Names of God/God the Father/part three

God the Father

The first name on our list is God the Father. Why is this an important name for him? Christianity isn't the only one that uses this title or name for their god. Pagan religions do as well. But in Christianity, our God is different.

In Christianity, we know that God is the creator of everything. From the world to humanity. And he has an active interest in our daily affairs. Especially those of us that have given our hearts to his Son Jesus. He is our Father. To whom we can go to for wisdom and answers to our heartfelt desires, prayer, and protection. 

He is the first person of the Trinity and even though as humans we have no ability to totally understand the Godhead while we live on earth, he is equal to God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit in all ways. He has created all things for his own pleasure. 

 God the Father is our example of a loving Father who loves us unconditionally and without favor of rejecting anyone that comes to him in humility and reverence. He is the perfect example for earthly fathers to display to their families. He is fair and above all he is holy. 

The bible is his love letter to us. It was given to us to instill love, hope and charity in us as well as how to get through our lives in the best possible ways by first accepting Jesus as our Savior, obeying him so that we can live a righteous life and win others to Christ for him.

 Simply put God the Father is love. John 3:16  And Acts 17:24-28 is our promise for today, February 28, 2019 and it says this:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations that they should inhabit the whole earth, and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from anyone one of us. For in him, we live and move and have our being. As some of your poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 

And these are the reasons we call him Father God. Thanks for coming by today Friends. Please come back tomorrow when we will find out more about why he is called Yahweh. Until then, be blessed today!

God's Names and What They Mean part two

 Did you know that God has more than one name, or title, just as we do? Following are some of them and what they mean. They describe his different characteristics.

Probably the most popular name for God is God the Father. At least, in my opinion, it is anyway. In many religions, it is given to God as the first person of the Trinity although it is most prominent in Christianity. In Mathew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to pray to God the Father.

Another name for God is Yahweh which means "The Lord" and comes from the Hebrew word "I Am."  It means someone that is divine and means "exist." Exodus 3:13-14

Abba means  "Daddy Father." It is an intimate name and One who can be trusted. One that is upfront and personal. Galatians 4:6.

There is the name Jehova Rapha or "The Lord that heals you." Exodus 15:26

And Yahweh Shalom means "The Lord is Peace." Judges 6:24

Yahweh Nissi means "The Lord is my Banner."  Exodus 17:15

And lastly, Yahweh Yireh means "The Lord will provide." Genesis 22:14.

This is not an exhaustive list as there are others. However, for the next 7 days at least, we look at them one by one so that we get a better understanding of why he is called each of them. I hope you will come back each day. Thanks so much for coming today. Have a blessed day as we get a little closer to spring and warmer temperatures.

February 27,2019 Promise: The Lord is my light and my shield. Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

What is in a Name? part one

There are many names for God in the bible. But what are they and what do they mean?

Our pastor holds a class at different times of the year for people that are thinking of joining the church and want to know more about it. Now this church is huge and so there are many people that come through the doors there that he doesn't know and although he tries hard to get around to meet everyone, sometimes in his class he might not have already met most of them. So in this class, the first thing he does is go around the room asking each person to introduce themselves. The weird thing about that is, it does not matter how many new people might be in a class, he remembers every name with none or at least very little problems. (I have trouble remembering one person's name that I meet.). I don't know how he does that although he did tell us how one time many years ago.

Our name gives us individually. Our friends, family, co-workers, and others know us by it. We, of course, have a first and last name, usually a middle name. And sometimes a nickname as well. When we meet someone new, we are introduced or introduce ourselves, right off that bat. by our name.

There are other things that connect us to our name. We can be a Miss, or Mrs, (some women prefer Ms.) a Mr. Or a Junior or Senior. Or we can have credentials that follow our name for whatever degree we earned in college etc.

If someone pronounces our name in the wrong way, we are usually quick to correct them because our name is important to us. And sometimes we actually look up the meaning of them. Perhaps we name our children for someone that we love very much. Or for celebrities that we like. ( To be honest, my daughter was actually named for an actress on a soap opera that I used to watch way back in 1970)

As stated, our names are a very important part of who we are as individuals. And while we may have several different or components of names, God himself has quite a few of them himself.  What are they and what do they mean? That is the questions for tomorrows blog. I hope you will come back to find out.

February 25, 2019 Promise: For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him are Amen to the glory of God through us. 2 Corthianians 2:20

Thanks for coming by today Friends. I hope you start off having a blessed new week!

On The Outside Looking In

Has there ever been a time in your life, when you felt that you just didn't fit in anywhere? In your family, in school, in church?

Back in the 1970s, I remember my toddler daughter had one of those balls from Tupperware that had various shapes of blocks like the one pictured here. She would try to fit the blocks into the appropriately shaped hole, and of course, had to match up each block with the correct hole, to get the block to go into the ball.

At first, she did not understand that and would try to force a block into the wrong hole, which of course, did not work. It was frustrating for her because she knew that those blocks were meant to go inside. But how?

It wasn't until I began showing her where the correct ones went, and she would practice putting them in herself, that she learned to put each block into its proper hole.

Perhaps you have been like those blocks yourself. Trying to fit yourself into a place you didn't belong.

In my family and growing up and through most of my adulthood, I felt like I was the odd one out. I didn't really fit in anywhere. My mother. and sister  (who was the oldest of us four and nine years older than I) were two people cut from the same cloth as it were. They liked all the same things. Gardening, cooking, antiques. She also did well in school. I felt that because I didn't have a strong interest or even no interest at all in some things they did, I was left out.

My next sibling was my brother.( eight years older than me)  He was the most intellectual of the four of us. College material and smart. But he also had mental issues that interfered with his personality. Issues that made him more of a loner and not able to be successful in relationships. My mother catered to him because of this and I remember her telling me once, "He does not have a family like the rest of you do." And I guess, because he was getting so much of her attention, I felt...well left out.

Fourth on the sibling list was my youngest brother ( three years younger than me). Now, he was the baby of the family. And you probably know how babies often fare in a home. He was the one spoiled rotten. Even his own children were the favored grandchildren of my mom. He too was good in school, excelling in his younger years, in art which he inherited from our father.

