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Good Samaritans

I am the good Samaritan. That’s right, if I were walking down the road and a beaten man was lying there, I would help him. It is my love for humanity and generosity that allow me to be so kind. Do you believe that? For what its wroth, I’m not sure that I believe it. I want to, but my experience tells me otherwise. How far, for example, do I go with it. Just yesterday, I was sitting at a stop light watching a woman pull a suitcase through a busy intersection. She was headed toward the airport, but still a couple of miles away. My immediate thought was, “hey, I bet she could use a ride.” I continued to watch her, eventually from my rearview mirror, as she made it across the street. I felt relief when a man greeted her as she pulled her suitcase up on the curb. That’s when I decided that she wasn’t heading to the airport at all. She was probably headed to a nearby office and chose to walk so that she could get some exercise and enjoy the nice weather.

I’m hoping that you noticed the shift in my thoughts as I passed by the woman with the suitcase. I had to change the story in my head. Had I not, I would have been confronted with feelings that I don’t want to deal with. For all of us, changing the story is one way that we are able to justify our actions. Ironically, the same was true for the man the parable of the good Samaritan. We find it in verse 29. It says, “But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?” Sadly, my actions are no different than his. They are just in a different context.

God doesn’t want us to justify our actions. He wants us to confront them, head-on with full disclosure. That is why he tells this parable. His goal is not for us to wallow in guilt and shame, but to rest instead on his perfect grace. As we do, He will give us the kindness, goodness and gentleness that we need to serve our neighbor perfectly. Jesus, in fact, becomes our justification.

Got Talent?

Today’s reading is Matthew 18:23-34 and Psalm 115.

We will focus on the parable in Matthew which many of us our familiar with where a king forgave a servant 10,000 talents. Some resources indicate 1 talent is about 20 years of wages in biblical times so 10,000 talents would be 200,000 years of wages! However, when the servant was released and someone owed him 100 denarii which resources say is about 4 months wages, he did not show the same grace. In fact, he had him thrown into prison.

Tonight, I was talking with a friend about a mutual relationship we have with another individual who we both have a disagreement with. My friend made a comment in which he said something to the effect of…”you’re a little more forgiving than me on items like this” with this person. However, while I would like to say I’m living this out…I would say this very circumstantial and is not the case anywhere near to the level the Bible calls us to do. He doesn’t know this, but I actually went off on this person’s boss about them at one point and learned later I was quick to judge, didn’t know some things about the individual, and felt the need to apologize to this person’s boss for my quick and harsh judgement without knowing everything. This person’s boss is also someone I’m trying to witness, too. Oops..I did not show them a very good example to draw them to Christ in this case did I?!

One time I even took a personality assessment which said I’m typically forgiving….to an extent. It said I give individuals chances, but when it reaches a certain “breaking point,’ I’m completely done with them and write them off. I’m not going out on a limb to say my breaking point is WAY less than 10,000 talents!

In fact, I often find my amount of forgiveness depends on the relationship with the person or if I find myself with similar beliefs. I’m quick to forgive family, a close friend. or those that have the same political beliefs as me or are on the sports team I root for. Yet, I am quick to condemn someone who stumbles and makes a mistake that has different political views or is a celebrity I don’t know or is on a rival sports team for example. This is just wrong. It shouldn’t matter. I need to realize that I’m called to forgiven in the same way Jesus has forgiven me as this parable teaches of. If Jesus held me to the same standard I hold others to, I’d be in big trouble.

As we read through the Psalms, we come across many passages that talk about having a healthy fear of the Lord. This passage is very humbling because it reminds us at the end that if we don’t forgive others, the Lord will not forgive us. It is also humbling because reminds me how thankful I should be that the Lord has forgiven my sins that come not just by the hour, but by the minute. By using 10,000 talents or 200,000 years wages…He wanted to show the unbelievable depth of His forgiveness and grace. He washes ALL our sins white as snow. It is not circumstantial like my forgiveness of others which I must improve on. All we have to do is believe in Him and ask…and give the same grace to others. God is great!

