Thursday, January 31, 2013

Matthew 16-20


Jesus is the foundation, the Rock that our faith is built upon. The demons of hell will not be able to destroy any house that is built upon that foundation. To identity with this foundation, one must be willing to forsake all, take up the cross, and lose himself in Christ. (mat16)

The level of faith needed to accomplish certain task is a direct correlation to the our willingness to pray and fast. The impossibilities are made possible when we earnestly seek the father, and willingly sacrifice our base and natural desires. (mat 17)

The heart of a child is seen as being innocent and in need for one to care for it. A child depends on those older to take care and explicitly will put their trust in the one who cares for him/her. They submit to the rule and authority of those older than them. They know they are not strong enough to stand alone and rely on the strength of someone else. Jesus said, “Unless we become as little children, we will not make to heaven” (mat18)



The ability to forgive indefinitely goes beyond human effort. We must be willing to let go of our hurt, anger, and frustration and let God’s forgiveness flow through us. 70 times 7 seems a life time.(mat18)



The price of eternal life goes beyond keeping God’s commandments with respect to how we treat each other, it requires a total abandonment of our affections and desires of our heart. A full surrender to the the will of God to leave all behind and follow Him (mat19)



The gifts of God are given without respect of person. Salvation is provided to the young and the old  a like. Heaven is not earned by how long you have served God, but is gain by God who gives liberally to all who receive Him. (mat20)



The greatest people on earth are those who are willing to serve. If one is seeking to be great by climbing the ladder of power to rule, they have been deceived, and their fall will be great. Greatness among men is found when one is willing to lay down their lives to save another. Jesus paid the ransom for the world. (mat 20b)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Matthew 13-15


The Gospel seed is sown into the hearts of humanity. It is the willingness of the heart that will determine what will grow and become a mature plant. A Christian becomes strongly rooted because they cultivate the soil of obediences, so that the roots go deep. (Mat13)

The Children of God (Christians) live in world with the Children of the devil (tares) At the end of the world, the angels will come and destroy the wicked, but those who have sold out to follow Christ will shine forth as the sun. (mat13)

John the Baptist paid the ultimate price for preaching the truth. Before one is ready to give their heart to Christ, they must acknowledge their sin and be sorry for it. Herod was not ready for the gospel of forgiveness because he was not ready to repent. John’s death was not in vain, Christ healed the sick and feed the multitudes (mat14)

Life is full of storms (bad circumstances) that cause us to fret, fear, and threaten our contentment in life. Our faith is challenges when we are ask to trust God to take care of those problems. But, if we can only keep our eyes on Jesus, He will keep us safe during the storms of life. (mat14)- Conflict is unavoidable, but it is a time that we often reflect and consider how we could have done things differently.

Sin is manifested in man because the heart is evil. Breaking tradition is not a sin, breaking the commandment of God reveals the true nature of man.(mat15)

It matters not what our station in life is, God is no respecter of person to those who are willing to believe that He IS and He is able to do that which we ask. Great is thy faith to those who believe God for the impossible. (mat15)