When I think about getting a reward it makes me pretty excited. Usually it means I've done something right and someone is pleased with me, such as when I won the school coloring contest and got a Garfield comic book. Of course it feels even better to think about getting a reward from the Father. Three times in chapter 6 this idea of a reward comes into play. Vs 4,8,18 "...and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you."
As my eyes move beyond the idea of a reward my heart is a little confused how this idea fits in with the context of three very common things to the Christian life. Giving, prayer, and fasting. Things Jesus taught us to do and rightly "expects" to be a part of our lives. All of a sudden through this passage these three areas seem to be given greater importance. There is now a right and wrong way to do each of them and there's this idea of the Father seeing and rewarding. In some ways this is discouraging to me. Not only do I have to try to give, pray, and fast, but now I have to do them in the right way. I'm pretty happy if I do them at all.
I think though, that the point here isn't to give us a checklist, or to discourage us, but a heart gauge. Each of the don't do's seem to be a call to a lack of self. We don't give, pray, or fast to be noticed. There is the acknowledgement of the fact that the Father sees us, which shows deeper that His relationship with us is what matters in each of these acts. They all require something of us. Time, energy, initiative, perhaps money. It isn't just about the fact of whether we give, pray, and fast, but that we do it within the context of a relationship with the Father.
Maybe partly how this fits into the idea of a reward is to be able to trust that God really sees when we are living our lives for Him. He doesn't miss the prayer we prayed or the fact that we sacrificed food for time with Him. He "knows all secrets". I still don't really understand what the full reward is. It's for sure more than the acknowledgement that we did something by others. That's the common reward everyone gets wether they are following Christ or not. Could be intimacy with Him, reward in heaven...(would love to hear other thoughts on this.) What I do know is God has given us the ability to follow Him in these areas and sees it as something worthy of reward. That makes it important to think about and align my life to. I know I can do none of this in my own strength, but by His Spirit's power in me it is possible to live in such a way.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Was Jesus Serious When He Told Us To Cut Off Our Hand?
Daily reading for January 6 is Matthew 5:27-48
I have chosen the opening portion of this scripture (Matthew 5: 27-30) which deals with adultery.
Commentary:
I wonder what the reaction would be if I were to read the opening lines of this passage ( Math, 5:27-30) to anyone on the street, or a group of college age students or to a media persona? I am convinced that for the most part I would be greeted with "you have got to be kidding?!" After hearing the words of Jesus, many people would see this as old fashioned, conservative thinking and for many, overly moralistic, judgmental nonsense. The college age student would be baffled and confused. The media persona would be aghast at this notion that even thinking lustful thoughts causes one to sin and would question if there were not a more enlightened way of looking at this issue and a way out of this condemnation.
Why are we so taken aback by what Jesus says in Matthew 5:27-30? It is a strong and definitive statement. Yet, our human nature causes us to look for alternative thinking. Jesus confronts us with everyday life's sinfulness. He seems to know our darkest thoughts, the very things we would like to hide from Him if he were sitting by our side.
Each day, in so many ways, we are confronted with uninhibited sexuality, immoral behavior, temptations of substance abuse, gambling etc. and all the ways we can participate with no limitations. How many times are we witnesses, in the course of a day, to everything from mere sexual innuendo in TV advertising , all the way to blatant portrayals in programming? Our culture accepts the industry of pornography allowing it to gross billions each year. The news media often contains situations where families, careers and individuals are destroyed by sexual improprieties, substance abuse, and hundreds of temptations. We are reminded through less serious news about people who have achieved fame but who appear to have absolutely no moral compass. Thus the behaviors of Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton or Snoop Dog victimize our children by a culture that has no heroes, no stand up guys or gals that exhibit a quality of character or moral fiber.
There are some who would contend that the world is no more wicked then it was in Christ's time. That would be hard to measure. Human culture is full of sin. It is important to understand that the internet has changed everything that our children were once protected from. NBC's Dateline has shined its light on something that we could never have imagined could walk into our homes. Because of internet chat rooms, a parents worst nightmare has bloomed with the development of internet sexual predators.