Think Again!

Today’s reading is quite interesting as you can look at this parable from two perspectives. As we read Luke 17:7-10, we can use the lens of the servant and then we can use the lens of God.

⁷“Will any one of you who has a servant^[a] plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? ⁸Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly,^[b] and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;^[c] we have only done what was our duty.’”

From the lens of the servant, he works all day, he works HARD all day and then his master or boss doesn’t thank him but expects more. The servant may be wrapping up the last task of the day or so he thinks. Think again! There is more work to be done! Doesn’t this sound like our days sometimes? We work and work, driving kids, fielding phone calls, cooking, cleaning, picking up groceries and then “can you do (X) for me”? In your mind, you were almost done with all your tasks and ready to relax. Think again, you child needs one more thing! Sigh….

From the eyes of God, we are his servants. We are on earth to be disciples, to do good works, to share the word, to serve him and to serve others. He expects us to carry on and not to stop. He does not pause in caring for us at the end of the day because he is “too tired” so why should we stop? He is there watching over us and expects us to serve humbly. We are not always given gratitude for doing his good works on earth today. Our gratitude will come with eternal life.

This last part is sometimes hard in our daily tasks. We try to please people by doing our jobs or we try to go above and beyond to finish a task to perfection. I know at the end of the last two weeks, I was exhausted, working very hard on a number of projects and had to keep going with not much gratitude. Sometimes we are thanked and sometimes we are not and that is the way it goes. I think back to when my children were very young. They could not even say thank you. In those moments, my gratitude came from seeing them thrive or seeing them sleep comfortably. I didn’t expect a thank you at that age. I served humbly. As my kids have grown, I have come to expect a thank you and hope I have taught them to be thankful, expressing gratitude to those who do things for them or “serve” them in even the smallest way. As my oldest entered the business workplace for the summer, I talked to him about carrying on, even if he’s tired at the end of the day, to be thankful he has a job and to thank others even if they don’t thank him. Serve humbly and be thankful to God for all he has given us, even if we don’t see his gratitude right now. Carry on. When your day becomes tiresome and when you think you have done enough, think again! How can we do more to serve God? Are we thankful for all he has done for us? Go forward and serve humbly.

For additional reading: Psalm 114

Sheep, Gate, Shepherd

John 10:1-18 and Psalm 113

Preparing for today’s reading, I read a little bit about what sheep are like as animals. Here are some of the ways they are described: stubborn, picky eaters, social, followers, run from danger/easily afraid, playful.

Being a mom, how can I not associate these descriptions with my children?? And following that, associating the role that Jesus describes as with mine as a parent? In this parable, Jesus is talking about sheep (us – his flock), and explaining his role as shepherd (caregiver, protector, authority figure).

It is the shepherd’s role to provide for the needs of the sheep, to keep them safe, to keep them well, and to keep them out of dangerous places. The sheep don’t always like for the shepherd to do these things, especially when the grass seems greener on the other side of the hill and they don’t realize there is a cliff to fall off on that side. It is not the shepherd’s job to make the sheep happy all the time, but to safely shepherd them from one place to the other so they can fulfill their purpose in life. Sheep learn their shepherd’s voice and respond to it, trusting the shepherd to take them where they need to go and provide what they need. The shepherd acts as a gate to keep the sheep in their pin safely, keeping the sheep from leaving without protection, and also keeping harmful predators away from the flock.

My little boy Samuel is almost five. When he gets in trouble, it is almost always because he did not listen to me or his dad. Much of my time is spent explaining to him that if he would just listen he would not be in trouble. I try to explain that when I tell him something, it is to protect him, to keep him from hurting himself, or because what he wanted to do was a really bad idea.

I’m asking myself right now how much I listen for God’s voice. I’m thinking about how the God’s word and instruction is meant to protect us, because God knows what we need more than we do, and He wants us to be happy, to live fulfilling lives, and to be safe and anxiety-free.

