SOULJournal

Matthew 20

SCRIPTURE
Matthew 20:1-16

OBSERVATION
This seems unfair to me that everyone gets the same pay regardless of how hard they worked.

UNDERSTANDING
If we look at this parable as the reward for our faithfulness as Christians then this parable does not compute, but we need to look at this parable from the perspective of salvation.  God's principle for salvation is that everyone who comes in faith to His Son Jesus, receives the same salvation.  It does not matter if a person comes to God at a young age and lives a long life of faithful service, or whether it is on their deathbed, the same salvation is given.  A great example is the thief on the cross across from Jesus.  He believed and repented and Jesus told him that he was in.  Wow.  It may seem unfair to us from a human perspective but from God's viewpoint it is totally just because none of us are worthy of salvation and yet still Jesus paid the price for all of us.  And here is what I like about this story, He continued all day long going and looking for people and inviting them to work in the vineyard. 

LIFE APPLICATION
God continues to draw men to Himself, inviting them to experience the gift of salvation.  It is never too late to accept and the salvation is the same regardless of when you accept, but don't put it off when the invitation is given because life does not have a guarantee.  As Christ-followers we need to remember to not give up on people, continue to pray and partner with God in inviting them into receiving the wonderful gift of salvation.  As Peter reminds us, "The Lord does not wish that any perish but for all to come to repentance."

Matthew 19

SCRIPTURE
²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "What I'm about to tell you is true. It is hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. But it is even harder for the rich to enter God's kingdom."

OBSERVATION
Why would Jesus say it was impossible for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven?

UNDERSTANDING
People who are rich (read all of us) tend to have a false security in their riches.  Because wealth can provide for many of our needs and wants, we tend to rely on our riches rather than depending on God.  There is this attitude of self-sufficiency that overtakes us.  When we have great material resources we tend to believe that we have no need for God.  The rich young ruler was earnestly desiring eternal life but in asking him to give it all away Jesus was checking to see if he was truly desiring the things of heaven over the things of this world.  As people who have been materially blessed we find that we are more closely tied to those earthly treasures than the heavenly ones. 

I believe that the young ruler was a seeker who desired eternal life but in the exchange that takes place Jesus points out the fact that the ruler thought that it was something that we could procure on our own terms.  "If I obey all the commands and if I have enough money I could buy the right sacrifices, and give away the right amount, etc so that I can have eternal life."  He was trusting in his wealth and good works to get him into heaven and that is just impossible.  It is impossible for us to be able to do those things on our own which is why God sent Jesus.

LIFE APPLICATION
Just like the rich man in the story Jesus confronts us today asking, what will you trust, riches or Me?  It is impossible for us to make it on our own, to buy our way in, to "good deeds" our way in, but Jesus reminds us of some great news as the story ends, "With man, that is impossible. But with God, all things are possible."

Matthew 18

SCRIPTURE
²¹ Peter came to Jesus. He asked, "Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

 ²² Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but 77 times.

OBSERVATION
Seventy times seven seems severe.

UNDERSTANDING
Forgiveness is not natural to us, in fact we find it very difficult to forgive others. Yet nothing more epitomizes the new nature of Christians as forgiveness.  It was the way of Jesus...betrayed, falsely accused and convicted, punished unjustly, nailed to a cross to die a slow and painful death, His words were, "Father forgive them..."  Instead of hatred He offered forgiveness.

One of the reasons I believe that David was called a man after God’s own heart was his own forgiving and merciful heart. Although Saul tried, time and again,to kill David, David refused to harm Saul because he was the Lord’s anointed and refused to harbor any hatred against him.

Forgiveness reflects the highest human virtue, because it reflects the character of God. A person who forgives is a person who emulates godly character. Nothing demonstrates God’s love as His forgiveness. A person who refuses to forgive is lacking in godly character. A Christian who will not let go of a hateful, resentful attitude toward someone who has wronged him is a person who has not fully embraced who God is and what He has done for us. An unforgiving Christian is a living contradiction of His new nature in Christ. It is central to the heart of God to forgive, and only the Christian who radiates forgiveness radiates true godliness.

Forgiveness is a vital key to unity in the family of God, because it is the key to love and the key to all meaningful relationships. Only forgiveness can break down the barriers that sin continually and inevitably builds up between people, including God’s people. We are at our best when we are forgiving. Because we have been forgiven so much by God, we, of all people, should be most forgiving of others, especially those of the family of God.

LIFE APPLICATION
Lord help me to forgive as you have forgiven me.  I pray for many who struggle with forgiveness, may we all be impacted by who you are, who we were and what you did for us.  May the world know that we are Christians by the way we truly love others in how we forgive them.

Matthew 17

SCRIPTURE
^20-21He replied, "Because your faith is much too small. What I'm about to tell you is true. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, it is enough. You can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there.' And it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." 

OBSERVATION
The disciples had been unable to drive out this demon, and they asked Jesus why. They had cast out demons before; why hadn’t this demon responded? Jesus pointed to their lack of faith.