Liberal organizations tell us that all of this is about the freedom of speech. Yet, each time a right to spread pornography is exercised, or questionable material is placed on TV, a parents right to keep their child innocent is shattered.
With each grain of innocence lost, the grains of cynicism grow. The roots of the unholy are molded and the cultural treasury is emptied of the noble, the valiant, the ethical, the honorable, the decent, the righteous, and the truth, to the point that we are no longer sure what these terms mean anymore. For a large segment of our youthful population these concepts are not even part of their thinking.
So what does Jesus tell us? In some of our Christian churches, this passage is avoided because it is seen as too confrontational and out of step with the times. Yes, indeed it is. It is out of step with what the secular humanists prevailing thinking is in a culture that seems to desire that immorality is no longer a relevant idea. We want decency but we want people to have freedom to be indecent. The problem is that there is no balance in this. We are always tipping the scales in one direction and Jesus knows this. So He tells us in this passage to wakeup to the understanding that you cannot be tolerant of evil or accepting of what is vile and still have morality. Purity does not come out of a cesspool. His words are clear-
" if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
It is interesting to note that even now, we are still wondering if He really meant what He said? The foolishness of denial remains our enemy and Satan's friend.
Jesus is showing us that we must confront the things that lead us away from God, that we know instinctively and through scripture, God cannot condone. He does not leave us room for loopholes or excuses or "alternative thinking" that fits the times. He does not make exceptions. Most important, He says this applies to all of us, to each one, no matter what sin we live with or how many. He tells us that there is a way to come out of this cesspool of sin, that our culture wallows in day after day, and be washed clean. Christ is the doorway out of the nightmare of sinfulness. He is the doorway to life. He is the light in the darkness of a lost and sinful world.
Laurie Erdman Faithwriter
Friday, January 5, 2007
At the Feet of Jesus
Friday, January 5th - Matthew 5:1-26
What would it be like to be taught by Jesus?
On an average day, as the crowds started to grow, as a result of the increasing excitement about Jesus' travels and healings and the cult of personality, Jesus sat down on the mountainside and began to teach them. Not to jump ahead, but as I picture this, a verse from Matthew 7 keeps ringing in my head - "the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority - quite unlike their teachers of religious law."
The teachers of religious law were serious about their job and their role in society. As in any group of sinful people, some of them truly desired to know and follow the Law they studied; others were committed and dutiful while, perhaps, less than passionate; some, I'm sure, simply aspired to be noticed in society. They studied the Law, and they taught the people. They'd made an art out following the letter of the law, and challenged people to behave righteously.
But then there was Jesus, a new Rabbi. I don't know for sure if the things Jesus said in verses 3-12 were brand new to the people or if they were similar to the things their teachers had been saying for years. But something was different. Can you imagine the passion that must have poured out from Jesus, as he, the Living Word of God, spoke God's truth? As the Holy King of Kings spoke about righteousness?
I imagine it must have taken some of them by surprise, because by verse 17, Jesus works hard to make it clear that he's not throwing out the law, but that his desire is to fulfill it. But then he drops the bomb. He calls it a warning: anyone who wants to enter the Kingdom of Heaven must be more righteous than the Pharisees. Until Jesus started speaking, most of these people thought the Pharisees were about as good as anyone could get; many of the Pharisees might have, too. But Jesus challenges us to see that it's not enough for our actions to appear righteous; our hearts, our motivations, our thoughts must be pure, as well. After centuries of people passing down God's laws from generation to generation, God sits on the mountainside with them, starts from scratch, and communicates the message of his law again.
Whether you're convicted with me, because you can't count the number of times you've used the term, "idiot" to refer to someone else while driving, or because, as merciful as we've been, we know that wouldn't describe us all the time, or because all of a sudden we realize that what we thought was was a hunger for justice in the world is little more than a desire for revenge against the people that have hurt us, the message of Jesus is clear. None of us has what it takes. This righteousness is different. It's real, and maybe even scary.
