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Not much to tell right now as I just blogged on Thursday. I do, however, have updates on my parents' situation. As those of you who know me in person already know, (and if you've been reading back a bit) my parents' finances recently hit rock bottom, effectually. At this point, there is some hope shining through. One bit is that their neighbor in the duplex is looking to buy the property and continue renting to them. How, or if, this will affect their rent remains to be seen. The "upside" of this could mean they don't have to look for a new place to live. Personally, I also see a "downside" in that not having to move enables mom to continue the mess... That being said, the other bit of news just came yesterday. Her boss has offered her the position of Office Manager, as he is looking to "step down" and possibly retire due to health concerns*. This would be incredibly helpful no matter if she's capable of the entire responsibility or not. The main advantage would lie in getting her off the road most of the time and working from home. Between the fact that age and diminished eyesight have required her to have either my dad or others drive for her while she gives directions and does the job; and the price of gas these days, having her home more is every bit of a good thing!! She would receive higher pay no matter how much of the job she's capable of, so good news in any case. Prayers for them going forward. Of course, continued prayers for each of my close friends and family as finances, relationships, and futures progress*. Oh, and my current plan is to catch up with the July 3rd message tomorrow. (Here's hoping!!)
Since it's hot, I'll start my "message intro" paragraph(s) with Pastor Matt's personal share story, even though it was part way through the message when he told it...
Those of us who live far enough North to deal with snow on a regular seasonal basis will appreciate the skill of finding "just the perfect pattern" in which to remove snow from our driveways. The rest of you are allowed to skip down my own personal share... LOL
When his younger son was old enough to handle the power and responsibility of the snow thrower, Pastor Matt proceeded to instruct him on the handling of said machine and on the "perfect pattern" by which to clear the driveway. He goes inside. He looks out the window shortly after. He covers his face in disbelief as his son is literally going in circles and throwing snow into areas just cleared!! ;p It was a struggle not to go out immediately and correct him!! LOL
Now for my own "personal share" that relates. Those of you who've heard this before, or read it on here will forgive me for the repeat, but it's literally the first story I think of on this subject... When my son was around 5-6 yrs old, there was a Saturday when it was his turn on the Chore Chart to vacuum the living room. I had been the last one to use it when cleaning out the car, and I had not put the power head back on. I think you can see where this is going, right?? ;p Yep... Ben proceeds to vacuum without it, simply "pouncing" the end of the hose repeatedly across the carpet. After about 5 minutes of this, I had to go upstairs and not watch. He was vacuuming the living room, as was his job. Yes, it would have been easier and more effective with the power head returned to the end of the hose, but I chose love over control. And that, my friends, is the answer to everything... Let's see how Jesus approached others with this bit of wisdom, shall we??
Matthew 13:24-30
New International Version
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.’”
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Matthew 13:36-43
New International Version
The Parable of the Weeds Explained 36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
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Two brief, but powerful passages today to challenge and encourage us --
Most of us, in our approach to Spirituality, and possibly most in our approach to God; have a tendency to hold onto the bulk of our lives and just let Him have like, half of Sunday. We see Him as a nice addition to our spiritual lives, but not to our lives as a whole. It's like adding "sprinkles" to the "ice cream" of our lives. It looks pretty and adds some texture; but it doesn't effectively change the ice cream. And that's what God wants from us. He went "all in" when He sent Jesus to Save us. His invitation to us lies in going "all in" when we choose to follow Him. He has always tested His people and all too often, found their trust in Him sorely lacking. From the Israelites in the desert to each of us today, He asks, "Do you trust Me??" Do we trust Him in all things, or just some?? Do we trust Him everyday?? He has never broken a promise yet, and never plans to start. How much more proof do we need??*
We spoke last week about a few of the things parables are designed to do. Today adds to that list in 2 ways. It divides people into "hearers" and "non-hearers", and it draws us to a response of "leaning in" to gain a deeper understanding of His Words. This lies in direct contrast to our tendency of liking things that are "neatly wrapped up" and immediately make sense to us. Just consider the fact that if something is "neatly wrapped in a box", we feel justified in putting it on a shelf and forgetting about it, don't we?? But that's Jesus' exact point in teaching with parables. He doesn't allow us to do that. He wants to give us something that requires us to think about His Words and respond accordingly. (and that doesn't always equal acceptance and obedience)*
Let's "lean in" together...