In fact, He tells us not to worry – very specifically. Yet worry and anxiety can own my thoughts and even cause physical distress in my life. Why?? Because I don’t listen.

Reflect today on what Jesus as your shepherd means in your life right now. Do you know His voice? Do you come when called? Do you follow where He leads?

Lord, thank you for Jesus and his loving words laid out for us in scripture. Help me to listen for your voice, and to obey without doubt. Take away my fear and anxiety, and cause me to trust and have faith in your promises.

I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk, ‘I stole this yesterday and I want to pay for it.’

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents are not perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say ‘no’ when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I am glad I won them, because in the end you won something, too.”

Mothers, and fathers, are given an incredible privilege and opportunity to have the primary role in helping shape the character of the children entrusted into their care. Words are important, but our actions and examples are more important. From how to treat other people to the habit of going to Sunday School and church to the teaching of stewardship by giving the child a quarter to put in the offering, we can instill good habits, morals, and beliefs into our children.

Come Back Sheep

Today’s Reading: Matthew 18:12-14 and Psalm 112

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14

Have you ever gotten lost as a small child? Most of us can remember that helpless overwhelming sense of fear as we searched for our parent in a store or at a busy outdoor festival. Even as an adult I can recall that visceral feeling of my heart pounding, my eyes welling up with tears as I shouted for my Mom or Dad. As a parent, I’m now standing on the other side of that equation. Every time I take my three children to a public place I find myself endlessly counting to three as my eyes dart around looking for each little head curls. Of course as a child you believe that when you grow up you’ll leave all that fear and dependence behind. You believe that adults are in command of their world and can control their own circumstance rather than be controlled by external forces. It’s laughable, right? If only children knew just how much less control we have as grown-ups! If only they knew that we too experience the fear and the reality of being lost. That like them we experience abandonment, isolation, persecution and loneliness. We don’t share that part of ourselves with children because it’s our job to protect them. We shield them from the worst of things and show them the best of things. And, in turn our Father does the same for us.

A lost sheep is totally defenseless. Having no weapon or benefit of speed, all he can do is cry, which signals his enemy to close in. The sheep has no sense of direction or gift of scent. He is surrounded by enemies; whether predators or simply the elements of nature. And when that lost sheep is separated from its herd it is all the more vulnerable to the cunning wit of his enemy. Just as our children are like our sheep, so are we the Father’s. When wander off from Christian life, we are vulnerable. The predators of our world close in, and all we can do is cry out to God. What are the bright and shiny things that can lure us away from our Christian flock? For me, it’s getting out of the habit of being in His word each day and getting into the habit of sleeping in, watching too much TV, too much focus on materialism and money. Suddenly, I find myself far far away from the place I want to be in my journey with Jesus Christ. Although I am just about as defenseless as a baby sheep in God’s eyes, I do have a sense of direction. I do know the way back to God. Jesus tells us that God “rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray…” Matthew 18:13. What that means is that there is everlasting grace for those who are lost. If you are reading today, and you feel like you are a sheep on the mountain, cold and alone, call out to Him. Follow that path that has led you back to Him before. And if you are reading and you’ve never found God, start in His word. Read, and He will find you.

~have a great week sheep

A Parable about the Parables

Matthew 13:52 and Psalm 111

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

As we continue through this series of parables, we come to a moment where Jesus pauses and asks his disciples if they get the parables up to this point (verse 51), to which they reply a simple yes. I try to put myself in their shoes – would I have the faith to say yes? Or would I have had ten follow up questions to better understand? Even though we know that the disciples didn’t FULLY comprehend everything Jesus was telling them, they knew enough and had the faith to answer yes. And then we come to verse 52 where Jesus shares a parable about all of the parables!

In this mini parable break, Jesus is encouraging them to not replace everything they learned before with all of these new teaching and parables. Instead, add these new parables and teaching with the old (law). Similar to how we have both new things in our home along with family heirlooms. One doesn’t replace the other – it’s all part of the collection.

