Category: Matthew

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Labor to Rest

Do you know that Labor Day was God’s idea? You didn’t? Let me explain.

All through Scripture the Lord has given us instruction to rest. It started in the Garden of Eden. “And on the 7th day, God rested.”

When the children of Israel left Egypt, they needed rest. They had been enslaved for 400 years, making bricks, under the rule of a cruel pharaoh and his task masters. When they crossed the Red Sea and started toward the Promised Land one of the first things God did was given them a set of rules which would make life easier.

Love the Lord with all their heart. Don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t covet, don’t commit adultery. And honor the Sabbath – rest! God rested and so should they. Rest was an outward sign of an inward trust. It was a sign of putting God first, a day set aside to focus on Him and all He had done for them.

The writer of the book of Hebrews said they failed.

“We should do our best to enter the place of rest, so none of us will disobey and miss going there, as they did. 12 God’s word is alive and powerful! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. 13  Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything…14 We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. This is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4 CEV

The Israelites failed to believe God’s message. He promised to be their provider, their defender, their God but they chose to make gods of gold. When He showed them the fruitful land He had for them, they choose to look at the giants and backed away in fear. They didn’t rest in who God is and what He had promised.

Hebrews tells us that Jesus understands every one of our weaknesses – our fears and our failings. But we aren’t left to be overcome by our circumstances. No! Instead, we are told to come bravely and find help, we are told to come and rest in who God is.

It takes work to rest. We have to develop strong faith, not in ourselves, but in God and His word. Instead of seeing the giants, we need to trust the promise of provision. We work to make God’s word come alive in our lives.

Jesus said this: “Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. 29 Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NLV

We learn from Him; follow His teachings and we will have rest!

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Why Worry?

There’s a whole lot of life that needs to be lived and the Father wants it to be free from worry!

Years back, many years ago, I read a book written by a very successful and innovative American businessman, Jon Huntsman. He wrote a book, “Winners Never Cheat”. I still have it in my library of influential books.

Anyway, Mr. Huntsman, had challenges in his business, like all successful businesses, and opportunities for worry. He said he had a box, a worry box on his desk, and anytime he was presented with one of those opportunities he wrote down and put it in the box and released the pressure of worry. He opened the box once a week and amazingly many of the notes were no longer an issue. They had resolved without his worry or stress. The ones that were still a concern, he left in the box.

Such a simplistic approach to problem solving. But Biblical! Mr. Huntsman was a man who trusted God.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLV

“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 NLV

“ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I Peter 5:7 NLV

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?…30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:25-33 NLV

Maybe, just maybe, we should follow Mr. Huntsman’s example and make a worry box. Write down our concerns, large and small, open the lid, put the “worry” to rest and close the lid.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLV

God has a much better capacity for handling challenges successfully than we ever will. Afterall, He knows all our needs before we do and He has promised to never leave us or abandon us.

Why worry?

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The Soil & The Seed

This morning’s blog is a marriage of two thoughts. Complaining is a weed that will stifle our harvest of peace and spiritual growth.

I remember a time that I bought two identical plants. Took them home and repotted them, set them on the watering system so they both got the same amount of water. They sat side by side in the sun. Everything was exactly the same except for the soil and the soil effected the production of the plant.

The Prophet Hosea, the Apostle Paul and Jesus have some important instruction that will help us all to be more fruitful.

“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’” Hosea 10:12 NLT

You see the plants that I thought were identical had one difference. One had been put in a pot with old, hard soil and the other in a pot with new, fresh soil. Soil makes a difference.

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Matthew 13:3-9 NLT

“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.” Matthew 13:20-22 NLT

The problem wasn’t with the seed; it was with the soil. God’s word is the seed, our hearts are the soil.

“ If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” I Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT

Paul is giving strong admonition to the Christians in Corinth. Don’t let the temptation to complain and murmur about your circumstances cause you to stray from the Lord.

Their ancestors had seen all of God’s power when He delivered them from Egypt; crossing the Red Sea; living under the pillar of cloud by day; eating manna from heaven; drinking water from a rock and still they complained and rebelled.

Good word for today. How many times a day do we find ourselves complaining about something? How many times are we trusting in our own strength and not His?

