Are We Skipping Over the Incredible Verses which Surround John 3:16??? 2Timothy 3:10-17

2 Timothy 3:10-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

¹⁰Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, ^[a]perseverance, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! ¹²Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ¹³But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is ^[b]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[c]training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Transformation Through the Word

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

¹⁶All Scripture is ^[a]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[b]training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The study of God’s Word is the secret discipline for spiritual formation.

Other books may be useful for information, but the Bible was given for transformation.

Timothy had the privilege of reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word from infancy. He learned firsthand how the much Scriptures transform us.

Paul explains that God’s Word is profitable “for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

It is a guide that helps us fine-tune every part of our being.

Teaching focuses our mind and shapes our thinking.

Rebuking pricks our conscience so that we don’t travel the wrong direction.

Correction molds our will so that we see the wisdom of God’s plans.

Training in righteousness shows us how to act more like Christ.

In this way the Word of God initiates a four-step process of transformation.

Put simply, teaching tells us what is right, rebuking tells us what is not right, correction tells us how to get right, and training shows us how to stay right.

The Holy Scriptures are the breath of God.

If you want to be productive, useful, and fertile as a Christian, get into the Word of God. Reading the Bible for its teaching, studying Scripture systematically, meditating on God’s Word devotionally, and memorizing it faithfully—each of these are invaluable transforming activities that you will truly not want to miss.

For Example: Those Verses Surrounding John 3:16

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

¹⁶“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] ^[a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.

One of the most well-known Bible verses is John 3:16.

This is such a powerful message, but it is always important to look at the context. If we just focus on John 3:16, then we miss out on the whole picture. Have you ever wondered what was said right before and after John 3:16? Today, we are going to learn about the incredible verses which surround John 3:16.

John 3:1-21 is often titled, “Born Again.”

The famous verse comes smack dab in the middle of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a dedicated Jewish Pharisee who would have known the law and the Old Testament accounts.

Nicodemus was looking for the Messiah, but missed the fact that Jesus was ultimately who he was searching.

In this secret meeting, Jesus revealed the truth:

John 3:13 Amplified Bible

¹³No one has gone up into heaven, but there is One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man [Himself—whose home is in heaven].

Jesus says here that He is God.

This is a huge deal.

Sometimes people will argue that Jesus never claimed to be God.

But, this verse is one example He, the Son of Man, came down from heaven.

This is also significant because He uses the phrase “no one has ascended.”

At that point in history, not a single person had gone up to heaven.

There was no forgiveness for sins by the Messiah.

No person could get back to God without the help of God Himself.

We could no longer approach Him after the garden; we were exiles.

However, Jesus came to us.

Here we read of Jesus revealing His deity and salvation plan without Nicodemus even minimally catching on to the huge significance of what he had just heard.

John 3:14-15 Amplified Bible

¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], ¹⁵so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever].

Here, Jesus points Nicodemus toward Old Testament Prophesy.

Jesus knew His audience. Nicodemus was a scholarly Jew.

He would have known the story of Moses backwards and forwards.

Jesus refers to Numbers 21 when the Israelites were bitten by venomous snakes in the wilderness.

The only solution was to look at the snake on the cross.

Everyone who did not look at the cross died. Everyone who gazed upon the bronze snake on the cross lived. This is such a powerful representation of the living gospel. Jesus became sin for us so we could have His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 Amplified Bible

²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. ²¹He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].

Jesus was perfect, but He took on our sins so we could be freed and forgiven.

When we ponder the parallels of the garden here – the snake, the bite, and death – we cannot help but be amazed at the fulfillment of His covenant.

Jesus was revealing Himself as the Savior in how He was about to fulfill the prophecy of the past and provide the way to eternal life in the future.

During this current moment, He was on this earth well before His death and resurrection. He was in the middle of His time on earth. Nicodemus was given the true answers to His greatest questions, but he had a response to decide.

Jesus Gives Nicodemus the Promise of Eternal Life

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

After this, John 3:16 says,

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus shares that God loved the entire world in the way that this snake on the cross was provided for the Jewish people.

God gave His only Son for everyone who believes in Him.

There is a promise of eternal life.

Just like the people with the snake bites were all doomed for death, we are all doomed for hell and eternity away from God.

However, Jesus became the “snake” for us and everyone who looks to Him (Jew or Gentile) will have eternal life with Him and be spared eternal death.

This is a huge deal.

We need to realize the weight of what Jesus is saying.

We need to be busy pointing others towards the cross of Christ in hopes that they too will look and be rescued from the coming death.

Just like a venomous snake bite means death unless we receive the antidote, we are hopeless.

Science Nordic reveals that it takes on average between 20 minutes and 72 hours to die from a venomous snake bite.

This means that when we ponder the time of the Israelites in the wilderness, death was occurring all around them at different rates.

Just like here on earth, we are all destined to die, but Jesus steps in and provides the way to eternal life.

We all have the “bite” of sin, but we do not all have to die and go to hell.

Jesus provides a way for all who look to Him to go to heaven and be restored.

This is the hope of the gospel.

Jesus Has Already Given Us the Victory

John 3:17-18Amplified Bible

¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because ^[a]he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].

Here we read of God’s heart. He did this not to send judgment, but to send salvation. We read of another visit from Jesus in the second coming, which will be a time of judgement, but this visit to earth was for hope and forgiveness.

Jesus makes it clear that anyone, meaning any person who believes in Him, is not condemned.

I love how this is present tense.

There is a peace that every believer can have right now that Jesus has already given them the victory. There is no reason to wait to celebrate.

Instead, we invite others.

Jesus here describes Himself as the one and only Son of God. In other words, He is the only God. He is the only Way to heaven (John 14:6).

⁶Jesus said to him, “^[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Jesus Shares the Ultimate Truth

John 3:19-21 Amplified Bible

¹⁹This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the ^[a]darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. ²¹But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].”

Jesus does not hide this truth.

He shares that darkness is real and the light (Himself) has come into the world.

People chose sin, but He is the truth that sets them free.

His life and sacrifice would be done so that people would know that He Himself truly was who He claimed.

Jesus was and is and always will be God.

These verses surrounding John 3:16 are powerful.

As we reflect on the beauty of Jesus claiming to be God, acknowledging the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, the salvation plan is revealed.

The gospel is, no exceptions for everyone, and Jesus is the Light of this world.

Glory to Jesus our Savior and thank you Lord for Your Holy and Perfect Bible.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 119:1-16 The Message

119 ^1-8You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
    doing your best to find him.
That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
    keeping to the course you set;
Then I’d never have any regrets
    in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
    I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I’m going to do what you tell me to do;
    don’t ever walk off and leave me.

* * *

^9-16How can a young person live a clean life?
    By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I’m single-minded in pursuit of you;
    don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart
    so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
    train me in your ways of wise living.
I’ll transfer to my lips
    all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
    than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
    I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
I relish everything you’ve told me of life,
    I won’t forget a word of it.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Dearest Church, About Your Casting All Your Cares aside; Instead, seeking first His kingdom and Considering How We Grow and Mature in Christ. 1 Peter 5:1-7

1 Peter 5:1-7 The Message

He’ll Promote You at the Right Time

5 ^1-3I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

^4-5When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—

God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.

^6-7So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

A Word to the Church: Seeking His Kingdom First?

1 Peter 5:1-7 Amplified Bible

Serve God Willingly

5 Therefore, I strongly urge the elders among you [pastors, spiritual leaders of the church], as a fellow elder and as an eyewitness [called to testify] of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory that is to be revealed: ²shepherd and guide and protect the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not [motivated] for shameful gain, but with wholehearted enthusiasm; ³not lording it over those assigned to your care [do not be arrogant or overbearing], but be examples [of Christian living] to the flock [set a pattern of integrity for your congregation]. ⁴And when the Chief Shepherd (Christ) appears, you will receive the [conqueror’s] unfading crown of glory. ⁵Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble.

⁶Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, ⁷casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

Anxiety can creep up at times when we least expect it and quickly overwhelm us.

Or it can take up unwelcome and apparently permanent residence in our lives.

Few people do not experience it; few Churches will not have to contend with it.

All those inevitable cares and concerns will take on different faces, manifest themselves very deeply throughout the life of the church and may be propelled by different circumstances, but overall, the issue itself is remarkably common.

