This past week has been hectic with two out of town trips, funeral, and worship services. Nothing unusual for a pastor but does eat into my time for doing my blog. So I am now going to get caught up.
Thursday Scripture Jeremiah 17:5-10
“From God. Blessings will come to those who trust in the Lord. Praise his holy name.”
5 This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives.
7 "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.
9 "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."
11 Like a bird that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. Sooner or later they will lose their riches and, at the end of their lives, will become poor old fools.
12 But we worship at your throne-- eternal, high, and glorious!
13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who turn away from you will be disgraced and shamed. They will be buried in a dry and dusty grave, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.
14 O LORD, you alone can heal me; you alone can save. My praises are for you alone!
Over and over, we hear in scripture about the need for us to trust in the Lord and in the Lord alone. It strikes me in reading the scripture how often people become swayed not by God but by whatever is popular, easy, focused on getting rich quick, to misrepresenting those who are different, and who seek in their own greed what is best for themselves. The above comes from the New Living Translation and I particularly am impressed on verse 11. All the pundits, politicians, and publicans, focus so much on themselves and what they can get and claim to be Christians. I find very little Christianity in their lives and in their voices.
Lent is a time for us to realize that only God can heal and save us. God’s Word in Jesus is eternal and not subject to the whims and fancies of others. Let us praise God.
Friday Scripture Matthew 21:33-43
“Bearing fruit. Bear fruit by spreading the Word of God. Be bountiful in speaking of him.”
33 "Now listen to this story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.
34 At the time of the grape harvest he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop.
35 But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
36 So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.
37 "Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, 'Surely they will respect my son.'
38 "But when the farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, 'Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!'
39 So they grabbed him, took him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.
40 "When the owner of the vineyard returns," Jesus asked, "what do you think he will do to those farmers?"
41 The religious leaders replied, "He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest."
42 Then Jesus asked them, "Didn't you ever read this in the Scriptures? 'The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to see.'
43 What I mean is that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.
I often wondered about the choices we make as individuals, as churches, and as a nation. What is the proper fruit we should be doing and making a priority in our lives, the life of the church, and in the nation. Further in Matthew, Jesus lays out in the final days of judgment what will separate the goats from the sheep. It can summarized by giving food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, water to the thirsty, caring for those who are sick, lonely, imprisoned, and seeking the lost.
Do we respect God and his Son? Do we not think that there will be a judgment day? Jesus stated that many will call out his name and he will respond I do not know you. Our lack of compassion for the least will weigh heavily upon us. God, forgive us our lack of respect for your Will, the disregard of our son’s life teachings, his death, and his resurrection. Make us to understand and open our hearts to hear once again of your love and mercy. Amen.
Saturday Scripture Psalm 10:1-4, 9-12
“Mercy and Kindness. God showers us with undeserved gifts. Can we return the same?”
NLT Psalm 103:1 A psalm of David. Praise the LORD, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
4 He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.
9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
10 He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.
I really don’t have much more to say than David. I am reminded to show the same kindness to others as what God has shown me. This Lent I need to remember when I turn to God to confess my sins he has forgiven me and will not deal with me as I deserve.
Sunday Scripture Matthew 9:2-10
‘' God’s Laws. As you read God’s commands, repent and ask his forgiveness.”
NLT Exodus 20:1 Then God instructed the people as follows:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
3 "Do not worship any other gods besides me.
4 "Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish.
5 You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.
6 But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
7 "Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
8 "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work,
10 but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you.
13 "Do not murder.
14 "Do not commit adultery.
15 "Do not steal.
16 "Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
17 "Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns."
The Ten Commandments have been a foundation to Jewish and Christian beliefs. Jesus took the ten and summarized them into two, Love God and Love neighbor. As we read them once again which of the ten are you struggling with. Is it remembering to honor God and not worship other idols? Is it not taking a Sabbath to spend with family and friends? Is it dealing with issues of stealing not just money or material things but also stealing from others through gossip, through lying to others or to agencies such as the IRS? Or possibly coveting what others have?
Take time to go to God to ask for strength and forgiveness as you deal with your struggle.
Monday Scripture Luke 4:24-30
“Finding Acceptance. Think of those you ignore or neglect. Make a place in your heart for them.”
24 But the truth is, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
25 "Certainly there were many widows in Israel who needed help in Elijah's time, when there was no rain for three and a half years and hunger stalked the land.
26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a widow of Zarephath-- a foreigner in the land of Sidon.
27 Or think of the prophet Elisha, who healed Naaman, a Syrian, rather than the many lepers in Israel who needed help."
28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.
29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and took him to the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to push him over the cliff,
30 but he slipped away through the crowd and left them.
When reading this passage, I am not struck so much about those we ignore or neglect but how we treat one another when someone will speak words, ideas, or values that we do not want to hear. When someone talks about going outside our community to seek out others, we often react negatively. I remember once when talking about doing mission work someone said we should take care of ourselves first spending money for the building.
God will not wait forever for us to do his will. He will find others who will proclaim the gospel. Lent is a journey that we do every year and hear the same scriptures that talk about Jesus and his teachings. Now is the time to not only listen but to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment