The New Testament - John 16-19
Did you know the Gospel of John has more chapters about the Passion Week than any other Gospel? I think John wanted to give everyone as much of Jesus' teaching as possible, and my oh my! wasn't that last week chock full of God's love for us!
He was also saying goodbye to His disciples. They were a motley crew, to be sure, but they had been His constant companions for the better part of three years. Jesus was a human being after all, with all the emotions, distractions, temptations and frustrations that I have. This is why John's Gospel is directed to all people - every single one of us has all of this inside us, and Jesus understands, sympathizes, empathizes. He felt everything we feel, and he hasn't forgotten it since then. He's eternal, He always was and always is and always will be. So no, God hasn't forgotten you, nor what it feels like to be lonely, angry, sad, happy, hungry, tired - you name it, He knows exactly what you're going through every moment.
John, at this point, is narrating pretty much everything Jesus taught throughout His ministry. When the Holy Spirit gave John the words, it didn't really matter whether he heard them at the Last Supper or the Cross or the Tomb. The words were the truth - The Word is Truth - and Jesus is The Word.
Chapter 17 is one long prayer to the Father for mercy - the strength to carry out what had to be done, and the love to remember who He was doing it for; basically everyone. Jesus' heart was crying out for mercy from the Lord. John 17 is a Master Class in prayer for anyone who has trouble with it.
Changing the subject abruptly . . . I really feel for Pilate. He's been sent out to the backwaters of the empire, relegated to arbitrating the endless petty squabbles of a people who believed themselves to be God's chosen ones. He doesn't want to get involved with this one - it's a religious matter, and Pilate's not about to stir them up even further.
Too late he realizes that these stiff-necked people are noisy, disruptive, arrogant and just plain rioting in the streets. "I have tested this man, I see no wrong-doing." Scripture says he was afraid. I believe Pilate was afraid for his own soul at this point, not just politically scared of being punished by Rome.
"What I have written I have written."
That statement tells quite a story, at least to me.
Five Weeks Later:
I apologize to anyone who has been reading this blog. It's been an eventful summer, during which I was settling into a new apartment, watched my granddaughters for a week while my son and daughter-in-law went on a cruise, organized and executed a Church Choir Retreat, helped at VBS and other numerous things. This past week, I've been sorting through several bags and boxes of quilting supplies one of my dear older ladies at church gave me; and my oldest daughter is on a volunteer medical/dental trip to Honduras. I'm a little distracted.
Suffice to say, I've been putting off finishing even this post. I have been reading my Bible in the mornings, tho - not every morning, I must confess, but doing my best to be diligent. I will update more about what I'm reading another time - I wanted to let everyone know that I haven't given up, and I know the Lord hasn't given up on me. Much loves.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
The New Testament in 90 Days - A successful failure - July 29, 2013
Yeah, so.
I started this adventure with so much enthusiasm. Unfortunately, it's me - attention-deficit, highly sensitive, possibly high-functioning Asbergers - and even at age 51 I'm still learning how to make things happen that other people seem to accomplish so very easily. Like a daily Bible study.
I even had a piece of paper printed out with all 90 days of readings - can't go wrong with that! I love lists, lists make things happen and re-focus me. Usually.
Given the fact that I was diligent with Matthew, skimmed over Mark and glanced at Luke . . . I started the Gospel of John this morning. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."
I memorized the first 5 verses of Chapter 1 when I was a kid (in King James, of course), and I've never forgotten the words about the Word. It's my favorite passage in the Bible, I think. Even "The Lord is my shepherd" doesn't do it for me, although it's a lovely and relevant Psalm for most of my life's circumstances. And the Lord's Prayer is lovely, concise and applicable, but since becoming half-Catholic/half-Protestant, it sometimes confuses me whether there are those extra words at the end or not.
But John 1:1-5 speak to me of a real God, someone who is absolutely perfect and God the Son, Jesus, who lived and died and rose again just for me. Well, for all of us, but this is personal. Isn't that great tho? That everyone can make the Gospel a very personal thing?
I stand in awe that the actual Word of God, the creator of the universe who dwelt in our midst - that this same Lord knows me personally and loves me unconditionally.
I'm not always on target in my life. I lose focus so easily, get angry very quickly and lose sight of the big picture most of the time. Everything that happens to me seems to be personal and under the word "paranoid" in the dictionary is my picture. They really ARE all out to get me.
Not really, but some days my mouth gets me into incredible trouble and I wonder if everyone around me is hearing to all the crap that comes flowing out and judging me. I think I'm the only church choir director who lets out the (more than) occasional F-bomb. Don't tell my choir members, some of them are really old ladies!
I don't like not being in control, but that's what seems to be the way my life goes most of the time. Even when I make serious plans, everything else crowds in around me. I ask for help, God gives it to me, then I'm distracted by that shiny thing over there and I forget that I'm supposed to be letting God help me.