When we face anxiety, we often try to ignore it by distracting our minds:

“Let me listen to some different liturgy, or to worship music. Let me go for a drive, look for a church that meets my vision of the correct Kingdom of God. Let me run one mile or a marathon. Let me do something… just let me run away!”

Notice, though, that in verses 6 and 7, Peter does not say we are to deny, ignore, or flee from anxiety. Instead, we should be “casting all [our] anxieties on him.”

The Greek word for “cast” here is a decisive, energetic action word.

It could be used to describe vigorously throwing out a heaping bag of trash.

We don’t put painstaking effort into moving it; we simply grab it and hurl it with great force into the bin. Likewise, instead of going through our days pressed down by the burden of anxiety, we throw it, we hurl it, upon the Lord.

To do this requires us to give up our pride—our desire to control and triumph over circumstances – seek Ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Being humble is what enables us to give our worries to God: humility’s presence leads to anxiety’s absence.

When, with our own perverted righteousness, we attempt to take matters into our own hands through too much worry, we indicate an absence of humility.

We are significantly more concerned with ourselves than with our heavenly Father, or more determined to navigate our own course than to leave it to Him.

There will always be a circumstance that can make we the Church very anxious.

Peter doesn’t address any specific circumstances, though; rather, he addresses the anxiety produced by the circumstances which are specific to his own time.

Considering How We Grow and Mature in Christ?

Luke 12:13-34 English Standard Version

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²²And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[a] ²⁶If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[b] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. ³⁰For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹Instead, seek his^[c] kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

³²“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

We the Church of today, have to navigate with God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirits guidance and direction – the complexities of our stuff.

The vast complexities of our anxieties being gender issues, sexual orientation, racism, clergy sex abuse and the Boy Scouts sex abuse against our children, the shrinking and closure of our churches, and left – right theological extremism, the right to life, the freedom of choice, abortion, false teachers, and much more.

Our mountains and oceans of anxiety itself is what we ought to be casting upon the Lord, doing exactly what the Bible says to do: repenting, bowing, kneeling, humbling ourselves under God’s hand, saying, “My Father knows best. He cares for me better than I can care for myself.” When worries weigh us down, we can refuse to be burdened by them by calling to mind the Lord’s willingness to help.

Churches, their leaders and their congregations are very definitely struggling through today, seriously wondering how they’re going to make it to tomorrow.

Perhaps it’s been a long time since they knelt beside their altars and truly cast their burdens upon the only One who is able to carry it, saying, “God, I cannot, my Church cannot live its life with this burden on our back. Take it. It’s all Yours.”

If that’s you, if that’s your Church, for Kingdom’s sake don’t hesitate any more.

Pray, seek God’s Will, Kingdom first, Cast your anxieties into the loving arms of your heavenly Father and to experience the freedom, peace only He can provide.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 91 tHE MESSAGE

91 ^1-13You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
    not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
    not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
    drop like flies right and left,
    no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
    watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
    the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
    harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
    to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
    their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
    and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

^14-16“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
    give you a long drink of salvation!”

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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What Do You Want Me to do For You? “I Need to be Seen, I Want to be Seen, I Want to be Heard, Need to be Seen!” Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

⁴⁶Then they *came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “^[a]Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” ⁵²And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has ^[b]made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What Do You Want Me to do For You?

Bartimaeus was in the dark, a blind man who had to beg—until the day Jesus came by on his way to be crucified in Jerusalem (Mark 10:32-34).

³²They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, ³³ saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be ^[a] delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will ^[b]hand Him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

Shouting above the crowd, Bartimaeus calls to the Savior,

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

People tell him to be quiet, but he shouts all the louder,

“Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Graciously Jesus responds: “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus had just asked James and John the same question (Mark 10:35-39).

^35 [a]James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” ³⁶And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” ³⁷They said to Him, “^[b]Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” ³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.

They had said they wanted places of honor in heaven with Jesus.

And he had replied, “You don’t know what you are asking.”

But Bartimaeus only pleads,

“Rabbi, I want to see.”

And Jesus does not disappoint.

Bartimaeus knew what he needed; Jesus’ followers were the ones in the dark.

They wouldn’t see the light of Jesus until later.

This incident has raised a question ever since: Who is truly blind, anyway?

And after Jesus restores Bartimaeus’s sight and sends him away, the man sees what he must do next.

Bartimaeus is a model disciple. No longer blind, he unhesitatingly follows Jesus.

Jesus’s question echoes through history: “What do you want me to do for you?”

As we consider his words, can we say, “Rabbi, we want to follow your way”?

“Take Courage, Stand Up! He is Calling For You!”

Mark 10:46-49 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

All around the blind man, the Passover was approaching, and the crowd was building.

There was a great sense of anticipation.

For most in the crowd, there was no time for stopping—certainly not for the ever-present beggars that lay around at the city gates.

They were always there, known well to the people on the outskirts of Jericho.

Many of the crowd likely would have seen this blind man, Bartimaeus, so often that they didn’t even notice him anymore.

The crowd was so consumed with Jesus that Bartimaeus was probably regarded as a dreadful inconvenience.

Their reaction to his cries for mercy—to rebuke him and attempt to silence him—suggests that they thought this marginalized member of society clearly could make no useful contribution to what Jesus was doing – so give him no chance.

In seeking to quieten him, seeking to push him aside, out of the way, however, they became a barrier to the mission of Jesus—to the very one they claimed to be following and the very cause they claimed to be so very zealously pursuing.

This long bullied, ignored marginalized particular blind man didn’t have merely a minor interest in Jesus, though, so he continued his crying out louder to Him.

Mark’s narrative demonstrates Christ’s perfect compassion with a simple phrase: “Jesus stopped”—two words of grace.

Can you imagine the crowd’s reaction when Jesus said to the people who had been rebuking the man, “Call him”?

That surely brought a measure of deserved embarrassment!

Perhaps there are people in your life for whom you struggle to pray.

Maybe there are some you just want to rebuke or ignore.

Maybe you just don’t want to deal with the inconvenience.

It can seem like such a nuisance to invite somebody to church, sit with them, eat with them, and be involved in their lives.

It is messy, and it demands time and effort.

We’d rather such people heard the gospel from someone else.

It is so easy to slip into this way of thinking without really noticing; but when we do, we become just like the crowd: a barrier to people meeting their Savior.

Jesus says to us, Don’t rebuke them. Call them. This is precisely why I came.

May God forgive us when we, the contemporary church like the excited crowd, are full of high indignation at the interference to our plans and inconvenience to our traditional preferences caused by those who are crying out for His mercy.

Christ alone does the work of opening blind eyes, but He has entrusted us with the missional responsibility and privilege of ministry of our proclaiming these words: “Take heart he is calling you!” Take Heart he has heard you, seen you!”

Dear Church, be on notice, take heart Jesus is calling you, Jesus has heard you, Jesus has most definitely seen you – take that all in for what it is worth to you!

“What Do You Want Me to do For You?”

Good, bad or indifferent, logical or illogical, rational or irrational, right, wrong,

Considering the state of being we believe it is in,

What could be the churches response

What should the churches response be?

What will be the churches “politically correct” response?

Just my thought … “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom?”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Son of David, like Bartimaeus we cry, “Have mercy on us!” Give us eyes to see your way, ears to hear your Word so that we can live as your disciples. In your holy name, Amen.

Psalm 42 New American Standard Bible 1995

BOOK 2

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

For the choir director. A ^[a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

42 As the deer ^[b]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul ^[c]pants for You, O God.
²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and ^[d]appear before God?
³My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
⁴These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go along with the throng and ^[e]lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

⁵Why are you ^[f]in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
^[g]Hope in God, for I shall ^[h]again praise ^[i]Him
For the ^[j]help of His presence.
⁶O my God, my soul is ^[k]in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the ^[l]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
⁷Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
⁸The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning ^[m]because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
¹¹Why are you ^[n]in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
^[o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[p]help of my countenance and my God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Serving Ourselves, Serving Culture, or Serving God; Our Choice No Matter What Else May Happens. 2 Timothy 3

2 Timothy 3:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

“Difficult Times Will Come”

3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ²For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, ^[a]haters of good, ⁴treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵holding to a form of ^[b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. ⁶For among them are those who ^[c]enter into households and captivate ^[d]weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, ⁷always learning and never able to come to the ^[e]knowledge of the truth. ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.

