Thoughts From the Bible

Read Matthew 14: 1- 12- Herod knew he had done something horribly wrong when he had John the Baptist beheaded. This short passage show s his fear of God by feeling John the Baptist had returned from the dead in the body of Jesus Christ. Verses 1 and 2 says, ‘At the time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, and he said to his servants, “ This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.”’ This is a lesson to me to seriously consider decisions I am going to make or even things I am going to say to someone. I need to seriously consider the impact my words or actions both long term and short term. Obviously, this is an extreme example but our actions or words can impact others for years and we need to learn to be sensitive to this so we can have a consistent testimony of our belief in Christ. Yes, I am going to make mistakes but if I consider what I am doing, it gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to impr...

Read Matthew 13: 53- 58- People develop perceptions of others based on their own frame of reference. We see this in this passage where the people in the town where Jesus lived simply could not accept who Jesus really was. “How could someone develop to an exceptional level when they grew up here?” We need to learn to allow people to grow and mature even if we know how they once were. Jesus noted this in verses 57 and 58, ‘And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.’ The other lesson I take away from this short passage is how conflict can stifle the Spirit of God . I have seen this in churches where people are in such conflict with each other, it is hard for God to get people’s attention long enough for them to recognize Him. There have been times when I simply removed myself from situations because the conflict in the situa...

Read Matthew 13: 45- 52- As I read through these parables, I am struck by the repetitive nature of the stories. Why did Jesus give different stories of the same value of heaven? This is an emphasis on something Jesus knew was extremely important. In verses 4 5 and 46 Jesus gives another example, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” I need to take this to heart. Jesus wants people to know the value of a life with Him. It is personal and powerful. As we previously read, there is a joy that comes from a life with Jesus Christ. I need to not forget thi s chapter with repetitive examples of the value of heaven is something that is important and should be shared.  

Matthew 13: 44- “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has a nd buys that field.” This is a picture of a person who is “all in” in his commitment to Jesus Christ. Jesus is showing the reward for being “all in” in a life with Him, has rewards that cannot be measured. That is where joy comes into play. J oy is unconditional happiness combined with peace. This is what Jesus Christ provides. No where in the Bible does it say we will have lives without stress or pain, but this is one place in the Bible where Jesus tells us we can have joy in this life in a commitment to Him. How do I commitment? I confess Jesus Christ as the Savior of my soul, I worship Him in all I do daily, I pray to Jesus Christ for all things in my life and I read, study and meditate on all He has given us in the Bible. It is not complicated

Read Matthew 13: 36- 43- Jesus was explaining the parable of the weeds to His disciples. There was one section that really c aught my attention. In verses 41 and 42 Jesus told the disciples this, “The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ” I began to think about how horrible this “fiery furnace” experience would be. Who would want to have to endure something like that. It encourages me to continue to work to make sure everyone has a chance to know the grace of Jesus Christ so they will miss this horrible experience. Jesus loves us all, this I know but there will be a day of judgment, and I need to work to make sure as many people as possible miss the bad side of the judgment.    

Read Matthew 13: 33- 35- The Jewish people spent several thousand years talking about a coming Messiah. They spent years teaching of a coming Messiah that would lead their nation and guide the spiritual lives of the Jewish nation. Jesus came as the Messiah, yet the Jewish nation did not acknowledge Him. Jesus came to personalize their religion or their spiritual lives. Jesus taught about spiritual thi ngs that applied to their daily lives and gave the complete perspective on how they should live their lives, and he did this partially by fulfilling prophecies the religious leaders k new very well. Verses 34 and 35 said, “All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, He said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.’” Jesus performed miracles but He also changed people’s lives by telling them how to live their lives each...

Read Matthew 13: 31- 32- ‘ He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make ne st s in its branches. ”’ There are people who are searching for a group to belong to. They want to be able to identify with a group of a cause hoping it will add meaning and direction to their lives. When we accept Jesus Christ, we become a member of a large group. A group that has an ultimate mission, to have others accept Jesus Christ. As a member of that group, I need to make sure I do not forget the smallest of my actions or efforts will be multiplied by Jesus Christ. His multiplication of my small efforts amount to huge impacts for Jesus’ cause.  