It’s time we break up the hard ground, pull some weeds and give the seed of God’s word room to grow!

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A Real Frog Strangler

Last night was one for the record books – it was a real frog strangler!

Not sure you are familiar with this expression, but it means a heavy, sudden rain. And that it was.

About 10:30, we had already gone to bed; we saw the lightning flashes, heard the thunder and then the deluge of rain. Oh my! We live on a wash and within 20 minutes it was running two-thirds full and sounded like a rushing river. By 11:15, the water had started to recede. Praise God! and the rain was almost over.

With all the rain we’ve had lately the weeds are going crazy. Dave is out there spraying all the time. They grow so quickly in the desert.

Life can be like that too. Weeds seem to grow faster than the good seeds we plant. The rain helps them both.

The desert is so green.

We had neighbors who recently came down from the Dakotas and they traveled through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona. They said everywhere was brown from lack of rain until they came across the Arizona border where the landscape was green and lush.

I want my life to grow good things; kindness, joy, peace, love, understanding and forgiveness. The weeds of selfishness, greed, bitterness and discontentment need to be rooted out.

Lord, remind me to only sow good seeds in the soil of my heart. Your word is the good seed and it will make me healthy and victorious because Your word is health unto all my flesh and life unto all who find it. Thank you for the word.

“And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.

23 “But what about the seed that fell on the good ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and understand it. They grow and produce a good crop, sometimes 100 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 30 times more.” Matthew 13:22-24 ERV

Weeds will strangle the seed. But, after a rain like we had last night more seeds will sprout, grasses with grow and provide food for the wildlife. Flowers will come and the earth will be refreshed.

“ But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18 When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” James 3:17-18 CEV

Oh yes, a harvest of peace! Isn’t that what we all want to grow in our lives and our families?

As for the frogs, they weren’t strangled at all. When I went out to check the level of the water in the wash, I saw that it had almost completely receded and throughout the neighborhood I heard the sound of croaking frogs everywhere. They were enjoying the refreshing of last night’s rain.

May we enjoy the rains of refreshing. May it bring a harvest of peace!

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Who Do You Say I Am?

Today I’m going to offer you a physical challenge. It will take you outside your comfort zone, I’m certain. I want you to find someone that you know is a Christian and I want you to ask them to tell you about their Jesus. Don’t interrupt or interject – just listen. Look at their eyes, hear the love in their voice – become enveloped in their story.

Jesus asked this of his disciples: “Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. He said to his followers, “Who do people say I am?”

14 They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Others say you are Elijah. And some say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 Then Jesus said to his followers, “And who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:13-15 CEV

Who do you say that I am?

If that were the subject of your High School English class essay, how many words, how many pages would it take to answer the question? Sitting here this morning my heart runs to so many places; each time reminding me of God’s love and faithfulness revealed through Jesus.

Peter’s answer to Jesus was this: “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 ERV

Peter’s answer was God given. These men who had lived with Jesus day in and day out had experienced life, God directed life, up close and personal. And yet earlier in this chapter they were caught once again thinking in mere human terms and not in God’s terms. Their spiritual walk was inconsistent but they did move forward seeking to know more.

Jesus reminded them that they should be founded on the rock – in Matthew we have the story of the man who built his house on a rock and when the storms of life came, he was not shaken; when we know that our foundation is Christ, the storms of life won’t shake us.

Recently, I have had several friends all share their love for the Lord with me. Going through struggling times, those things that are beyond our control, can cause us to stagger and even fall. But answering the question, “Who is Jesus to me? Who do I say that He is? – undergirds us with strength and gives us peace.

“Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting].” Psalm 131:2 AMPC

Lean into Jesus. Rest and trust in Him.

So let me ask you again – Who do you say that I am? Ask the question today and get to know Jesus through the eyes of a friend.

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Then Jesus Came

Last night when I went to bed a song rose in my heart.

One sat alone beside the highway begging,
  His eyes were blind, the light he could not see;
He clutched his rags and shivered in the shadows,
  Then Jesus came and bade his darkness flee.

When Jesus comes the tempter’s pow’r is broken;
  When Jesus comes the tears are wiped away.
He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory,
    For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay.

