Eat, drink, remember.

The events in Matthew 26 take place just prior to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In verse 38 Jesus says, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death”. He knows he is nearing the end of his earthly life so he is making final preparations, and sharing parting words and guidance with his disciples.

Jesus continues to teach and love this group of followers all while knowing one of them will betray him, another will deny him, and they will all “fall away” (NLT uses the word “desert”) because of him.

Some good friends, right? Alas, I too am guilty of betrayal through my sin, denial, and most certainly desertion.

One practice that puts me back on track, reminds me of who Jesus is and the significance of what He has done is the partaking in Holy Communion (which we find in today’s chapter).

This act must not be taken lightly, nor should it be considered a box that we check over the weekend. Holy Communion is a ritual of deep significance that has been practiced for over 2,000 years, billions of times, by billions of people.

Holy Communion exists and is valuable because of the greatest sacrifice of all time. Consider coming to the table as described in Philippians 2:12b “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,”. Let us come to the table handing over our worries and doubts and confessing our sins, then receiving the free gift of salvation.

Please read these words slowly today, and even consider “mentally” partaking in communion as you read them remembering, this is his body, this is his blood, for the forgiveness of our sins.

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26-28)

Communion is about remembering, humbling ourselves, coming to the holy table of the Almighty God. Without the broken body and the spilled blood of Jesus Christ, we go to the table covered in shameful sin and we have no chance at the final judgment. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can take away our sin. He lived innocent and died innocent. Eat, drink, remember.

The Lord Reigns! Psalm 99

Don’t Waste Your Opportunities 

Today we are going to go through Mathew 25. I want to do this a little differently and tell this in story form. I hope this encourages you to dive into the word and read it like a story rather than a textbook. Close your eyes and start to imagine this as if you were in this story. Let’s talk about verses 31-46.

Your soul and the souls of many others are together waiting to be judged by God. As far as the eye can see are souls of others just like you. As you stand there, you notice that each person is going before the throne of God. The line starts to move and each soul goes either right or left. Groups are getting told to go right, other groups are getting told to go left.

 

After every person has found their place either to the right or to the left, silence seems to overtake everyone. God slowly turns to the group on the right and says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

There is a bit of confusion that overtakes the group on the right. They say, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? ”

God simply answers, “ Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

It starts to come back to each and every one of them. The times they visited the hospital to put a smile on a little child’s face. The times they chose not to walk by a homeless person but instead gave them money or food. The times they chose to put others first rather than themselves. Those instances weren’t just moments in time where they did a good deed, those were encounters with our heavenly father. At that very moment, God made himself known to those people and they understood.

Then God turns to the group on the left and says, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.

“ They too were confused but said, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?” At that very moment, the group on the left is made known of all the encounters they had with God that they chose to ignore. They were reminded of the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit whispered to them when they had the opportunity to help. Instantly they realize that all of the reasons they had in the moment were meaningless.

Then he will answer them and say, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” At that moment it was as if there was something stuck in the pit of their stomach. They plead for forgiveness over and over but the decision and their choices have already been made. Eternity has been decided. Don’t waste your opportunity!

 

Please don’t waste this time you have been given and get caught up in all the distractions of this world. In the end, they will all be meaningless. Start to looking and praying for opportunities to encounter God in your life. I promise there are plenty out there; you just have to be willing to sacrifice your time. Rejoice in today because you have been given another day on this earth, so be a light for his kingdom. Have a great Thursday everyone!

 

Parable of the Fig Tree

Today’s reading: Matthew 24 and Psalm 97

Matthew chapters 24 and 25 are Jesus’ own sermon on His second coming.  Chapter 24 starts out with the disciples asking with immense anticipation, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Jesus responds, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” I thought this was one of the most interesting (and totally loaded response) in the chapter so I wrote on it for BibleJournal.net almost 2 years ago.

Since I have the privilege of another opportunity to write on this chapter I would like to discuss another statement Jesus made that stood out to me. 