But the God of the Universe - the Living Word - the God who is More than Enough - He loves me. He will never leave me. He is good to me, no matter how everyone else is treating me - He is NOT out to get me.
I love the Gospel of John. Of all the Gospels, this one is the one that speaks so deeply to my heart. Maybe because it was written by Jesus' closest friend on earth, the man He trusted the care of His mother to when He left. John was not a perfect man - he got into trouble just like Peter, wanted Jesus to give him a seat at His right hand, was frightened when they took Jesus away, hid in the upper room until Pentecost - all of this is John, the one they call Beloved.
I am such a rotten Christian some days. I run and hide. I talk before I think. I can curse like a sailor given half the chance. I judge others on sight and rarely take the time to reflect on my own foibles. But God loves me. He will never leave me. He cries and laughs and picks me up when I fall. I am glad.
I started this adventure with so much enthusiasm. Unfortunately, it's me - attention-deficit, highly sensitive, possibly high-functioning Asbergers - and even at age 51 I'm still learning how to make things happen that other people seem to accomplish so very easily. Like a daily Bible study.
I even had a piece of paper printed out with all 90 days of readings - can't go wrong with that! I love lists, lists make things happen and re-focus me. Usually.
Given the fact that I was diligent with Matthew, skimmed over Mark and glanced at Luke . . . I started the Gospel of John this morning. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."
I memorized the first 5 verses of Chapter 1 when I was a kid (in King James, of course), and I've never forgotten the words about the Word. It's my favorite passage in the Bible, I think. Even "The Lord is my shepherd" doesn't do it for me, although it's a lovely and relevant Psalm for most of my life's circumstances. And the Lord's Prayer is lovely, concise and applicable, but since becoming half-Catholic/half-Protestant, it sometimes confuses me whether there are those extra words at the end or not.
But John 1:1-5 speak to me of a real God, someone who is absolutely perfect and God the Son, Jesus, who lived and died and rose again just for me. Well, for all of us, but this is personal. Isn't that great tho? That everyone can make the Gospel a very personal thing?
I stand in awe that the actual Word of God, the creator of the universe who dwelt in our midst - that this same Lord knows me personally and loves me unconditionally.
I'm not always on target in my life. I lose focus so easily, get angry very quickly and lose sight of the big picture most of the time. Everything that happens to me seems to be personal and under the word "paranoid" in the dictionary is my picture. They really ARE all out to get me.
Not really, but some days my mouth gets me into incredible trouble and I wonder if everyone around me is hearing to all the crap that comes flowing out and judging me. I think I'm the only church choir director who lets out the (more than) occasional F-bomb. Don't tell my choir members, some of them are really old ladies!
I don't like not being in control, but that's what seems to be the way my life goes most of the time. Even when I make serious plans, everything else crowds in around me. I ask for help, God gives it to me, then I'm distracted by that shiny thing over there and I forget that I'm supposed to be letting God help me.
But the God of the Universe - the Living Word - the God who is More than Enough - He loves me. He will never leave me. He is good to me, no matter how everyone else is treating me - He is NOT out to get me.
I love the Gospel of John. Of all the Gospels, this one is the one that speaks so deeply to my heart. Maybe because it was written by Jesus' closest friend on earth, the man He trusted the care of His mother to when He left. John was not a perfect man - he got into trouble just like Peter, wanted Jesus to give him a seat at His right hand, was frightened when they took Jesus away, hid in the upper room until Pentecost - all of this is John, the one they call Beloved.
I am such a rotten Christian some days. I run and hide. I talk before I think. I can curse like a sailor given half the chance. I judge others on sight and rarely take the time to reflect on my own foibles. But God loves me. He will never leave me. He cries and laughs and picks me up when I fall. I am glad.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
The New Testament in 90 Days - Somewhere in July
Some
days I hate that I'm growing older. Usually I'm fairly happy being
over 50 and being called Grandma and knowing more about rock music than
most kids these days. And I can sing the Yogi Bear theme song
word-for-word.
But today I'm dozing at my desk, trying to get my work done, after a long weekend filled with the State Fair and my granddaughter's birthday party and cooking for the week and on and on. On days like this, middle age sucks.
So you can imagine how much I really wanted to get out of bed this morning. Because I have been keeping up with my quiet time. It's not so much a requirement to the start of my day as it is a blessing I'm totally missing out on if I miss a morning.
Ninety days is entirely too short to read the entire New Testament, not if you're going to get anything really out of it. So it's more like The New Testament in my own time, with some days not happening, and some days only one chapter instead of three; but with it sinking in just a bit more.
The Book of Luke presents Jesus the Man to the Greeks. Luke was a Greek physician, a Gentile, and someone who liked to put things down in order so they made sense. Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, and both of these chronicle the life of Jesus and events in the Early Church in relation to the era of history that surrounded them.