So men today have found the Savior able,
  They could not conquer passion, lust and sin;
Their broken hearts had left them sad and lonely,
  Then Jesus came and dwelt, Himself, within. (Then Jesus Came)

I spent my next several moments wondering what it would be like to have a conversation with the blind man, the leper and a paralyzed man I had read about so many times in the Bible. Their lives had been filled with desperation and hopelessness.

But God! Each man had an encounter with Christ.

The blind man: “…a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth ⌞was passing by⌟, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 The people told him to be quiet… 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him!” They called the blind man and told him, “Cheer up! Get up! He’s calling you.” 50 The blind man threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

51 Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see again.” 52 Jesus told him, “Go, your faith has made you well.” At once he could see again, and he followed Jesus on the road.” Mark 10:46-52 GW

The leper: “Jesus came down from the hill, and a large crowd followed him. 2 Then a man sick with leprosy came to him. The man bowed down before Jesus and said, “Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.” 3 Jesus touched the man. He said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy.” Matthew 8:1-3 ERV

The paralyzed man: “ Four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man. 4 Since they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof over the place where Jesus was. Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”… 10 I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, 11 “I’m telling you to get up, pick up your cot, and go home!” Mark 2:1-11 GW

If you could talk with these men, what would you ask? How do you think they would respond?

John the Baptist, when he was in prison, sent his disciples “ to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?’ 4 Jesus answered John’s disciples, ‘Go back, and tell John what you hear and see: 5 Blind people see again, lame people are walking, those with skin diseases are made clean, deaf people hear again, dead people are brought back to life, and poor people hear the Good News. 6 Whoever doesn’t lose his faith in me is indeed blessed.” Matthew 11:3-6 GW

The answer: Then Jesus Came and everything changed. Today, the answer is the same.

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Look to the Hills

This morning I’ve been praying for you!

I was out watering my plants, feeding the birds and taking in my view of the mountains. Enjoying all that the Lord has made.

As I sit here this morning praying for family and friends I am so glad that God knows where you are and what you are facing. I pray for those who are traveling around the country and across the world. Some are driving and others flying so I pray for your safety and the vehicles that will be transporting them.

Others of you are living in distant places and I don’t really know what is transpiring in your life on a daily basis and if there are any monumental obstacles you may be facing but He does!

We’ll be celebrating Father’s Day tomorrow and we have the most wonderful, caring, loving Father to honor! James, the apostle, writes that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father.

The things He gives are meant to bless and prosper us – spirit, soul and body. What He gives doesn’t break, become outdated or need repair. He gives strength to the weak, healing to the broken hearted, peace to those who fear, rest to the weary, comfort to the lonely, joy to those who mourn, salvation to the lost and love to the abandoned!

“I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? 2 My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let you fall. Your Protector will not fall asleep. 4 Israel’s Protector does not get tired. He never sleeps. 5 The Lord is your Protector. The Lord stands by your side, shading and protecting you. 6 The sun cannot harm you during the day, and the moon cannot harm you at night.7 The Lord will protect you from every danger. He will protect your soul. 8 The Lord will protect you as you come and go, both now and forever!” Psalm 121 ERV

Look to the Hills…why?

“Every animal in the forest belongs to me, and so do the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds in the mountains, and every wild creature is in my care.” Psalm 50:10-11 CEV

If our Father cares for the cattle on a thousand hills and all the birds in the mountains then I am confident that He cares for and protects each one of you.

“ Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth much more than birds?” Matthew 6:26 CEV

Thank you Father for covering my loved ones with your love, peace, and grace!

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Rock Solid Truth

Growing up I would hear preachers say, “God said, I believe it, that settles it”. They were saying this to confirm their faith in the Word of God, however, that saying isn’t quite true.

This is the truth that we see – God said it, that settles it! Whether I believe it or not, God’s word will always be true and perfect.

“ Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:2 CEV

The world outlook is becoming increasingly dark. Calling good evil and evil good – it’s amazing! So we who are believers in Christ need to stand tall on God’s word!

