Category: judgment

My mom comments every year that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but she does not need to remind me. My earliest memories are of great food, family gatherings, and playing basketball or football in the neighborhood with friends. Later Thanksgiving memories always involved going to my girlfriend Susan’s house. My future in-laws also served fine meals. The next memories center at my parents’ house with our children and their cousins. The food was always wonderful; and I’ll always remember the kids playing outside for hours… along with an occasional trip to the emergency room.

A recent memory is of an ‘Amigos for Christ’ Thanksgiving meal in Nicaragua with our daughter Karlyn and about a hundred brothers and sisters in Christ after a hard day’s work in a rural village. Nationality, social status, age, or color of skin did not matter… we loved one another because we have all first been loved by a most generous Heavenly Father. And now I look forward to time with family that includes a six-month-old, a one-and-a-half-year-old, and a two-and-a-half-year-old. The day is approaching!

The Kingdom of God is also approaching! The Father desires all to gather around His Table to celebrate Life. Whether we were advantaged or disadvantaged on earth, the meal is for all. The Spirit says, ‘Come!’ The Son will be present and we will thank Him as the Host who paid the exorbitant price to make such an occasion possible.

Let us all first be sure we answer the invitation (see parable below) and then let us spread the word: “Come drink of the Living Water! The Kingdom of God is near!”

Happy Thanksgiving!!

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’” Matthew 4:17

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a King who prepared a wedding banquet for His Son. He sent His servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then He sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared My dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized His servants, mistreated them and killed them. The King was enraged. He sent His army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then He said to His servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” Matthew 22:1-10

“Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.” Galatians 6:15

The conflicts on junior high playgrounds don’t differ too much from when I was a kid. “No, no… it didn’t count!” “What? There’s no rule about that!!” And the commotion begins…

Paul discussed rules in his letter to the Galatians and concluded: “Here’s what counts – you are a new creation… and this only happens because of what God has done through Jesus Christ.”

Jesus is the best at breaking things down to what is most important. People, especially religious people, sometimes take what they think they know about God and His ways to justify actions and high opinions of themselves. Jesus is never fooled.

Religious man: “I follow the Ten Commandments. I tithe and worship properly and live a respectable life in society.”

Jesus: “Here’s what counts with God – your heart. Many do not commit murder, but My Father sees the anger in their hearts and knows the problem. Many never commit adultery, but My Father sees immense damage from lust of the heart. Many give offerings according to the law, but My Father sees whether a person is truly generous. He knows each heart and He knows a man’s true treasure.”

Religious man: “But look at all the sinners! I am so much better than they. You associate with people that have no place in God’s house.”

Jesus: “So you know the heart of another? The way you judge your fellow man counts a lot… that’s the way you will be judged. As you think you are better than someone else, My Father may see that person closer to the Kingdom than you are. Many sinners are finding the Way to eternal life.”

Religious man: “But I know the Scripture. I know I am a part of God’s chosen people. How can you say that sinners are finding a way to life?”

Jesus: “Let Me tell you what counts… I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. You study and search the Scriptures, but yet you miss Me. Those that find Me find the Way. And this is eternal life: to know God the Father and the Son He has sent to save the world.”

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray; one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural decent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12-13

Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (II Timothy 2:14-19, 22-26)

A good friend recently commented regarding thoughts on II Timothy: “Dana, I can just picture you speaking to your kids like that and emphasizing the things you think God wants them to hear from you.” I told my friend that the reason I have been reading II Timothy was that my dad told me this was the message he would write to believers in this day and time. Reading the letter afresh, it is as if I can hear my father’s voice. Perhaps this is what God intends as we read His Word. Through the Holy Spirit, we hear our Heavenly Father’s voice.

Regarding the verses above, I think I would say this to Taylor, Emma, Kinsey, Jordan, Karlyn, and John:

Be ready to talk about Jesus any time and anywhere. But be careful; some people just want to argue. Quarreling about words, arguing about stupid things, and jumping into every debate does more harm than good. God wants us to resist evil and to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with a pure heart.

Be a good student of God’s Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to give understanding when you read… He promises to guide us in truth. There is a lot of bad handling of God’s Word in the world today. Some are teaching things in direct in opposition of the truth. In every situation we encounter though, God wants us to speak with kindness and love.

If there is confusion regarding who loves God and who is opposing Him, just remember: “The Lord knows who are His.” God is never confused and He has said that: “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” We are called to walk in the light as Jesus is in the light. He is with us!

I don’t think I can explain how much I love you. And I know we cannot fully fathom how much the Father loves us. With all the Body of Christ, let’s constantly thank God and let’s help each other on the journey.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 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?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bunches to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30

In Matthew 24, Jesus tells of signs of His return and the need for His servants to be aware of the times and to be focused on the duties the Master has given. “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns… Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables that illustrate how to ‘watch’ and ‘be ready’ for His return. The story of the ten virgins reveals that some will be foolishly unprepared when the bridegroom returns. The wise ones, though, will be ready with a good supply of oil as they wait. In Scripture, oil often represents the Spirit of God, so the important questions are: Am I full of the Spirit, keeping my mind on the things of God and my eyes on Jesus? Or am I living selfishly, wasting my time on the trivial with little attention to eternal matters?

Next, Jesus tells the story of three servants entrusted with gifts as the master went away on a journey. Upon his return, the master held a day of accounting where the servants proved themselves. Two of the servants had doubled their talents and received praise and honor from the master with promise of further reward. The third servant was cast into darkness for burying his talent due to fear and laziness. Am I using what the Master has entrusted to me? Or am I living a lazy, timid life?

Finally, Jesus tells the story of the separation of the sheep and goats. Those who clothed and visited and fed and loved the ‘least of these’ were welcomed into the Kingdom. And those who did not clothe or visit or feed or love the poor in their time on earth were sent away to eternal punishment. Am I recognizing Jesus in the faces of the hungry and the homeless and the lonely and the sick… and am I serving Him?

Jesus tells us to live ready. We cannot do this without Him, so we heed the apostles’ teaching: “Be filled with the Spirit.” Jesus also tells us to use what we have been given. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” And Jesus tells us to love everyone, for as we love others, we love Him. “This is my command: Love each other.”

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.” Luke 12:35-37

As newspaper articles reported last week on ‘the moon turning to blood’ and Christians debated the meaning, I concluded that Jesus is the One we need to hear.

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36

We know drunkenness leads to terrible outcomes. We know the anxieties of life can paralyze. But what is dissipation?

Dissipation describes foolish living. Squandering time, energy, money, or other resources leads to dissipation. We live in a culture of dissipation.

To avoid these things that weigh down our hearts and make us unprepared, we would be wise to live oppositely. We are called to live sober lives and be full of sober thinking. Jesus tells us not to worry so we must ask for grace to live boldly. And finally, we should wisely use all that God gives us. How do I use my time, my money, and my energy? “Lord, fill us each day with your Holy Spirit and help us live abundant lives.”

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 4:7-11