And in between two and four, I was a square block trying to fit into a round hole.

I wasn't like the others. No interest in the things that might have made my mother proud of who I was, and I didn't have success in forcing the mold that made me in order for that to happen.  And for years I felt like I was on the outside looking in. I wasn't popular at school. I didn't make Honor Society like they did. Heck, I barely got by with grades with which to pass from one year to the next during my junior an senior years in school. And what was worse was that my mom expected more from me than I could give in that area because all three of the others were good in school so I must have just been lazy. And I knew I wasn't. I did the best I could, but no one saw that. And as a really compliant kid all those years, who was I to try to talk to them about my frustrations, let alone argue.

It had been a lonely life back then. And a lot of it filtered into my adulthood because as I grew, walls went up around me, in which I could protect myself from the outside. Now I was inside alright. Just not exactly where I longed to be. And I hid all of my feelings deep within those walls.

But eventually, walls do crumble. And later in life, I found that I was and am who I am because God made me not in the images of my family but in his image. And that made me ok because I no longer had to feel pulled in so many directions that tugged at me from everyone else. The more that I accepted who I was in Christ, the more I accepted that my family also had a right to be who they were in him. And when that realization hit me, it came with great relief in just allowing me to use the gifts, that God had instilled in me. I no longer had to live up to anyone's else's standards. I now had my own because I owned them with him.

And one other thing I learned later as well. Maybe my siblings felt some of the same things that I had felt as they grew up. My sister eventually got into a religion that really was way off in left field for me at any rate. My older brother had problems in his life that kept him locked away in his bedroom studying or doing whatever else he did there for all the years he lived at home. And my younger brother became an alcoholic and to my knowledge, still is. If I could trade my life for any of theirs now, there is no way I would want to do that. So in the end, I am blessed after all that I did not force my way into a hole that did not want me there.

If you feel like the square peg trying to fit into a round hole, or that you are on the outside crying to get in some place that you want desperately to be but can't seem to find the door, take heart. God has made you in one image only. His. And you do not have to find the right hole or door to get there. If you have found God, you have already found where you are supposed to be. It is time to stop trying that and instead use the gifts and talents that he gave you because you know what? They are for his glory, not any ones else. Not that they can't help someone else. Just that, as we grow in grace in the One that made us in the first place, those gifts flourish into who we are and can be used for his glory.

February 24, 2019, If anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation Old things are passed away and behold all things have become new. 2 Corthianians 5:17

Thanks for coming by today Friends. Have a blessed Lords Day. He loves you!

Just A Minute God....My KIds Need Me.

Have you ever found that there just doesn't seem to be enough time to spend with God, because your family needs you? Maybe your household is full of noise that comes with a family. Their activities, their boom boxes (are they still using those any more?), their video games that they want to turn on as soon as they get home from school. Or things like, "Mom, I need your help with my homework" or, "Mom, I am hungry." Or....well, you get the idea.

I was there once with my own family. My husband and I had four wonderful kids, and things could get pretty noisy from moment to moment it seemed. And yet aside from it all, I learned to spend time in God's word and prayer with him. Easy it wasn't. But some of the suggestions below, came out of how I learned how to spend time with God, even when I had other things that were important too.

1. I did my prayer and Bible reading after everyone was gone for the day. David sought the Lord in the morning in Psalm 63:1 he says, "Oh God, you are my God, early will I seek thee, my soul is thirsty for you, my flesh longeth for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water." Is your soul thirsty? How about your flesh? Does it long for God? If so, do as David did and seek God in the early hours of the day so that your whole day can be better for spending time with your Creator first.      
2. Acknowledge that time with God is the most important thing you need to do each day. Because at this time, praying for the needs of your family is very important. For their safety, for their provision. For whatever things they might be going through and perhaps the things that you are having to watch them go through with them. Prayer is the link to God, to help you through those times. And be sure to thank and praise him, not only for what he had done but for what he is going to do. 
3. Write down your prayer requests in some kind of journal or notebook. When God answers a specific prayer, make a note of it next to the request along with how he answered it. In this way, you can look back over it and see how many of your prayers were answered as in doing that, it helps your faith to grow.  
4.  Make bible reading a simple project. It doesn't have to take a lot of time. Better that it be of quality than quantity and the best way to start reading it is to start with the New Testament. Getting ahold of the ministry of Jesus and what his ministry on earth was. He taught a lot about life in his day which is also vital to us in our lives. Maybe you have questions about something you don't understand. So write those down and then ask God to help you understand  (If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously without finding fault...James 1:5 tells us) or ask a trusted Christian friend or pastor for help. 
5. In your notebook, jot down any verses that have a special meaning to you as you read. Ask God to reveal to you, how you can apply those verses to your life. An example for me had been when going through a tough time I used the scripture: When you go through the fire, I will be with you....Isaiah 43:2, was one of my go to verses to help me remember that I was not alone in whatever I was going through. And another way I used scripture was to jot them down on cards and put them in places through my house so that they would constantly be in front of me. This was a good way to memorize them as I would see them as well.
6. If you prefer you,  can always take advantage of bible studies that can help you, which you can find online. One website that I suggest is this one by the daughter of Billy Graham. Free Bible Studies and Lessons | Anne Graham Lotz | Angel Ministries
7. Lastly, make some kind of Bible reading and prayer a habit so that during the tough times that come your way, you don't hesitate to make it a priority. Seeking God for the answers will come naturally and not be so hard finding time for them if you have already established them ahead of time. Because life is tough at times, we need God to be ever-present. But we can't expect him to take time for us if we don't take time for him. 

February 23, 2019 Promise: If God is for us who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Indeed, who can be against us Friends? Thanks for your visit today. I hope you will be back tomorrow. Til then, God bless!

Are You Really There God?

Years ago, when my daughter was a teenager, she shocked me one day by saying that she had questioned God's existence. It was my belief at that time, that you knew God existed, therefore you were never to question it. It worried me at the time because maybe she would turn away from those things she had learned in church and the bible. She had accepted Jesus as Lord when she was eight years old. How could she question that God existed? Because no matter where I had been or what I had been through in my life, I never once doubted his existence.