He gives a lot of facts and figures, being the rational Greek he was, and makes sure names of places and people are accurate. Luke also makes sure that Jesus and the Apostles are seen as rational, intelligent people who also accepted the miraculous in their midst and remained faithful to God. I like that. I'm an intelligent, if somewhat attention deficit person who likes patterns and habits and routine and explanations. However, I do accept that God made me in His image and that, being God, can make anything and everything happen in my life, sometimes without explanation.
I just finished up the book of Luke today. It's the same story as Matthew and Mark, just with a different twist to it. Like Robert Heinlein writing Pride and Prejudice. Same story, same characters, even the same setting possibly, but an entirely different view of things. Maybe Mr. Darcy is a Roman and Elizabeth is a Jewish girl but they both find Jesus in common.
Hmm, I may have to write this story sometime . . .
Meanwhile, I haven't given up on my quiet time. And God hasn't given up on me, not by a long shot. It's just that blogging about it has gone by the wayside the past couple of weeks. I'll be starting the book of John tomorrow, one of my favorites, and I think I might have a bit more to say . . .
But today I'm dozing at my desk, trying to get my work done, after a long weekend filled with the State Fair and my granddaughter's birthday party and cooking for the week and on and on. On days like this, middle age sucks.
So you can imagine how much I really wanted to get out of bed this morning. Because I have been keeping up with my quiet time. It's not so much a requirement to the start of my day as it is a blessing I'm totally missing out on if I miss a morning.
Ninety days is entirely too short to read the entire New Testament, not if you're going to get anything really out of it. So it's more like The New Testament in my own time, with some days not happening, and some days only one chapter instead of three; but with it sinking in just a bit more.
The Book of Luke presents Jesus the Man to the Greeks. Luke was a Greek physician, a Gentile, and someone who liked to put things down in order so they made sense. Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, and both of these chronicle the life of Jesus and events in the Early Church in relation to the era of history that surrounded them.
He gives a lot of facts and figures, being the rational Greek he was, and makes sure names of places and people are accurate. Luke also makes sure that Jesus and the Apostles are seen as rational, intelligent people who also accepted the miraculous in their midst and remained faithful to God. I like that. I'm an intelligent, if somewhat attention deficit person who likes patterns and habits and routine and explanations. However, I do accept that God made me in His image and that, being God, can make anything and everything happen in my life, sometimes without explanation.
I just finished up the book of Luke today. It's the same story as Matthew and Mark, just with a different twist to it. Like Robert Heinlein writing Pride and Prejudice. Same story, same characters, even the same setting possibly, but an entirely different view of things. Maybe Mr. Darcy is a Roman and Elizabeth is a Jewish girl but they both find Jesus in common.
Hmm, I may have to write this story sometime . . .
Meanwhile, I haven't given up on my quiet time. And God hasn't given up on me, not by a long shot. It's just that blogging about it has gone by the wayside the past couple of weeks. I'll be starting the book of John tomorrow, one of my favorites, and I think I might have a bit more to say . . .
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The New Testament in 90 Days - Week 2.5
July 9
Mark chapters 1-12
Yeah yeah, I know. I really REALLY wanted to keep up with this. Not that I haven't been reading - I've been getting up faithfully at 4:30am and reading my Bible before I even shower or eat breakfast.
But the heat has only slightly subsided, and my laptop decided to trick me into believing the hard drive had crashed. I hooked up the desktop, ancient workhorse that it is (it even has an ancient monitor, weighs about 25lbs) and then the network card in that crashed.
Excuses, excuses.
Mark has been less interesting to me than Matthew was. I understand that the Gospels are all telling the same stories, but so soon after reading all of Matthew, it's hard not to skim through Mark.
Mark, however, presents Jesus as a servant, and really, it's Peter's narrative that Mark wrote down. Perhaps that's why there's not so many references to Peter's big mouth, probably because he was a little embarrassed.
And it doesn't start with the Nativity story. It starts when John is prophesying and baptising, which is also around the time Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John off their boats.
It seems to me that Peter is telling his own story, trying not to be self-serving and yet accurate at the same time.
The thing I really love about Mark, though, is the presentation of Jesus as a servant. In Matthew we heard all about the Kingdom and the King. but Mark tells of a man, who despite being the God of the Universe, was also perfectly humble and willing to go to great lengths for the people who surrounded Him.
In the context of service, Mark tells us that Jesus was continually hounded by the public, by the religious leaders, even by His own disciples. And He never said no, not really. God's perfect love, living as Jesus, opened His earthly heart to encompass everyone around Him. Everyone.
The rich man who didn't want to leave his possessions to gain the kingdom. The woman with a flux who believed that even a touch of Jesus' garment would heal her. The children who flocked around Him and even sat in His lap while He spoke to the crowds. The Pharisees who were trying their best to entrap Him - yes, He loved them, but He didn't put up with their nonsense. And of course, His disciples, especially the twelve very ordinary men whom He had called.