As I picture myself sitting with Jesus on that mountain, I begin to despair. I'm desperate to learn how I can find Jesus' kind of righteousness, so that I may enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Thankfully, as we read on beyond this chapter, we discover that Jesus' purpose was not simply to reveal or reinforce God's law, but to fulfill it, to satisfy it. And he graciously fulfilled it on our behalf through his death and resurrection, as he who had no sin became sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As we read together, may Jesus make his words come alive for us. May the words that are new transform us, and may the familiar become fresh again, so that we find ourselves again at his feet on this mountainside, challenged, renewed, and ready to respond to his words of life.
What would it be like to be taught by Jesus?
On an average day, as the crowds started to grow, as a result of the increasing excitement about Jesus' travels and healings and the cult of personality, Jesus sat down on the mountainside and began to teach them. Not to jump ahead, but as I picture this, a verse from Matthew 7 keeps ringing in my head - "the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority - quite unlike their teachers of religious law."
The teachers of religious law were serious about their job and their role in society. As in any group of sinful people, some of them truly desired to know and follow the Law they studied; others were committed and dutiful while, perhaps, less than passionate; some, I'm sure, simply aspired to be noticed in society. They studied the Law, and they taught the people. They'd made an art out following the letter of the law, and challenged people to behave righteously.
But then there was Jesus, a new Rabbi. I don't know for sure if the things Jesus said in verses 3-12 were brand new to the people or if they were similar to the things their teachers had been saying for years. But something was different. Can you imagine the passion that must have poured out from Jesus, as he, the Living Word of God, spoke God's truth? As the Holy King of Kings spoke about righteousness?
I imagine it must have taken some of them by surprise, because by verse 17, Jesus works hard to make it clear that he's not throwing out the law, but that his desire is to fulfill it. But then he drops the bomb. He calls it a warning: anyone who wants to enter the Kingdom of Heaven must be more righteous than the Pharisees. Until Jesus started speaking, most of these people thought the Pharisees were about as good as anyone could get; many of the Pharisees might have, too. But Jesus challenges us to see that it's not enough for our actions to appear righteous; our hearts, our motivations, our thoughts must be pure, as well. After centuries of people passing down God's laws from generation to generation, God sits on the mountainside with them, starts from scratch, and communicates the message of his law again.
Whether you're convicted with me, because you can't count the number of times you've used the term, "idiot" to refer to someone else while driving, or because, as merciful as we've been, we know that wouldn't describe us all the time, or because all of a sudden we realize that what we thought was was a hunger for justice in the world is little more than a desire for revenge against the people that have hurt us, the message of Jesus is clear. None of us has what it takes. This righteousness is different. It's real, and maybe even scary.
As I picture myself sitting with Jesus on that mountain, I begin to despair. I'm desperate to learn how I can find Jesus' kind of righteousness, so that I may enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Thankfully, as we read on beyond this chapter, we discover that Jesus' purpose was not simply to reveal or reinforce God's law, but to fulfill it, to satisfy it. And he graciously fulfilled it on our behalf through his death and resurrection, as he who had no sin became sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As we read together, may Jesus make his words come alive for us. May the words that are new transform us, and may the familiar become fresh again, so that we find ourselves again at his feet on this mountainside, challenged, renewed, and ready to respond to his words of life.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
"This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."
One of my favorite seminary professors encouraged us to make a
life habit of reading different translations of the Bible. Each
year he journeyed through yet another one. My application of his
advice? I've stayed with the same translation for 28 years. Oh,
I keep seven translations on my PDA for instant access. But
change the Bible I use in my personal time with God? May it
never be! But… maybe. In light of our joint journey through the
New Testament – would this be the time to actually use a
different translation? Perplexing and disturbing question.
What shall I do? My solution -- I'm waffling, reading both.
life habit of reading different translations of the Bible. Each
year he journeyed through yet another one. My application of his
advice? I've stayed with the same translation for 28 years. Oh,
I keep seven translations on my PDA for instant access. But
change the Bible I use in my personal time with God? May it
never be! But… maybe. In light of our joint journey through the
New Testament – would this be the time to actually use a
different translation? Perplexing and disturbing question.
What shall I do? My solution -- I'm waffling, reading both.