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 25:34)

The question here is, who is ‘this generation’?  There are several interpretations, one popular is that ‘this generation’ refers to the elect.  In my estimation, Jesus would have just said ‘you’ or something clearer if that were the case.  I have come to think this is a statement of the elapsed timing of the tribulation.  That is, a generation of time will pass from the beginning to the conclusion of the end of days.  Put another way, the generation that sees the beginning of the birthing pains of the end days will also see Jesus’ return.  What do you think?

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. – Matthew 24:32-34

Christmas is almost here!  It’s a great time to renew and refocus our anticipation of Christ’s second coming!

Do as I say, not as I do

Good Morning Bible Journal Family!

Keep reading daily and living out God’s word.   Developing yourself and others requires time in His word.  Ephesians 4:11-12 says So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Today’s Reading Matthew 23 and Psalm 96

Matthew 23:4-5 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

I  heard growing up the phrase, “Do as I say, not as I do” many times at different occasions.  So in most cases what did I do? I didn’t listen and did it anyway, often learning the hard way. So in fast forwarding time, now there are times when I have say to my own children, students, family, friends, and others,  “Do as I say, not as I did.”  Mostly because I learned the hard way and trying to spare some pain.

Some of us learn by listening, while others learn by doing and failing or succeeding. God has provided us His perfect living word and provided us a perfect model of these words in His son, Jesus.  There are other places in the bible where we find those who didn’t follow, or made up their own version of the law. As we continue to read through Matthew we get to Matthew 23 where Jesus warns us about the hypocrisy in the Pharisees.  It’s hard to believe that those who were so familiar with the word and could probably reference and quote whole books of the bible would lose sight of God. Not even  realizing they were in the presence of His son Jesus. To the point of trying to disprove Him or get Him to say something wrong(which He never did). The Pharisees had such wonderful knowledge of the law but lacked the true relationship needed. There are so many times where I wish I could just remember that “just right” verse for that moment to share with someone.   But I realize that wasn’t the only thing that was holding back these teachers of the law. Often they could put made laws above Gods.  They told the rules to everyone but when it came down to them it wasn’t happening. Rules that were followed were to make them look better and not about the focus being on God.

When I think about the Pharisees I wonder why they couldn’t take off blinders and realize they were in the presence of our Lord. Honestly, I wonder why at times my blinders can be on too.  Do I practice what I preach? Is there times I don’t even say anything? In my humble reflection, I think about sharing of God’s living word. Am I focusing and Him or myself.  God has already promised you a place in heaven with Him and it won’t be based on what we do or don’t do. Am I  acting out of convenience for myself or my present circumstance. am I dropping the ball just like a Pharisee.  Do I put things on others and not willing to help out of selfishness? As we read through these living stories I’m given a daily reminder of making sure it’s not about me, it’s about God.  It’s not about me, it’s about others.  It our earthly lives it can be easy to get caught up in the

In our earthly life we have to be careful to what people ask us to do.  Is it what they want? Is it what we want? Ultimately,  is it what God wants? As I reflect on these words I try to remind myself of the true meaning of why we do things.  Is it for myself or for others. If we go back to the acronym JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself) are we talking in our homes and workplaces about Jesus=1st, Others = 2nd, Yourself= 3rd  Oh how I can mess up this order sometimes.  Are we acting these characteristics of Jesus out in lives? You may be the only Christian that person runs into today.  One additional reminder question to reflect on says Matthew 23:28 “In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside…

Psalm 96:3 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 

Dear God,

Thank you for your truth.  Thank you for washing us clean. Your word continues to shape and form our lives. Our prayer is to not make anything about us, but about You and your word.  That as we go about our days with the true meaning of what we do, how we do it, and who we do it for, leading us all back to you and your love.  Keep our communion in you close so we know who we live our life for.  I pray our words match our actions and always represent you, in which we give you all the glory.

Amen

The only example we should follow is His.  John 13:15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Few are Chosen

Today’s Reading: Matthew 22

Good Morning, it’s the start of another week! I’ve been intentionally praying for God to help me to remain connected to Him as the holiday season approaches. As I began reading the text for today’s reading, I got a little anxious. I actually put it down a few times and moved on to other projects because I just simply didn’t get it! I think it’s important to share that with you as a writer. Sometimes, extracting meaning from these ancient writings is complicated and messy. I tossed around the idea of skipping the Parable of the Wedding Feast all together. I mean, honestly guys, what in the world is going on here! There are clear parallels to the story of the Wedding Feast in Luke 14. But, Matthew’s telling is far more violent and confusing. Some commentaries argue that the two stories are actually separate tellings of the same event. Matthew’s writing comes within the context of the week of the Lord’s Passion. Whether or not they are a recounting of the same story, the intention of the author is clear. The message is that God invites us to grace and mercy through his Son, Jesus. And, we along with all of Israel are declining that invitation. We react with indifference and sometimes even whole hearted rejection.