¹⁰Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, ^[g]perseverance, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! ¹²Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ¹³But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is ^[h]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[i] training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What do we believe is the meaning of 2Timothy 3:1-5?

2 Timothy 3:1-5Amplified Bible

“Difficult Times Will Come”

3 But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. ²For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, ³[and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, ⁴traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.

What is the meaning of 2 Timothy 3:1-5? I don’t know about you, but I have too often heard people recite these verses as evidence that we are living in the End Times. If you look at this following list, you would be hard-pressed to disagree.

Let’s go through the list quickly:

Difficult times – certainly many would say our 2024 times are difficult
Lovers of self – people sure do look out for number one over everything else
Lovers of money – we are a money loving world
Boastful, arrogant, revilers – all true of people today
Disobedient to parents – scarily true, thanks to Dr. Spock for this one
Ungrateful, unholy, unloving – yes, yes and yes
Irreconcilable, malicious gossips – Unforgiving? Check. Gossips? Check.
Without self-control – absolutely
Brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited – all true
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – It’s all about what makes people feel good and God has been removed from all areas of life
Holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power – Everyone thinks they’re good people and going to heaven, though they want nothing to do with the God who is in Heaven.

There we have it. These verses are evidence that we are living in the End Times.

There’s only one problem.

These verses are not speaking about society in general. They are speaking about a very specific group of people.

The People Mentioned in 2 Timothy 3

Here’s the reality: people have always been like this. Go through the list again and think of a time that those types of people did not exist.

We see them today, for sure, but they were around 100 years ago as well.

They were there in the time of Jesus; just look at the Pharisees.

They were there in the times of the Jewish Kings and the Jewish Judges.

They were there when Joseph was thrown into the pit and then sold into slavery.

They were there when Noah was building the Ark.

So if these people have always been around, then why would God give us this passage from Timothy ?

It’s like saying, “The End Times will come about when people are walking and talking.”

The whole entire world itself cannot be the subject of these verses.

Although it is sufficient to acknowledge there is no shortage of these people living amongst us as our neighbors, governing authorities, business leaders. and a whole host of other common places including of our own workplaces.

But, the “whole world,” It makes no sense.

We just cannot rationally lump everybody into these categories Paul mentions.

He must have something else in mind.

God gives us these verses to look at ourselves, The Church.

Christians are the subject God has in focus in these verses.

The Church in History

Throughout her history, the Church has been known as sanctified.

In other words, she was separated out from the world.

She did not look like the world, sound like the world, or act like the world.

This was why people were drawn to her in the first place.

She was different from anything else in the world.

Here is one view of what Christians looked like, from a Greek convert named Aristides:

“They love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who will hurt them. If they have something, they give freely to the man who has nothing; if they see a stranger, they take him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don’t consider themselves brothers and sisters in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit, in God.”

Chuck Colson, in his book, The Faith writes:

“The Christians’ God expected that His followers would acknowledge His love by sacrificing themselves for others. They were to extend God’s love not merely to their families and friends but to their enemies as well. “Love one another” became their standard… (Regarding those who had fallen ill due to the plague) The care Christians showed often did result in their succumbing to the plague themselves. But paradoxically, their compassion did not deplete Christian ranks in the long term – quite the reverse. Tending to the sick increased the disease survival rate by as much as two-thirds and this witness attracted many new converts. By acting on the teachings of Christ, without regard to their own welfare, these Christians, against all expectations, progressed from being a small sect to the dominant cultural group.“

This is what the church looked like – loving selflessly, persecuted unto death, giving sacrificially.

Testing Ourselves and Testing the Church

2 Timothy 3:10-17 Amplified Bible

¹⁰Now you have diligently followed [my example, that is] my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings—such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, but the Lord rescued me from them all! ¹²Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith]. ¹³But evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, ¹⁵and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; ¹⁷so that the ^[a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We go back to the passage in 2 Timothy 3 and review these aspects again.

However, this time with an eye to the Church today rather than the world as the subject of Paul’s writing:

Difficult times – Christians are the most persecuted people group in the world, even now in America
Lovers of self – Unfortunately, most Christians now look like the world, putting themselves and their families before others
Lovers of money – As Christians look more like the world, they also act like the world. Ask them to put all the money that is in their wallet into the offering. Good luck with that.
Boastful, arrogant, revilers – just check out the social media of many Christians
Disobedient to parents – scarily most Christians raise their children using the wisdom of the world rather than the wisdom of the Bible, resulting in Christians who always spare the rod
Ungrateful, unholy, unloving – Can you be a Christian and be ungrateful, unholy and unloving? Look at the members of your nearest megachurch and it will be easy to find them.
Irreconcilable, malicious gossips – I’ve met many Christians who are unforgiving and gossips
Without self-control – Ask a Christian to fast for a day. How about pray for an hour? Or study the Bible for an hour? Too hard, can’t do it. Zero discipline.
Brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited – Christians hate those who disagree with them. They can be brutal in their thought, words and deeds. Most Christians hate the idea of Discipline, Humility, Meekness and Sacrifice – all good things. Many are thoughtless. Most are proud.
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – How many Christians would rather go to a 3-hour church service or prayer meeting than to a movie or ball game?
Holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power – Most Christians more resemble the Pharisees of Jesus’ time than they resemble Jesus. Jesus called them white washed tombs.

Matthew 23:25-28 Amplified Bible

²⁵“Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and robbery and self-indulgence (unrestrained greed). ²⁶You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine and change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.

²⁷“Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. ²⁸So you, also, outwardly seem to be just and upright to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

What is to be our Response

Are we in the End Times?

Does the Church, our home church, look like 2 Timothy 3, Matthew 23:25-28?

Maybe, maybe not.

The more important question is what are we to BIBLICALLY do about this?

2 Timothy 3:14-17 Amplified Bible

¹⁴But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, ¹⁵and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; ¹⁷so that the ^[a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we think or believe that the Church today indelibly proves we are living in the End Times, how then will you and I and the Church conduct ourselves today?

Will you reach out to a lost person to share the gospel before it’s too late?

Will you or I or we the church repent and confess and decide to become obedient to the word of God in all ways, not only just those things that you can do easily?

Here’s the truth: whether we are in the End Times or not, Jesus has given us a playbook to live by.

Matthew 9:35-38 Amplified Bible

³⁵Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages [in Galilee], teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness [His words and His works reflecting His Messiahship].

³⁶When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

He expects that we will follow it regardless of how soon His coming might be.

The reason He did not give us a Time and Date of His coming is so that every day, we might live as if it was the last day.

Acts 2:43-47 Amplified Bible

⁴³A sense of awe was felt by ^[a]everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] ^[b]were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. ⁴⁵And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need. ⁴⁶Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

If every Christian did these things, the Church would look completely different.

It would look more like the early church that we read about earlier.

We may not be able to change the Church in a day, but we can change ourselves.

Let’s live like Biblical Christians (Acts 2), even as we watch, wait for His return.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 84 The Message

84 ^1-2What a beautiful home, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
I’ve always longed to live in a place like this,
Always dreamed of a room in your house,
where I could sing for joy to God-alive!

^3-4Birds find nooks and crannies in your house,
    sparrows and swallows make nests there.
They lay their eggs and raise their young,
    singing their songs in the place where we worship.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God!
    How blessed they are to live and sing there!

^5-7And how blessed all those in whom you live,
    whose lives become roads you travel;
They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks,
    discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!
God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and
    at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!

^8-9God-of-the-Angel-Armies, listen:
O God of Jacob, open your ears—I’m praying!
Look at our shields, glistening in the sun,
our faces, shining with your gracious anointing.

^10-12One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship,
    beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.
I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God
    than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.
All sunshine and sovereign is God,
    generous in gifts and glory.
He doesn’t scrimp with his traveling companions.
    It’s smooth sailing all the way with God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Is There Someone Interested in the Kingdom of God Who is Still Being Intrigued by the Teacher from God? John 3:1-12

John 3:1-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

The New Birth

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; ²this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these ^[a]signs that You do unless God is with him.” ³Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born ^[b]again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born ^[c]again.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? ¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. ¹²If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

The Word of God for the Kingdom of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Are We Just as Intrigued by The Teacher From God?

John 3:1-3 Amplified Bible

The New Birth

3 Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (member of the Sanhedrin) among the Jews, ²who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), we know [without any doubt] that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs [these wonders, these attesting miracles] that You do unless God is with him.” ³Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus was intrigued by all that Jesus was doing.