Already, in the first week, I've been shocked. "This is my Son,
whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Rich, comfortable,
familiar, so right. But this NLT has the nerve to say that "He
brings me great joy." Objections fly up within me… that's not
what it says. To find something "pleasing" is to approve, to see
the rightness of it, to have it pass the test after examining it
well. But "joy" is about emotions and feeling. It's so shallow
in comparison to "pleasing." Should we even be thinking about
the emotions of God?
Well, I thought, I'd better check the Greek word (eudokeo) and
see. Know what I discovered in this battle between an objective
"pleasingness" and an emotional "great joy"? You've probably
guessed. It's both. One English word simply isn't enough.
So, what's the point? This translation is OK? Nope. The point
is that, yes, God is pleased with His Son; and, yes indeed, God
experiences great joy as He beholds His Son. I needed to think
about that. About the joy of a father over his son when he takes
his first breath, his first step, makes his first score; about
the delight of a father over his adult son's character and soul.
All of us fathers know something of this joy. Wrap up all our
joys, multiply them a gazillion times, and you've got maybe a
glimmer of the joy the Father had as He beheld His own Son that
day. This is Jesus.
John
Responding to Temptation
Matthew 4 covers so much territory that it's hard for me to pick an area of focus. The temptation of Jesus (vs 1-11)? The calling of the disciples (vs. 12- 22)? The beginning of Jesus' public ministry (vs. 23-25)? Perhaps because we are just now leaving the "holiday season", the issue of temptation seems at the forefront of my mind as I ponder this reading. Having been taught over the years to pay attention to connecting words, I note that Verse 1 begins with "then". At the end of Chapter 3, Jesus was baptized by John and the Spirit of God descended upon him. "Then", at the beginning of Chapter 4, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness towards temptation by the devil. The link between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the ability to withstand temptation seems implied. The temptations begin with these words: "If you are the Son of God". Does Satan doubt Jesus' sonship? My assumption is no, but that rather he is trying to get Jesus to reflect on what it really MEANS to be God's son. Satan seems to be saying that at the very least this sonship must mean that Jesus both deserves and has the power to have His needs met. If I am not mistaken, the same taunt of "If You are the Son of God" will be hurled at Jesus again later in Matthew as he hangs on the cross. The message in those words seems to be this: "do for yourself what God is refusing to do on your behalf". When the scripture foretold a Savior that would be "familiar with our griefs", clearly it meant that Jesus would choose obedience in the face of temptation and escape. It seems that in all of Satan's temptations, the aim was to get Jesus to use the power and authority that he had temporarily given up when he came to earth to live as a man. Satan wanted to trap Him into to using His power in a way that would make Him stray from His God-ordained mission on earth. The first temptation was to meet a physical need - hunger. Not many of us know hunger in our land of plenty, but we certainly have physical needs. However, the temptations we face in this area more often are over desires than needs. Many believers struggle with food issues, drugs, alcohol or pornography, and the enemy tempted Jesus in much the same way that some experience this today. The second temptation of Jesus resembles one where we might be led to measure God's love for us with a test. "Do you love me, Lord? Then....heal my cancer......help me to get pregnant......let me land that promotion......bring home my prodigal child, etc." The list could go on and on. As we believers look for those tangible measures of God's love, apparently we must take care not to pose it as a test. After all, we must look no further than the Cross to measure His great love for us. Finally, Satan offers Jesus the "kingdoms of the world and their glory" in exchange for His devotion. I suppose for us the equivalent temptation would be a quest for money, status, reputation or power. The irony in Satan's offer was that he only showed Jesus the GLORY of the kingdoms and not the SIN. As we are tempted to "get ahead" in this world, striving to live an externally successful and significant life, we can overlook the sin attached to those lifestyles, as well. Too often, people seem not to realize that the exchange of their allegiance from God to the ways of the world can be the price of "success". Jesus modeled for us the appropriate way to withstand the attacks of the enemy by reciting scripture. Our response begins with the phrase (or thought) "It is written". Unless we have the Word of God written on our hearts, how can we respond to the temptations Satan throws at us? And unless we read and meditate on God's Word, how can it be written on our hearts? I must confess that I seldom make New Year's Resolutions and that I am prone to procrastination, forgetfulness and occasional laziness . In other words, I'm pretty normal. That is why I am so glad to have personally committed to read through God's Word with my church family, and am looking forward to this BIG accountability group helping me to dive in to scripture in a fresh way in 2007. May our hearts and minds be filled to overflowing with new knowledge and better understanding of God's Word so that the messages of the enemy will not tempt us, and we will become Master-full in our handling of the "Sword of the Spirit, the word of truth". Karen | |||
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Wednesday, January 3rd - Matthew 3:1-17
We need to consider those words in verse 8 “prove” & “give evidence”. That’s the key! I wonder if most of us would feel really “comfortable” having John the Baptist show up to preach some Sunday morning? He surely did “put it to them”, didn’t he? Yet, even if it would be “hard to take” – perhaps we really need to hear his message if it truly is from God. Verse 9 “that means nothing” (might that be said of too much of what I do and don’t do?) I like to visualize the scenes as I read: I can “see” Jesus there, talking with John the Baptist. You know, my goal should also be to “bring God great joy”. But do I - really?