The wedding feast is likened to covenant that God makes with his Christian followers. When the initial chosen guests refuse to come, the King sends his servants out to find anyone in the street to partake in the banquet. How often are we missing this invitation? How often am I responding with scorn or irritation to the opportunity to be with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven? The story takes a final twist in verse 11:

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?…” Matthew 22:11

 The man isn’t just sent away, rather he is thrown out to the darkness bound and beaten. This final part is uncomfortable. It’s a challenge to us as Christians. Are we going to come dressed for the party? Are we going to put on the vestiges of Christ in order to be truly prepared for his coming and our salvation? In the end, this twisted tale is really about becoming the bridegroom of Christ. It’s about dressing for the party even if we aren’t sure there will be anyone else there that we know. Matthew ends the parable with this:

“For many are called, but few are chosen” Matthew 22:14

 This is so powerful for me. So many of us are called by name but only a few are chosen for eternal life with Him. I want to share the final paragraph of Allen Ross’ teaching published in Bible.org on living a kingdom bound life:

In interpreting the parable, the context is so important. Throughout the events of the Passion Week leading up the crucifixion, the conflict between Jesus and the leaders became much sharper than it had been in Jesus’ public ministry before. Now everything was clearly set in order in the events and teachings for all to see, and in seeing the issue, the people would know that their decision to accept or reject the grace of God in Christ was truly a matter of life and death, eternal life and death. He made it clear that the only way they would ever see the kingdom of heaven was by him.

The story makes it clear that there is no reason, none at all, for people to reject a gracious invitation from the King to come to the wedding feast and enjoy all good things. The only reason they reject the invitation is that they do not believe the King, or they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (Allen Ross, Bible.org)

There’s just no way to say it better. Are we going to accept or reject the invitation extended by our King? Can we withstand the conflict with our personal, political and cultural leaders in order to accept the grace offered by God. Can we put on the clothing of Christ and attend the feast?

 

 

 

Cornerstone

Matthew 21, Psalm 94

By definition, a cornerstone is “a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.”  Historically, the cornerstone was the first stone set in a new building.  It was carefully selected and placed, becoming the reference point for the rest of the building.  The Bible often references the cornerstone of our lives.  This stone is special and set apart, selected and laid by God himself (Job 38:4-7).  It has been tested and it is precious. These ensure a firm foundation (Isaiah 28:16).  This cornerstone is an anchor point for an entire building; his temple.  It consists now of apostles, prophets (Ephesians 2:19-21), saints, the chosen as his royal priesthood  (1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Peter 2:9).  Each of us, placed securely and carefully around the cornerstone.

We get to choose a cornerstone upon which to build our own lives.  Just like the Jews in Matthew 21, we have a choice.  We either choose Jesus for that stone, or we reject him as that stone.  Trouble comes in the rejection.  You see, failure to place Jesus as the cornerstone, doesn’t mean that we have built an inferior house.  No, it means that we have built a house without God.  A house without life (Genesis 2:7, Acts 17:25).  In fact, Matthew 21:44 gets right to the point, reminding us that our rejection results in death. 

As we consider that truth, it is right to consider our current state.  Maybe our lives already have Jesus as the cornerstone.  In that case, the fruit will be obvious.  Our lives are exuding love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  If these are missing, however, what are we to do?  That, my friends, is the wonderful thing about the Gospel. 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22)

In order to receive his mercy and place him as our cornerstone, there is only one thing required.  Believe.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

Good, Good Father

Today’s reading is Matthew 20 and Psalm 93.

