August 11, 2012 A Good List

A Good List Matthew 5:1-12 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” YOU’VE probably seen these “blessings” on a wall plaque or on a list somewhere. The “beatitudes” or blessings of Jesus are wonderful words to live by as you go through the joys and trials of everyday life. When you realize there is joy out of the mourning, there is strength out of the meekness, there is reward for offering mercy and peace, you can see how good it is to live in the Lord’s ways. To bless someone means to add value to someone’s life. In this list, Jesus adds to your life a view past “right now” to point you to a blessed life with him forever. It’s True! Blessed are those who believe in Jesus.

August 10, 2012 Why Geneologies?

Why Genealogies? Matthew 1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: SO, YOU’RE all excited to read Matthew’s Gospel about Jesus’ teachings, but then you come to this—a genealogy. Are you still excited? You might be if genealogy is your hobby. Or you might just skip over it and get to the “good stuff”. Why would it be good to pause and consider the genealogy? Actually, this genealogy is for you because Matthew desires his readers to know the Gospel’s truth. Matthew was a Jew—his name was Levi when Jesus found him in the tax collector’s booth. He’s one of the two disciples whose account of Jesus’ life is in the Bible. Matthew is writing to convince other Jews that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah from David’s line. Matthew’s original title is “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” In the Jewish language, this means this is the total story of Jesus, the Messiah. Matthew indicates he is about to reveal the truth of Jesus’ birth, his life’s activities, his suffering, his death, his resurrection and his ascension! Imagine what the first Jewish readers thought when they saw the title. They may have excitedly opened it to say, “I want to learn all about the Messiah!” Others may have said, “You’ll have to prove this to me, Matthew.” Others may have said, “I’m sure this is a bunch of lies. The Messiah certainly wasn’t Jesus.” So, the genealogy is part of the testimony of the truth of Jesus Christ. It is a snapshot of God’s grand picture of salvation come from Abraham to you. It’s True! Matthew wrote to prove Jesus to the Jews. I pray he’s proved it to you.

August 9, 2012 All That Matters

All That Matters Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. THE TEACHER teaches well. He teaches true. His words are words of life for you. As you long to see God, he will show up. The Teacher reminds you life is beyond your human understanding. You strive to know, “Why?” You get close, but you don’t quite reach that place of complete understanding, knowing what God is saying to you and what he wants you to know. You want the music of God’s voice to strengthen you and comfort you. You long for God’s voice to save you from discouraging and disappointing days. I think the song “Sound of Your Voice” by Third Day is a good modern day paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 12:13-14: I ran away from your love But you waited for me Yes, you waited for me And then I heard your song Singing over me Singing over me Now that I hear you, Lord I want to know you more I want to know you more Sing your song to me Oh, there’s no greater thing Than to listen to the sound of your voice When I hear your song I want to sing along And listen to the sound of your voice The sound of your voice Yes, God’s voice comes to give to your life truth and meaning. Listen to his voice. Know the good things he has for you. Keep away fromevil. Walk with him on a faith journey of wonder and joy. It’s True! God gives your life meaning.

August 6, 2012 Life Help

Life Help Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. THIS PRETTY well covers it, don’t you think? We live in a world of change. The events of time and conditions of human life are very different and occur in conjunction with each other as life moves from moment to moment. And what causes life to move and events to change? Of course, it is God, the Maker of Heaven and earth. You do not have the power to change what is appointed for you, but you do have the Lord to guide you through what he gives you. People will say, “God doesn’t give you what you can’t handle.” That’s not true. He gives you life you can’t handle on your own. He wants you to turn to his wisdom to help you know what to do. It’s True! Life comes from God. So does His wisdom to live life.

August 5, 2012 Where's Meaning?

Where’s Meaning? Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? ECCLESIASTES is a book of varied thoughts, a wide range of emotions and an ultimate understanding that everything outside of God is meaningless. To go from this beginning to the end of the book, the writer contemplates what life looks like from a human point of view, and helps you see what life means from God’s point of view. The evidence isn’t conclusive, many credit Solomon, the son of King David, to be the author. Although he was a man of immense wealth and wisdom, he had strayed from God. As he approached the end of his life, God gave him a view of his family’s future. As God’s punishment to Solomon, God would remove his descendants from Judah’s throne. These opening words to Ecclesiastes are Solomon’s response to what God’s Spirit had revealed to him. Solomon saw that he kingdom of Rehoboam, his son, was about to be divided with Jeroboam, the son of Nebat; and the temple he had built would be destroyed. Solomon also saw that the people of Judah would be sent into captivity. Solomon is seeing that his earthly work will come to nothing for his family’s future. Solomon has rejected the legacy of wisdom and truth in God. He has traded God’s ways for the world’s ways. And all is empty. Yes, what he says here is true. All is meaningless IF you look at the world. Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s plea for meaning in life. What he forgot is that life’s meaning comes only from Life himself. It’s True! Life gives breath to life.

August 3, 2012 Jesus Feeds You

Jesus Feeds You Matt 16:8-12 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." WHAT don’t you understand? Why do you constantly need convincing that Jesus is LORD and that he is King over all things—even you? Jesus is wondering that about his disciples. They had twice witnessed miraculous meals of thousands of people from a few loaves of bread and fish. They had seen many blind, lame and mute people healed. Yet, in the Scripture prior to this, they wondered how they would get food for themselves that night in a remote place. In the miracles, Jesus was displaying his glory to his disciples. He was showing them physical healings and offering spiritual teachings. Yet it seems that all the things Jesus had done made no difference to their relationship with Jesus. Daily, Jesus had to begin again to teach them. So do you. The world floods you with doubt. You ask yourself, “What do I do?” instead of seeking Jesus, “Show me the way, Lord.” To combat the doubt, I urge you listen to your LORD’s words. Notice what he is doing in your life. Notice and remember the blessings he gives you, and you will trust him in testing times. It’s True! Jesus is always ready to feed you.

August 2, 2012 The Healer is Here

The Healer is Here Matthew 14:34-36 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. WHAT DOES it take to know the healing power of Jesus? You must recognize him and believe on him. That’s what happened in Gennesaret. Do you see what the men did when they recognized our Lord as he came off the boat? They went to “all the surrounding country” to tell people he was here. “The healer is here. The one who makes the blind see, the deaf hear the lame walk. He is here!” Did they have to persuade people to come? No. The people had heard, and they were ready for him. Oh, that this would be so today for friends, for family, for neighborhoods that deny our Lord. How wonderful it would be if they came running to touch his cloak and receive his incredible power of cleansing and restoration. How truly magnificent it would be to see this healing of bodies and souls within our midst. Pray for such things. Pray the Lord will come through you, that people will recognize the Lord in you and the church, that they will come running to touch him in profound and eternal life-changing ways. It’s True: Jesus healing is really for you.