Sometimes I feel like all of the above. I'm trying to talk myself into turning off the cable tv. "But Lord, I need a place to rest my brain!" "Come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (paraphrase)
"I need a miracle Lord, I am growing older and less able to do all the things I used to. Please, can't you just take 20 lbs away, it'll do my back and knees so much good!" Don't wait for Jesus to come to me, just get on with what needs to be done, which is to touch Him as best as I can. He'll do the rest.
"Lord, you know the worship music at church does nothing for me at all - it makes me want to do exactly the opposite sometimes! It's just not spiritual enough for me." Love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul, Dorinda. Don't wait to be led, just worship.
"God, I don't understand. You keep telling me you'll take care of all my needs, but my phone bill is out of this world, and the air-conditioning in the car doesn't work and I can't get to Ireland to be with David, nor he here with me. Why?" Because you aren't seeing the big picture, Dorinda. I AM. Worry about being with Me every minute of every day, and you and David will be together when the time is right.
That last one is the hardest, I think. As I've said before, I'm fairly well-versed (pardon the pun) in Biblical knowledge, but the actual application stymies me most days. "Lord have Mercy on me, a wretched thing whom you love unconditionally and lift up constantly."
Mark is full of Jesus being a servant, loving the people around Him, working to make their lives work, immediately as well as after the Resurrection and all the way down to me. I only hope that I can reflect that to all the people around me too, at least a little bit.
Mark chapters 1-12
Yeah yeah, I know. I really REALLY wanted to keep up with this. Not that I haven't been reading - I've been getting up faithfully at 4:30am and reading my Bible before I even shower or eat breakfast.
But the heat has only slightly subsided, and my laptop decided to trick me into believing the hard drive had crashed. I hooked up the desktop, ancient workhorse that it is (it even has an ancient monitor, weighs about 25lbs) and then the network card in that crashed.
Excuses, excuses.
Mark has been less interesting to me than Matthew was. I understand that the Gospels are all telling the same stories, but so soon after reading all of Matthew, it's hard not to skim through Mark.
Mark, however, presents Jesus as a servant, and really, it's Peter's narrative that Mark wrote down. Perhaps that's why there's not so many references to Peter's big mouth, probably because he was a little embarrassed.
And it doesn't start with the Nativity story. It starts when John is prophesying and baptising, which is also around the time Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John off their boats.
It seems to me that Peter is telling his own story, trying not to be self-serving and yet accurate at the same time.
The thing I really love about Mark, though, is the presentation of Jesus as a servant. In Matthew we heard all about the Kingdom and the King. but Mark tells of a man, who despite being the God of the Universe, was also perfectly humble and willing to go to great lengths for the people who surrounded Him.
In the context of service, Mark tells us that Jesus was continually hounded by the public, by the religious leaders, even by His own disciples. And He never said no, not really. God's perfect love, living as Jesus, opened His earthly heart to encompass everyone around Him. Everyone.
The rich man who didn't want to leave his possessions to gain the kingdom. The woman with a flux who believed that even a touch of Jesus' garment would heal her. The children who flocked around Him and even sat in His lap while He spoke to the crowds. The Pharisees who were trying their best to entrap Him - yes, He loved them, but He didn't put up with their nonsense. And of course, His disciples, especially the twelve very ordinary men whom He had called.
Sometimes I feel like all of the above. I'm trying to talk myself into turning off the cable tv. "But Lord, I need a place to rest my brain!" "Come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (paraphrase)
"I need a miracle Lord, I am growing older and less able to do all the things I used to. Please, can't you just take 20 lbs away, it'll do my back and knees so much good!" Don't wait for Jesus to come to me, just get on with what needs to be done, which is to touch Him as best as I can. He'll do the rest.
"Lord, you know the worship music at church does nothing for me at all - it makes me want to do exactly the opposite sometimes! It's just not spiritual enough for me." Love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul, Dorinda. Don't wait to be led, just worship.
"God, I don't understand. You keep telling me you'll take care of all my needs, but my phone bill is out of this world, and the air-conditioning in the car doesn't work and I can't get to Ireland to be with David, nor he here with me. Why?" Because you aren't seeing the big picture, Dorinda. I AM. Worry about being with Me every minute of every day, and you and David will be together when the time is right.
That last one is the hardest, I think. As I've said before, I'm fairly well-versed (pardon the pun) in Biblical knowledge, but the actual application stymies me most days. "Lord have Mercy on me, a wretched thing whom you love unconditionally and lift up constantly."
Mark is full of Jesus being a servant, loving the people around Him, working to make their lives work, immediately as well as after the Resurrection and all the way down to me. I only hope that I can reflect that to all the people around me too, at least a little bit.
The New Testament in 90 Days - Days 9-10-11
July 7
Matthew chapters 25-28 and Mark chapter 1
It has been very hard for me the past few days - I hurt my right shoulder and after taking two Vicodin yesterday morning, my body is still dopey - I've probably slept 25 of the last 30 hours. Besides the fact that Thursday was the 4th of July and I was throwing toddlers around in the pool and helping tired moms by occupying their kids with crafts.
