a warning

14 I’m not writing these things to make you ashamed but to warn you, since you are my loved children.15 You may have ten thousand mentors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. I gave birth to you in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 16 so I encourage you to follow my example. 17 This is why I’ve sent Timothy to you; he’s my loved and trusted child in the Lord; he’ll remind you about my way of life in Christ Jesus. He’ll teach the same way as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Some have become arrogant as if I’m not coming to see you. 19 But, if the Lord is willing, I’ll come to you soon. Then I won’t focus on what these arrogant people say, but I’ll find out what power they possess.20 God’s kingdom isn’t about words but about power. (1 Corinthians 4:14-20, CEB)

What power do arrogant people have? Some people yield power through who they are and some through who they know. People will sometimes do whatever it takes to get their way.

But when we are born of God, we need to put aside our arrogance and follow after what Jesus told us to do. We need to not look out for our own needs or our own desires, but what is best for the community and others. And by doing this we will live the life that God has gifted us within the way that Jesus called us to live. We will look out for the other and will, therefore, be looked out for by others.

So don’t be arrogant, and love others as God loved you.

 

Healing the crowd

15 Jesus knew what they intended to do, so he went away from there. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all. 16 But he ordered them not to spread the word about him, 17 so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: 18 Look, my Servant whom I chose, the one I love, in whom I find great pleasure. I’ll put my Spirit upon him, and he’ll announce judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He won’t argue or shout, and nobody will hear his voice in the streets. 20 He won’t break a bent stalk, and he won’t snuff out a smoldering wick, until he makes justice win. 21 And the Gentiles will put their hope in his name. (Matthew 12:15-21, CEB)

Jesus was healing everywhere He went and people were believing in Him because of this. His name was spreading and people were hearing and coming to find Him.

Do you tell people about what Jesus has done for you?

What has Jesus done for you?

Think about all the things in your life and discover what God has done for and in your life. Make a list if you have to, a written list.

And know that God did this because God loves you. God created you as you are and God loves you and gives you blessings not because you deserve them or earned them, but because God Loves you.

Then share that with the world so that others will seek Jesus and fund the love God has for them,

Slave vs Free

21 Tell me—those of you who want to be under the Law—don’t you listen to the Law? 22 It’s written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. 23 The son by the slave woman was conceived the normal way, but the son by the free woman was conceived through a promise. 24 These things are an allegory: the women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, which gives birth to slave children; this is Hagar. 25 Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because the city is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 It’s written: Rejoice, barren woman, you who have not given birth. Break out with a shout, you who have not suffered labor pains; because the woman who has been deserted will have many more children than the woman who has a husband. 28 Brothers and sisters, you are children of the promise like Isaac. 29 But just as it was then, so it is now also: the one who was conceived the normal way harassed the one who was conceived by the Spirit. 30 But what does the scripture say? Throw out the slave woman and her son, because the slave woman’s son won’t share the inheritance with the free woman’s son. 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we aren’t the slave woman’s children, but we are the free woman’s children. 1 Christ has set us free for freedom. Therefore, stand firm and don’t submit to the bondage of slavery again. (Galatians 4:21-5:1, CEB)

This is an interesting passage. One child was born the natural way and one was because of promise. In today’s time, this is a slippery slope. One is born of promise and one is not. One is slave and one is free. We need to understand what this means and not go the wrong direction, but what does it mean?

It says that those born of Hagar are not a part of the promise to Abraham, and that is how the Hebrew Scriptures have been read by Jews and Christians for as long as I know. But Muslims say that Hagar’s children are part of the promise. Who is slave and who is free?

We are all slaves to sin and slaves to anything that makes us do things we do not want to do. We are freed in Christ. Christ has freed us. Christ has set us free, and that is the promise that gave Abraham children, So anyone who is freed by Christ is free and a part of the promise.

So are you slave or free?