Read Matthew 13: 24- 30 - In our lives we have to take the good with the bad. Jesus was pointing to the fact it is difficult to separate the good from the bad but wh en Jesus looks at each of us in the end, He will be able to separate the good from the bad. In verse 30, Jesus says this, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” We have to know not only will the good be separated from the bad, but the bad will be destroyed. That is a sobering thought. We need to focus on being upright and live a just life.    

Read Matthew 13: 18- 23 - In these five verses, Jesus explains His parable. They are easy to understand, and His message is clear. If we are going to follow Jesus’ principles, we need to work to make sure our hearts and minds are good soils . Verse 22 holds a warning for me however, “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness or riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” I need to guard against letting the world change me. I need to work to make sure I am hearing what Jesus is saying and stick as close as possible to Him because this world will easily steal us away unless we are mindful of the possibilities. Yes, I must work at it. I have to work in order for my testimony in Jesus is valid. The world has way too many distractions, problems, and temptations and I need to stay vigil for myself before I can think about helping others.  

Read Matthew 13: 10- 17- Jesus had speaking to hundreds of people. Jesus had been healing people even in the direct sight of the Pharisees and other religious leaders. For many of the people it was clearly evident Jesus Christ was the Messiah. In verses 14 and 15, we see Jesus directly address the prophecy of Isaiah, “Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says, “’You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’ For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” I want to be the person who sees the hand of God moving around me and acknowledge it is God who is the author of the action because there is no other answer. As Jesus followed up with the people verses 16 and 17 , “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, ...

Read Matthew 13:1- 9- This parable Jesus shared is one that should cause all of us to stop and examine ourselves. Verses 8 and 9 say, “Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” We are responsible for our own soil. We are responsible for making sure we are ready to listen to God when He speaks to us, either through the Holy Spirit or through the Bible. Do we think about what we’ve read? Do we work to weave what we have learned into how we live our daily lives? Are we conscious of how our speech or actions may be interpreted by others and does our speech and actions present a positive Christian testimony? I need to continually ask myself these questions if I want to be the best Christian I can be and if I want to continually work toward being as good of a person as I can be. Some things we learn will be easy to do, other things will take time and major effort on our part. The main thing is that we ma...

Matthew 12: 46- 50- ‘ While He was still speaking to the people, behold, His mother and His brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him. But He replied to the man who told Him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “ Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”’ When I first read this passage, it caused me to stop and read it again because it initially sounded like he was dismissing his family in favor of those who considered themselves His followers. On second pass of the scripture, especially the last verse, I see the point Jesus was making at that time. He wanted the people to understand the greatness of His message and how important it is to follow Him. This was not an effort to tell people their families were not important b ut to get people to see the magnitude of His message and how important it was for the people to accept Him as...

Matthew 12: 43- 45- The world today offers us a great many of great things . It also offers us a great many of things that are not good for our relationship with Christ. We need to guard our hearts . Satan is working to compromise us and weaken our relationship with Jesus. Jesus says this, ‘When the unc lean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seek rest but find none. Then it says, “I will return to my house from which I came. ” And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it s even other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also, will it be with this evil generation. ’ To speak of spiritual conflicts or spiritual battles is not a popular topic but it is something we should not ignore. If Satan is able to prevent one person from drawing close to Jesus, he considers this a success. We need to be diligent in ...

Read Matthew 12: 3 8 - 42- Jesus is telling the Pharisees about His future. I am sure this whole refe rence to Jonah totally flew by those listening . Verses 40 and 41 say, ‘For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at t he judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Johnah is here.’ As I read through the Bible and as I sit and listen to preachers and teachers of the Bible, I want to make sure I am listening fully to what is being said and what is being taught. I should be praying God will open my eyes and ears to His word so I can be the best version of myself for God’s sake, not just so I’m smarter about the things of God.  

Matthew 12: 38- 39- Faith is something that seems to be harder and harder to come by. People want proof of just about everything . They want to be able to see and touch something before they will believe anything. In these days of arti ficial intelligence, even the things we see and hear are not things we can have total faith in. The scribes and Pharisees wanted Jesus to do something outrageous to tes t Him. These same people had already heard of the things Jesus had done and the impact He had on people’s lives but now they wanted Him to perform for them. He gave them a bold response, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ”’ Jesus was quick to let the scribes and Pharisees know where he saw what they were doing. They were afraid of losing thei r positions so their faith in Him was not going to happen. We have our faith, and we need t...