“The Lord’s teachings are perfect. They give strength to his people. The Lord’s rules can be trusted. They help even the foolish become wise. 8 The Lord’s laws are right. They make people happy. The Lord’s commands are good. They show people the right way to live. 9 Learning respect for the Lord is good. It will last forever. The Lord’s judgments are right. They are completely fair. 10 His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb. 11 His teachings warn his servants, and good things come to those who obey them. 12 People cannot see their own mistakes, so don’t let me commit secret sins. 13 Don’t let me do what I know is wrong. Don’t let sin control me. If you help me, I can be pure and free from sin. 14 May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19:7-14 CEV

Father, Your word is my daily bread. It gives me strength when I am weak. It gives me wisdom when I need answers. It gives me rest when I am weary. It is life giving water to my soul; You are the giver of life. Your word gives me hope for each day and joy to replace my sorrow.

“Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.” Matthew 7:24-25 CEV

Thank you Father that your Word is perfect and trustworthy. It is rock solid truth!

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Listen Up!

This morning, I found myself reading parts of the Bible that I have read repeatedly for the last 30+ years. And believe it or not, those verses are as exciting to me now as they were then.

I never get tired of reading the Bible because it is the living word of God. The Apostle Paul said this: “ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 ESV

And Jesus said this: “15 You people who hear me, listen!… 28 “Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. 30 Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.” Matthew 11:15-30 ERV

In verses 16-27 of Matthew 11 Jesus was pointing out the hypocrisy and criticism of the religious leaders. They were critical of one another, of John the Baptist, and of Jesus and His miracles.

Jesus’ message was “Listen up! My teaching will give you rest from all your striving. It will give you peace and freedom from worry. My teaching is easy to accept”.

When I first began to really study God’s word I had a lot of misinformation to unlearn. Mine was a works based mentality. If I did enough good things, the Lord would be pleased with me. If I didn’t, watch out, “you never know what God will do”.

So, the first thing I had to do was saturate my thinking with the Father’s unconditional love.

As I said I spent months reading and re-reading the same portions of Scripture every day. Faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing the word of God. My faith in God’s love grew until I became CONVINCED that nothing could separate me from the love of God!

Time does not permit for me to print out these verses so I will trust you to look them up for yourselves. Read them and let the Holy Spirit make them real to your heart.

Numbers 23:19, Psalms 91, Psalms 103, Psalms 143, Psalm 145, Romans 8, Ephesians 1:16-23, Ephesians 3:14-21 and Colossians 2:5-20.

Let me close with this from Romans 8.

“ What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? 33 If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36  It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

‘For you, we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.’

37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” Romans 8:31-39 CEV

So listen up! Learn from the teaching of God’s word and find rest!

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“When I Was Little”

We have been blessed to have most of the weekend with our three youngest grandchildren. Such a fun time – hearing their stories and jokes, reading new books, making new things (crepes and blueberry muffins), having new adventures. Each event is a memory making moment.

Yesterday we took a trip to the local winery. No, not for a wine tasting but to see the birds and animals they have there. It was a great time, one that interested everyone. On the way home, our eight-year-old granddaughter was telling her siblings a story, and it started like this “when I was little”…In the front seat, Dave and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I said to myself, “that will preach”.

“ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. 12 It is the same with us. Now we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. But then, in the future, we will see him right before our eyes. Now I know only a part, but at that time I will know fully, as God has known me.” I Corinthians 13:11-12 ERV

So much of what we understand in this life comes from a limited viewpoint. We are influenced by what we can directly see around us. But there’s a much bigger picture that our heavenly Father desires us to see.

Yes, we are to have “child-like faith” and trust in Him; believing that He has a wonderful plan that He wants to bring about in our lives, but He also wants us to increase in our understanding of His greatness and His attributes.

“Jesus called a little child to come to him. He stood the child in front of the followers. 3 Then he said, ‘The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter God’s kingdom. 4 The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child.” Matthew 18:2-4 ERV

The thinking of a child is simplistic, honest, faith filled, living in a realm of expectation. Those qualities are ones we should continue to nurture in our relationship with our heavenly Father.

“You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. 7 You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.” Colossians 2:6-7 ERV

“When I was little…I trust the Lord and now that I am grown, I continue to trust in Him and deeper in my understanding of His unconditional love and His faithfulness.

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