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Tag Archives: Matthew

Emails to God – A Time for Everything (Matthew 9:14-17)

25 Dec

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Dear God, it seems to me that the message of this story is that there is a time and a place for everything. I Googled the scientific results of putting new wine in old wineskins and came across a couple of commentaries where people weren’t seeing the connection between the matter at hand (fasting while Jesus was among the disciples) and unshrunk cloth patching old garments and new wine being put in old wine skins. What is the connection? Well, the connection for me is that there is a time and a place for everything.

So, what are some of the areas where that applies to my life today? What kinds of things is there a time and a place for?

I have been visiting a Catholic church lately, and one of the results of that is that I am not allowed to take communion there since I am not Catholic. They believe in transubstantiation (the literal changing of the wine and the bread into the blood and body of Jesus) and I do not so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to partake while I am there. I’ve been okay with that. Right now, my wife and I are exploring our faith for this segment of our life, and what that might mean. But last night we went to an evangelical church for a Christmas Eve service, and it was the first time I have had communion in about 6 months. Frankly, the day had been a little rough for me, and I felt a little beaten up at that moment, so when I went up for communion I had to keep myself from literally breaking down and crying right there. I had tears in my eyes as I returned to my seat, and I sat there a while and had to regain my composure. I found that I have really missed communion. I have missed feeling like I am truly a part of the believers with whom I am worshipping. I have missed not feeling like someone on the outside looking in.

But again, there is a time and a place for everything, and it appears that this time in my life is not for belonging. It is for supporting my wife through her quest and for learning to love you through this time. I will say, however, it has really made me appreciate worshipping with like-minded people more than I thought it would, and it certainly made communion mean more to me than it probably has in a long time.

Father, help me to take this experience and build off of it. Help me to guide my children through this time. I pray that last night’s service was meaningful to them, even as we all explore our faith individually and as a family. Please touch our home. Please make us one as a family, and that starts with making my wife and me one. Please make us one, father, in every way. Give us one soul, heart, mind, and body. Parent our children through us and through others. Be glorified in our lives.

 
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Posted by on December 25, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:9-13)

24 Dec

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Dear God, I feel like I should “go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” The quote is from Hosea 6, and section is titled, “Israel Unrepentant,” in the NIV. It is the word “unrepentant” that helps me link the passage to the Pharisees and the tax collectors. I think that Jesus was appreciating the fact that he was with people who were at least willing to consider repentance, if not yet fully repentant, as opposed to being with the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, who were a little more proud and self-righteous. Jesus was saying to the Pharisees, “You need to be on my page. You need to be showing everyone some mercy.”

Am I willing to be repentant? Am I willing to show mercy? I hope the answer to both of these is yes.

Today is Christmas Eve. As I sit here in my comfortable home, heated to 68 degrees, about to spend time with family, get gifts that I desire but don’t “need”, I think about those who are struggling through life. Yesterday, while I was driving to my office I saw an older woman walking down the street. It was cold and she was bundled up, and I think she was walking from a convenience store to an apartment complex nearby. I got to thinking about her life struggles. What is her life like now? Is she widowed? Is she sad? Does she wonder how she will pay her bills? Then, for some reason, I thought about her dead husband (remember, my imagination was going off by now, and I had him dead and one in my head) and how it would probably break his heart to see her struggling just to walk from the convenience store to her apartment in the cold. Then I thought about how I would feel if that were my wife one day, and I were looking down from heaven. It made me sad. So then I thought about stopping and at least offering her a ride, but I figured it would probably scare her to be offered a ride from a strange man, so I drove on. But I vowed in my heart that I would think about her the rest of the day and not let her memory slip past me too quickly.

Father, help me to desire mercy from myself and to offer it readily to others. Love others through me. As I see family over the next couple of days, use me as an instrument of your peace. Help me to parent my kids over the next couple of days. Help me to husband my wife. Help me to love my siblings, parents, in-laws, nieces, and nephew. Help me to not seek anything for myself, but to give of myself for others.