I will admit that I have tried to line up God in the Old Testament with Jesus in the New Testament. The bright light that we can’t look upon and need to remove our shoes for, with the man that is fishing and eating with the lowest of the low. In my heart I believe and know they are one and completely unified, but sometimes my brain goes into overdrive trying to reconcile the two and figure it all out.

Recently a preacher shared this and it’s SO TRUE! Our human (barfo) nature wants our view of graceful bear hugging Jesus to deal with our own sin…. And we want OT fire + brimstone God to show up and deal with people that sin against us. OUCH – that was a ZINGER! I can think of a time I had those thoughts.

Truth be told, they are perfectly unified. Balancing OT (law, teachings, etc) with the NT (parables, grace, etc) is similar to understanding the trinity. What a beautiful mystery!

Does anyone else love Paul’s comments to the church in Corinth about “now we see through a glass darkly…” – I can not WAIT for heaven, when it will all be crystal clear. Will we be like the disciples and simply say “yes, we understand”, or will we have a million questions?

As Jesus continues to fulfill the law, with his teachings and ultimately his sacrifice, my prayer is that we can have wisdom in balancing the old and the new. The Psalm that is assigned with today’s reading is Psalm 111. I love when the two readings come together so beautifully. Here are a few lines that really spoke to me in light of the parable about parables.

2 Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.

4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.

God caused us to remember the law in the Old Testament and Jesus’ parable of parables reinforces this. As we seek wisdom and understanding, knowing who God is and having fear and respect for Him is our first step in understanding.

Separation

On April 18th & 19th, 2018, a team of movers came to our house to pack and ship what we wanted with us in Italy. The goods consisted of beds, chairs, a couch, tables, clothing, cooking accessories, photos, and cabinetry such as dressers and armoires. The packed items were then taken to a warehouse and further prepped for a very long journey, placed in a giant shipping container, sent (perhaps by train or truck) to Chicago, then placed onto a ship that would make its way for the next few weeks across the ocean. In case you’re curious, it is almost two months later and we still do not have our things… maybe a topic for a future post on patience!

Leading up to this move we had hundreds (perhaps thousands) of decisions to separate our possessions into what goes to Italy, what to send to storage and what to let go of. The items chosen to send to Italy are planned to be used for the next three years. Conversely, the storage items would sit for three years unused. Then the rest of it was deemed unnecessary; useless to us.

Arriving into Europe there was a similar pattern of separation. US currency no longer accepted, and many electronics do not work (or would be fried) due to the difference in voltage.

As humans we separate, and so does our creator:

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ⁴⁹So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous⁵⁰and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50)

These words are tough to take in. The thought of being thrown into a fiery furnace with weeping and gnashing of teeth is truly the ultimate worse case scenario. We often wish these words weren’t true, we’d like to think that perhaps everyone is “good” and we all end up happily ever after.

The fact is that God is real, so is his book, and so are his promises. His judgment is fair (whether we like it or not). Knowing the harshness of eternal separation, he gave us a gift, grace and mercy through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ. Jesus was tortured and killed as he took the penalty so that we would not be separated from him. It is ours to choose; not someone choosing for us. Eternity with him or without him.

Today’s Psalm: Psalm 110

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

Today’s reading: Matthew 13:45-46, Psalm 109

When he was younger, my son Freddy loved to collect things. Whether it was Thomas the Tank Engine trains, Cars Movie cars, Baukugan cards or Pokemon cards, he was crazy about them. I bought hundreds of these things over the years! I’m happy to tell you that today, for Freddy Armstrong’s 14^th birthday, none of these dumb toys are included in his birthday gifts. I’m glad that I’m no longer wasting my money on junk that I’ll eventually pitch after I’ve stepped on it for the 100^th time. Even so, I will miss seeing the pure joy in Freddy’s eyes as we sit around the dinner table watching him open his gifts tonight. As a teenager, Freddy no longer passionately rips the packaging off his gifts and frantically searches to find the “rare and valuable” treasures hidden within.