Donald E. Pardun
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
The Leading Priests and Teachers of the Law
January 2nd - Matthew 2:1-23
Matthew 2:1-6 I wonder about those men. They had grown up knowing God’s word, knowing about the Lord’s covenant with King David. From early childhood, they studied Torah. The Law, the Prophets, the Writings. Now, without warning, they are summoned to the palace of the paranoid king. Perhaps, ignoring the pagan trappings, they entered the very throne room for the interrogation. Herod asked them where Messiah was to be born.
Hey, that’s an easy one. Seven hundred years ago the prophet Micah told our ancestors. Our shepherd-king is to come from Bethlehem. He’ll be of the line of King David.
Then, they were dismissed.
I wonder. Where did they go? Did they hurry back to the temple? After all, the chief priests needed to get back to their daily chores of leading worship.
I hope some of them took time to make the five-mile trek to Bethlehem, “House of Bread.” Don’t you think that the special star that shone for the Wise Men would have guided these worshippers as well? And as they approached the house where the child was, would not the Father of lights have prepared them to worship in spirit and in truth?
I wonder. Do I sometimes go too quickly to my daily chores? Does the Father have a trek for me to make? Shine, my King. Sun of Righteousness, arise. Let me enter your throne room. Feed me from your bread. Lead me to your heart.
Deetje Wildes
Matthew 2:1-6 I wonder about those men. They had grown up knowing God’s word, knowing about the Lord’s covenant with King David. From early childhood, they studied Torah. The Law, the Prophets, the Writings. Now, without warning, they are summoned to the palace of the paranoid king. Perhaps, ignoring the pagan trappings, they entered the very throne room for the interrogation. Herod asked them where Messiah was to be born.
Hey, that’s an easy one. Seven hundred years ago the prophet Micah told our ancestors. Our shepherd-king is to come from Bethlehem. He’ll be of the line of King David.
Then, they were dismissed.
I wonder. Where did they go? Did they hurry back to the temple? After all, the chief priests needed to get back to their daily chores of leading worship.
I hope some of them took time to make the five-mile trek to Bethlehem, “House of Bread.” Don’t you think that the special star that shone for the Wise Men would have guided these worshippers as well? And as they approached the house where the child was, would not the Father of lights have prepared them to worship in spirit and in truth?
I wonder. Do I sometimes go too quickly to my daily chores? Does the Father have a trek for me to make? Shine, my King. Sun of Righteousness, arise. Let me enter your throne room. Feed me from your bread. Lead me to your heart.
Deetje Wildes
Monday, January 1, 2007
Questionable Characters
January 1, Matthew 1:1-25
Here the line is traced from Abraham to Jesus. Let me not pass over this list unexpectantly. "Great, a genealogy!" comes to mind first, but I must not dismiss any of your Word, God, and no word about you, Jesus.
