Matt 19 Blog entry
S:25 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
O: It seems that these two verses capture the gist of what Matthew is emphasizing for most of chapter 19 - the kind of people that can receive Jesus’s gift of salvation and follow His lead in their lives. In v13-15, as well as previous passages, he uses the image of children in their humility and faith.
Then from verse 16-26, Jesus tells a wealthy guy that to be saved he needed to sell everything he had and give to the poor. Does that mean we all have to do this? This would conflict with grace and receiving salvation as a gift in childlike faith.
But Jesus was able to see something in this guy’s heart, even though he seemed confident that he’d kept all the commandments. When Jesus brought up the guy’s money, it became apparent that he was devoted to money more than to following Jesus because he walked away from Jesus sad. This revealed that the guy had not really followed all the commandments. The first commandment says “have no other gods before me (the LORD)” and that wasn’t true for this guy.
A: Regardless of our intellect, talent, resources or accomplishments, we all have to return to that vulnerable place as a child where we have to ask for help and admit we can’t fix ourselves spiritually. We need to accept the gift that Jesus offers.
And like the wealthy guy, we all have “false gods” that threaten our devotion to Christ and what’s best for us. God has wired us to live a certain way in synch with him, and He knows that we will never find wholeness in our lives when something or someone else becomes our highest value and focus.
P: Lord, help me to the recognize the things in my life that keep me from being fully devoted to You and your ways. Help me lay down my pride and admit I can’t fix all this by myself. My soul needs a taste of your goodness to lay down the junk and trust that Your ways, no matter how good the other things look, are the path to wholeness and life.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Divine Interruptions - Matthew 14:13-14
Blog Journal Entry
January 21, 2008
Hi Fellow Journalers,
The staff at East Lake wants to do all we can to support you in your journaling. Every week one of us will put a personal recent entry on the blog. This will give you an example of journaling and allow you to respond with questions or comments. The staff person who posts will respond to your inquiries on the blog for that week.
Grace and Peace,
Kevin
Divine Interruptions - Matthew 14:1-21
S = When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed the sick.
-Matt 14:13-14
O = Imagine how Jesus would have felt hearing that his cousin John had been murdered by the king. Not only would this have been a personal loss for Jesus, but undoubtedly he would have realized how dangerous his ministry was as well. He decides he needs to get alone with his Heavenly Father to be comforted, to get new perspective and to get strength. As his boat lands (in other words, he didn’t get that private time), he is inundated by a massive crowd. He would have had every right to send the crowd away, but his love and compassion compels him to serve them. Jesus had a great intention to get alone with Father, but he was open to the interruption God had for him.
A = The first thing I love about this passage is that Jesus wants to get alone with God when his world caves in – I don’t tend to always do that. Many times it is almost as a last resort that I finally turn to God. The second thing I love is that even with this great intention, Jesus had this gracious and loving attitude toward an interruption that he probably wished he didn’t have. Can I grow a heart with so much wisdom and compassion that I would accept the divine interruptions God brings my way?
P = Lord, you know how much I need to be alone with you. Every time I step out of my routine to connect with you it is worth it. Give me the desire and discipline to run to you when something overwhelms me. I also pray, dear Jesus, that I would develop your kind of love and discernment to know when an interruption is from you and to pursue it with joy and peace.
January 21, 2008
Hi Fellow Journalers,
The staff at East Lake wants to do all we can to support you in your journaling. Every week one of us will put a personal recent entry on the blog. This will give you an example of journaling and allow you to respond with questions or comments. The staff person who posts will respond to your inquiries on the blog for that week.
Grace and Peace,
Kevin
Divine Interruptions - Matthew 14:1-21
S = When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed the sick.
-Matt 14:13-14
O = Imagine how Jesus would have felt hearing that his cousin John had been murdered by the king. Not only would this have been a personal loss for Jesus, but undoubtedly he would have realized how dangerous his ministry was as well. He decides he needs to get alone with his Heavenly Father to be comforted, to get new perspective and to get strength. As his boat lands (in other words, he didn’t get that private time), he is inundated by a massive crowd. He would have had every right to send the crowd away, but his love and compassion compels him to serve them. Jesus had a great intention to get alone with Father, but he was open to the interruption God had for him.
A = The first thing I love about this passage is that Jesus wants to get alone with God when his world caves in – I don’t tend to always do that. Many times it is almost as a last resort that I finally turn to God. The second thing I love is that even with this great intention, Jesus had this gracious and loving attitude toward an interruption that he probably wished he didn’t have. Can I grow a heart with so much wisdom and compassion that I would accept the divine interruptions God brings my way?
P = Lord, you know how much I need to be alone with you. Every time I step out of my routine to connect with you it is worth it. Give me the desire and discipline to run to you when something overwhelms me. I also pray, dear Jesus, that I would develop your kind of love and discernment to know when an interruption is from you and to pursue it with joy and peace.
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