Two harvests

12 This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God’s commandments and keep faith with Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Favored are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their labors, because their deeds follow them.” 14 Then I looked, and there was a white cloud. On the cloud was seated someone who looked like the Human One. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, calling in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: “Use your sickle to reap the harvest, for the time to harvest has come, and the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who has power over fire, came out from the altar. He said in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle to cut the clusters in the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle into the earth, and cut the vineyard of the earth, and he put what he reaped into the great winepress of God’s passionate anger. 20Then the winepress was trampled outside the city, and the blood came out of the winepress as high as the horses’ bridles for almost two hundred miles. (Revelation 14:12-20, CEB)

He put what he reaped into the great winepress of God’s passionate anger? What is that?

But did you notice the 2 harvests? First, there is an angel who calls for the one on the cloud to use their sickle to reap the harvest and they swung their sickle over the earth and the earth was harvested. Then another angel comes out of the temple and also has a sickle, and then another angel with power over fire came out and said to the angel with the sickle to cut the clusters in the vineyard of the earth. And it was done.

What does all this mean?

And why is there blood flowing from the winepress as high as horses’ bridles and for almost 200 miles? That is a lot of blood.

Sometimes, I have to be honest, I read passages like this and go, “what does this mean?” God, I really don’t get anything out of this. I want to think that it’s because we have taken this passage out of context. It could also be because this is from Revelation and that book is always a bit confusing. We read it as an end-times narrative, and maybe it is, but it is a vision of what is and what will be and we can not read it as a this is going to happen.

The part I got out of this passage for today is, Favored are the dead who died in the Lord. Be favored and follow Christ, so you will be one of the dead in the Lord.

Parable of the weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like someone who planted good seed in his field. 25 While people were sleeping, an enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 When the stalks sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Master, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?’ 28 “‘An enemy has done this,’ he answered. “The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 “But the landowner said, ‘No, because if you gather the weeds, you’ll pull up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow side by side until the harvest. And at harvest time I’ll say to the harvesters, “First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned. But bring the wheat into my barn.”’” 36 Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 Jesus replied, “The one who plants the good seed is the Human One. 38 The field is the world. And the good seeds are the followers of the kingdom. But the weeds are the followers of the evil one.39 The enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the present age. The harvesters are the angels. 40 Just as people gather weeds and burn them in the fire, so it will be at the end of the present age. 41 The Human One will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause people to fall away and all people who sin. 42 He will throw them into a burning furnace. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Those who have ears should hear.” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, CEB)

Didn’t you plant good seed in your garden? How is it that there are weeds?

Would we ever plant weeds? Can you think of a time when you wanted to cause harm to someone? That you did something that you knew would result in someone being hurt? That is planting weeds. I think we all plant weeds sometimes because of our sinner nature. We do things to make us happy which we know will have an adverse effect on someone, or maybe we don’t know it will. Like telling something we think if funny, but is actually not funny because it makes fun of someone for how they were born, or it is racist or sexist.

I feel like we are all wheat and all weeds. We are Saint and Sinner. But remember even the wheat is beat and separated with the winnowing fork. The chaff is burned and the kernel is used.

We all have within us the ability to follow after Christ and show forth the love that was given to all of us.

So go and show God’s love.

tree and fruit

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruit. Do people get bunches of grapes from thorny weeds, or do they get figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and every rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit. And a rotten tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore, you will know them by their fruit. (Matthew 7:15-20, CEB)

You can know them by their fruit?

So what is your fruit?

I have been called fruity by some, but that isn’t what Jesus is talking about here. YOu see if your life is connected to Christ then you will produce good fruit, and you will be able to tell who is connected to Christ and who isn’t. Those who aren’t connected will not be able to do anything good.

So watch the fruit and know who you are dealing with.

hope in Jesus

13 When God gave Abraham his promise, he swore by himself since he couldn’t swear by anyone greater. 14 He said, I will certainly bless you and multiply your descendants.[a] 15 So Abraham obtained the promise by showing patience. 16 People pledge by something greater than themselves. A solemn pledge guarantees what they say and shuts down any argument. 17 When God wanted to further demonstrate to the heirs of the promise that his purpose doesn’t change, he guaranteed it with a solemn pledge. 18 So these are two things that don’t change, because it’s impossible for God to lie. He did this so that we, who have taken refuge in him, can be encouraged to grasp the hope that is lying in front of us. 19 This hope, which is a safe and secure anchor for our whole being, enters the sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 That’s where Jesus went in advance and entered for us, since he became a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:13-20. CEB)

Abraham received the promise because he believed what God was telling him and his life was proof of that.