The upshot of which, I had my quiet time every day, but couldn't get going to blog about what I'd read until today. I'm still falling asleep sitting up and my shoulder is better (thank God for a daughter who is a brilliant massage therapist!) but I figured I'd better get on the stick and write an update before I just got too unmotivated.
Wise and foolish maidens. To be chosen as a bridesmaid by the bridegroom was quite an honor To me it's a symbol how the groom honors the bride by accepting her friends. But 10? geez, herding 10 girls around is like herding cats! And this is no exception. Five of them are ready to go, planning carefully,waiting to be fetched for the special ceremony. Five are "jjust happy to be here!" and forget that they have a job to do. And all of them fall asleep at one point.
I'd love to say I was one of the first maids, the planner, the get-up-and-go kind of girl - I'd love to say that. The good news it, it's not too late for me - God hasn't called me home and I am doing my best to stay awake. The foolish maids look and see what's going on, even get involved in stuff at church - but their hearts run out of fuel and when the Bridegroom comes, they won't have any excuses.
"I'm frightened for our children,
That the live that we are living is in vain,
and the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain." The Moody Blues, Story in Your Eyes
That's the general consensus of the last half of chapter 25 - that no matter what we call ourselves, if our actions do not reflect our hearts, then we're cast off.It speaks to all of us who cry "Lord, Lord" but especially to me as a mom and grandma. I was far from the perfect parent, but I'm doing my best now to be the Godly woman He's made me. I hope that I reflect Jesus to all the children in my life.
A waste of money. A woman who honored Jesus as God by offering an anointment of expensive perfume was ridiculed as wasting her money. But the Pharisees were willing to pay Judas probably just about the same amount of money to betray Jesus in the garden. Tell me, which money was wasted?
Jesus is human. Jesus is God. He knew what had to be done, but he was frightened. It wsn't just the ignominious death of crucifixion, it was the fact that all our sin was placed on Him. Men have been crucified - it just ends their life. Jesus took the weight and guilt and complete evil that ws our sin onto Himself and sacrificed His lefe, burned it up, killed it off. All of us. From the beginning of time.You, me, the bum on the street, the man in the White House.
And that was His choice. He asked the Father if there was some way to forego the pain ans suffering, but knew there wasn't ans so allowed Himself to be taken and executed.. How can we not honor that?
Peter the Blowhard. "No, no, I will never forsake you, Lord!" Oh Peter, I feel for you babe. I've spent my life saying and doing the wrong things and then weeping afterwards because I know I've saddened God. But He is a God of mercy, a God of forgiveness. Like the little kitten who bites and scratches, then comes to you purring because they want a cuddle - that's Peter and me. God takes us back, after He's swatted our noses, of course, and gives us food and water and a clean box and all the love we'll accept.
"You said it, Guv." Pilate - a man stuck between a rock and a hard place (or between the natives and his wife). He is trying to make everyone happy, and in the end, he fails. Maybe not on that day, but yes, in the end.
Jesus is stripped, whipped and mocked. but that is nothing compared to what He goes through on the Cross. And the Jews still antagonize Him. Knuckleheads, pour gasoline on the flame of their black hearts.
God forsaken. That was the ultimate moment, right there, when God the Father turned His back on Jesus the Son. It was only for a moment, at least to us, but in a place where there is no passage of time, where God is eternal, alway now, always then always there ahead - that is the agony of it. But that was the necessity of it as well. How could Jesus die for my sins 2000 years ago? Because He was there then and He's here now where I am. No time limits, just an eternal love that stretches to all of us.. Wow.
Three days, no word. That, too, must have been agonizing for the disciples, the men and women who loved Jesus and believed in Him. Silly people. Like me, they quickly forgot what He had promised - "I will be back in three days." "I will meet your every need, Dorinda. I will not take care of you, as long as you believe."
And there He was.
I will blog about Mark starting tomorrow - I read him today, I'll have insight tomorrow. God does truly love me and take care of me. He is the King.
Matthew chapters 25-28 and Mark chapter 1
It has been very hard for me the past few days - I hurt my right shoulder and after taking two Vicodin yesterday morning, my body is still dopey - I've probably slept 25 of the last 30 hours. Besides the fact that Thursday was the 4th of July and I was throwing toddlers around in the pool and helping tired moms by occupying their kids with crafts.
The upshot of which, I had my quiet time every day, but couldn't get going to blog about what I'd read until today. I'm still falling asleep sitting up and my shoulder is better (thank God for a daughter who is a brilliant massage therapist!) but I figured I'd better get on the stick and write an update before I just got too unmotivated.
Wise and foolish maidens. To be chosen as a bridesmaid by the bridegroom was quite an honor To me it's a symbol how the groom honors the bride by accepting her friends. But 10? geez, herding 10 girls around is like herding cats! And this is no exception. Five of them are ready to go, planning carefully,waiting to be fetched for the special ceremony. Five are "jjust happy to be here!" and forget that they have a job to do. And all of them fall asleep at one point.