As we read Matthew 20:1-16 about the laborers who worked in the vineyard and were paid the same wage regardless whether they started working at the beginning or the end of the day, I have a feeling of great gratitude. I’m thankful were serve a great God who doesn’t care what we’ve done and when we give our life to him, but only that we give our life to Him.

As I ponder this in amazement, I can’t help but wonder why he is so loving and gracious? For all parents reading this, think of a time when your young children had a really bad day and you were at your wit’s end. As bedtime nears you are not sure if you can take any more of it and if they are like our kids there must be caffeine in the bathwater because they become even more rambunctious and listening goes out the window during and after bath. You then tuck them into bed to say good night, and they say in the sweetest little voice, “Daddy/Mommy…I love you.” Your heart then instantly melts. You forget the recent scolding and headaches they just caused you, and you realize deep down your love for them is unconditional. Why? Well, I believe it is because they are yours and you created them. Check out Matthew 20:15. The vineyard owner says, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” God is telling us we belong to Him. He is our Heavenly Father and our one and true Creator. When you or others can’t imagine how God can forgive many past sins and potentially nearly a lifetime of separation from Him in some cases, we need reminded that we are His and He created us so His love is unconditional forgetting past mistakes. He only wants us to come back like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. As a side note, this why the role of an earthly father is so important, God created us to model His love so that our kids can see it through us.

This week in our church we studied Joshua 2 where Rahab, a prostitute, helped the Israelite spies entering Jericho, even though she was a pagan and lived a life even pagans would believe to be wrong. We learn in Matthew 1:5 that she later became part of the lineage of Jesus! Talk about a redemption story! The Bible is truly full of them with this being just one example. Our Pastor Mike Baker said, “You can never get so far from Jesus that He can’t save you.” I would also add that you can never get so far from Jesus that He can’t use you for something positive and big. Outsiders become insiders through Jesus, and we are all outsiders to God through our sin …even Christians(Romans 3:23). Pastor Mike said, “Jesus came for outsiders like Rahab and all of us.”

I can’t help but think of the lyrics to the song, “Good, Good Father.” The lyrics not only say, “You’re a good, good Father, it’s who you are.” The lyrics also say, “I’m loved by you, it’s who I am.” Isn’t that awesome? You may feel like a failure. Maybe you have a failed marriage or relationship, troubled kids who make you feel like a poor parent, professional shortcomings, financial challenges or even a fallout in relationship with your siblings or earthly parents whose love and approval you deeply yearn for. There is no question these situations are hard and painful. Thankfully, these lyrics are so true though as the Scriptures remind us countless times. He created us and not only is He good, but only Him and His love matters. This is who we are. His love, and His love only, defines us. His love is unconditional. Praise God!

As we read Matthew 20, we can also likely think of a family member or friend who is a non-believer, and we are reminded it’s not too late, no matter how old they are, and no matter how many times we have witnessed to them and feel like we’ve been unsuccessful. If they are still on this Earth, they can still be saved. Through these Scriptures today, God laid on my heart an elderly man with failing health who both my Dad and I have witnessed to. This man has done so much good in his life and is a wonderful person, but know John 14:6 to be the truth. These scriptures gave me hope for him and reminded me it’s not too late. He can still be saved! I must not give up. I must continue to pray for him and speak with him again.

I pray this has touched you in some way. Maybe you can relate to Rahab and this reminded you that you can be used for God’s purpose still and only His love defines you, or maybe it re-invigorated you to pray for and witness to a non-believer you know who can still be saved. Either way, we can all be very thankful we have a “Good, Good Father.”

“Let the little children come to me”

Can you recall your Kindergarten or First Grade teachers? I can. After a week of Lab School at Eastern Illinois University where I had attended preschool, my parents decided to move me to the public elementary school, Mark Twain. Mrs. Triplett was awaiting my arrival and had two girls, Lisa Grant and Gina Eads, with her at the door. What an impression they made on me, welcoming me, ensuring I had a great start to Kindergarten. I can still visualize the picture of them standing there and then recall they brought me over to the sandbox in the room as my parents left.