But then she and I were born on the different sides of the spiritual track if you will. I came from a family that while very much dysfunctional, we were raised in a Christian home where my father made sure that we went to church, and he modeled God's love for us in the best way he could,. But that was not so for my daughter.

Her father was an alcoholic that drank for the first 15 years of her life until God did get ahold of him and took that from him. In those years, because of the alcoholism, we had placed too much responsibility on her and now all of a sudden, his becoming sober was taking some of that away from her, and frankly, it no doubt messed with her mind. She was being allowed to be a teenager now. For the first time ever, our family was becoming involved in church activities and she wasn't so much alone anymore in that sense. She had been going off to church on Sunday mornings with my sister's family that would pick her up. in her younger years, and later she went with some friends. Now as a family we were going.

I do understand  now why so many people today question God's existence. They look around at the world and see the devastation that goes on around them. The abuse of drugs and alcohol. The abuse that comes from parents that beat or starve their kids. Or sexual abuse that they put their kids through. All of which can and usually does have life long repercussions on them that would surely be a reason to call into question the existence of a God who says that he loves them. Why not. Maybe had I grown up with parents like that, I would have too.

I surely don't have all the answers. But I do know and believe that " we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which he has prepared in advance as our way of life." Ephesians 2:10.  Because that is what the word of God tells us we are and for me, there is no questioning about it as I know there is for so many others.

It is sad that so many do. They see all the bad, but don't see the good around them. It doesn't take much to see some of the good. Even in winter, and looking out our front door the other morning after the snow had fallen all during the night, it was so beautiful. And one day in a few weeks, that winter will turn into birds singing, and flowers blooming. The cold will turn to warm weather and eventually the cooler temperatures of fall will bring on the bright colors of the season that will then become winter again.

Oh, I know sometimes there are some times in between that aren't so great. Freezing temperatures, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, heat that makes people stay in the air conditioning.

Not to mention the tragedies that are a part of everyday life. Abuse, murders, etc.

And it is those times that we just have to put up with as with the bad or the evil things we hear about every day. We do the best we can. We feed the hungry, we help the elderly, some even take children to church, whose parents don't go. We lobby Washington for stricter laws to put criminals behind bars. We do what we can. But, for some still asking it,  "if you are truly there God, why don't you do something about all this? " And because it looks like he isn't doing what we want, our attitude becomes: God isn't real, because if he was, he would not let all this evil going on.

The thing we must realize is that God is the one calling the shots from his place in heaven. Not us. And those things on earth that are happening now, are only for a season. Seems like a very long one, doesn't it? And yet that is what Eccealastics says in Chapter 3:1-17. There is a time and a season for everything under heaven. And in that very verse in 17 says that God will judge the righteous and the wicked.

For many that time has already come and passed, as they pass from this life to another. For those that haven't passed, it is to come. In the meantime, the time to stop our questioning about God's existence is now and instead, just believe that he was and is. Because our time on earth is getting shorter and shorter.  And the day will come, that we won't have to try to figure it out any longer.

Thankfully, my daughter did come to grips with her questions about God's existence. I had regrets about her early years and the way things were for her. But she told me years later, one of the memories she had that helped her as a younger person, was coming home after school every day and hearing my praise and worship music playing and me singing along with it. No matter what else might be going on, that was the thing that got her through some of the things she was going through. I had no knowledge of that during those years. It just proved to me that what we do and say, matters in the big picture of helping our kids know God exists. And I thank God for using that in me, to help her. Like Mary, the mother of Jesus treasured the things in her heart about her Son Jesus that was born, in Luke 2:19, so will I always treasure what my daughter had told me that day that gave me peace about how God truly does turn our sorrow into joy and the bad into good. And it is all for his own glory.

February 22, 2019  Promise: You have armed me with strength for the battle. you have humbled my adversaries before me.

Hi, Friends Thanks ever for your visit today. I hope you have a blessed day as always!

Did Jesus Ever Weep While He Was On Earth?

In yesterdays blog, Jesus had been told that his good friend Lazarus had gotten ill and his sisters Mary and Martha were hoping that Jesus would come and heal him. But Jesus doesn't seem all that anxious to go to his friend and so he takes his time in going there. Finally, when he arrives, Lazarus has not only been dead but he has been buried for four days. Jesus went to his tomb and called to his friend, "Lazarus, come out!" And Lazarus did. But, this took place after Jesus had wept.

Why had he wept? If he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, it doesn't seem like something he would do, does it? Or does it?

There were people gathered there mourning the death of this man Lazarus. Jesus was among them finally, standing with Mary and Martha who were grieving the loss of their beloved brother. Jesus did not weep because he was about to bring Lazarus back to life, but John 11:33 says this about why he wept at this time: When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews that came with her also were weeping he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 

He had wept not because he was sad that his friend had died, but that he had compassion for those that were sad that Lazarus had died. He loved them and seeing how distressed they were, could not help but feel their loss in himself.

Jesus wept another time as well. Taking his last journey to Jerusalem before his crucifixion as he approached the city he began weeping over his own people. The people he had come to give his life for. Luke 19:41-44. The people that he said in Luke 13:34: ...how often would I have gathered you under my wings as a hen does her chicks and yet you would not have it."  


Jesus knew the destruction of Jerusalem was coming. He could see it, and they could not. Less than 40 years later, in 70 AD it came in one of the most gruesome and tragic sieges in history when more than 1,000,000 Jerusalem residents lost their lives and the Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Roman Government. Jesus knew it was coming, and that day he wept over his people because they did not have any idea and did not look to him for his salvation.

Jesus had compassion for his people. He has it for us. That is why he went to the cross for those that would acknowledge him and ask him into their lives. He still wants to take his children under his wings to keep them safe from the coming destruction. Because it will come. And it is not that far off. We see bible prophesy taking place more and more, as the times become more and more evil.

But he is waiting for those who will still repent because he loves them. He loves you and I. And he will wait until the time comes that he can wait no longer. And then for those that have not wanted to hide in the safety of his wings...it will be too late. As in the sad day of the destruction of Jerusalem when so many were destroyed so it will be in the coming of the Lord. Most likely he will weep for those that ..."would not have it."  Will he weep on that day for you? I truly pray not. You can have the assurance that it will not be you he is weeping for. But it is your decision. Please don't let it be too late when that time comes. If you need to know more about becoming a Christian and following Jesus, please go to my post: What is a Christian? for more help. You can find it under the word "saved" in the search engine as well.