So he went to talk with Jesus.

“We know that you are a teacher who has come from God,” he politely began.

And Jesus seemed to agree, for he went on to teach Nicodemus things from God.

However, at that time of the might, the very first thing Nicodemus heard from this teacher threw him completely off guard, woke him up. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Nicodemus certainly looked for the coming of God’s kingdom—every pious Jew did. He believed that God was coming, and that everyone would see his coming.

But Jesus told Nicodemus that he wouldn’t see God’s kingdom at all unless he was born again—not in the sense of becoming a baby once more, but in being “born from above.” (The Greek word for “again” also means “from above.”)

Jesus means that entering into God’s Kingdom we need new eyes if we are to see God’s presence, new ears to hear his voice, and a new heart to love and obey the Lord. We need to be reborn, this time from above, by the power of God’s Spirit.

For me, this is an ongoing project. (See 2 Corinthians 3:18.)

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 Amplified Bible

¹²Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage, ¹³and we are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not gaze at the end of the glory which was fading away. ¹⁴But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed [only] in Christ. ¹⁵But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; ¹⁶but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. ¹⁸And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

Each morning I need to pray for new eyes and new ears and a new heart to see and hear and respond to God. I’m thinking we all do too. Would you join me?

Are we just as Intrigued with Entering God’s Kingdom

John 3:4-12 Amplified Bible

⁴Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” ⁵Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be possible?” ¹⁰Jesus replied, “You are the [great and well-known] teacher of Israel, and yet you do not know nor understand these things [from Scripture]? ¹¹I assure you and most solemnly say to you, we speak only of what we [absolutely] know and testify about what we have [actually] seen [as eyewitnesses]; and [still] you [reject our evidence and] do not accept our testimony. ¹²If I told you earthly things [that is, things that happen right here on earth] and you do not believe, how will you believe and trust Me if I tell you heavenly things?

When we read the Gospel Narratives, we discover that a large part of Jesus’ earthly ministry involved him preaching the good news of God’s kingdom.

He traveled through towns and villages telling people, essentially teaching us, There is a kingdom, and I’m the King. You’re not in the kingdom yet—but if you’ll give it all up, follow Me, you will be the King’s subject and a citizen of the kingdom.

Jesus teaches that when we pray “Your kingdom come” (Luke 11:2), therefore, our very desire should be that men and women would be brought into Christ’s kingdom by new birth—that they would become committed followers of Jesus.

Luke 11:1-2 Amplified Bible

Instruction about Prayer

11 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” ²He said to them,

“When you pray, ^[a]say:
‘^[b]Father, ^[c]hallowed be Your name.
^[d]Your kingdom come.

We pray for those who still live in rebellion against God to be “delivered … from the domain of darkness and to be transferred … unto the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13-14).

Colossians 1:13-14 Amplified Bible

The Incomparable Christ

¹³For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].

Jesus made it perfectly clear that the only way to enter into His kingdom is by this new birth.

Jesus’ encounter with High Rabbi Nicodemus in John 3 underscores this truth.

Nicodemus was a highly educated highly respected religious man, a man of high authority and great influence—yet he was still restless, intrigued, still seeking.

As he secretly engaged Jesus in this 2 or 3am shadowed conversation, Jesus pointed out the necessary prerequisite for both seeing, entering His kingdom: to be born again by the Spirit.

This new birth is brought about, Jesus said, not by nature but as a result of God’s Spirit working a miracle in the human heart.

No one is able to enter the kingdom without Him working in them and through them; that no one is too far away from the kingdom for Him to work in them.

When we pray for God’s kingdom to come, we are asking for eyes to be opened and ears to be unstopped, mouths to be shut to just sit or stand still to just listen so our wisest wisdom and our personal, well taught, “understood,” “practiced” orthodoxy is thoroughly challenged, and so men and women may be born again.

God’s Truth is The King is coming to usher in His everlasting kingdom, and the King is at work today by His Spirit to bring men and women into that kingdom.

Until the day of our King’s return, may your measure of intrigue be raised, may your interest in people, awareness of the way people enter Christ’s kingdom, produce an increasing awe and wonder over your own conversion and a burning passion to pray the Spirit would do what only He can in the hearts of we the lost.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

You are right, Jesus. I desperately need different eyes and ears and a new heart to live with you and for you today. Grant them to me, pray raise higher my intrigue of You. raise my awareness of You, my interest in my neighbors, far deep into Your heavens.

Psalm 119:1-23 New American Standard Bible 1995

Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.

Aleph.

119 How blessed are those whose way is ^[a]blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
²How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
³They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
⁴You have ^[b]ordained Your precepts,
^[c]That we should keep them diligently.
⁵Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!
⁶Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look ^[d]upon all Your commandments.
⁷I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
⁸I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!

Beth.

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
¹⁰With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
¹¹Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
¹²Blessed are You, O Lord;
Teach me Your statutes.
¹³With my lips I have told of
All the ordinances of Your mouth.
¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
^[e]As much as in all riches.
¹⁵I will meditate on Your precepts
And ^[f]regard Your ways.
¹⁶I shall ^[g]delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.

Gimel.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
¹⁸Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
¹⁹I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
²⁰My soul is crushed ^[h]with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.
²¹You rebuke the arrogant, ^[i]the cursed,
Who wander from Your commandments.
²²Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I observe Your testimonies.
²³Even though princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

Daleth.

²⁵My soul cleaves to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
²⁶I have told of my ways, and You have answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
²⁷Make me understand the way of Your precepts,
So I will meditate on Your wonders.
²⁸My soul ^[k]weeps because of grief;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
²⁹Remove the false way from me,
And graciously grant me Your law.
³⁰I have chosen the faithful way;
I have ^[l]placed Your ordinances before me.

²³
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴
And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Grace Greater than our Circumstance; Embrace That Timeless, Inescapable, Revealed, Extravagant, Grace of God. Ephesians 1:1-14

Ephesians 1:1-14 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus ^[a]by the will of God,

To the ^[b]saints who are ^[c]at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before ^{[d ]}Him. In love ^5 [e]He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the ^[f]kind intention of His will, ⁶to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷In ^[g]Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸which He ^[h]lavished on ^[i]us. In all wisdom and insight ⁹He ^[j]made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His ^[k]kind intention which He purposed in Him ¹⁰with a view to an administration ^[l]suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things ^[m]in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him ^11 [n]also we ^[o]have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, ¹²to the end that we who were the first to hope in ^[p]Christ would be to the praise of His glory. ¹³In ^[q]Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also ^[r]believed, you were sealed in ^[s]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴who is ^[t]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Extravagant Grace

Ephesians 1:1-2 Amplified Bible

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

To the ^[a]saints (God’s people) ^[b]who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus: ²Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Extravagance. Now, that’s something few of my friends accuse me of!

I am guilty of many things, but as miserly as I tend to be in these cash strapped days, wasting money or spending lavishly is not among them. That’s too bad, because I’ll never be fully like Jesus until extravagance is a part of my behavior.

Extravagance can be a good great and wonderful thing.

In opening his letter to the Ephesians, Paul immediately writes of his own acknowledgement and recognition of God’s personal extravagant blessing;

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

Paul writes that God has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing.”

God’s grace is “freely given” to us.

“The riches of God’s grace” are “lavished on us.”

Look at the stories of Jesus.

Aren’t 180 gallons of “the absolute very finest of wines” saved for the very end of a seven day wedding and wedding reception extravagant? (See John 2:1-11.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

Feeding all the gathered thousands with a few loaves of bread and small fish, Aren’t twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish an extravagant miscalculation of what it takes to feed a crowd? (See Mark 6:30-44.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

Isn’t a miraculous catch of fish, where none had been the previous night, that breaks the nets and then begins to sink boats extravagant? (See Luke 5:4-11.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

We might casually think, “If God really knew what I am like, he wouldn’t be so extravagant toward me.” But God does know exactly what we are like. Paul notes that God lavished his grace on us “with all wisdom and understanding.”

As with the people who enjoyed wine and bread and fish with Jesus, there are only two reasons for God’s extravagance—our forever need, his forever grace.

Timeless, Inescapable, Revealed, Extravagant Grace

Exodus 12:1-13 New Living Translation

The First Passover

12 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: ²“From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. ³Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. ⁴If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. ⁵The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.

