. He has taught as one having authority. He is Lord. Now He claims that He even has authority over the Sabbath itself. The Law, the Tabernacle, the people, and all of nature exists to glorify Him! So the Sabbath was made for people to renew balance and rest and dedicate a day to the Lordship of God in their lives. Now Jesus becomes the fulfillment of that very principle. That's either audacious blasphemy, or He is God! Lord of the Sabbath! That means that He has authority to say what is permissible to do on the Sabbath day, or that He is the only rightful autocrat in the universe!

There is a story about three umpires, who were talking about their confidence in making calls. "I call'um like I see'um," says the first. The second is more confident: "I call 'em like they is," he says. The third says, "They ain't until I calls 'em!" Now, that's confident authority! But that's the kind of authority Jesus has; He is Lord, even of the Sabbath!

LORD, I praise You for being the One who is above creation, above the Law, above my weakness or righteousness or doubting or faith. You are Lord. Master. I submit to Your Lordship willingly, gladly, and totally.
-ker

Matthew 10-11 Spiritual Authority

I seem to find the matter of authority in every chapter of Matthew. Authority is so important, because without it, a person makes claims he or she has no right to make. If I have AUTHORity, then I have the right to write something and have it count; otherwise, it's just me expressing my opinion. A person with authority can write a law, and others have to obey it. Kings and governments have civil authority, judges have legal jurisdiction, and parents have authority over children. So what about the matter of spiritual authority?

An important detail about authority: it must be given. Just as I cannot baptize myself, so I cannot claim authority for myself. I cannot ordain myself into ministry, lay hands on myself, or declare myself a pastor or a prophet. Such titles must be conferred. That is the very problem that Lucifer had; in his pride he declared himself like God. It was his lie in the Garden, that the woman and the man could become "like God." Jesus in this chapter reiterates the principle that a student is not above his teacher, or a servant greater than his master (10:24). In contrast to the devil, Jesus received His authority through proper channels. He said, "My Father has given me authority over everything." (11:27) By the time we get to the last chapter of this gospel, and Jesus claims to have all authority in heaven and earth, the subtlety of His claim jumps out: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been GIVEN to Me." (28:19)

Jesus gave His disciples authority over evil spirits and over every disease (10:1). In other words, they had the right to speak in both the spiritual and physical realm, and their word would be just as powerful as Jesus' was. Likewise, when I pray in Jesus' name, I pray with the authority of what Jesus would say if He were present, saying what I say. And when the world hates Jesus, it will also hate me, because I bear His name (10:25).

LORD, I love the idea of power and authority. My flesh wants influence and control, and my pride makes me far too much like the fallen angels. But You have said that the disciples have authority, in Jesus' name, over physical and spiritual forces, and I do not want to refuse Your gifts. So, whether it is in the realm of spiritual confrontation with false teaching or with an evil spirit, or it is in the area of authoritative teaching of truth, let me not shrink from what you tell me to do.
-ker


But what an amazingly heavy responsibility! To be given authority means to be given the chance to royally mess up. To mess up not only brain-wise, but to mess with other people's lives, to possibly pull the wrath of God down on you. If I fall victim to my ego and personal wishes, and abuse the authority God gives me in a situation, how clearly I court disaster in unfathomably big ways! I can only pray that God's grace and mercy will abound in a situation like that.
cel

It takes a lot of emotional durability to ride out a storm in hopes that Christ will calm it before you capsize completely. If you've ever seen the beach surf when it's really wild, you've seen just how overwhelming it can be.
On the beach, they put up signs to warn people not to go in the water where it's dangerous. Intervention. Sometimes our relationships need intervention, tough love, in hopes that the person headed for trouble will see these loving people holding a meeting with the intervener to tell the troubled person that they have a serious problem with substance abuse. You put up the signs and you hope they heed them.
We all have experienced the mysterious ways that God works, things allowed to go on that are unfair, evil, harmful, tragic. All we can do is pray for His perfect intervention, a right solution, or at least an understanding to help us bear what seems unbearable.
cel

Good morning,

I tried this a few minutes ago and pushed the wrong button and lost everything I typed. I am going to take that as a sighn that what I typed wasn't what I needed to ask or talk about,I'll change my topic and see if this works.

I know that there is conversation that Jesus had where he talks about "turning the other cheek" (forgiveness), and also one of the commandments say "Honor thy mother and Father", what do you do when the two come into conflict with the other? My mother and I have had a very difficult relationship. It actually started when I was born; from there it just went downhill.