February 21, 2019 Promise: Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Mathew 11:28

Hello, Freinds. Thanks for your visit. May God pour out his bountiful blessings on you today, and may you pass them on to those around you! Have a wonderful day!

Jesus the Miracle Worker/ From Death to Life

From Death to Life: Lazarus: John 11:17:36

Jesus did these miracles for a specific purpose. In John 11:41-42 we read his prayer to his Father: "Father I thank you that you heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

What was he talking about in this passage?

In this miracle that he had just done, Jesus had raised a dead man named Lazarus from the dead. Jesus had known he was ill. He was the brother of two sisters, Mary and Martha. All three were friends of Jesus and his disciples and were loved by Jesus. When he became ill, Mary and Martha had sent Jesus a message to let him know hoping he would come and heal Lazarus because he was near death. Jesus however, was in no hurry to get there to his home. The disciples were concerned about him going there because they knew there were people there that wanted to kill Jesus. Finally, he left to go there and by the time Jesus was near to his home, Lazarus had been buried for four days and Mary and Martha were very much grief-stricken. They were confused about why Jesus had not come to heal their brother but because they believed in him, they trusted him. And Jesus said to her: "Your brother will rise again." And then he went to the tomb where Lazarus was buried and wept for him because he loved his friend,  But then Jesus cried in a loud voice, "Lazarus come out." And he came out with his hands and feet bound in linen strips and a cloth around his face. Jesus said, "Unbind him and let him go."

Jesus had just raised someone that was dead, from the tomb. Why? It was for the benefit of the people that were there, that they would believe he was the Son of God. Another miracle to prove who he was and to increase their faith in him.

I can only imagine the looks on the faces of those in attendance that day. What must have gone through their minds?  Truly this was God's Son that was sent to them. And for us today, an example of his bringing life to us when we accept him. Because we were once dead in sin, and without hope but when we ask him to save us, he brings us eternal life which we will experience when this life passes from us.

A miracle happened that day for Lazarus and even all those that saw it happen. But we can have that kind of miracle in our own lives when we trust the Son of God that was sent to free us from death and instead gives us life eternal.

Bringing Lazarus back from the dead pre-empted the death and resurrection of Jesus and he proved to the world and especially his enemies that no grave could hold his friend Lazarus, nor would it hold the Son of the Living God.

February 20, 2019 Promise: I keep my eyes on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

Hi Friends. I apologize for my late post today. But I thank God that you are patient with me and still come to let me share with you. God richly bless you today and every day.

Jesus the Miracle Worker/ Jesus Walking on the Water;part 3 of 3

Have you ever felt like your boat has been rocked? Maybe it is today. Maybe it is right now. The storms of life come along, sometimes very unexpectedly and our lives can be tossed about in murky water. Problems arise that we sometimes do not know how to fix. And they can come in all kinds of ways. Through depression, money problems, divorce, abuse and much more. I saw a program on tv yesterday about a woman that had married someone that she thought was her 'night in shining armor' as it were. They had only known each other for six months and then suddenly got married and just a few short months later, he began beating her. Her boat had been seriously rocked because he was her second husband. She had already been through it with the first. Now, here was the man that she thought was going to love her for the rest of her life, and her life was again being tossed about.

Surely she might have thought that she was drowning in her situation. And that is exactly how the devil wants us to feel. Like there is no hope. No help for us. And for many many people, if they weren't drinking or taking drugs before, maybe when those storms hit, they are now We might just as well give up because things are never going to get better. We sometimes spend our days in bed, having no desire to get up and do what we need to do. And in not getting up and doing those things, we not only make things miserable for ourselves, but for those that are around us.

Thankfully there is hope and there is help. And God is the number one source for that hope. There are so many scriptures in his word that gives us hope if we dare open our Bibles to let them saturate our very being. One of my very favorites is in Isaiah 40:31. But those that hope in the Lord, will renew their strength. They will soar like the eagles, they will run and not be weary and walk and not faint. But we need not stop there because there are many more that we can focus on during the storms that have come our way.

God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1. When we let him into our hearts and lives, he will reach down into the deep waters to pull us out and save us from drowning. He will light our way out of the darkness and set our feet on solid ground, keep us safe the whole way. He is our hope. And he is our help when we put our trust in him.

February 19, 2019 Promise: Give thanks to the Lord. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

I am blessed that you came by today Friends. Have a blessed day!

Most of us have felt like the boats of our lives have rocked. The storms of life come and all of a sudden, or maybe even gradually, we have slipped out of our boat into the water, drowning second by second.

Jesus the Miracle Worker/Jesus Walking on the Water (part 2 of 3)

This miracle of Jesus walking on the water had been truly remarkable. No one had ever done the things that Jesus could do in real time. Only through some of the magic that you might see today on tv or elsewhere,  where what is happening isn't real but illusions. But that wasn't how it was when Jesus was doing the things he was doing. What he was doing, was the real thing.

One question from yesterdays blog is this: Why did Jesus send the disciples off so he could be alone? We have to remember that first and foremost, Jesus was God's Son. This alone trumped any earthly thing we think his life should have been like. For example in Mark 2:41-49, even as a twelve-year-old boy, Jesus had gone off somewhere  (while at the Feast of Passover) without his parents so that they had gotten worried and had to look for him. When they finally found him he was in Jerusalem sitting with the teachers in the temple. When his mother saw him, she asked him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have looked for you anxiously." Jesus replied, "Why do you seek me?  Don't you know I would be about my Father's business?" (verse 49)

Jesus was sent into this world to first do his heavenly Father's business. And after preaching and feeding of the 5000 that day, he needed time to do some praying. He was after all human as well as being God's Son. The human side of him probably needed this time to get  re-charged physically as well. Was he being selfish? Perhaps a little. But not in the context that we would think of it as. He needed to have time with his Father and it was better for his disciples to be doing something without him.