I'd love to say I was one of the first maids, the planner, the get-up-and-go kind of girl - I'd love to say that. The good news it, it's not too late for me - God hasn't called me home and I am doing my best to stay awake. The foolish maids look and see what's going on, even get involved in stuff at church - but their hearts run out of fuel and when the Bridegroom comes, they won't have any excuses.
"I'm frightened for our children,
That the live that we are living is in vain,
and the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain." The Moody Blues, Story in Your Eyes
That's the general consensus of the last half of chapter 25 - that no matter what we call ourselves, if our actions do not reflect our hearts, then we're cast off.It speaks to all of us who cry "Lord, Lord" but especially to me as a mom and grandma. I was far from the perfect parent, but I'm doing my best now to be the Godly woman He's made me. I hope that I reflect Jesus to all the children in my life.
A waste of money. A woman who honored Jesus as God by offering an anointment of expensive perfume was ridiculed as wasting her money. But the Pharisees were willing to pay Judas probably just about the same amount of money to betray Jesus in the garden. Tell me, which money was wasted?
Jesus is human. Jesus is God. He knew what had to be done, but he was frightened. It wsn't just the ignominious death of crucifixion, it was the fact that all our sin was placed on Him. Men have been crucified - it just ends their life. Jesus took the weight and guilt and complete evil that ws our sin onto Himself and sacrificed His lefe, burned it up, killed it off. All of us. From the beginning of time.You, me, the bum on the street, the man in the White House.
And that was His choice. He asked the Father if there was some way to forego the pain ans suffering, but knew there wasn't ans so allowed Himself to be taken and executed.. How can we not honor that?
Peter the Blowhard. "No, no, I will never forsake you, Lord!" Oh Peter, I feel for you babe. I've spent my life saying and doing the wrong things and then weeping afterwards because I know I've saddened God. But He is a God of mercy, a God of forgiveness. Like the little kitten who bites and scratches, then comes to you purring because they want a cuddle - that's Peter and me. God takes us back, after He's swatted our noses, of course, and gives us food and water and a clean box and all the love we'll accept.
"You said it, Guv." Pilate - a man stuck between a rock and a hard place (or between the natives and his wife). He is trying to make everyone happy, and in the end, he fails. Maybe not on that day, but yes, in the end.
Jesus is stripped, whipped and mocked. but that is nothing compared to what He goes through on the Cross. And the Jews still antagonize Him. Knuckleheads, pour gasoline on the flame of their black hearts.
God forsaken. That was the ultimate moment, right there, when God the Father turned His back on Jesus the Son. It was only for a moment, at least to us, but in a place where there is no passage of time, where God is eternal, alway now, always then always there ahead - that is the agony of it. But that was the necessity of it as well. How could Jesus die for my sins 2000 years ago? Because He was there then and He's here now where I am. No time limits, just an eternal love that stretches to all of us.. Wow.
Three days, no word. That, too, must have been agonizing for the disciples, the men and women who loved Jesus and believed in Him. Silly people. Like me, they quickly forgot what He had promised - "I will be back in three days." "I will meet your every need, Dorinda. I will not take care of you, as long as you believe."
And there He was.
I will blog about Mark starting tomorrow - I read him today, I'll have insight tomorrow. God does truly love me and take care of me. He is the King.
The New Testament in 90 Days - Day 8
July 3
Matthew chapters 22-24
I read my Bible this morning, really I did! But day four of the Massive Migraine has pretty much flattened me physically and mentally. And all the beginning-of-the-month things keep insinuating themselves into every conversation with the Lord I try to have.
The King and His stubborn, stiff-necked people. At the beginning of this blog, I stated that Matthew was writing to the Jews, presenting Christ as the King. The whole book has been about the Kingdom and the King. He has told a variation of this story many times, and the Pharisees just get angrier and angrier. Their position is being threatened, and by an itinerant peasant!
Finally, after all the baiting, they give up. Verse 46 says it all: "And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions." ESV But they didn't stop plotting.
And then Jesus gets really personal. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" He says this four times in Chapter 23! He calls them serpents and vipers, blind men, dirty dishes, decomposed bodies in a grave. A complete indictment of their religious "lifestyle:"
But Jesus is God, and God is perfect in His compassion. He doesn't leave it at "I told you so." He tells them to come back, come into His arms, be safe. He is saying that to all of us - the perpetual worriers like me, the hissy kittens who back away because they're frightened, and the completely desolate who don't believe in hope. Thank you Lord, for your mercy.
The last chapter is one of prophecy. This is what will happen before I come back. But guess what? You can't guess when, because even I don't know! Only the Father knows the date and time, so if you hear someone predicting the end of the world, you'll be happy to know that it definitely won't happen on the day they pick.
But Jesus is also telling us to be prepared. We can look Christian, act Christian, talk Christian all we want, but it's our hearts that need to be ready to do His Will at any moment. Be prepared, don't misuse the gifts God gives you, and really? Just believe.
