Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-15

Heartbroken. Upset. Distraught. This was one of my first times to really dive deep into the book of Jeremiah and meditate on it and allow it to minister to me. From today’s reading there is a small amount of information about buying a field. This seems like a simple request, but the implications are far greater than just this action. To really understand the small passage you have to dig deep into the full book of Jeremiah which has 31 chapters before this present chapter.

As I read through the entire book of Jeremiah, I was saddened. You can sense the heartache and the disappointment that God had for the children of Israel for leaving him. This is a hurt that father experiences through with losing their child: either by death, estrangement, differences of opinions, or tragedy. It shows the true level of love and despair that God went through with the loss of the love of the children of Israel.

But as we progress through the book, God reminds us of his steadfast love. He reminds us that his love outweighs everything that we can do against him. This also shows how he is committed to his promise to protect us and to advance us. Jer 29:10-12

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

 Jer 31:1;3

“At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”

Many times in our lives we need to have something factual and tangible to really understand the spiritual. By having God instruct Jeremiah to buy a field with these certain instructions, God has made a tangible and a real manifestation of his word. There were several prophets at this time and the people needed to see the evidence of God and the spoken word of God. From the action of Jeremiah buying the field that God had witnessed to him through the vision and the manner he purchased the field, this ensured God’s fulfillment of his promise to Israel.

In our society, today it sometimes feels that people are going away from God. Sometimes when you look at the news, it shows that we are going away from the statutes. But this passage is reassuring that his promise is continuously with us. This shows that his promise will be with us as his people. This passage shows us that when we listen to God and do as he has asked us it can be beneficial for all people.  Have you been asked or Are you being asked to buy a field?

Be blessed.

Today we get to revisit one of the most famous parables that Christ spoke about: the Good Samaritan. In this parable Christ tells us who our neighbor is through a parable where an individual is robbed and then not regarded by two individuals: the priest and the Levite walks by, but the Samaritan stops and cares for the neighbor. The essence of the parable is: the most unexpected blessings on a perilous journey.

Here is the account from the perspective of Luke: Luke 10:25-37

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii^[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

As I have reviewed and meditated on this parable, I see it from a different and more profound point of view than I did as a child. I’ve noticed as I go older I need to see things in a certain way. I believe that to really understand the full essence and the impact of Christ teachings, sometimes we need to dig deeper to see how these parables were in their original form. We have the luxury of hindsight where we can see things differently, but we must readjust our understanding of Christ’s teaching these words to the crowds and we have to look at it from their point of view. Looking at it from the speaker’s point of view and the audience’s viewpoint is a shift that we must take to see the fullness of the story. We can get some amazing insights from the text but we really need to dig deeper for the true essence.

First tidbit: “going down from Jerusalem to Jericho”. At first glance this may seem like going from city to city. But upon further inspection this one sentence has so much of the weight of the entire parable. This one sentence spoken by Christ held so much gravity. Upon research it was found that when people “went down from Jerusalem to Jericho”. This was also known as “The Way of Blood ” because there was so much bloodshed that happened on this one road that it was stained red.

This road or path is 17 miles long. This is a substantial amount of space that can be inhabited by many different bandits and vandals. One of the most profound and interesting parts of this road is its elevation and height: the total change is 3,600 ft. As a point of reference for this height the third highest mountain in the Alps, which is the Matterhorn, is 3800 feet in elevation. This is the same mountain that many rides at Disney World and carnivals refer. It’s height is so substantial that people know it by it’s name alone. So by this short phrase so much is contained in going from Jerusalem to Jericho. It is a risky and scary place. Christ was making an allusion to the phrase of David’s: “The valley of the shadow of death.”

Second tidbit: This journey from Jerusalem to Jericho was know for many because it was major thoroughfare of travel and many people are on this path going up and down continuously. Because of the amount of travelers and the hidden alcoves this particular place had become a common place for robbers.

This particular traveler in Christ’s parable is so badly mangled and beaten that from a casual observation it looks as if the person was dead. In the Hebrew tradition there are many laws governing purity and cleanliness including us especially with dead bodies. The priest and Levite were too consumed with the right thing by the Law and decided not to concern themselves with checking on the traveler and assumed that he was dead. They allowed their own thoughts and presumptions to prevent them from even checking on the traveler, their “love” of the Law outweighed their love for others. The Law that was given by Moses in Numbers 19 details how to deal with a dead body, and the rituals that you had to perform before you were clean. Interestingly the period that you were able to be found clean was three days.

