The sign

We have a sign in our house that reads "Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all your problems today."  That sign reminded me of a lesson from the Gospel of Matthew 17: 14-20.  It's a lesson about faith or this instance the lack of faith.  Jesus says in verse 20, "I tell you the truth if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing is impossible for you."  How's your faith been lately, have you moved any mountains?

Scripture tell us that faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith is a gift from God, given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit and purchased for us by the blood of the lamb.   In our lesson from Matthew we saw how the disciples were unable to heal the boy due to their lack of faith;  God was no longer working through them.  When we think we can do it on our own the truth is not in us and our faith is in doubt; but if you remember our sign  "That God will gladly handle all of your problems today" then  maybe you should give Him another chance to help you move that mountain today.

Rocks in the road

In the 16th chapter of Matthew's Gospel beginning at the 23rd verse, Jesus turns to His disciple, Peter and says "Get behind me Satan, you are stumbling block to me."  It seems Peter has gone from being the "rock" that the church would be built upon to being a stone that "causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." (1 Peter 2:8)

Peter has brought this rebuke upon himself for he is only thinking of himself and not the divine nature of Jesus' ministry.  How often do we find ourselves in Peter's shoes?  How often are we thinking only of ourselves?  How often do we forget the divine and replace it with our own sinful selfishness?

So, the next time you find yourself blocking the road to one and all, trying saying what Jesus said; "Satan get behind me!"

Sayings not in the Bible, Part II

In my previous blog I listed some sayings that are often attributed to the Bible and challenged you to see how many you could find.  If you accepted my challenge you probably found out that some of those sayings were similar to those found in the Bible but the others had different sources didn't they?  I promised you that I might give you answers to my challenge so here they are:

1. This to shall pass - Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka said it, actually comes from a 10th century poem entitled "The Doer." Closest Bible passage, Luke 21:33
2. Cleanliness is next to... - Comes from the 18th Century Evangelist and founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley.
3. Spare the rod... - Not exactly correct, check out Proverbs 13:24.
4. God helps those who... -  Benjamin Franklin,
5. Money is the root... - It's the "love of money" which is the root of all evil, 1 Tim 6:10

Finally, there was the snake in the Garden of Eden, but no mention is ever made of Satan nor is his name ever brought up; and last but certainly not least Eve was not tempted with an "apple" was she?

I hope you had fun with these?  Remember just because someone quotes what sounds like scripture it might not be the real thing so always check it out for yourself.

This to shall pass

When you read my blogs you will find that I'm often inspired by sayings, phrases or Bible verses that for one reason or another have caught my eye and made me pause for a moment of reflection.  So with that thought in mind let's have some fun with this blog: See how many of the following you can find in the Bible?

This to shall pass
God helps those who help themselves
Spare the rod, spoil the child
Money is the root of all evil
Cleanliness is next to Godliness
Did Satan really appear in the Garden of Eden?

Good luck and maybe I'll have the answers for you in my next blog

I want what I want

I am a selfish sinner and because of that I often find myself saying "I want, what I want and I want it NOW."  How often have you found yourself saying that same thing?  You want something so bad that you'd do anything to get it; but at what cost?  What were you willing to pay, sacrifice or give up so you could get what you wanted, what you just had to have; and in the end when all was said and done did you ask yourself, "was it worth it?"
In the Gospel of Matthew, the 15th chapter beginning at the 21st verse there's a story about a woman who wants something, not for herself but for her daughter.  It's a short story, only 7 verses long. The woman has been scorned, she's looked down upon, despised and yet she wants something, and she wants it now. 
What price did she pay, how much did it cost; the answer is simple, nothing more then being humble in the presence of the Lord.  Scripture tells us how she came and knelt before Jesus and said "Lord, help me!"  Isn't that a lesson for all of us?

When we're tempted by evil or the weakness of the flesh we can get down on our knees and humbly ask God for help.  You may not get what you want, when you want it, but instead, you may find God's grace and mercy; a gift with eternal rewards. 

Oh ye of little faith

My thoughts today come from the Gospel of Matthew 14: 13-21; Jesus feeds five thousand.  If you haven't done so in awhile I would encourage you to read Chapter 14; You mignt recall that Jesus had been ministering to the masses and evening was approaching.  It is safe to say there were no fast food restaurants available, no "take out" as it were, in fact we're told in scripture this was a "remote place."
The disciples are "somewhat concerned" for the crowds welfare and asks Jesus to send them away so they may find something to eat.

What does Jesus say to that? "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."  Now scripture doesn't tell us what their immediate reaction might have been but I think there was a lot of but, but, but going on amongst the twelve.  I'm sure their reaction was exactly the same as when Pastor Frank at Servant of the Shepherd asked me for the first time to give someone "my" $20.

"What, but, but, but" I said. That's my $20 and what is this person going to do with "my" money?  I mean what was Pastor Frank thinking? That was "my" money.  Now, as you read along you should notice something is wrong here isn't it? It's not "my" money, but money that God has given me to do His will here on earth.

What did Jesus finally say to the disciples? "Bring what little food there is to me." He blessed the food and well you know the rest of the story. Jesus says the same thing to you and me today; come to me and I will provide for you for I am the bread of life, no one will leave my table hungry or in need.  I know that's the truth because in all my time at SOS I was never broke, claimed bankruptcy or failed to meet any of my financial obligations.  Remember what Jesus told us "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Go in peace serving the Lord and spreading His wealth.

Innocence Lost Innocence Found

 The Apostle Paul tells us in 1Corinthians 13: 11; When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 

By some accounts I'm an "old man" who according to Paul has put his childish ways behind and yet is that in my best interests?  Remember what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

When I was a "younger man" someone asked me what I truly believed in and I said "I believed in the innocence of a newborn baby.  Yes, I know we are all conceived and born into the sin of our father Adam; yes, I know that newborns are selfish wanting what they want, when they want it which usually means, NOW.  Yes, yes, yes I know all of that but as I watch my grandchildren get older I am constantly reminded that they are children of God weak and dependent with no status or influence.

Jesus' message was that we're not to be "childish" but "childlike" with humble and sincere hearts.  Just as we turned to our parents in trust and love so also should we turn to our heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally and by who's grace our sins have been forgiven and our innocence restored.