Did he realize the danger he was putting them in by sending them off in a boat that would soon be caught up in a storm and was he testing them by this? Sure, he knew about the storm. How could he have not, since he was God's Son? And no doubt it could have been a test of their faith.  God does test our faith at times. James 1:2-4. Not because he needs to see if we are passing them. He already knows that we will pass them or fail. But he does test us to show us where we are at in our own faith. If we pass them, we can rejoice. If we fail them, we know that we have some work to do so that the next time, we can pass the test that comes our way.

His disciples still needed to work on their faith, that indeed this was God's Son who had the very best interest and love for them. Not only that but that he would keep them safe in the deadliest storms of their life. And that if they would just step out like Peter had done, they could even surpass those storms to victory in Christ.

What had Peter done? No less than what you and I have done many times over. In trying to grow our faith in some trials we have gone through, we have begun to doubt that God could and would do what we needed and asked of him. And when that happens, all we have to do is cry out, "Lord, save me!" And thank God, he does.

I like the term 'growing our faith.' Because, when we have begun to sink because of our doubt, and then Jesus comes to our rescue, how can our faith not grow at least a little if not much more? And with it, comes faith for the next time that God looks down and sees that it is time for it to grow some more. Because we have seen that he got us through the last one.

This miracle, Jesus walking on water was not intended to be just a bible story for Sunday School. No, it was a lesson to you and me. For our every day lives. An event for Peter and his friends to see Jesus's work in action. Jesus was not just here to teach things and do miracles for no good reason. Everything he did and said had a purpose. And it was meant not only for the people in his day on earth but for those that have come after. All the way down to you and me. 

I find that in this teaching, there are two final questions. They are: Has your boat been rocked? And are you drowning? I hope you will come back tomorrow for part 3 of Jesus the Miracle Working/ Jesus Walks on the Water.

February 18, 2019 Promise: When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. Isaiah 43:2

Thanks for your visit today Friends. Have a blessed new week!

Jesus the Miracle Worker/Jesus Walks on Water/part one of three

As if the last miracle-when Jesus fed the 5000 people with a boy's lunch of bread and fish-wasn't a bonafide miracle, then his walking on the water had to be. Oh, there wasn't the huge fanfare of that one as there had been in his feeding the 5000 because this walking on the water had been reserved for a select group. His disciples.

And while you and I did not actually witness this miracle, we see it thousands of years later, through the pages of scripture. Mathew 14:22-33

Jesus had just finished his miracle of the fishes and the loaves and wanted to be alone for a while. So he told his disciples to get on a boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. While Jesus was praying (on dry land I might add) a storm had blown up and the boat and its passengers, the disciples, were in a real pickle.

I have no doubt that they wondered where Jesus was at. He had left them alone to go off and do his own thing. Why wasn't he there with them?

Before dawn, Jesus went onto the water and was actually walking on it, not in it. When they saw him, they were very much afraid. It had to be a ghost. But Jesus told them to have courage and not to be afraid. Peter wanted to know if this was his Lord and so he told Jesus, "If this you, tell me to come out on the water to you." Jesus said, "Come."

And then what did Peter do? Well, he started off believing Jesus would keep him safe and then because of the wind, he began to be afraid and started sinking down. "Lord save me!" he cried. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand to Peter to catch him saying. "You of little faith. Why do you doubt?"

When they climbed back in the boat, the disciples worshipped him saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."

Why do you suppose that Jesus left them to go off without him, so he could be alone? Did he know the danger that awaited them out on the water?  Was he just being selfish? Did he care? And if he knew there was going to be a danger to them, did he expect that they would fear it or have the faith to stay safe within the boat? Was this a test?

And lastly, what has this miracle got to do with those of us today? Is it just a good bible story for the children in Sunday School? Or does it have real substance? Come back tomorrow for some insight on those questions.

February 17, 2019 Promise: Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Psalm 32:1

Thanks for your visit today Friends. Have a blessed Lord's Day! For this is the day that he has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24

Jesus the Miracle Worker/The Fishes and Loaves/part 4

                             

                              
Miracle # 4:  Jesus & the Fishes and Loaves-John 6:1-14

Jesus had been healing the sick and because of this, he had gained quite a following of people that wanted to see these miracles. One day when Jesus saw a great crowd coming towards him he asked Philip a question to test him. "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Philip answered him, "It would take a half years wages to buy enough bread for each person to have a bite."  Andrew, one of the other disciples said, "Here is a boy with 5 small loaves of barley bread and 2 small fish, but how far will it go among so many?" 

(There were 5000 people there at that time. It was a  very viable question for someone to ask even though they were in the presence of God and still could not quite grasp on to the fact, that he could perform miracles.)

But of course, this situation was not one that was a problem for the Son of God. He simply told the disciples to have everyone sit down and he took the bread and fish, gave thanks for them and gave everyone as much as they wanted to eat of them. Afterward, when everyone had eaten all they needed, he had the disciples gather what was left into twelve baskets so that none would be wasted. 

If ever there was a miracle, this was one. We don't know how many people were around to see the first 3 miracles that Jesus performed. But we wonder if any of those three had as many spectators as did this particular one. Because verse 14 of that scripture says this:

After the people saw the sign that Jesus performed, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."

Maybe now, because of this miracle, they were beginning to figure out that he really was who he said he was. Oh yes, some would deny that later. Some would want him to be crucified. But for now, perhaps he was gaining some credibility with people. 

What can we learn from this passage?

1. That sometimes our faith isn't quite what it should be.
2. But that God knows what we have need of before we do
3. That he is able to provide even more then we ask for
4. And that he is truly the Prophet who had been foretold to come in Isaiah. And most importantly 
5. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

February 16, 2019  Promise: "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved."

Hi Friends. I apologize for not getting back here yesterday as I promised. Something came up but hopefully, I won't have any more interruptions for a while. In the meantime, tomorrow's miracle will be Jesus: Walking on the Water.  Hope you will come back then. God bless!

Jesus the Miracle Worker/Paralyzed Man part three

Miracle Number Five: Jesus Heals the Paralyzed Man

A quick review in John 5:1-17 finds Jesus in Jerusalem for a Jewish festival. And while there he encounters a man at a pool where many disabled people go to. This man had been paralyzed for 38 years. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed and the man said he had no one to help him into the pool. Jesus simply told him to get up, take his mat with him and walk. And the man did just that.