In the days Jesus was alive, the system of the Pharisees and Sadducees was well established*. It was essentially their "mantle of responsibility" to make sure the Jews were following the Law and Scripture so as to be "righteous" at such time as The Messiah should choose to arrive. As many of you already know, they didn't believe that Jesus was that man. The Disciples were continually learning, but at the same time, their background and tradition taught them strict control for the living of their lives and some still had the idea in mind that maybe they were next in line for those positions. They were so caught up in the systems they had known that they weren't ready to give up control to God, through Jesus, for the righteousness of the human life. (hearts are irrelevant to the appearance of Godliness) And so Jesus gives this parable as both an indictment on their ideas and a warning to their souls.
In this parable, the concepts of both control and righteousness are challenged. Jesus was continually showing them that it is only our job to love, not to control. The very concept of Free Will tells us that God works the same way*. We are constantly bombarded either with ideas that control us such as Image (either personal or commercial), manipulation, coercion, etc.; or the idea that we should control something or someone. Think about what most Believers say when we're in trouble... "God is in control", right?? It's our "default setting" to think in terms of control, isn't it?? But what do we see all through the Bible?? Story after story after story of, "Yes, this is a rough situation, but "God is with me." Job, David, Daniel and company, Paul and Silas... God's reminders are everywhere in His Word!!
And now I'm going to step on some toes, but no worries, God will heal you if you let Him... How many of us, myself included, either have a history or are currently in the habit of saying or thinking, "You can't be a Christian and vote for _______!!" (fill in the name or issue) Not gonna lie, I have a history of it as recently as 2 or 3 yrs ago. And it doesn't matter which side of "the aisle" you're on. Both sides are as guilty of this as of "indiscretions" on any given issue*. This idea is another part of our innate desire to control others, and it's not what God desires of us. Instead of an attitude of judgment, we should approach with an attitude of humility that seeks to understand.
The parable tells us that "while they were sleeping, an enemy came in and planted weeds..." Now, it's not that Jesus has anything against physical rest, obviously. His point here lies in the fact that they were not in control of the harvest based on the weeds in the crop. The workers in the story want to pull the weeds, but the farmer stops them with a warning that they would be in danger of pulling the wheat along with them. Control of the harvest is up to the Farmer, not the workers. We need to submit control of everything to God. The solid fact is, we can either control, or we can love; but we cannot do both.
And if you think that love isn't enough to get the job done, then your vision for it is severely anemic. True, Biblical Love is the most powerful force on Earth, Mars, Jupiter, or literally any of the galaxies that have come into clearer view in the new Webb Telescope!! It is the perfect fullness and balance of grace and truth*.
As we saw above, Jesus' telling of this parable was an indictment, not just on the crowds who were listening at the beginning, but also, and possibly more directly, on the Disciples as He heard their conversations and saw some of their activities. We have to remember, after all, that these men were from all different backgrounds and walks of life within Israel. Jesus was continually shaping them into worthy "missionaries" for The Kingdom*, and in order to do that; He needed to change their thinking in order to change their hearts towards each other and towards those they would be witnessing to. This indictment and warning is equally valid for us today, both as a Church and as individuals living for Him. Proper study of the Gospels will show that two key elements of ministry are wisdom and sound judgment. These are not to be confused with rejection/division and judgmentalism*.
Jesus' warning that the weeds and wheat should be left to the Farmer at the Harvest also points to the fact that the plants may look very similar*. (Rhubarb and mushrooms come to mind) The fact is, it's not up to us to judge who is "wheat" or "weed". We are not the experts, only God can tell for sure where a person's allegiance lies. Only He can see the humility and repentance in a person's heart toward Him. (a person need not be Saved in order to show humility, nor do they have to be Saved to change a bad habit) Our only job lies in taking ourselves off and putting on Christ. In taking up our Cross as we give everything to Him. In being the "yeast" as was mentioned in last week's message.
Only God sees perfectly as nothing is hidden from Him. We simply need to rest in the knowledge that He will sort it all out in His time, with help from the Angels, not from us. (see vs. 41) Only in perfect vision can perfect judgement take place.
If your life doesn't bear the Fruit of the Spirit, don't delude yourself that Religion will Save you. God knows where your heart lies as opposed to where your body may sit on Sunday morning*.
