Thoughts From the Bible

Read Luke 1:67-75 Zacharias gives us a prayer in these verses we can all pray. Verses 68 and 69 sa ys,  “ (68)  Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For He has visited and redeemed His people, (69) and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His  servant David.”  Zacharias was full of joy because of the birth of his son and knowing what his son’s purpose would be. We live in a hard society  that causes  much  stress for people and robs people of joy. Zacharias is giving us an example of how we need to concentrate on the joyful things that happen in our lives and then to hang on to those joyful memories so we can draw on that in  hard times .    Proverbs 11:20-   Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, but the blameless  in  their ways are His delight.      

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