 
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Posted by on December 24, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Do I Appreciate Sin Forgiveness? (Matthew 9:1-8)

22 Dec

1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

Dear God, did Jesus intend to heal this man or simply forgive him of his sins? In reading the way this is written in the NIV, it is almost as if he would have let the forgiveness be the end of it. It was only when he was trying to prove a point to the teachers of the law that he moved forward with the healing. Perhaps he intended this all along, and this is how he was making his point. But it’s interesting to consider the idea that Jesus saw this man’s biggest need as getting his sins forgiven as opposed to walking. Do we perhaps take getting our sins forgiven too lightly?

I would say that we definitely take the forgiveness of our sins by you for granted. This is probably something that all Christians need to covet more—the idea that you would choose to forgive our sins. My mind tells me that healing someone and making them walk again is the bigger miracle, but I suppose if I were before you and your glory, and scared out of my mind (see Isaiah), then the idea at that moment that you would give me a “pass” for my sins would seem like a bigger deal than you healing my physical body.

Father, help me to remember the glory of your grace and redemption. Help me to remember to share that glory with others. For those who are lost and still seeking, please help me to share your love with them. Be glorified in me so that others might see you through me. Let that start with my children and my wife, and then flow into my coworkers, family and friends.

 
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Posted by on December 22, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Who will Pass This Way? (Matthew 8:28-34)

21 Dec

28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

Dear God, the end of verse 28 strikes me: “They were so violent that no one could pass that way.” There was a problem in the community’s midst and no one was willing to deal with it. Instead, they all worked around it and just waited for it to go away.

I can easily see myself doing that. The easiest thing to see in my life is homeless people. I run across them all of the time in my work, and they are soooo hard to help. Frankly, it’s intimidating to help them because you know it will require 1.) so much and 2.) so long. There isn’t a quick fix for some people. We have to invest in them, and, unfortunately, I find that I am not often up for the investment.

On the other hand, I saw some people last week make the decision to invest in someone’s life. They found a woman who is seemingly homeless. I say “seemingly” because it is hard to know exactly what the truth is. They brought her to us for dental care, but, between this one couple at one church and other man at another church, they have helped her with food, shelter, and even got her a job. How will it end? When will it end? Where will it end? I don’t know, but I know that I really admire these people because they decided to do what the people in this story wouldn’t do. They went the way that others didn’t want to pass and reached out to help.

Father, first, I pray for this woman and the people who are helping her. Guide her and direct her on her path. Draw her into you. Help her to feel you and your presence. Give her a long-term solution for her life. Second, I pray for the people who are ministering to her. Protect them and give them the strength, wisdom, and discernment they need to be your hands and feet to her. Give them an extra measure of joy this Christmas. And, finally, I pray that you will guide my family and me through each situation we encounter. Give us the courage to “pass that way” so that we might be a source of your love for others. Help me to teach your compassion to my children. Help me to understand what it is you would have me to do at any given moment.

 
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Posted by on December 21, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Jesus Calms the Storm (Matthew 8:23-27)

17 Dec

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Dear God, verse 25 is interesting because they implore Jesus to save them, but then they are amazed in verse 27. I guess my question is, when they went to Jesus and asked him to save them, what did they expect him to do? Were they just looking for comforting words? Did they want him to just say, “Don’t worry, the boat will be fine.”? Did they want him to start bailing water? Or did they want him to make the storm go away. Given what someone asked him a few passages before, it would have been interesting if they had had the presence to say, “Lord, if you are willing, save us!” I also wonder how Jesus would have responded if they had said, “Jesus, we are afraid. What should we do?”

Jesus’ response to them is a little curious too, asking them why they are so afraid. What were they supposed to expect from their faith in this situation? Were they supposed to be at peace without asking for help? Were they supposed to just know that they would be okay? Were they supposed to believe that they already had the authority to rebuke the wind and waves themselves? I would think that he would commend them for coming to him for help, but instead he used it as an opportunity to point out a deficiency in their faith.

There is a great song called, “Sometimes He Calms the Storm,” by Scott Krippayne. The chorus says, “Sometimes He calms the storm with a whispered, ‘peace, be still,’ He can settle any sea, but it doesn’t mean he will. Sometimes He holds us close as the wind and waves go wild. Sometimes He calms the story, but other times he calms his child.” That song has always spoken to me because I don’t believe you are willing to calm every storm. Instead, you use the storm to grow me and my faith into something that couldn’t happen otherwise.