You see as the text says it is impossible for God to lie, therefore what God has told us is true and will come to be if it already hasn’t.

In this, we can take refuge and solace. God’s promises are true.

We have a hope in Jesus that will not disappoint.

Listen

This is why it’s necessary for us to pay more attention to what we have heard, or else we may drift away from it. 2 If the message that was spoken by angels was reliable, and every offense and act of disobedience received an appropriate consequence, 3 how will we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? It was first announced through the Lord, and then it was confirmed by those who heard him.4 God also vouched for their message with signs, amazing things, various miracles, and gifts from the Holy Spirit, which were handed out the way he wanted. 5 God didn’t put the world that is coming (the world we are talking about) under the angels’ control. 6 Instead, someone declared somewhere, What is humanity that you think about them? Or what are the human beings that you care about them?  7 For a while you made them lower than angels. You crowned the human beings with glory and honor. 8 You put everything under their control. When he puts everything under their control, he doesn’t leave anything out of control. But right now, we don’t see everything under their control yet. 9 However, we do see the one who was made lower in order than the angels for a little while—it’s Jesus! He’s the one who is now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of his death. He suffered death so that he could taste death for everyone through God’s grace. (Hebrews 2:1-9, CEB)

We need to make sure that we are in tune with what God is sending us.

You see we are in control of what happens here in this world, and we need to follow after what God has advised us to do.

So we need to use the gifts we have been given and listen to the moving of the Spirit and follow where we are led, so that God’s will can be done in and through our lives so that God’s mercy and grace may be obtained by all.

We need to listen and do.

We need to listen and go.

We need to listen and love.

We need to listen.

secrets from heaven

10 Jesus’ disciples came and said to him, “Why do you use parables when you speak to the crowds?” 11 Jesus replied, “Because they haven’t received the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but you have. 12 For those who have will receive more and they will have more than enough. But as for those who don’t have, even the little they have will be taken away from them. 13 This is why I speak to the crowds in parables: although they see, they don’t really see; and although they hear, they don’t really hear or understand.14 What Isaiah prophesied has become completely true for them: You will hear, to be sure, but never understand; and you will certainly see but never recognize what you are seeing. 15 For this people’s senses have become calloused, and they’ve become hard of hearing, and they’ve shut their eyes so that they won’t see with their eyes or hear with their ears or understand with their minds, and change their hearts and lives that I may heal them. 16 “Happy are your eyes because they see. Happy are your ears because they hear. 17 I assure you that many prophets and righteous people wanted to see what you see and hear what you hear, but they didn’t. (Matthew 13:10-17, CEB)

I read this and think this is the time we are living in. People talk but others don’t hear what they are saying they hear what they want to hear and they see what they want to see.

Happy are we when we let ourselves be open to hear and to see what is being given to us. When we can see things as they are and not as we want them to be.

We know that God is in control so even if the times are bad, we are still in good hands.

The old and new life

17 So I’m telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord: you shouldn’t live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base their lives on pointless thinking, 18 and they are in the dark in their reasoning. They are disconnected from God’s life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts. 19 They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed. 20 But you didn’t learn that sort of thing from Christ. 21 Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus,22 change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. 23 Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit 24 and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness. 25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor because we are parts of each other in the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. 28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need. 29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. 30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption.31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ. Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. 2 Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God. (Ephesians 4:17-5:2, CEB)

In Christ, we are new creatures. We have our old life before we knew Jesus and our new life which is life in Christ.

We need to love all, and when we are angry we need to make amends before the day is over, to not let animosity build and evil to take a foot hold.

We need to show the love that God gave to us in Jesus by accepting us as we were and loving us into a relationship with God.

Do not let your old life keep you down, but let your new life shine as the sun and show the world the love of God.