My other vivid memory was Mrs. James, my first grade teacher. She had a checker system for being good – 3 checkers and you received an M&M. She had all kinds of interesting plants and animals in her room. We had an extensive unit on Ecology and went on a ton of field trips. I still pay attention to Walking Sticks, Praying Mantis and Monarchs based on her science units.  She invited the entire class over to her house to bake Christmas cookies. I can still picture Mrs. James. What an impression she had on me!

As I thought about other teachers, I recall one of my favorites, Mr. Gochenour, fifth grade. If you could recite all the states and capitols, he gave you a “huge” Marathon candy bar.  He also taught the entire class how to Disco Dance – Ha!  As my school years progressed, I don’t recall many of my junior high teachers and just have a few favorites from high school. I had to have a conversation with my mom about my teachers to try to help my memory! What that told me was how influential teachers were in my early years.

I think that is true today for our children. I know my kids school habits, friends, thoughts about school and confidence were formed by their teachers at Northpoint. I thank Mrs. Kraft and Mrs. Kerber for their influences on my boys.

The other visual this chapter gave me was our Children’s Sermon. I smile each week as the children go forward for a message from the Pastor. How influential that person is and can be with these little people. I can recall my father practicing his children’s sermons on me at a very young age. He wanted to make an impression and leave the children with a brief yet important thought of the day.

As we look at Matthew 19 today and as with many of the chapters in Matthew, there is so much content. Many chapters contain multiple messages, words of inspiration, parables, guidelines and reprimands. Matthew 19 is no different. “Let the little children come to me”. We all know this verse well.   The disciples were trying to keep the children from bothering Jesus. However, he “rebuked” them.   He understood the important influence he could make on their lives as such as early age. How impressionable the children were and he wanted to take the time to impart his words on them as well as provide healing to those in need.

As we go about our daily lives, let us be thankful for people who make an impression on our children, from teachers to pastors. May we also take time to make our own impressions on young children, those we know and even those we do not know. Even a smile or a compliment makes a difference.

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” You can finish the song out loud or in your head.

Extra reading:  Psalm 92

Words Are Eternal.

Matthew 18 and Psalm 91

“Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.” – Matthew 18:18-20

Something I struggle with a lot is remembering to think before I speak. Please tell me I’m not the only one here! My brain starts the second I wake up and doesn’t seem to stop moving a mile a minute until I go to sleep at night… and when my brain is moving a mile a minute, so is my mouth, most days- I’ll be honest.

That’s precisely why the sentence in the middle of the above passage felt like it smacked me right in the forehead when I was reading these verses today. The sentence I’m talking about says, “What you say to one another is eternal.” Um, excuse me? If that’s not slightly terrifying, I don’t know what is. All those little quips I say when I’m tired… the thoughtless remarks that slip out every so often… the careless things I say when I’m hurt to the people I love most… those are ALL eternal. Yikes.

Reading those words today made me pause and remember that my words matter. Not only do they matter, but they actually don’t ever go away… because they’re eternal. But on the positive side of this fact, I’m also reminded that the encouragement I share with a stranger, the kind words I try to remember to share with my people throughout the week, the prayers I pray over my marriage, business and family… those words are eternal, too. Read the last verses of Matthew 18:18-20 with me:

When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.

“You can be sure that I’ll be there.” I love that. Let Matthew 18 be a reminder to you today that your words matter… and whether it’s the encouragement you knew the Lord was calling you to share or the hurtful comment that came out when you were having a tough day, those words never go away. To close, the first verses of Psalm 91 bring me some hope after being reminded that my words never go away. And I don’t know about you, but I definitely needed some hope after that reminder! The verses say,

You 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!”

Thank goodness that even though this life can be challenging and we often fall short, God is our refuge and our safe place. When we mess up and don’t use our words in the way that’s most honoring to Him, He’s still our refuge, and we can be sure that He’ll be there for us.