These new insights into the Good Samaritan makes it even more profound that a person would risk everything to take care of a person. This is a complete stranger to the other. We do not know the position of the stranger, which was completely left out on purpose. The stranger could have been a priest. The stranger could have been a Levite. The stranger could have been a rich merchant. The stranger could be a peasant. But no matter what the Samaritan, who in Jewish society was looked down upon, found mercy on the person regardless of their statute but because of their current need and position.

The stranger actually was the beneficiary of an expected blessing on this journey.

How many times are we strangers? How many times are we the Good Samaritans? How many times have we been the victim and everyone seems to walk pass us without the slightest of glances? How many times have we been affected to the point of death: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually and we wanted someone to notice us? If we have been through these similar situations, how can we not have empathy and compassion for our fellow neighbors.

Be Blessed

• The picture is that of the Matterhorn.  This is representation of the height of the trail that the traveler was on when the Samaritan found him.

Today’s Reading:  John 8: 1-20 

Since the beginning of the year, I have become more intentional about my prayers and my request to God and his direction in my life. One action that I have been doing is asking God to show me direction and allow me to work in His favor daily and for Him to direct me to where he wants me to be: spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

A couple weeks ago an acquaintance of mine asked me about my faith journey and what I was doing differently these last couple weeks. I told him that I became more intentional and shared some of my experiences that I have encountered in the last year that has made me who I am today. I also recounted some of the past experiences from over the last several years in which the person who I am today is completely different from the person who I was 10 years ago. I am a person who is more into others and listens more to God‘s will in my life.

Several days later, the same associate came and told me that they were trying to be better and live a more intentional life as well. But they confessed that they had slipped away from their promise and felt remorse and regret. Upon hearing this I gave them encouragement and told them that God is working in them, because they have the acknowledgment of the transgressions and have remorse. This is the beginning of growing. This is the beginning of learning how God forgives us in our transgressions. This is the beginning of a new being.

Many times we feel that when we start something new and we regress we have failed. But that is a trick that the enemy has been reiterating to us for our entire life. The actuality is when we start to acknowledge our failures and start to press toward the better of ourselves we are growing from ignorance and doubt into peace of knowing. This peace does not come easily and freely, there will be some aches and pains.

In today’s reading we see how Jesus gives unconditional forgiveness in the midst of the actual act of sin. We see how his gentleness and compassion overrules all the other frustrations and anxieties that we have in the midst of our sin. How many of our accusers ( our own hidden feelings and items of our past) are standing on the edge right now pointing fingers and accusing us of the things that we know we have done? How many times can we try to run away from our sins but we are still caught in those sins? In the midst of our most sinister sins God and Jesus gives undying unconditional love and forgiveness. This forgiveness is for all.  This forgiveness is available to each of us. 

Be Blessed

Today’s Reading John 6:1-24

It is a great pleasure and honor to start this new year again with the Biblejournal. Being part of this community has truly been a blessing to my family, my friends, and myself. It is an honor that I take deeply and with a lot of humility.

As we start this new year we are focusing on God’s Word of Life. Today’s reading comes from John 6:1-24. In this passage we see two miracles of Christ: The blessing of the 5000 and Jesus walking on water.

Throughout the past several years, this chapter has come up in many of our discussions here in the Biblejournal. As I read and prepared for this blog writing I noticed a highlighted portion of this chapter which gave me pause.

The particular section is within the first several verses of the chapter. I have to be honest, I sometimes glance over the first sections of literature and try to get into the true meat of the subject. But when I allow the Spirit to slow me down and direct me, I am able to find little gems of knowledge. In the first verse of the chapter we have the setting of the two miracles that Jesus performs.

First,  the timing of these miracles is during Passover which is the Jewish New Year. Next, this is the second Passover of Jesus’ ministry. He has been healing and spreading the gospel for over a year and people are aware of his power.These gems are great, but one that has my undivided attention is John 6:3.

 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.

In this sentence, God gives us direction on what is important in the new year… sit and be with him in a secluded spot. This is the essence of Quiet time. How often do we just sit with Jesus on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis? I can attest that my quiet time has been lacking for the last several months. I have been in prayer and devotion, but my intentional quiet time has not been what Jesus is wanting. What is you quiet time like? How can we go forward this year and become more intentional in our quiet time? How can we start: 1 min, 5 min, 10 min? No matter where we start He is waiting and wants to enjoy anytime with Him. Have a blessed week.