Father, help me to feel your peace. That is my own litmus test for how my faith is going—how is my peace. Right now, we are in a critical time of year at work. Help us to accomplish what you need for us to accomplish so that we might help those who need your help through us. Help us to draw people closer to you through our work. I feel like we might be missing something in this regard. So help us to do that. Help me to teach my children. Help me to love my wife. Help me to lead the staff at work so that all of us will bring your glory and honor through our lives and we won’t find ourselves screaming at you to save us, but we will instead find ourselves seeking your direction for us in the story.

 
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Posted by on December 17, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – What Would I Have God Do? (Matthew 8:5-13)

14 Dec

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

Dear God, first, let me say that this has to be a top-ten Bible story. It is always fun to find someone who impresses Jesus. Nicodemus does. The woman who argues with him and says that even the dogs get the scraps from the master’s table does. The widow who gives her money in the temple does. Even Peter impresses him every once in a while. So these stories are fun to see. I wonder if my response to something ever impresses you.

Then there is this passage itself. I don’t think I ever noticed verse seven before. Jesus asks him if He should come and heal him. He “asks” him. He was looking for faith, and in the next few verses he found it.

As I sit here today I wonder if Jesus isn’t asking me, “What would you have me do?” Hmm. There are so many things I would have you do God. First, there are my children. Please help me to raise them. I want them to eventually be completely submitted to you. Please help me to love my wife. Give her peace, and give her what you need her to have through me and through her friends, family, and work. Please help me at work. Bless our efforts and use them for your glory. Whether it be in raising money for our work or finding services for our patients, bless our efforts. Please help our friends. My wife mentioned a friend last night who is really struggling. Please help her with the loss of her mother. Help her with her marriage. Help her with her children. If you are willing, please help her.

Father, I give all of this to you and more. These are the things on my heart, and they are what I would have you do, provided that you are willing. So I hope you are pleased with me. I hope you are pleased with my heart because it truly longs to serve you well.

 
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Posted by on December 14, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Lord, if you are willing… (Matthew 8:1-4)

13 Dec

1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Dear God, I got curious abut what gift Moses commanded so I Googled it (to no avail). Then I did a search for the word “leprosy” in the Bible and found that the word isn’t mentioned for the first time until 2 Samuel. Incidentally, “leper” doesn’t appear until Matthew. So I assume that the gift Jesus commanded him to give had to do with miraculous healing in general and not leprosy in particular. Interestingly, there is also no mention of this man disobeying Jesus in the rest of chapter 8, so perhaps he is one of the few healed people who did what he was supposed to do.

I wonder if the phrase I am looking for in my prayer life when I ask for remarkable things is, “If you are willing…?” I tend to hesitate to ask for supernatural things because I am unsure if you are “willing”. This uncertainty causes me not to ask. I know you can do anything. I have seen you do miraculous things. I am just hesitant to ask for the miraculous because I am afraid that it might be outside of your will.

Father, if you are willing you can provide for my family and make me the father I need to be for my children. Father, if you are willing you can heal our patients and our volunteers who are sick. Father, if you are willing, you can comfort those who mourn. Father, if you are willing, you can provide for our Center’s financial needs through our donors. Father, if you are willing, you can love others through me. Father, if you are willing, you can heal my heart and make me whole. But regardless of whether or not you are willing, I am your servant. You are my God. Help me to glorify you in everything that I do so that others might be drawn to you.

 
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Posted by on December 13, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Summing up the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:24-29)

12 Dec

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Dear God, I think our temptation is to read this passage and focus on the house analogy. Do we do the right things? Do we ensure our lives are built on a solid foundation? But this passage isn’t about the house. It is about what we do with Jesus’ words. Do we put them into practice?

Frankly, you put a lot into this sermon. There is a lot here to absorb. There is a lot here to put into practice. I suppose that later, when Paul refers to us working out our faith with fear and trembling, at least in some part, he is referring to our ability to take the lessons from this sermon and put them into practice.