I love my Mom. I would do anything she asks of me,even lose everthing I have(I know this because I already have before), I just don't know when to say Ok enough is enough. Everytime I open my heart and my home to her I get hurt emotionaly,physchologicaly,physically,and spiritually. As far back as I can remember I have prayed that the Lord help me with the relationship with my Mom. I have even prayed that if it has to be this way to help me just brake contact totally.What happens is I can brake but then something happens in one of our lives where one of us need the other.Then it starts all over again.
I know whats going to happen everytime it starts.I keep praying that this time it will be diffrent,but Satan uses his #1 resource " prescription drugs". She is addicted to them. It's like alcohal she can go for months without it and then she gets the medicine and boom off she goes and anybody she has contact with see the evil,vendictive,hateful side of her. I don't know how to handle how she acts and what she says, and the word NO seems to hide it's self until I just can't take it antmore and if it hurts her feelings or makes her mad, well then I guess she just gets her feelings hurt or she gets mad.

After that I feel guilty because she is my Mother and the Lord say's that I should feel diffrent. I can't seem to forget and it scares me about is going to happen next,but I take that chance again.Is there a diffrence between Honoring my Mother,forgiveing her,and turning the other cheek? I don't know how to tell her NO but I don't want my family to go through what we refere to now as "one of grandmas medicine things".

Thank You
ssd

Matthew 8-9 Jesus Has All Authority

Why is it that I assume that when the crowds are large, that's a good thing, and when a storm comes, that's a bad thing? Jesus did not have that view.

When Jesus saw how large the crowds were growing, so He instructed His disciples to leave the area (8:18). Logic would say that a growing, popular ministry is just now cresting, and that God's blessings are evident by the increasing numbers. But Jesus never gave Himself to any man, and He was not blinded by the approval of the fickle crowds. He was Lord over mankind, but seeking to increase His popularity with them.

So, they got into a boat and started across the lake. Suddenly, a storm arose, and Jesus was already asleep in the boat (8:23-25). The disciples were afraid they were going to drown (along with their Master, I assume). They assumed that a storm was a bad thing. Jesus rebuked the wind and waves, and all was calm. Jesus was not afraid of the storm, because He was Lord over the earth and sea, and He knew that He need not be afraid of natural disasters.

The reason I think Jesus had this upside-down perspective that crowds are bad and storms are good is that He had authority over heaven and earth. That is borne out in chapter 9. He says to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven."(9:2) He then healed the man so that doubters would know that He had AUTHORITY to forgive sins. (9:6) Later in the chapter, He drives out a demon that caused a man to be mute. (9:33-34) When the man could speak, evertyone could see that He had AUTHORITY to drive out demons. Some wrongly assumed that the authority must have come from the prince of demons, in fact.

If I believe that Jesus has authority over heaven and earth, then I can trust His values, His words and His actions on my behalf. Fear is gone, trust takes over, and I rest in the Lord.

LORD, teach me to see life from Your point of view. I will love You more than crowds, and trust You in spite of the storm. Nothing can snatch me from Your hand, and I will rest in Your promise to me.
ker

Matthew 8 Jesus' Pattern for Healing

Jesus never used quite the same pattern for healing people. Every account of someone's healing in Matthew shows an individual attention and response (just as every account of salvation in the book of Acts shows individual customization of the Gospel to meet the individual). Take note of these two back-to-back accounts for an example:

In the first account, there is a man with leprosy. He runs to Jesus, kneels before Him, worships Him, and declares, "Lord, You can make me well again, if you want to." Jesus responds, says "I want to," touches the man, and he is well.

The next account shows a Gentile man who comes to Jesus and pleads with Him, "Lord, my young servant lies paralyzed and in pain." Jesus responds, "I will come and heal him." But the man says that he is unworthy of having Jesus come. "Only say the word, and my servant will be healed."

Now, there is a big contrast between touching someone and saying a word about someone from a distance. But both healings are beautiful demonstrations of faith and mercy, giving each person what was needed, without resorting to some default, standardized method.

LORD, I thank you that you know me individually, and that you have crafted my life and interacted with me in the way that was best for me. Let me love others as You have loved me.
ker

I was just thinking this morning of the verses that talk of giving secretly. I wonder if it does negate the charity if people mention what they've done at all, or if it's just when they mention it to receive praise, or gain a higher opinion in man's eyes. I would hope that it's the latter case, and that it isn't a ritualistic secrecy needed. And men of God will often agree with God when it comes to giving approval, so it isn't like we have to choose between having God's approval and everyone else's sneers. I would think the gist of God's words here is that He wants us to seek His approval above all, and in the meantime it's natural to hope others on Earth will look on us favorably, too. But when the crisis comes, we have to choose to please God, and let man scorn us.
-christine long