It did not take a lot of faith to do so. No prayers, no fasting, no anything. His healing was swift and complete by a God who loved him. 

In our sin we too are paralyzed and in need of healing. There was a time in my life when I couldn't get up and walk either. Not physically but spiritually. When I finally got a hold of God's word, and he began a work in my life, I started out just crawling like a baby in Christ. It was all I could do at the time. As I grew in God's grace, I finally could get up and walk. Sometimes that is just the way it is with some people. Others get ahold of the gospel and can take off running with it. 

God works with us as individuals. Each of us has different needs. Sure he can heal us as soon as we ask. But that is not always the way he works. There are things we sometimes need to learn that he wants to teach us. 

Wherever you are in your faith, don't get discouraged if he doesn't answer your prayer right away. Who knows, the lame man may have been praying for all those years for his healing. It was only when the time came that he met Jesus and got his healing. Just know that if you have sincerely prayed believing that God is going to do what you ask him, he has begun to work it out in your life because just as he healed the lame man that day, he is going to do the same for you in your life. All it takes is just that little bit of mustard seed, to get your mountain removal started. "Arise. Take up your mat and walk." Jesus said. That statement was made to the man over 2000 years ago,  but it is still true for us today.

February 14, 2019 Promise: God demonstrates his own love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Hi friends. Wow, what a wonderful promise for Valentines Day! Where would we be without his love for us? I hope you have a wonderful day today and get to share your love with you Valentine(s). Come back tomorrow for the next miracle: Jesus and the fishes and loaves. Happy Valentines and God bless.

Jesus the Miracle Worker/ The Government Officials Son part two

Jesus was in Cana again when he did his second miracle. John 4:43-54. A royal official had a very sick son who was near death. He went to Jesus and said, "Lord, come down before my young child dies." Jesus told him, "Go on your way. You son lives."

The official believed Jesus and started back home. On his way, his servants met him and told him that his son was alive. The man asked them what time the boy had gotten better and they said it was one in the afternoon of the day before that his fever left him. It was at that exact time that Jesus had told him that his son would live. He had believed Jesus could heal his son, and when he found that his son was indeed living, he and his whole household became believers.

This was no small deal. This man was a government official of King Herod Antipas who later had John the Baptist beheaded on his daughter's request to bring his head to her on a silver platter. Mark 6:21:29.

However, being a government official did not stop him from believing. Nor did it stop him from being a dad first. He loved his son. He was probably very distressed and afraid that he was going to lose his son. Did he wonder if he should take a chance and ask this man of Galilee that claimed to be the Son of God, to heal his son and see what would happen? What would happen to him and his family if he did that?

We don't know. What we do know is that if he had questions going through his mind that he could possibly get in trouble by asking Jesus to intervene, he was more concerned for his son to let anything stop him. And because of his hope, his son was healed and his whole family became believers.

Can we have that kind of faith today? Knowing all we do so many centuries later? It doesn't take much. In Luke 17:6 he says, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."

That takes a lot of faith. Doesn't it? Or does it? Jesus says it doesn't. Just as the government official believed that Jesus could heal his son, we must have even the tiniest bit faith to ask God for those things we need and desire. And just as he did as this dad asked, he will do for us if we truly believe.

Oh, the answers to our prayers may not come as quickly as it did for this man. They may not always come just the way we want them, because God knows what is best for each of us. But the answers do come. They may be-yes, no, or wait. But they do come when God deems the time is right and  in the way that they should be answered.

Do we have the faith of a mustard seed? We can. All it takes is trusting in Jesus and following him. And when we do, he sets our course on a straight path, going before us to light our way out of darkness. It is a journey that will eventually lead us home to him. All because we dared to first believe.

February 13, 2019 Promise: For we are God's masterpiece. Created in Christ Jesus so that we can do those things he prepared for us long ago. 1 Timothy 4:12

Hello Friends. I am glad you came by. Come back tomorrow for the third miracle of Jesus: The healing of the lame man. Have a blessed day!

Jesus the Miracle Worker/ The Wedding and Drinking Wine part 2 of 1

Jesus had done the impossible by providing wine for a wedding when it had run out. He had been prompted by his mother Mary. One question is does this account mean that it is ok for Christians to drink?

The bible does not say that as Christians we can not drink wine or other alcoholic beverages. It does say not to be drunk with wine, but to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18. That is a far cry from the alcoholism that inflicts famlies even today.

Drunkenness comes from sin. Some call it a disease and while it may be that to a degree, it is like a friend had said recently that she believes it to be a " disease of choice." In other words, if you chose to drink and you become an alcoholic, you have chosen it to be a disease that affects you. Of course, people don't usually see it that way, and probably don't even see it happening in themselves. But basically, that is what it is. Sinful people will do sinful things and as Dr.Phil says at times on his program, "If you choose the behavior, you chose the consequences." Alcoholism is a behavior or a disease if we wish to call it that, of drinking to excess, and it is better to reject it if we feel it could become a problem for us. 

There are other places in the bible where wine was had by people. Mathew 26:27-29, Mark 14:25, Psalm 104:14-15 and others. But Proverbs 20:1 also says that wine is a mocker, a strong drink and it is not wise to be led astray from it.
And we see and hear about the damage it does every day in the lives of people that drink any kind of alcoholic beverage.

And so, did Jesus come to set us to sin by not coming right out to condemn it and instead provided it for wedding guests during his first miracle? Of course not. He knew no sin, there was no deceit found in his mouth. I Peter 2:22. He calls us to a holy life. 1 Peter 1:16. Hopefully, that is what we as Christians strive to be every day. But when we fall, we can turn to God for the forgiveness of our sin and he is faithful and just to forgive of it when we confess it and ask him. 1 John 1:9.

February 12, 2019 Promise: I am the Lord that heals you. Exodus 15:26

Hi Friends. I hope you are having a wonderful week. Please come back tomorrow for the next miracle of Jesus. God bless!