UNDERSTANDING
I think that the disciples had tried to drive out the demon with their own ability rather than God’s and if that was the case then their hearts and minds were not in tune with God, so their words had no power. Their question revealed their error; they centered on themselves, not on Christ.

Obedience is the one sure characteristic of the surrender of faith. Faith that is not coupled with obedience is a pretense.—Andrew Murray

Jesus tells them that as long as they are believing in His power to accomplish the task it does not take a great amount of faith to do the impossible.  He tells them that they need faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains.  We must remember that faith is acting in obedience to God’s initiative with the firm belief that He will do what He promised.  Too often I think that this passage has been misconstrued to mean…

• If you’re sick and prayers do not seem to make a difference, you’ve got a serious problem with faith.
• Anything you pray for should happen. You’ve got a magical power over other people and events.
• The Himalayas themselves should be portable, if your faith is strong enough.

I don’t believe that faith is a carte blanche to supernatural power. Faith does not make God your personal genie. But …faith is the strongest power in the world, because it connects with God as we partner with Him to accomplish His will on earth as it is in heaven.

LIFE APPLICATION
God rewards faith, even weak faith, and God loves our trust of him, even beginning trust. Where faith is alive and growing, God is present and active. 

Lord as I follow after you I pray that you will increase my faith.  Let your power flow through me so that I may be your servant here on earth. 

 

Matthew 16

SCRIPTURE  
²⁴ Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. He said, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must say no to himself. He must pick up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ If he wants to save his life, he will lose it. But if he loses his life for me, he will find it.

OBSERVATION
Recognizing and confessing belief in Jesus as the Messiah is only the beginning of discipleship. Jesus invites every person to follow, but those who desire to follow him must have three attitudes: (1) a willingness to deny themselves, (2) a willingness to take up the cross, and (3) a willingness to follow.

UNDERSTANDING
To deny yourself means to surrender self-gratification in order to discover and do God’s desires. It is a willingness to let go of selfish desires and earthly security. It is turning self-centeredness to God-centeredness. “Self” is no longer in charge; God is. 

To take up the cross was a vivid illustration of the humility and submission that Jesus was asking of his followers. When Jesus used this example of his followers taking up their crosses to follow him, the disciples got the picture. Death on a cross was a form of execution used by Rome for what they considered dangerous criminals. A prisoner carried his own cross to the place of execution, signifying submission to Rome’s power. Following Jesus, therefore, meant identifying with Jesus and His followers, facing social and political oppression and ostracism, and no turning back. For some, taking up the cross would mean death. Jesus tells us that his followers have to be prepared to obey God’s Word and to follow his will no matter what the consequences. 

LIFE APPLICATION
We must count the cost and be prepared to pay it.  To follow Christ is a moment-by-moment decision to let Him lead no matter the cost.  How often we will let Him lead as long as the going is good but we want to take the reins when we don't like the direction He is leading us in.  

Lord you are in the driver's seat - lead me and I'll follow where you lead.

 

Psalm 15

SCRIPTURE
Psalm 15 and Matthew 15

OBSERVATION
David talks about some of the components of living a righteous life and Jesus in Matthew warns that all that righteous living must start from the inside and flow out. 

UNDERSTANDING
David says that the righteous person is one who tells the truth, does not gossip or destroy people with their words, who shows love to their neighbor, who despises what is evil, who keeps thier word even when it costs them, who makes an honest living and who does not give in to the temptation to take a bribe.

Pretty good list, but there is one thing that must come first - being declared blameless and righteous in the first place.  The truth is we cannot do that ourselves it is only through Christ that we can be righteous and blameless, but once Jesus has done this for us (an inward work) then from there must flow the outworking of righteousness.  Loving my neighbor does not make me righteous, but a person who has experienced the salvation of God that declares us righteous will want to love their neighbor.  Living a honest life does not make me holy but when God declares me holy I will want to live an honest life.

LIFE APPLICATION
So what is your motivation?   Are you like the Pharisees, just jumping through hoops, thinking that the more "good things" you do the greater your standing before God?  Or are you living a righteous life because you have experienced the amazing grace that is salvation - God declaring you holy and blameless.  Jesus warns us that there is a big difference.

Matthew 14

SCRIPTURE
¹³ Jesus heard what had happened to John. He wanted to be alone. So he went in a boat to a quiet place.
²³ After he had sent them away, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

OBSERVATION
Jesus models the importance of alone time.  From the 40 days in the wilderness to these two examples in thodays reading, we see that Jesus sought out alone time as a regular practice, and it should be an example for us to follow.

UNDERSTANDING
In our world today, solitude is often looked down upon.  I think that we equate loneliness with solitude, but they are different things.  Why is alone time so important?  I think that we need alone time so that we can refresh our souls and converse with the Father.  In both instances with Jesus in this chapter, He withdrew so that He could mourn the loss of His cousin and friend John.  Sometimes, as much as people will try to comfort us we need the Comforter, the Holy Spirit's ministrations.  We must withdraw so that God, through the Holy Spirit can bring healing and comfort to our souls.