I'm sorry again that this is short - God has blessed me with this headache for some reason, so since I already took all my aspirin, I'm going to take the rest of the day and try better to ponder.
Matthew chapters 22-24
I read my Bible this morning, really I did! But day four of the Massive Migraine has pretty much flattened me physically and mentally. And all the beginning-of-the-month things keep insinuating themselves into every conversation with the Lord I try to have.
The King and His stubborn, stiff-necked people. At the beginning of this blog, I stated that Matthew was writing to the Jews, presenting Christ as the King. The whole book has been about the Kingdom and the King. He has told a variation of this story many times, and the Pharisees just get angrier and angrier. Their position is being threatened, and by an itinerant peasant!
Finally, after all the baiting, they give up. Verse 46 says it all: "And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions." ESV But they didn't stop plotting.
And then Jesus gets really personal. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" He says this four times in Chapter 23! He calls them serpents and vipers, blind men, dirty dishes, decomposed bodies in a grave. A complete indictment of their religious "lifestyle:"
But Jesus is God, and God is perfect in His compassion. He doesn't leave it at "I told you so." He tells them to come back, come into His arms, be safe. He is saying that to all of us - the perpetual worriers like me, the hissy kittens who back away because they're frightened, and the completely desolate who don't believe in hope. Thank you Lord, for your mercy.
The last chapter is one of prophecy. This is what will happen before I come back. But guess what? You can't guess when, because even I don't know! Only the Father knows the date and time, so if you hear someone predicting the end of the world, you'll be happy to know that it definitely won't happen on the day they pick.
But Jesus is also telling us to be prepared. We can look Christian, act Christian, talk Christian all we want, but it's our hearts that need to be ready to do His Will at any moment. Be prepared, don't misuse the gifts God gives you, and really? Just believe.
I'm sorry again that this is short - God has blessed me with this headache for some reason, so since I already took all my aspirin, I'm going to take the rest of the day and try better to ponder.
The New Testament in 90 Days - Day 7
July 2
Matthew chapters 19-21
It was especially difficult for me to get up this morning, since I have been suffering from a migraine since yesterday. I don't know if it's the heat or my eyes or what exactly, but I'm miserable. Even the kitten is annoying.
But David made sure I got out of bed this morning and I made the train on time and got to work when I was supposed to. But, I didn't read today's scriptures until just now, after I finished all the work on my desk. I'd love to tell you that this gave me a particular insight, but I'm afraid today is a wall to bang my head against.
I did and will do again. Jesus is once again put to the test by the Pharisees, who are too stupid to give up. He has many things to say about marriage and divorce that I'm not going to get into here - I left my husband after several years of his neglecting the family, and he is actually the one who filed for divorce. Now I'm marrying a man who is divorced from one woman and the widower of another. Yet God still loves me, still takes care of me, still uses me. I'm not going to argue.
No good deed. . . Jesus again has to explain something that should be very simple but isn't because we always want to know if it really applies to us, or just everyone else. The upshot of which is, if you're not prepared to live a life of obedience, then that's the real loss.
The Master of the House. Here are two descriptions of a perfectly just and righteous God. Don't ignore them.
At the airport here, I work in Facilities. Which means I have, and have had, access to the contract process by which we deal with vendors. Personally, I think it's a vague, non-specific process, with too many generalizations. To me, a contract is about this is what you will do for me and this is what I'll pay for it to be done completely and done right. Simple, what? Yet human nature still says "Let's do as little as we can get away with and then ask for more money."
I don't write the contracts, but if I did, the vendors would hate me.
So it is with the Master of the house. He told us exactly what He wanted and how it was to happen, starting in Genesis and going from there. The early workers were the Jews, the Chosen People. But later there were others - Rahab in Jericho; Ruth who married Rahab's grandson; Namaan the leper, and on and on. People who chose to become a part of God's plan.
And then there's us, at the eleventh hour (which, by the way, is where the saying comes from). Guess what? God's contract never changed from the beginning. This is what we get for being a Child of God, no matter if you started early or just got here. And it's His choice to do this. Thank you Lord, for loving me like that.
Absentee Landlord. This is quite the story, and one we should keep in mind, especially when we are tasked with ministry. But it applies to every Christian, no matter how "involved" they are in the Body. And it was specifically directed at the Pharisees, who were all about tradition instead of all about God.
The servants the Master sent were, historically, the prophets of Israel. The Jews, being a "stubborn and stiff-necked people," basically ignored and then harassed the prophets when they came, so much so that God quit sending them for 400 years before John the Baptist came to proclaim Jesus.
And the Son is Jesus, who they killed.
A righteous and just God will forgive us our sins, but He will also punish the people who utterly reject Him. Lucifer, in all his light, desired to be the Master, and look where it got him. And we're not even as powerful as an angel.