⁶“Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. ⁷They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. ⁸That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. ⁹Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. ¹⁰Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.

¹¹“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,^[a] wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. ¹²On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! ¹³But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The grace of God for His people knows no bounds and remains within no limits.

To know the truth of this, we need look to nowhere else than the cross of Christ, by which as the Apostle Paul writes “we have redemption through his blood.”

In the book of Exodus, God instituted the Passover, which painted a picture of freedom bought at a price.

He instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a family lamb and spread its blood across their doorposts to prevent a visit from the angel of death as he passed through Egypt. The residents of each of those faithful households avoided God’s judgment of the death of the firstborn son only because a lamb died in his place. (Exodus 12:3-13).

The Israelites were enslaved to Pharaoh.

Similarly, all of us enter this world as slaves in bondage to sin and to death.

The price of our forgiveness was the very blood of Christ, who accomplished redemption as the great Passover Lamb for all who might believe in Him.

It is the power of His blood alone that frees us from death, for life, eternally.

Christ did not come to earth to tell us how to live, to make ourselves Christians.

He did not come to tell us what we have to do to save ourselves.

He came to do what we could not—to save us.

He acted on our behalf, offering forgiveness that is free to us but costly to God.

2 Corinthians 5:11-21 New Living Translation

We Are God’s Ambassadors

¹¹Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. ¹²Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,^[a] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. ¹³If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. ¹⁴Either way, Christ’s love controls us.^[b] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.^[c] ¹⁵He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

¹⁶So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

¹⁸And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” ²¹For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,^[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

We dare not believe that God simply decided to overlook our sin; rather, Christ’s death on the cross absorbed the judgment that you and I deserve. God’s purist holiness requires sin’s penalty to be paid—and His Son provided that payment.

As he considers this, Paul is moved to exclaim, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Ephesians 1:3).

Considering God’s grace should always move us to praise.

But notice the phrase Paul uses in verses 7-8: “the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.”

God’s grace is torrential. It is overwhelming. He has poured it out over each one of His children, holding nothing back. And He will continue to do so for eternity.

Imagine that you have just finished your first meal in a high-end restaurant and someone picks up your check, saying, “I’ve got you covered—I’ll pay.”

That’s precisely what God has said to you, me on the grandest scale imaginable.

That is exactly what God is saying to me, to you, to His badly fractured church.

He isn’t saying there is no payment to be made.

He’s saying He has already made the payment.

God’s grace is beyond all limits, extending further than the eye can see or the human heart and soul can possibly grasp.

So, although as you look back on the last day or week, or even the last minutes, you will know that you are 100% sinful, you can also know this: you cannot sin as much as God can forgive, and you can be confident that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

Will you believe that the experience of God’s matchless grace in with you NOW?

Will we finally enter our dusty attics, open the long neglected “God in the Box?”

Will we enjoy the experience of grace upon grace upon grace for all of eternity?

Do we want to enjoy the experience of grace upon grace upon grace for eternity?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

God of abounding extravagant grace, we thank you today that you do not give in moderation but that you pour your grace lavishly on us. Through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Psalm 23 New Living Translation

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
²He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³    He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
⁴Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
⁵You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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God’s Growing Kingdom 2024: Let us just talk a little about some of those Radical Demands of Following Jesus. Acts 2: 1-13

Acts 2:1-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Day of Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost ^[a]had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared to them tongues as of fire ^[b]distributing themselves, and ^[c]they ^[d]rested on each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other ^[e]tongues, as the Spirit was giving them ^[f]utterance.

⁵Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own ^[g] language. ⁷They were amazed and astonished, saying, “^[h]Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we each hear them in our own ^[i] language ^[j]to which we were born? ⁹Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and ^[k]Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and ^[l]visitors from Rome, both Jews and ^[m]proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” ¹²And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of ^[n]sweet wine.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

God’s Growing Kingdom 2024

On the day of Pentecost, God-fearing Jews from many nations were staying in Jerusalem.

They were gathering to celebrate the Feast of Weeks that God had established for his people Israel some 1,500 years earlier (Deuteronomy 16:9-12).

⁹“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. ¹⁰Then you shall ^[a]celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; ¹¹and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your ^[b]town, and the stranger and the ^[c]orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. ¹² You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

They all converged on the temple on Pentecost (fifty days after the Feast of Passover) to bring their offerings of the best firstfruits of their harvests.

That day people from many nations heard the good news of Jesus for the first time. And about 3,000 believed and were baptized (Acts 2:41).

Scholars estimate that the world population was about 300 million people at that time.

That is 1/27th of today’s population.

At the time of his birth, the earth’s entire population was just 300 million, smaller than the U.S. by itself today. The United States 2023 population is estimated at 339,996,563 people at mid year. the United States population is equivalent to 4.23% of the total world population. the U.S.A. ranks number 3 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.

In biblical times it is estimated that about 45 million of those people, including Jesus himself, had lived in the Roman Empire, whose borders stretched in Jesus’ time from modern-day Portugal in the west to Turkey in the east.

From there, it took 1,800 years for the world’s population to grow to a billion.

Prior to the 1800s there were few formal immigration laws.

But with the world’s population at over 8 billion today, almost every country has decided to regulate immigration.

Christians are free to differ and disagree over the details of immigration laws.

However, as immigrants, migrants, refugees, and others cross borders today, many hear the gospel for the first time.

God’s people have the opportunity and responsibility to share the gospel with them. As the gospel is shared, many people continue to enter God’s kingdom each day! That of course is a good thing—regardless of views on immigration.

What Are those Radical Demands of Following Jesus?

Luke 14:25-35 The Message

Figure the Cost

^25-27One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.

^28-30“Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’

^31-32“Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce?

³³“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.

^34-35“Salt is excellent. But if the salt goes flat, it’s useless, good for nothing.

“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

Without any doubt, there are a great number of the teachings of Jesus that are often easy to remember and even memorize, a bit more difficult perhaps to understand, discern, then extremely challenging to live out in our daily lives.

These lessons are frequently, but not always, described by Jesus through parables, as was his way of teaching. For example:

The parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28)
The rich young ruler. (Matthew 19:16-23; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-30)
God or money – we each have to choose. (Matthew 5:38-42)
Forgive others, or God won’t forgive you. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Serve the poor and needy – or go to hell. (Matthew 25:41-46)
Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are hated. (Luke 6:20-23)
Woe to the rich, and those who are well fed, and those who laugh now, and when everyone speaks well of you. (Luke 6:23-26)

And we could go on. “Turn the other cheek.” “Love your enemies.”

In these and many—perhaps most—of Jesus’ parables, he taught about the life we are called to live—the real terms of discipleship.

He taught about what it would mean to truly follow him.

Perhaps, though, one of the most compelling is when Jesus taught that we must count the cost of becoming his disciples.

Luke 14:25-35 New International Version

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

³⁴“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Wait…what? Hate father and mother, wife and children? Hate our own life?

If those are the terms of discipleship, then we would certainly each be smart to measure that cost, wouldn’t we? But…is that really what Jesus meant?

An Argument Against Cultural Christianity

During his ministry, Jesus had a great many crowds following him, very often thousands upon thousands.

Everyone had heard about the miracles, the healings, and free food!

But Jesus knew their hearts were not always with him. He knew they desired the benefits of what he did.

They wanted to reap the rewards.

They loved his gifts—but not him.

They loved the idea of Jesus without understanding who he truly was.

We see them even today.

Jesus is the one who is going to get us into paradise when we die, right?

He died on the cross to pay for our sins and to give us our forever home in heaven. Right? That’s all, folks! We have our mansion in the sky waiting for us!

Leave it to Jesus to mess up our comfortable lives. Jesus knows our hearts; clearly, a comfortable easy chair life here on earth was not his expectation.

How many today speak the words yet don’t live them out?

How many today can memorize the teachings but not apply them to their lives?

How many put on the show of performing deeds in and for church yet don’t know Christ in their hearts?

We see them even in church.

They have the verses memorized and repeat them as if they believe the words to be true. And maybe they do believe them – but the words don’t move from their heads to their hearts. But God will not be mocked, and Jesus will not be fooled:

Matthew 7:21-29 New International Version

True and False Disciples

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The lesson certainly seems directed at those who do the work and go through the motions but have never given their hearts to Christ.