So what is in this sermon? In summary:

  • Beattitudes: Be humble, meek, poor in spirit, etc.
  • Be salt and light in the world
  • Murder, divorce, adultery: It’s easier to commit sins than you think.
  • Integrity and forgiveness: Be the kind of person who doesn’t have to take an oath because people trust you and to follow an eye for an eye.
  • Give to the needy
  • Fast and pray
  • Focus on heaven and not on earth. Worrying is not worth it.
  • Don’t judge others because you need mercy too.
  • Seek God and follow the narrow path.
  • Be a true disciple and discern from false disciples.

Father, help me to work out my faith with fear and trembling. Guide me as a husband, father, employee, friend, and member of the community. Help me to put all of these principles into practice so that I might be called your child.

 

 
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Posted by on December 12, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – False Prophet, False Disciple, or Both? (Matthew 7:15-23)

09 Dec

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Dear God, these two passages are separated in the NIV by subtitles “True and False Prophets” and “True and False Disciples”. I would say that the concepts of false prophets are probably closer to false disciples than we might think. Sure, there are people out there who are simply manipulative, consciously misleading people for personal gain. But I think that is the minority. I think there are probably a greater number of false prophets who started out as false disciples.

I am thinking about one television evangelist, in particular, in my mind whom I judge to be a false prophet. His message isn’t about humility and decreasing as you increase. His message is about what I am owed by you and what you will give me. While this message has resulted in personal wealth for him, I don’t think he set out to intentionally mislead people. I think that somewhere along the way he became a false disciple and that lead to him being a false prophet.

The question is, How do I protect myself from becoming a false disciple? I think one of the best ways is through submitted community, meaning I need to have at least one other disciple outside of my home who has a chance to look at my life and critically evaluate me and speak your truth in my life. I need someone who can look at me and call me on things. At the same time, I need to be willing to call the other person on things. It is my responsibility to them to not let them become a false disciple.

Father, I want you to look at me one day and say, “I am so glad you are here. Yes, I know you.” I want to lead people into a place in their lives where they will one day be known by you as well, if they are not already. What I really want is to lead my children into a place where they are known by you. Please help me to be known by you and let my children (and my wife) be known by you as well.

 
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Posted by on December 9, 2011 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – What does the Narrow Path Look Like? (Matthew 7:13-14)

07 Dec

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Dear God, is this gate for our life here on earth, or is it for what comes after we die? I have always taken it to mean life after death, but I wonder if Jesus wasn’t talking more about the life we live now rather than the life to come. If it is about life here on earth, what is the “life” to which Jesus refers, and what does it look like in someone who has found it?

I am convinced that “life” does not mean financial success, perfect children, perfect marriage, perfect career, etc. One of the ironies I saw in the lives of a couple of men who recently died was that they were estranged from their children even though many, many people looked up to them as men who were humble and truly loved you. And I agree with the perception of them as lovers of you. I believe they found the small gate. I believe they walking the narrow path. But somewhere along the way, Satan ripped their children from them. Not that their children are bad people now, but somehow the relationships were destroyed.

That is probably my biggest frustration about trying to walk the narrow path: Why don’t my life circumstances turn out prettier? Why do I still struggle with personal failings? Why do I still hurt my children? Why do I still hurt my wife? Even last night, I didn’t mean to, but I ended up hurting my daughter by telling her teacher something I suppose I shouldn’t have. She was embarrassed, and I think that event, in isolation, wouldn’t have bothered her so much, but I think it was built on other things that annoy her about me to the point where she was really hurt.

Father, I am sold out and committed to this path even though it isn’t always pretty. I believe the life you have for me on the path is filled with a peace that I cannot find on the other path. I also believe that the path is about submitting my life circumstances to you. At the same time, I am sure that you do not intend for this path to cause rifts in my relationships. I think that is where Satan attacks us because I am on the path. So help me to be aware of Satan and please bind Satan and protect all of us from his plans and attacks. I am frustrated that he has so much success in throwing little wrenches in my life. Please protect me not from trials, but from the sins I am prone to commit.

 
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Posted by on December 7, 2011 in Matthew

 

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