Jesus: The Miracle Worker/The Wedding/part 1 of `

Most of us have at least heard about the miracles that Jesus performed during his ministry on earth. And many of us have believed they took place. There are some very well known ones, but are there perhaps some we don't know about?

I don't know the answer to that question. I am sure it could be plausible. But wondering about it is taking me into the Bible to check out some of those that are recorded in the gospels in some depth beginning with his first one, and then in the next few days, continuing on with some others.

Jesus Turns the Water into Wine John 2:1-11

Jesus, his mother Mary, and his disciples had been invited to a wedding in Cana. While there, the hosts had run out of wine and so his mother Mary had said to Jesus, "They have no more wine."

It seems obvious to me that Mary was perhaps suggesting that Jesus could do something about the situation. Jesus does not really seem anxious to get involved but he did. Could it have been an act of obedience to his mother?

Again, I do not know. But he does follow through in that he told the servants to fill 6 jars with water and the servants did so filling them to the brim.

Jesus had told them than to draw out some of it and give it to the governor of the feast. And when he had tasted the water which had by then turned to wine, the governor did not know where the wine had come from and so he called for the bridegroom to inquire of it.

Why is this miracle so important as being the first one that Jesus performed? Could it be as stated above, that Jesus was using it as a lesson that even though we are adults, we should listen to and even obey our parents? Could it be that it was a defining moment in the lives of the guests and also the disciples that Jesus really who he said he was? After all, not just anyone could turn water into wine as he had done that day. Could it be that it gave permission to Christians that is was ok to drink? Or was there some other reason which we have missed?

Today, alcoholism and drug abuse run rampant in our society. And it didn't just start in more recent years, of course. But it begs the question of why it so bad if even Jesus provided it for the guests at the wedding.

No Bible scholar am I, and I do admit that. And there are certainly people that should steer clear of it for sure. Some in my own family have had drinking problems. For me it is totally out of the question. Not because I would ever become an alcoholic. More like, I would never because I can't stand the smell or taste of what I have had in my youth, which was a blessing because I eventually saw what kind of damage it could do to families firsthand, and so it was easy for me to stay away from.

But does the Bible say any more about it, then what is given in this miracle of Jesus? Or was he really setting us up to sin and fall into the problems that it causes? Come back tomorrow for what we can learn in reference to those questions.

February 11, 2019 Promise: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Hello Friends. I hope you are getting a great start off to the new week! As for us in this part of the country, we got some more snow yesterday. But I am not complaining. I actually like winter even though it can get pretty cold. Even at that, our winter this year really hasn't been too bad. Yet! It isn't over yet so I am good if it doesn't get any worse. Because it has in the past years and some of them were not fun at all. LOL. Anyway, I pray for God's blessing on you today!

Parables from the Mouth of the Master part 8

The Parable of Drawing the Net

Once again the kingdom of is like a net that was let down into a lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fisherman pulled up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets and threw the bad fish away. This is how the end of the age will be. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 13:47-50

Of the parables Jesus talked about in Mathew 13, I think this one is the one that is most self-explanatory, not needing any more of an explanation for. It is quite clear. God's kingdom is getting closer and closer to the time when this will take place. We hear from unbelievers from time to time, that how can all that be true. As believers know, Jesus was crucified over 2000 years ago and nothing has happened yet. Some people, don't even believe in him, let alone that he was who he claimed to be. It is easier for them to not believe because if they did they might have to stop getting to enjoy the sinful way they are living. They might have to answer to a higher power, that being God. Because after all, Christians don't have any fun. Really what kind of fun is that? Right?

Peter 2 in verse 3:9 says that God is long-suffering. He doesn't want anyone to perish but wants all to come to salvation. For those that do not believe and do not want anything to do with his salvation, they are the ones the angels will separate from the righteous and will end up in the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. There will be no end for them there, no parties to enjoy, no longer any hope for them. The so-called "fun times" of this world will no longer be available to those that live in this world for them. God doesn't want it that way for us. The question we need to ask ourselves, is do we? Because there will come a time when if we don't settle it now, it will be too late.

February 10. 2019 Promise: The house of the wicked shall be overthrown. Proverbs 14:11

Hi Friends. Thanks for coming today. This week we have been looking at some of the Parables of Jesus and what he meant by them. Today's parable concludes those in the 13th chapter of Mathew. But there are others that we can look at. I plan to check into some of those in future blogs and instead go with something else for a few days. I hope you will come back tomorrow.

God Bless you and yours on this the Lord's Day!

Parables from the Master' Mouth part six

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again and was very happy. So he went and sold all that he had and he bought that field. Mathew 13:44

What treasure was Jesus talking about to his disciples? And who was this man that found the treasure, sold all he had and went back to buy the field?

Back in Mathew 13:38 Jesus said that "the world is the field." He came as a man to find the treasure of this field which is you and I. But he couldn't just take us home with him because we are of a sinful nature and God will not allow sin into his kingdom. And so Jesus had to take on the form of a man (John 14:1) to dwell among us and then at the appointed time, he started his ministry which ultimately ended with his own death on the cross for our sins.

Ahhh, but did his ministry end there? Of course not. He taught his disciples to carry on for him after he went back to his home in heaven, and they spread the gospel which has since that time, is still being spread all over the world. 

In the course of his life here on earth with his crucifixion, Jesus did buy our salvation with his blood. He paid a cruel, painful, and horrible price for the sins of man. He sold it all out for our freedom. He bought the rights to you and me. 

However...

...the thing is, even though salvation is a free gift, he doesn't just give it to us. There is something you and I have to do first and that is because we are of a sin nature and God is not going to let sin enter his kingdom.  You see a gift from someone is accepted by the person the gift is given to. It is that person's responsibility to accept it if he wants it. 

Likewise, it is the responsibility of you an I to accept his free gift of salvation if we want it.

I am sure Jesus was not excited or elated with joy for having to go to the cross to die for us. Luke 22:44 says "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat fell like drops of blood on the ground."  No, Jesus was not overjoyed at all. But in doing so, he has great joy when one person, trusts him enough that he would ask Jesus forgiveness of his sin. That is the treasure that he gave his all for. 