Or perhaps they made the claim, knowing the expectation, but had never actually lived out the words.

After all, if indeed they had prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles in his name, then Jesus would indeed have known them.

Either way, the lesson is that mere words or mere acts without faith—without heart—are not the discipleship Jesus is looking for.

James, the brother of Jesus, put it this way:

James 2:14-24 New International Version

Faith and Deeds

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[a]? ²¹Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[b] and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In other words, if you claim to have faith but it has no impact on how you live your life, your faith is worthless.

If your life isn’t following the teachings of Christ, then you are still lost despite your words.

So many today say they believe.

They love the idea of eternal life, escaping hell, and being able to pray whenever they need anything.

But they are unwilling to give up their earthly desires and the life they now live.

They are more in love with their sinful habits than with Jesus.

1 John 2:15-17 New International Version

On Not Loving the World

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

The Cost of Discipleship

So what is it that Jesus expects of us…really?

Jesus often uses hyperbole to make his point.

Clearly, Jesus would not expect us to “gouge out our eye” or “cut off our hand” if they cause us to sin. (Matthew 5:29-32)

Neither are we to truly “hate” our father and mother, our wife and children, or our brothers and sisters.

We know this, as we are called to hate no one.

But Jesus is unmistakable in what he does expect: He wants everything from us.

He wants our full commitment, our entire hearts, entire souls, all our strengths.

Luke 9:21-25 New International Version

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²²And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

²³Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

We often tend to understate the meaning of “bearing our cross.”

But when Jesus spoke those words, his listeners thought of the cross only as a means of execution.

We use it as a metaphor.

Jesus was asking them to put to death their prior lives and follow him.

To die to themselves, to life as they know it, to everything they hold near and dear – to follow him to the cross.

Jesus often spoke volumes with just a few words – this being one of those times.

When he calls us to “count the cost,” he does not want us to think we can go halfway naively or be surprised later with the expectations.

And there is no negotiating.

The gift of eternal life is free to anyone who asks and believes (John 3:16) – but it is not a free welfare program.

It requires a commitment on our part – a transfer of ownership of our lives, if you will, to him.

To follow him and follow his commands and teachings.

We can no longer simply follow our own selfish desires – we must give up our “me-first” attitudes and approach to life.

Jesus once described the kingdom of heaven in this way:

Matthew 13:44-51 New International Version

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

Yes! They Replied … Reality would later prove radically different in the Garden of Gethsemane and again in the courtyard and again at the Hill called Calvary.

In each parable, the man sold everything he had.

Each gave up everything to gain the valuable treasure he had found.

That is what Jesus asks of us – to give up all we have, all we are, to be called his disciple.

What Is the Reward?

The disciples of Jesus are either all in—or they are not in at all.

Jesus has laid down some pretty high costs, but with those costs come some incredible rewards.

Matthew 7:24-29 New International Version

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

When we simply give lip service to giving our lives to Christ, the words become like political talking points written on cardboard.

They have no strength, no foundation.

Like a house built on sand and cardboard, Christianity cannot stand against the storms of life.

But when we build the house—build our lives—on the rock of faith in Jesus Christ, we can withstand anything and everything that comes against us and will not fall.

We will not fall because our faith is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

By losing our lives, we save them. (Luke 9:24)

When we give up ourselves and give up our lives, we will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:14)

In other words, what we think we lose here is nothing compared to what we gain with Jesus in eternity.

Paul expressed it very well when he said:

Philippians 3:7-11 New International Version

⁷But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

This Pentecost Day of 2024 and in the days, months ahead, May we each say,

“I consider everything I have lost garbage that I may gain Christ.”

In the name o God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 The Message

16 ^1-2Keep me safe, O God,
I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
Without you, nothing makes sense.

³And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!

⁴Don’t just go shopping for a god.
Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
like brand-names.

^5-6My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!

^7-8The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

^9-10I’m happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that’s not my destination!

¹¹Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I’m on the right way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“Everyone on the Side of Truth will listen to Me.” Praying to Pick Truth Over Crowd Pleasing. John 18:33-38

John 18:33-38 New American Standard Bible 1995

³³Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Are you saying this ^[a]on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom ^[b]is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not ^[c]of this realm.” ³⁷Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ³⁸Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and *said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Being On One Side of the Truth or the Other …

John 18:37-38 Amplified Bible

³⁷So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.” ³⁸Pilate said to Him [scornfully], “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation].

Jesus’ statement here about truth is in line with everything he has taught.

Jesus stands before Pilate “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

He is the bread of life; the living water; the Good Shepherd, the way, the truth, and the life; the only way to know God the Father (John 6:35; 7:38; 10:11, 14:6).

As he stands in judgement before this Roman governor, face to face, eye to eye, voice to voice, word to Word, thought to thought, Jesus offers Pilate the chance to experience the truth into a relationship with him—like one of his disciples.

But doing that would be very costly for Pilate. If Pilate were to accept what Jesus has to say, he would have to make the truth more important than Rome. Or political power. Or wealth. If Pilate accepted Jesus’ claims and set Jesus free, he would be throwing away his credibility with the Jews, if not his entire career.

Throughout this Gospel Narrative, John has been helping us to understand that all we possess on this earth—all our power, our influence, and wealth—pales in comparison to the incomparable truth of Jesus.

“… Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.”

The offer Jesus extends goes far beyond Pilate, to our chance to experience life with God the way we are created to live it. Nothing is more important than that.

Sadly, Pilate rejects Jesus’ offer.

What about you and me?

What might we need to let go of in order to embrace the truth of Jesus?

What about the church?

What might the church need to let go of in order to embrace the truth of Jesus?

A Prayer to Pick Truth Over say … Crowd Pleasing

John 18:37-40 The Message

³⁷Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?”

Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.”

^38-39Pilate said, “What is truth?”

Then he went back out to the Jews and told them, “I find nothing wrong in this man. It’s your custom that I pardon one prisoner at Passover. Do you want me to pardon the ‘King of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰They shouted back, “Not this one, but Barabbas!” Barabbas was a Jewish freedom fighter.

Without even waiting for an answer from Jesus, in all likelihood not even really desiring one, nor prepared to hear one or have to listen to one and think twice about the course of his coming actions and have to entertain the possibility he will have to alter it, Pilate leaves the presence of Jesus and returns to the crowd.

It can be hard to change course, from the truth the crowd prefers to side with God’s Truth, especially if you and your choice could be dangerously unpopular.

Perhaps, like me, you have found your faith tested when standing firm to the voice of Jesus against a persuasive crowd. It’s human nature to want to be liked, but sometimes, this pressure leads us to make choices that don’t glorify God.

Pontius Pilate is well remembered for his display of crowd-pleasing weakness.

As a Roman governor as Caesar’s representative, Pilate routinely presided from his Jerusalem headquarters to ensure law, order during Jewish festival times.

During this particular Passover in John’s narrative, he found himself standing before a large crowd growing ever larger and crying out for Jesus’s crucifixion.

Roman law prohibited the Sanhedrin from carrying out capital punishment, so they demanded that Pilate issue the death sentence.

Luke 23:2 captures the nature of their manipulation:

Luke 23:1-5 The Message

Pilate

23 ^1-2Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him. They said, “We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King.”

³Pilate asked him, “Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?”

“Those are your words, not mine,” Jesus replied.

⁴Pilate told the high priests and the accompanying crowd, “I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me.”

⁵But they were vehement. “He’s stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He’s a dangerous man, endangering the peace.”

Read again the protesting crowds interpretation of their “truth” …

“We found this man misleading, undermining the law and order of our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

Does this have a familiar ring of truth for us today?

History repeating itself all over again?

Words, actions, behaviors, deeds all guided by the alleged truth of “the crowd?”

Who ever has the majority, who ever can shout the loudest, exerts the greatest measure and degree of influence, becomes the bigger bully, gets their “truth?”

Jesus came to bear witness to the truth, yet Pontius Pilate refused to listen to the Messiah. After much questioning, he could find no lies or fault with Him.

Instead, in a moment of great irony, Pilate responded to Truth Himself with the question, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38).

Despite Pilate’s investigation, Herod’s findings, and even his wife’s report of a troubling dream warning of Jesus’ innocence, Pilate remained unsettled by the mob (Matthew 27:19).

In hopes of appeasing everyone, Pilate offered to free Jesus under the Passover tradition of a prisoner release.