There are several curiosities and even wonders as I look over this list. On the one hand it is too neat. 14 generations to here, 14 generations to the next, 14 generations on down to Jesus. My life does not roll out with such orderly convenience. The experts say this can be typical genealogical (is that a word?) license -- that there are intentional omissions & whole gaps of multiple generations, in order to perfectly present Jesus coming from Abraham to David to the exile to US (Immanuel!).
And yet, right alongside this tidied order and design is another kind of 'oddity' that grabs my attention. The presence of WOMEN in a Jewish stoutly patriarchal system! AND, of further wonder is WHICH women the 'gospel' lists in this family tree! There is (v.3) Tamar (Gen 38), a kind of anti-type of a Rebekah (she would have been my choice to paint into the family tree! -- her future father-in-law Abraham had sent his servant to go get a wife for Isaac his son 'from among my people'). But Tamar is of pagan neighborhood rabble. She is an outsider. Her story is one of perpetual disappointment, of grief and broken promises, and unmentionable shame. Then there is (v.5) Rahab (Jos. 2) who certainly has her own sordid history. Ruth also (v.5) reminds us that the lineage of both David and Jesus was far from pure in the human line. Bathsheba (v.6) reminds us the same. And then, we come all the way down to Joseph, and to Mary -- yet another character of 'reputation' -- a teenage bride promised to one, found pregnant by another.
Jesus, your family tree is a reminder to me of how surprising, even shocking, and certainly GREAT is your work of grace!
Who gets in, and who is left out?!!
Whose name surprisingly appears, and whose is glaringly omitted?
God, let my name be on the list! My family, my children -- do not skip a generation! Make margin and expectation in my life for further 'entries' to this family tree -- names and histories that I do not see coming. Shock and surprise again, Lord Jesus with your way of drawing into 'family' those apt to be covered over or swept aside.
And Jesus, help me to love your word. Help me in this new year again to crave time with you, to be made new and strong in the life of You. Give me something to live on & something to pass on to some friend or stranger today. They may be family...
Blessed New Year to all!
PPaul
Here the line is traced from Abraham to Jesus. Let me not pass over this list unexpectantly. "Great, a genealogy!" comes to mind first, but I must not dismiss any of your Word, God, and no word about you, Jesus.
There are several curiosities and even wonders as I look over this list. On the one hand it is too neat. 14 generations to here, 14 generations to the next, 14 generations on down to Jesus. My life does not roll out with such orderly convenience. The experts say this can be typical genealogical (is that a word?) license -- that there are intentional omissions & whole gaps of multiple generations, in order to perfectly present Jesus coming from Abraham to David to the exile to US (Immanuel!).
And yet, right alongside this tidied order and design is another kind of 'oddity' that grabs my attention. The presence of WOMEN in a Jewish stoutly patriarchal system! AND, of further wonder is WHICH women the 'gospel' lists in this family tree! There is (v.3) Tamar (Gen 38), a kind of anti-type of a Rebekah (she would have been my choice to paint into the family tree! -- her future father-in-law Abraham had sent his servant to go get a wife for Isaac his son 'from among my people'). But Tamar is of pagan neighborhood rabble. She is an outsider. Her story is one of perpetual disappointment, of grief and broken promises, and unmentionable shame. Then there is (v.5) Rahab (Jos. 2) who certainly has her own sordid history. Ruth also (v.5) reminds us that the lineage of both David and Jesus was far from pure in the human line. Bathsheba (v.6) reminds us the same. And then, we come all the way down to Joseph, and to Mary -- yet another character of 'reputation' -- a teenage bride promised to one, found pregnant by another.
Jesus, your family tree is a reminder to me of how surprising, even shocking, and certainly GREAT is your work of grace!
Who gets in, and who is left out?!!
Whose name surprisingly appears, and whose is glaringly omitted?
God, let my name be on the list! My family, my children -- do not skip a generation! Make margin and expectation in my life for further 'entries' to this family tree -- names and histories that I do not see coming. Shock and surprise again, Lord Jesus with your way of drawing into 'family' those apt to be covered over or swept aside.
And Jesus, help me to love your word. Help me in this new year again to crave time with you, to be made new and strong in the life of You. Give me something to live on & something to pass on to some friend or stranger today. They may be family...
Blessed New Year to all!
PPaul
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