Humility. Jesus knew what was coming. It's seem such a short time in Matthew, but it was actually 3-ish years between John the Baptist and the Cross. And Jesus was going willingly to do what God has promised, even to death. The rest is the Palm Sunday story, but what a story! A triumphal entry into the capital city of the Jews, the anger and authority to cleanse the temple of the shysters, the depth of His compassion as he heals two blind men along the way.
Even the small children were proclaiming Him. Can't argue with a child, they're stubborn little things.
The Pharisees one last gasp. "By whose authority do you do and speak these things?" Umm, if you haven't sorted out all the clues by now, then why should I tell you? Healing, miracles, teaching with authority - who do you think gave Jesus this? Give it up boys, you won't win, although you think you will.
The crowds believed. And it scared the religious rulers. Because if people actually did what Jesus was preaching, they'd be out of a job right quick. Little did they know that just when they think they've won, along comes the most important event in human history - the Resurrection.
And honestly at this point, I'm not sure I can wrap this up succinctly. I'm anxious to read tomorrow's passages, even though I know the story so well. This is the beauty of the Word, that is becomes new in our hearts every time we dig into it.
Matthew chapters 19-21
It was especially difficult for me to get up this morning, since I have been suffering from a migraine since yesterday. I don't know if it's the heat or my eyes or what exactly, but I'm miserable. Even the kitten is annoying.
But David made sure I got out of bed this morning and I made the train on time and got to work when I was supposed to. But, I didn't read today's scriptures until just now, after I finished all the work on my desk. I'd love to tell you that this gave me a particular insight, but I'm afraid today is a wall to bang my head against.
I did and will do again. Jesus is once again put to the test by the Pharisees, who are too stupid to give up. He has many things to say about marriage and divorce that I'm not going to get into here - I left my husband after several years of his neglecting the family, and he is actually the one who filed for divorce. Now I'm marrying a man who is divorced from one woman and the widower of another. Yet God still loves me, still takes care of me, still uses me. I'm not going to argue.
No good deed. . . Jesus again has to explain something that should be very simple but isn't because we always want to know if it really applies to us, or just everyone else. The upshot of which is, if you're not prepared to live a life of obedience, then that's the real loss.
The Master of the House. Here are two descriptions of a perfectly just and righteous God. Don't ignore them.
At the airport here, I work in Facilities. Which means I have, and have had, access to the contract process by which we deal with vendors. Personally, I think it's a vague, non-specific process, with too many generalizations. To me, a contract is about this is what you will do for me and this is what I'll pay for it to be done completely and done right. Simple, what? Yet human nature still says "Let's do as little as we can get away with and then ask for more money."
I don't write the contracts, but if I did, the vendors would hate me.
So it is with the Master of the house. He told us exactly what He wanted and how it was to happen, starting in Genesis and going from there. The early workers were the Jews, the Chosen People. But later there were others - Rahab in Jericho; Ruth who married Rahab's grandson; Namaan the leper, and on and on. People who chose to become a part of God's plan.
And then there's us, at the eleventh hour (which, by the way, is where the saying comes from). Guess what? God's contract never changed from the beginning. This is what we get for being a Child of God, no matter if you started early or just got here. And it's His choice to do this. Thank you Lord, for loving me like that.
Absentee Landlord. This is quite the story, and one we should keep in mind, especially when we are tasked with ministry. But it applies to every Christian, no matter how "involved" they are in the Body. And it was specifically directed at the Pharisees, who were all about tradition instead of all about God.
The servants the Master sent were, historically, the prophets of Israel. The Jews, being a "stubborn and stiff-necked people," basically ignored and then harassed the prophets when they came, so much so that God quit sending them for 400 years before John the Baptist came to proclaim Jesus.
And the Son is Jesus, who they killed.
A righteous and just God will forgive us our sins, but He will also punish the people who utterly reject Him. Lucifer, in all his light, desired to be the Master, and look where it got him. And we're not even as powerful as an angel.
Humility. Jesus knew what was coming. It's seem such a short time in Matthew, but it was actually 3-ish years between John the Baptist and the Cross. And Jesus was going willingly to do what God has promised, even to death. The rest is the Palm Sunday story, but what a story! A triumphal entry into the capital city of the Jews, the anger and authority to cleanse the temple of the shysters, the depth of His compassion as he heals two blind men along the way.
Even the small children were proclaiming Him. Can't argue with a child, they're stubborn little things.
The Pharisees one last gasp. "By whose authority do you do and speak these things?" Umm, if you haven't sorted out all the clues by now, then why should I tell you? Healing, miracles, teaching with authority - who do you think gave Jesus this? Give it up boys, you won't win, although you think you will.
The crowds believed. And it scared the religious rulers. Because if people actually did what Jesus was preaching, they'd be out of a job right quick. Little did they know that just when they think they've won, along comes the most important event in human history - the Resurrection.
And honestly at this point, I'm not sure I can wrap this up succinctly. I'm anxious to read tomorrow's passages, even though I know the story so well. This is the beauty of the Word, that is becomes new in our hearts every time we dig into it.
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