Our passage in Matthew 13 – The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl, reminds me a little of Freddy Armstrong and his birthday toys. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45-46). The merchant was desperately searching to find what he considered the most rare and valuable treasure. When he found it, he gave everything he had to make it his own.

Jesus didn’t tell this story to remind us children would be delighted with toys. Rather, like every other passage in the Bible, this story points us to the character of Jesus. We are so valuable to him, Jesus gave up everything he had to make us his own. He left his rightful place in heaven to come to earth, lived alongside dirty, sinful humans, and eventually gave his life as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins.

[Christ Jesus] who, did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

Thank you Jesus for searching until you found us. Thank you for your sacrifice. The joy we find in watching broken, sinful people be reconciled to God through faith in you will never grow old!

Hidden Treasure

Todays reading: Matthew 13:44, Psalm 108

”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.” Matthew 13:44 NIV

Last night I discussed this parable with my family. We were all a little unsure of the meaning. We were thinking the guy stole something that wasn’t his and took credit for it! That doesn’t seem right! Yes…..on first reading that’s the initial feeling. But in remembering the purpose of the parables we knew there was deeper meaning. I found my BSF notes from a 2007 study on the book of Matthew to help gain some insight. They noted that the people of that time often buried their “treasures” in the ground to keep them safe. According to Jewish law, if someone found buried treasure it belonged to them. The man in this parable found hidden treasure that became his once he found it. He was so excited about his “find” that he promptly buried it again so he could sell everything else in order to buy up the land and get the treasure too. He was all in. He knew what he found was special. Nothing else mattered anymore except holding on to that treasure. He got rid of his old life because the treasure he found was better than anything he had before.

The treasure is Jesus Christ.

Am I so excited about Jesus that I‘m willing to sell all I have? Am I willing to completely redirect my life for the treasure of heaven instead of the treasures of this world? Do I really believe the kingdom of heaven is better than the things I’m trying get in this life?

Luke 14:33 “In the same way, anyone of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple”. NIV

Matthew 16:25-26 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” NIV

Psalm 108:4-5 “For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.” NIV

Bread Winners

Today’s Reading: Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20-21, and Psalm 107

Matthew 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Luke 20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Influence. Have you ever really thought about the influence you have throughout the day? Your family, neighbors, co-workers, friends, community? These influences can come in the shape of a simple hug, smile, phone call, or word of encouragement. All small gestures can have great influences. You see we never know what may be going on that day with the other person you give this gesture to. A Christ-like gesture can make a difference like Jesus’s parable about yeast to dough, you can change a persons day.

As I look at this picture of making dough I’m reminded of how God is shaping us, kneading us, and watching as we rise to a closer and more intimate relationship with Him. I think about small kingdom words or expressions I could use in my everyday moments. Maybe the gesture of praying with someone, praising God in song, or maybe recognizing fruits of the spirit being acted out by others. These positive moments that model our Father can influence like the yeast that starts out small in dough, but spreads throughout.

Our Father is building His Kingdom always. We always have influence. I was reminded by a friend this morning that we are called to influence. That in Romans 8:12 we have an obligation not to the flesh, but to the spirit.

Yeast is used in both good and bad contexts in the bible. Yeast can spread corruption as we are reminded in Galatians 5:9 or 1 Corinthians 5:6 or it can also be for building His Kingdom. The kingdom is promised to those rich in faith and who love Him. James 2:5,

What will you do with the yeast you provide today?

Colossians 4-5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Dear Father,

Thank you for your parables that you speak into us through your living word. Just like we have had others speak into us, help us today to be an ambassador for you. Let our grace, kindness, encouragement, and love for others point back to you God. We are grateful for each day we get to praise you and pray for us all to continue to draw closer to you each day. Amen

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1