Sadly, the crowd demanded the release of Barabbas. They traded a murderer whose name in Greek (barr-abbas) means “son of the father” for Jesus, the True Son of the Father–how they all (including us?) missed the message!

Although Pilate continued to look for ways to release Jesus, a final blow of peer pressure broke him as the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar” (John 19:12).

At this he freed Barabbas, had Jesus beaten beyond recognition, humiliated Him with a purple robe and crown of thorns, and handed Him over for crucifixion.

The trouble with crowd-pleasing is that it often requires us to compromise what we know to be true.

Christians are not immune to this “follow the crowd” temptation, yet God will help us when we seek discernment and strength through scripture and prayer.

Each day is full of opportunities to unhinge ourselves from the “vocal will of the crowds to honor our Lord, Savior and King as we strive to sort through the vast, deceiving amounts of “crowd truths,” glorify God, through our daily decisions.

How are you, me, the church, being challenged to be a witness to God’s truth today rather than give in to the pressure of popularity? Like Pilate, have you found yourself tempted to follow the crowd despite what you know is right?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Father God, it is hard to hear your Truth when the voices around me are loud. Whether it’s my kids, friends, or workplace, I confess I want to be liked, and it is often unpopular to go against the group. Even though it’s human nature to want to fit in, remind me daily that you have given me a new and better nature in Christ. Forgive me when I have given into people-pleasing or made choices to gain acceptance or approval of others even when I knew it was wrong. Forgive me for the times I did not stand up for you, Jesus, and the times I complied rather than speaking your truth and light into a situation. Holy Spirit, bring to mind instances that need your forgiveness and wash me with fresh new boldness and strength to reflect your glory in my words and actions. Help me speak your name with love and grace, and give me wisdom and discernment to make Truth-honoring choices today and always. In Jesus’ Name …

Psalm 118 The Message

118 ^1-4Thank God because he’s good,
    because his love never quits.
Tell the world, Israel,
    “His love never quits.”
And you, clan of Aaron, tell the world,
    “His love never quits.”
And you who fear God, join in,
    “His love never quits.”

^5-16Pushed to the wall, I called to God;
    from the wide open spaces, he answered.
God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid;
    who would dare lay a hand on me?
God’s my strong champion;
    I flick off my enemies like flies.
Far better to take refuge in God
    than trust in people;
Far better to take refuge in God
    than trust in celebrities.
Hemmed in by barbarians,
    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;
Hemmed in and with no way out,
    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;
Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, they hemmed me in;
    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt.
I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall,
    when God grabbed and held me.
God’s my strength, he’s also my song,
    and now he’s my salvation.
Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs
    in the camp of the saved?
        “The hand of God has turned the tide!
        The hand of God is raised in victory!
        The hand of God has turned the tide!”

^17-20I didn’t die. I lived!
    And now I’m telling the world what God did.
God tested me, he pushed me hard,
    but he didn’t hand me over to Death.
Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates!
    I’ll walk right through and thank God!
This Temple Gate belongs to God,
    so the victors can enter and praise.

^21-25Thank you for responding to me;
    you’ve truly become my salvation!
The stone the masons discarded as flawed
    is now the capstone!
This is God’s work.
    We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
This is the very day God acted—
    let’s celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
    Oh yes, God—a free and full life!

^26-29Blessed are you who enter in God’s name—
    from God’s house we bless you!
God is God,
    he has bathed us in light.
Adorn the shrine with garlands,
    hang colored banners above the altar!
You’re my God, and I thank you.
    O my God, I lift high your praise.
Thank God—he’s so good.
    His love never quits!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“The Lord be With You, And May The Lord bless You and keep You As Well” Ruth 2:1-4

Ruth 2:1-4 New American Standard Bible 1995

Ruth Gleans in Boaz’ Field

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Boaz said to his servants: “May the LORD be with you.”

Servants’ response: “May the LORD bless you.”

In this exchange of greetings and pleasantries “in the Lord,” I truly believe the implication is that Boaz and his servants lived lives suffused in the presumption that God would be with them in every action, in every step along every path.

Think about it further: Boaz and his servants were not going to war or going on a trip; they were simply going to the fields for the ordinary work of the day. Yet, it seems automatically, begins the day of labor with a blessing on his servants.

In today’s ‘hands off, don’t talk to me don’t offend me’ culture, we increasingly compartmentalize our lives, even our spiritual lives.

With single-minded purpose, we work for some hours of the day, we take care of our daily obligations, and, hopefully, go home and we set aside time to relax.

More than likely times of devotion study and prayer are a “carved out” time and time reading scripture with family may have to be scheduled well in advance.

The alternative is to suffuse the entire day with the recognition that God is with us at every moment, and that prayer can and should be spontaneous and simple – ordinary. That we can take any moment to request God’s blessing on another.

Automatically Greeting with “The Lord Be With You!”

Ruth 2:1-4The Message

2 It so happened that Naomi had a relative by marriage, a man prominent and rich, connected with Elimelech’s family. His name was Boaz.

²One day Ruth, the Moabite foreigner, said to Naomi, “I’m going to work; I’m going out to glean among the sheaves, following after some harvester who will treat me kindly.”

Naomi said, “Go ahead, dear daughter.”

^3-4And so she set out. She went and started gleaning in a field, following in the wake of the harvesters. Eventually she ended up in the part of the field owned by Boaz, her father-in-law Elimelech’s relative. A little later Boaz came out from Bethlehem, greeting his harvesters, “God be with you!” They replied, “And God bless you!”

Truth is you and I and the church can learn a lot about the character of a person from their simple hellos and shared greetings and exchanges of pleasantries .

When Boaz entered his field (and the book of Ruth) and greeted his workers, the enormous depth of his character and of his relationship with God became clear.

Boaz lived with the awareness of God’s presence, and it showed in his daily routines. The same was true of many saints throughout the Old Testament.

Almost naturally they saw no separation between the sacred and the secular; rather, all of life was to be naturally lived and labored before the face of God.

When you and I live with similar measure of natural devotion, we experience radical transformation and blessing in both our words and our relationships.

Notice that when Boaz showed up, he didn’t simply throw the name of the Lord around casually or profanely.

He intentionally, reverently used God’s name in his greeting, acknowledging the highest place of authority and intimacy that God had inside his whole life.

Such reverence curbs superficiality in our talk and encourages us to seek God’s blessing in every circumstance—when we lie down, get up, walk along the road, or converse with others (Deuteronomy 6:7).

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 The Message

^6-9Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

Upon his daily entrance into the field, Boaz set the tone for the whole day for his workers by blessing them and praying for them.

Perhaps his example should provoke us all to ask ourselves, “What tone am I setting in my workplace, in my home, at the grocery store and in my church?”

If the blessing and contentment of the Lord attend your life, whether you are a CEO or an intern, whether your work involves balancing the books or changing countless diapers, you can return blessing with blessing by pointing the people back to Him in all you do and say and prayerfully, their response will bless you.

Ephesians 3:14-21 The Message

^14-19My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

^20-21God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

If Christ has truly come into my life, into your life, into the life of the Church, as the Only Lord and Savior, our deepest faith should echo through every moment.

For this to be across the board truth, be manifested and revealed across the whole Kingdom of God, don’t approach “our time with God” only as a fifteen-minute daily meetings, hoping that that will sustain you for the rest of the day.

Truth is you and I and the whole universal church will never be able to bring others into the sacred presence of a God in whose presence you do not live.

Speak of Him in your conversation.

Let this flow from you naturally, bring His presence, promises to mind in the small triumphs and difficulties of your day. Seek to form a single minded habit of conversing with Him throughout your waking hours. Live with an awareness of God’s presence, and it will show with God, in all your routines and reactions.