The encouragement in this pair of passages is two-fold -- We are only responsible to guide, teach, disciple, and love others. We are not responsible to control them or their responses to our instruction.
We need to stop stressing over others and just focus on building our own lives in the image of God. As we do that, our energy will not be wasted, and the "others" will see the difference and maybe even ask us about it!! Too often, our parenting reflects our urge to control. Or maybe it's reflected in business or family or relationships. We just need to remember that Jesus chose love. Every. Single. Time. ...and I have a secret for you... control is just an illusion anyway... Only love is real. -- God Bless!!
Footnotes:
My mom's boss has health concerns. Pray for him. He only took over because the previous manager passed away of Pancreatic Cancer 4 yrs. ago after having managed the business for nearly 20 yrs.
Prayers for others in my life... posts from the past 6 mos. will catch you up on much of this. I can't remember at the moment if I've mentioned my ex bf, Jeremy, lately. He's doing better in terms of mental health recently as he's been able to change his work schedule so that he's free to attend Church and Bible Study. Prayers for wisdom in possibly getting a 2nd job to meet his responsibilities or returning to his previous employer on a different shift.
How much proof do we need to trust God?? Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God will never leave us or forsake us. Many other verses convey the same idea.
Response to God doesn't always mean following Him -- The Rich Young Ruler has come up a lot recently...
Pharisees and Sadducees -- I looked it up, and they were established around 165-160 BC, shortly after the Maccabean Revolt.
Concept of Free Will -- my thought here -- God gave us Free Will for the exact reason that it is the only path to true love. If we didn't have it, then our "love" for God would not be a choice, but coercion. Thus proving that God only deals in True Love, not in control, manipulation, or coercion, which are all weak substitutes at best.
I know, it's in my rules to avoid politics on here, but recent events and Sermon Summaries have demanded it of me. Again, reading back a bit will be of benefit to new members. I've seen several on here recently, so thank you!! Welcome to the "party"!! :D
Perfect balance of grace and truth -- not an easy balance to strike for us humans, is it?? But that's exactly why we need God and the Holy Spirit to empower us to seek and to find it.
Missionaries for the Kingdom -- this week's featured guest was a long standing member of our Church who works with the Goodsoil Foundation in Malawi Africa. They work with the country's youth in Christian Scholarships and Entrepreneurial training in order to create a sustainable future. They help to answer the questions of, "Who is my neighbor??" and "What does it look like to live a "Jesus Life"??
Wisdom and sound judgement -- here again, reading back a bit will lend further understanding of these critical areas.
Wheat and weeds look alike -- another thought I had about this was that God wants us to live in harmony with others whose mission or beliefs may be different from our own. While the "weeds" are out to destroy the "wheat", the wheat can survive, and even thrive if properly nurtured by the Farmer. And maybe the next season can yield more wheat than weeds!! This doesn't involve sitting back and doing nothing about problematic situations or people, it just takes thought for the wisdom and sound judgement mentioned above.
Heart vs body -- take it from someone who spent about a year and a half, "going through the motions", while living poorly before God. And even if you're a "good person" who has gone to Church their whole life, that alone isn't getting you into Heaven. There's a few different sayings on the subject, but a favorite of mine is this, "Going to Church every Sunday doesn't make you a Christian any more than walking into McDonald's makes you a Big Mac or standing in your garage makes you a car." You have to "eat the Big Mac" before it becomes part of you. You have to actually get in and drive the car according to the Driver's Manual in order to have a successful trip... With God, you have to make a personal decision. Your parents or family or your friends can't do it for you. It's up to you, and you alone. Even your Pastor can't do it for you. All anyone else can do it pray for you and maybe even pray with you when the moment comes, but the choice and the change of heart are all yours. If anyone needs help finding good verses, just look up "Romans Road". It's a good place to start.
Music -- never a right in sight!! :)
Bonus -- based on bodies in Church and going "all in" -- caveat that I've never mentioned before -- I don't agree with the line that says, "Don't go to Church before you go to Jesus". Some people NEED to go to to Church to FIND Him... We also can't judge TV preachers based on our opinions. We don't know who may speak into someone's life at just the right moment. Jeremy's parents were Saved watching Jim Baker back in the day. Another friend came back around watching Joel Osteen.
Just adding this one that I found on FB this morning because it flows perfectly with this message --
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