Today’s Reading : Revelation 13 and 14

We have made it to another Christmas season. Contrary to popular common belief, Christmas season starts on December 25th by the liturgical calendar. The season that precedes Christmas is the Advent season. We still have a couple of weeks, 12 days, of the festive Christmas season. We have been waiting and anticipating the birth of Christ, now we can celebrate His being with us. Let us not start to slow down the merriment and joy that He has given us.

From Christ’s initial coming down as a child on that first Christmas day, he lived with us and showed us how to live with him. With his sacrifice, he gave us the Holy Spirit, and with that the promise of a new life, and a new destination after we depart this one. This time of Christmas sometimes can be a joyous one, but it also can bring up sadness for others for the loss of loved ones. But we have the hope that we will be with Him after this life is over. He shows us that in all things He will prevail and nothing can over take him.

In today’s reading we are giving a glimpse of the apocalypse. The apocalypse comes from Greek, the original language of the Book of Revelation. It means “uncover, disclose, reveal.” In late 14th century Church Latin, it became “revelation.” In Middle English, its general sense was “insight” or “vision.” 

As I read and meditated over these passages, I had an initial sense of sadness and foreboding. These texts reveal a spiritual battle that has taken place or will take place sometime in the course of time. Please review Chapter 13. As I read through this passage I had images of “the Lord of the Rings” and the final epic battle. This is not an easy read, but it is an essential read. Once the stage has been set and the characters have been established, we will see how the story plays out.

If I only stopped at one portion of this text, then I would be completely dismayed and questioning everything. Everything that I have prayed about and had faith in would be shaken. But in the midst of this epic setup, God shows us that He will prevail.

Revelation 14:2-3; 6-7

And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,  and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. 

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

When all of the things that have been done, God will show up and truly show his awesome power. He will herald a proclamation that will culminate all of our joy and prayers. Just like the time on earth before Christ entered in the human form, there was darkness and desolation and despair. But Christ came to give light that will not be taken from us. This same light will be with us even through this catastrophe because he prevails.

Let us not forget that just because the day of Christmas has come and gone, Christ is still with us and the celebration of his joy is forever.

1 Peter 2: 15 - 17; 19;21;23

 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants[d] of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly

 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 


1 Peter 3: 8-9; 14 - 17 

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

Today’s Reading Galatians 6 and Ephesians 1

In this week’s blog we have the closing of one book, Galatians, and the beginning of the next book, Ephesians. In both of these books Paul is addressing the churches which he has established in both of these territories. The churches in Galatia actually are not in just one city but in a territory which is located in a large landmass. The book of Ephesians is a city which is a major trading center in the time of Paul and the apostles.

One of the main themes that transcends both of these books is the clarity of each of the churches’ mission. Paul, as in the previous books, is giving advice and guidance to the churches that have been established in the early days of Christianity. In these early days of Christianity there are many individuals who are trying to re-established the central theme of Christianity and to make it more like the past Jewish faith. But Paul is clarifying that the foundation of the Jewish faith that was established with circumcision is not required to worship Christ. The only circumcision is that of the heart:  removing your previous self from the new creation that Christ has given to us freely without hesitation or pain.

In this passage in Galatians, there is such compassion and grace that Paul gives us as a standard for our daily life. It is correcting each other with gentleness. 

Galatians 6:1-3 

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

As I have stated previously in many of my blogs, God uses my daily life to highlight his word that he’s given to me. This passage that we read today, helped me to exhibit the gentleness and correction of my children. From my childhood, I remember my parents and mentors giving me advice and direction many times with gentleness and compassion when it was not warranted. These examples I have been able to reflect in my own parenting.

Just the other evening, I was able to channel the Spirit of God to use my gentleness and help my son correct some of his assignments. First I asked to say a prayer so that we could have gentleness between the two of us. The next thing was reviewing and making a plan that the two of us could follow and be able to achieve our goals. 

Sometimes it’s hard to work with gentleness, especially when you have previously worked with them. But God chooses to work with us with gentleness every time we make a mistake. Because he is a good father, he uses gentleness with us in our corrections. No matter how many times we make mistakes God uses his gentleness to correct us. I am so fortunate that God has used his gentleness with me throughout my life. I pray that the Spirit of God will continue to be with me as I help others, because I would want the same amount of gentleness given to me as I am being corrected.

As we grow and mature, I’ll pray that God gives us the ability to see clearly and give gentleness as we correct and guide each other.

Be Blessed