Jesus also withdrew after He had gotten done with the exhausting task of feeding thousands of people - He knew that He needed some rest and alone time.  It is easy, especially after accomplishing great feats or events to simply run to the next and we don't take time to recharge.  Many times people have fallen into sin we notice that it had come out of a season of busyness where there was no down time.  Time spent with the Father recalibrating.  Not allowing the praise of the people to become the soundtrack of our life.  He withdrew to recalibrate and refresh.

I also think that withdrawing for a time of solitude gives us time to reflect and make any mid-course corrections.  The Father is so good to point them out if we will stop long enough to listen.

LIFE APPLICATION
We need to take advantage of moments to withdraw.  There are daily moments we can withdraw - over a cup of coffee we can withdraw and connect with the Father.
Daily devotion times we can withdraw and connect with the Father.  As we journal we take time to reflect and respond to the promptings of the Holy SPirit.
Lord help us follow your example, if you needed it how much more then do we!

Matthew 13

SCRIPTURE
Matthew 13:3-23

OBSERVATION
In between His first and second coming we are to allow Christ to rule and reign in our lives and we are to be the doers of His will here on earth.  So He gives in this series of parables some idea of what to expect when we are about His will here on earth.

UNDERSTANDING
The parable about the Sower and the Seed talks about Jesus as He speaks the good news to people.  But in a broader sense, any believer who preaches or testifies to the gospel is a sower who sows Christ’s word in his Lord’s behalf.

Of course none of us can create the word of the kingdom any more than a farmer or a scientist can create the simplest seed. Just as only God creates seeds that reproduce themselves, only God creates the word of the gospel that brings the life of His Son to a believer. Our work is not to manufacture a message to create a synthetic seed, or to modify the seed given to them, but to sow God’s revelation by proclaiming it exactly as He has given it. The power of new spiritual life is in the word, just as the power of plant life is in the seed. The seeds in the parable are all of the same nature, sown from the same bag by the same sower. The only variables are in what happens to those seeds when they are sown on the different types of soil. The Bible is the written word, but Jesus Christ is the living word who gives it life. The Bible, as it were, is the husk and Jesus is the kernel.

The parable of the sower revolves around proclaiming the saving gospel, heralding the word about the King and His kingdom. But the main teaching has to do with the heart soils on which the truth of that word falls as it is preached. Jesus mentions four different soils onto which the seed falls as it is sown, representing four kinds of hearts that hear the gospel. The soils themselves are basically the same—dirt that, given the right conditions, could support the growth of crops. Although every human heart is naturally sinful and hostile toward God (Rom. 8:7; Eph. 2:15-16), every human heart is also capable of being redeemed. There is no such thing as a naturally unredeemable heart. If a person is not saved it is because he does not want to be saved. “The one who comes to Me ,” Jesus says categorically, “I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). Every person could receive the seed of the gospel and participate in its life if he believed.

The differences in the soils, and in the hearts to which they correspond, are not in their composition but their condition. Jesus was preparing the apostles, and every other proclaimer of the gospel, to understand the four basic kinds of hearers they could expect to encounter: the unresponsive, the superficial, the worldly, and the receptive. (John MacArthur)

LIFE APPLICATION
Two thoughts regarding this parable...
The first is that I want to be obedient to be sowing the seed of the gospel into the lives of people.  Every opportunity I get to share the good news then I want to take it and not give up when it seems like the work is in vain.  I must simply do my part - sowing the seed given to me.  The response is not up to me.
The second thing is that I too must ensure that the soil of my life is properly tilled and weeded so that the Word of God takes root in my life and grows, blossoms and bears fruit.

Matthew 12

It's Always About People

Today in this passage we follow Jesus and His disciples on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees are looking for ways to trap Him so they are following Him watching His every move.  Instead of playing it safe Jesus takes time to heal a man and cast out demons in another.  When they got on His case Jesus put them in their place.  He let them know that if their lost animals are worth saving then how much more people.  Jesus reminds us that the priority is people not rule-keeping.  Better to err against rule keeping by caring for people than to err by a stringent interpretation of biblical law while people suffer.

So many Christians are like the Pharisees, not willing to care for people because they are law followers.  I know it is a cliche but the truth is Jesus calls us to hate the sin and love the sinner, it was His example.  In as much as He hated sin He loved us so much that He gave His one and only Son for our salvation.  Now he calls us to do the same.

 

Psalm 11

SCRIPTURE
3: When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do?

OBSERVATION
David asks a question that passes through the lips of many Christ-followers.  When it seems like everything is falling apart we tend to ask God where is He and what is wrong?

UNDERSTANDING
David tells us what the righteous are to do at the very beginning of the Psalm - he says, "I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God, so why would I run away?"  You see, thought the earth shakes, through trials assail me, my hope is in my God, maker of heave nad earth.  I am standing on the Rock, solid and secure.  He is unchanging, in charge and our Protector.  Why would I run from the only sure thing?

LIFE APPLICATION
Sometimes, even though I know all this about God, because He seems to be silent I become unsure and want to see something happening so O lose faith and take matters into my own hands.  I choose to stay anchored ot the rock.

Ageless, eternal, unchanging and immoveable one I put my trust in You and keep it there, that is what the righteous do!