What does it mean that the man buried his treasure in the land again after he first found it? Well, I am not sure of the answer to that. Maybe it means that those of us that have accepted him are living in this world but have accepted him and our home is in heaven when our time is here to get there. We just have not gotten there yet.  Maybe it is those people that haven't quite excepted him yet but he knows they are getting ready to and the treasure in them that will soon be his, is just being delayed until he has bought the field. (Until Jesus was crucified and was raised from the grave)

Maybe I am all but beaten off the path with those suggestions.

Whatever it might be, I know that you and I are the treasure for the Man (God) Christ Jesus, who sold himself out, gave up everything he had so that we would one day live with him. And that is a treasure for us that is way beyond belief.... left only to our imaginations and what the bible says about it of course, but also what you and can experience in reality one day!

February 8. 2019 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes on him, will have eternal life. John 3:16

Thanks for coming by Friends. Tomorrow we will take on the parable of the pearl. God bless!

Parables from the Master's Mouth part seven

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls who when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and he bought it.  Mathew 13:45-46

This parable is very similar to yesterday's parable about the hidden treasure. As we know, pearls are hidden way down in oysters in the ocean. They are hard to find as not every oyster will have a pearl hidden within them. In fact, many do not.

Likewise, what we can take away from both of these parables, among the things already mentioned, is that the kingdom of heaven holds for us many mysteries. The treasures within, are hidden and very precious. But not everyone will find them. They cannot be had because we are intelligent or have great influence or by any way other than what God gives us. 1 Corthianians 2:7-8 says that very thing, and that is that if the rulers of this age had known the secret and hidden knowledge from God, they would not have crucified him. No king or any other power on earth had that hidden treasure due to anything that had to do with themselves. Those that had it, received it only through God.

So many people miss it. They refuse and even deny the need for a Savior in their lives all because they want to think that their own brains and intelligence is all they need when it isn't. Because of this, the kingdom of heaven and all its hidden treasures are off limits to them unless and until they find that hidden pearl of great price, which is the redemptive work of the shed blood of Jesus Christ who wishes that none perish but that all would come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9. 

When we find it, that pearl is worth everything to us. When it gets right down to it, we truly have no need for anything else. And while some of heaven's mysteries still elude us, they do so only for a season because one day, we will see them in all their glorious beauty,  in all that awaits us in heaven. 

Our lives are too fleeting on earth. We have no greater need then the salvation that Jesus wants to give us. But it is up to us. Do we consider God a crutch, like so many do? Or do we look and find that precious gift that we can have only through Christ? God is longsuffering and he doesn't want us to perish, but  He will only wait on each of us for so long and then it may be too late.

February 9, 2019 Promise: I will go before you and make the crooked paths straight. Isaiah 45:2

Thanks for your visit Friends. May I ask a favor of some of you. If you know of any of your family or friends that may benefit from this blog, will you please pass it on to them? I would indeed appreciate it. God bless!

Up tomorrow: Parable of Drawing in the Net

Parables of the Master's Mouth part five

 

Jesus told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened." Mathew 13:3

In the parable of the leaven (yeast), Jesus had several things he wanted his disciples (as all Christians going forward) to know and understand about his Kingdom.

We know that a small amount of leaven added to the dough will spread until it becomes large enough to bake a loaf of bread.

Likewise, the gospel of Jesus Christ started out with 12 people. His disciples. In Mathew 28:16-20 he commissioned them ( later becoming known as the Great Commission) to go out in to 'all the world',baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all that he commanded and that he would be with them until the end of the age.

But as leaven starts out small, the disciples took the gospel out and it spread through all Jerusalem and ultimately it has worked its way through all the world.

And just as the leaven in dough works in secret to expand the dough, God's kingdom works in the hearts of those that believe. It is not something that can be observed, Jesus told the Pharisees in Luke 17:20-21, because it was in their midst. Likewise, it is not something we can see either because it is in our hearts.

It changes us from the inside out, not the other way around It came that way, through the ministry of our Lord Jesus, his ministry on this earth along with his death and resurrection which was needed for us to not only to spread his message but to reign with him in paradise one day.

Leaven takes something small and makes it into something wonderful to not only eat but to smell as well.

Our lives which have begun small spiritually should do likewise as we grow in the grace of God. Learning his word and spreading it to everyone we know so that his Kingdom will continue to grow until he comes to take his church home to live with him forever. Are we living that way today? If not, it should be first and foremost in the desire of our hearts. He didn't just leave the Great Commission up to those disciples. He gave it to all of us. And we need to embrace it. Do you?

February 7, 2019 Promise: Let us not grow weary for doing good. For in due season we will reap if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Thanks for your visit again today Friends. I pray that you will come back tomorrow for the parable of the Hidden Treasure. Now, what could the hidden treasure be? Do you know? Maybe it is diamonds, rubies, gold? Come back tomorrow for the answer. Til then, be blessed of our Lord!

Parables from the Master's Mouth part four

The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First, collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

Have you ever had a garden where you have planted fruits and vegetables only having to deal with the weeds that pop up and if not properly taken care of, would choke out the things you wanted in the first place? Maybe you have encountered them while mowing the grass or having to use a weed eater to destroy them.

In this teaching, Jesus is talking about the world and the field represents unsaved people. Heaven is the good seed which is those that have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and the place we want to be when our life ends. 

The tares, (weeds) in this account, is Satan. He pops up among Christians to destroy their faith, and lead them astray. And sometimes we don't really know who they are because they hide it so well. Others, we can see as the work of the devil as Jim Jones that drove many people to suicide, or some of the televangelists that have preached the message of the Cross but have themselves committed the sin that they preached against. 

The servants of the owner of the field wanted to know if they should get rid of those people who are not really from God, and Jesus told them "no" because sometimes we don't know who the true believers are and who isn't.  Those that are not true believers are to stay until Christ returns and then he will weed them out from those that are, at that time. 

For more teaching on this subject please go to: What is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares?

Up tomorrow: The Parable of the Leaven or Yeast.

February 6, 2019 Promise: For his anger lasts only for a moment, but his favor lasts for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Hi Friends. I am sorry I couldn't get this posted this morning. I am got to feeling better and am glad I could get it done. I hope and pray you are having a wonderful day. God bless!