Only, O Lord, in Thy dear love
Fit us for perfect rest above;
And help us, this and every day,
To live more nearly as we pray.[1]

1 John Keble, “New Every Morning Is the Love” (1822).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 25 New American Standard Bible 1995

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

25 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
²O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
³Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
^[a]Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

⁴Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
⁵Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
⁶Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been ^[b]from of old.
⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

⁸Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He leads the ^[c]humble in justice,
And He teaches the ^[d]humble His way.
¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
¹¹For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

¹²Who is the man who fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
¹³His soul will abide in ^[e]prosperity,
And his ^[f]descendants will inherit the ^[g]land.
¹⁴The ^[h]secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
^[i]And He will make them know His covenant.
¹⁵My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will ^[j]pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
^17 [k]The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸Look upon my affliction and my ^[l]trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
¹⁹Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
²⁰Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
²¹Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
²²Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Recognizing our God at Work? The Tapestry of our God’s Providence. Ruth 2:1-13

Ruth 2:1-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

Ruth Gleans in Boaz’ Field

2 Now Naomi had ^[a]a kinsman of her husband, a ^[b]man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. ²And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” ³So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and ^[c]she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. ⁴Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.” ⁵Then Boaz said to his servant who was ^[d]in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” ⁶The servant ^[e]in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. ⁷And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

⁸Then Boaz said to Ruth, “^[f]Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. ⁹Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the ^[g]water jars and drink from what the servants draw.” ¹⁰Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” ¹¹Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. ¹²May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” ¹³Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken ^[h]kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

How Well are we ready to Recognize God at Work?

Ruth 2:2 New American Standard Bible 1995

²And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

When you don’t have food, you search for it.

Ruth is going to glean the fields to find leftover grain, and God is also at work—not only to help her discover and find leftovers but to give a harvest of blessing.

Boaz is a distant relative to Naomi—and much more.

God is about to use an ordinary person for his extraordinary purposes again.

Through the kindness of Boaz, Ruth is allowed to glean until the harvest is finished. This journey is marked by the vast generosity and hospitality Boaz demonstrates in his work life and by the way he runs his farming business.

Today many of us will return to work after a weekend.

Whether we are running a business, work at an office, job site, factory, school, or elsewhere, we will enter into the world of others as we get back to work. How we supervise, do our work, will affect how others see the God we claim to serve.

Sadly, the praise we give God on Sunday can be blemished by our words and our actions on Monday through Friday. By the example set by Boaz, A true hero of the faith is called, summoned by our God to be faithful every day of the week.

A life of consistency of character is a sacrificial life that God can use to model and shape and mentor another person’s life and faith in God for all eternity.

God used Boaz and Ruth to eventually be the great-grandfather of King David.

And this means that Ruth—a Moabite outsider—became part of the family line of Jesus. (See Ruth 4:16-22; Matthew 1.)

Ruth 4:16-22 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Line of David Began Here

¹⁶Then Naomi took the child ^[a]and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. ¹⁷The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez ^[b]was born Hezron, ¹⁹and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, ²⁰and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, ²¹and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, ²²and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.

All this took place because the author of Ruth had recognized God was at work.

Do We Recognize The Tapestry of God’s Providence?

Ruth 2:2-4 New American Standard Bible 1995

²And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” ³So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and ^[a]she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. ⁴Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.”

What often appears to us to be an unworkable tangled mess of knots is just the back view of the tapestry God is busy weaving.

Naomi and Ruth had experienced their share of frayed threads in life.

They arrived in Israel widowed and penniless—a perilous position for women in a lawless society (see Judges 21:25).

In Leviticus 23:22 , the law allowed for the poor to enter the fields and pick up (glean) leftover grain as they followed the steps of the official harvesters. This law was established by God Himself and revealed His care and concern for the needy. But God’s law was not always—and not often—observed in this period.

Leviticus 23:22 New American Standard Bible 1995

²²‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the Lord your God.’”

Yet when Ruth resolved to go into the fields, through Boaz’s generosity, God worked through this law to abundantly, tangibly, provide for her and Naomi.

Ruth’s seemingly mundane moment of decision became an illustration of God’s providential plan for the two women—and for all of redemptive history!

Ruth ended up gleaning on the land of Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi’s deceased husband and a man of means and high standing.

Ancient Israelites clearly understood the family to be the basic unit of society, with members of the wider extended family having obligations to support and protect relatives who were struggling like Naomi.

All of this gives us the clearest hints at God’s hand in providing generously for Ruth and Naomi, even in ways that would seem unremarkable at first glance.

In fact, as we read Ruth’s story, we notice that many of its details unfold as if by accident.

Ruth happened to decide to glean that day.

Naomi happened to encourage it.

Boaz happened to pick that time to harvest his field.

Ruth happened to pick his field.

But when we carefully and studiously look at the story as a whole, we can see all of these happenings were the timed, precise, instruments of God’s providential care in unfolding His purpose of redemption.

After all, out of Boaz and Ruth’s lineage would soon come King David and, eventually, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself—a greater provider and protector who also “came from Bethlehem.”

As God carefully and precisely wove these threads into His beautiful story of provision, Ruth and Naomi surely would have thought they looked knotted, hopelessly tangled, disconnected, cut off, and so irreparably frayed at times.

Satan often wants us to stay focused on such seemingly jumbled, discouraging circumstances, leading us to an attitude doubting God and His good provision.

We so easily and casually forget that what appears to be an unrecoverable mess is just the back view of the tapestry God is busy weaving in all our backgrounds.

One day, though, when we get the chance to see His handiwork from the front, all of those strange, dark threads will prove to be part of His glorious pattern.

Today, as your life and workdays unfold, and even unravels, do remember that “coincidences” are no such thing, that all our uncertainties and difficulties are opportunities to trust in God, and that behind all of them He is weaving out His plans to prosper His people in faith and godliness, and to bring them all home.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Dear God, may I be a witness for you in all my words and deeds. And may I realize your providence, that you weave, use events in time to affect eternity. In Jesus, Amen.

Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.

A ^[a]Mikhtam of David.

16 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
^2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are ^[c]my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”
³As for the ^[d]saints who are in the earth,
^[e]They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
⁴The ^[f]sorrows of those who have ^[g]bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

⁵The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
⁶The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

⁷I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my ^[h]mind instructs me in the night.
⁸I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
⁹Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
¹⁰For You will not abandon my soul to ^[i]Sheol;
Nor will You ^[j]allow Your ^[k]Holy One to ^[l]undergo decay.
¹¹You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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2 Timothy 3:10-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

Transformation Through the Word

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

For Example: Those Verses Surrounding John 3:16

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

John 3:13 Amplified Bible

John 3:14-15 Amplified Bible

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 Amplified Bible

Jesus Gives Nicodemus the Promise of Eternal Life

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

Jesus Has Already Given Us the Victory

John 3:17-18Amplified Bible

Jesus Shares the Ultimate Truth

John 3:19-21 Amplified Bible

Psalm 119:1-16 The Message

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1 Peter 5:1-7 The Message

He’ll Promote You at the Right Time

A Word to the Church: Seeking His Kingdom First?

1 Peter 5:1-7 Amplified Bible

Serve God Willingly

Considering How We Grow and Mature in Christ?

Luke 12:13-34 English Standard Version

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Do Not Be Anxious

Psalm 91 tHE MESSAGE

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Mark 10:46-52 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

What Do You Want Me to do For You?

“Take Courage, Stand Up! He is Calling For You!”

Mark 10:46-49 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

Psalm 42 New American Standard Bible 1995

BOOK 2

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

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2 Timothy 3:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

“Difficult Times Will Come”

What do we believe is the meaning of 2Timothy 3:1-5?

2 Timothy 3:1-5Amplified Bible

“Difficult Times Will Come”

The People Mentioned in 2 Timothy 3

The Church in History

Testing Ourselves and Testing the Church

2 Timothy 3:10-17 Amplified Bible

Matthew 23:25-28 Amplified Bible

What is to be our Response

2 Timothy 3:14-17 Amplified Bible

Matthew 9:35-38 Amplified Bible

Acts 2:43-47 Amplified Bible

Psalm 84 The Message

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John 3:1-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

The New Birth

Are We Just as Intrigued by The Teacher From God?

John 3:1-3 Amplified Bible

The New Birth

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 Amplified Bible

Are we just as Intrigued with Entering God’s Kingdom

John 3:4-12 Amplified Bible

Luke 11:1-2 Amplified Bible

Instruction about Prayer

Colossians 1:13-14 Amplified Bible

The Incomparable Christ

Psalm 119:1-23 New American Standard Bible 1995

Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.

Aleph.

Beth.

Gimel.

Daleth.

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Ephesians 1:1-14 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Blessings of Redemption

Extravagant Grace

Ephesians 1:1-2 Amplified Bible

The Blessings of Redemption

Timeless, Inescapable, Revealed, Extravagant Grace

Exodus 12:1-13 New Living Translation

For the choir director. A ^[a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.