Life is Hard

Today’s reading is Matt 17 and Ps 90

 

As we read through Matt 17 today, my heart goes out to Peter. I know that the main focus of the Gospels is Jesus, but when I look at this (maybe) month of time in Peter’s life I feel like I can relate to the spiritual and emotional roller coaster he seems to be riding. Yesterday, Deb wrote about the disciples being questioned by Jesus, “Do you not remember what I have done? Remember just a few days ago I fed the crowd with a few loaves of bread? They had to feel frustrated by the fact that Jesus had to remind them who He was. Then Jesus asks them who they think He is. Definite high point for Peter as he answers correctly to Jesus, but I can’t help feeling for him again by the end of the paragraph as Jesus places the weight of the future of the church on his shoulders. Then Peter gets in a conversation with Jesus where Jesus predicts His death. Peter loves Him so much that he pulls Jesus aside and says, “Heaven forbid, this will never happen to You”. Jesus response seems harsh, “Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human standpoint, not from God’s”. I think I feel sorry for Peter here because I can hear myself saying the exact same thing if I were in his shoes. Because of Peter’s relationship with Jesus, he knows just enough about Jesus to be dangerous. He wants so much to love and protect Jesus and continue the good work that they have been doing as a group. He has walked away from his entire life to follow Jesus and has thrown himself at the work whole heartedly. He can’t possibly fathom that God’s plan is for Jesus to actually lose His life. It just can’t be!

Six days later, Peter goes with James, John and Jesus to get away to pray. While they are up on the mountain Peter witnesses Jesus transfiguration. I would say this is a spiritual “high” that none of us has ever come close to experiencing. Again Peter is eager to jump into action and commemorate this glorious thing they have witnessed by building altars as memorials. This time not Jesus but God Himself speaks to Peter and poor Peter is scared out of his mind. He falls face down on the ground. As the four men travel back down the mountain, a large crowd is waiting for them. They are instantly thrown right back into ministry with very little time to digest what happened earlier. A man comes to Jesus and asks for help for his son. He tells Jesus that he had earlier brought his son to the disciples to be healed but that they weren’t able to do it. Again what feels like a harsh statement from Jesus, “You faithless and corrupt people, how long must I be with you?, and Jesus heals the boy. Peter is there watching and listening to all, I’m sure feeling very small.

The next thing we know from Matthew is that the disciples and Jesus gather in Galilee, and Jesus again tells them that He will be killed, but on the third day He will be raised from the dead. “And the disciples were filled with grief”. Are you feeling for Peter by now too? I feel like his heart had to have felt twisted and pulled in so many different directions…His earthly mind was being taught and challenged to heavenly living. The plan was bigger than he could see or understand. He couldn’t make sense of his circumstances and he couldn’t possibly see how what he was going through was going to end up being good and a part of God’s plan. Have you ever lived in this space? Have you wondered what God’s plan is and how all that is happening to you can possibly be known by God because it is such a big mess?

The last four verses of this chapter are one more conversation between Jesus and Peter on a yet another issue needing to be dealt with. The tax collector is waiting for them when they get back to town. He is looking for what is due for Peter and Jesus’ temple tax. Jesus teaches Peter another lesson about who He is and how to live on this earth, heavenly speaking. To keep from causing a ruckus with the government at this time in His ministry, Jesus asks Peter to go ahead and pay the tax even though the temple is Jesus’ “home/kingdom”. Apparently neither of them had the cash on hand for the tax so Jesus has the goodness of heart to send Peter to the lake as he knows Peter loves to fish. Jesus has him throw out a line and open the mouth of the first fish he catches to find a large silver coin which will pay for their taxes.  I’m so glad that Jesus shows His love for Peter in this miracle. I’m thinking after all Peter has gone through in these last few chapters, he has to be about worn slick, at the bottom of his emotional barrel. Don’t you think that being cared for by Jesus in this personal and practical way, was meaningful to Peter?

Today I want to encourage you to take some time to look back through your life and see if you can see some personal touches from God at specific times in your life. Has He changed circumstances that you were powerless over? Has He comforted you or shown His presents in a personal way when you felt alone or abandoned? Has He provided money when you couldn’t pay for something you needed or really wanted to pay for? Has He gifted you with a relationship or another person when your heart longed for companionship? How about a miraculous intercession in a dangerous situation or accident where you know He stepped in to change circumstances to safe your life or a loved one’s life? I can’t possibly list all the ways God reaches out to show His love to us. I do think it is worth taking the time to look for and even list the ways that you know God has intervened in your life to show you personally how much He loves you and cares for you. Like Deb said yesterday, we need to remember because it helps us understand Him and His work.