Year: 2022

Awe and Wonder

A dear friend, Bryan Keaton, was recently sharing some of his own awe and wonder over the sermon on the mount.

The verse we are both talking about is:

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 ESV

I have seen this verse speak in so many different ways, depending on which specific word convicts us. He mentions how the word “therefore” hit him last night and sprung up praise in his heart that he shared with me. Then, I read his awe and wonder, which sprung up additional awe and wonder from me over the word “be” and what importance that holds as well.

I have also had times in my life where I needed to repent of sin or complacency and the Holy Spirit emphasized the word perfect/holy to me so that I might remember that we are to “be HOLY as He is HOLY”. We could read this sentence many times, placing emphasis on a different single word each time, and a different nuance of conviction, awe and wonder might come to light. The word “YOUR” might remind us that He isn’t just some “far away” heavenly Father and awesome Almighty God common to all of creation — but He is “mine”, He is personally close and individually mine.

Our awe and wonder over the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 together also reminds me of an interaction Jesus has with a Cannannite woman in Matthew 15.

And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Matthew 15:22‭-‬28 ESV

Thank you Lord, for your Word. Every single crumb is a delight. Thank you for giving your bread not just to the children, but even giving crumbs to the dogs. Amen.

Two Kinds of Treasures

What if there were two kinds of treasures?

What if there were short term treasures and long term treasures — but most people were only conciously aware of the short term treasures (because that’s what they were taught to chase)?

What if they fought over and chased and grumbled about not having as much of the short term treasures — while not realizing that the only way they ever got the short term treasures was when their enemies actually convinced them into trading away some of their more valuable treasures?

What if the whole way that our “enemies” marketed life to us was in convincing us that we need their short term treasures — and in selling us on the idea that they are better off because they have those things piled up?

But what if we were truly the rich ones, and they were truly poor, but they just learned how to try and convince us otherwise?

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What if one of the greatest treasures was to be broke and not be able to help others or even help yourself —

So that you had to realize your complete dependence upon God —

And that even though everyone else is also still dependent upon God, you realize it and appreciate it, even while they don’t?

What if that was the greater blessing than a fat belly, a fat bank account, and a house full of expensive things that will eventually be worthless?

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What if one of the greatest blessings was to lose someone truly dear to you so that you mourned and grieved strongly —

So that even while you questioned God in your pain from their absence from your life, you realized how amazing it was to have disturbed love so fully, and you had to genuinely thank Him for their part in your life —

And realize that God is able to comfort us in those hard times?

What if the greater blessing is to learn about love, the precious and unique nature of life itself, the value and unpredictable nature of time, and the faithfulness of God who holds it all in His hand?

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When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Matthew 5:1‭-‬12 MSG

Treasures

What if there were two kinds of treasures?

What if there were short term treasures and long term treasures — but most people were only conciously aware of the short term treasures (because that’s what they were taught to chase)?

What if they fought over and chased and grumbled about not having a much of the short term treasures — while not realizing that the only way they ever got the short term treasures was when their enemies actually convinced them into trading away some of their more valuable treasures?

What if the whole way that our “enemies” marketed life to us was in convincing us that we need their short term treasures — and in selling us on the idea that they are better off because they have those things piled up?

But what if we were truly the rich ones, and they were truly poor, but they just learned how to try and convince us otherwise?

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:19‭-‬34 NLT

Precepts, Essentials and a Return to the Source of Truth

I’m continuing along in video two of a series that my friend introduced me to:

Points of interest:

• “The most important issue of life is the source of your ideas… Where did you get them from?” ~2:05

• Religion/denomination is a “school of thought”.

• “Faith” is not a religious word, “it simply means belief”. “Faith… simply means you believe what he said.”

• “This seminar is not about information. It is about precepts.”

• “The precept is more important than the law. If you know the precepts, it is easy to obey the law. Because the precepts precedes the law.”

• “Precepts make you hate unrighteousness.”

At one point in the middle of the video, the topic shifted enough towards knowledge and gnosis, that I was paying attention to try and make sure that this didn’t head down the path of “esoteric knowledge”.

But I feel that the teaching focused enough on “Holy Spirit”, “discernment” and “source” rather than going toward any danger areas like us “attaining” for ourselves light/knowledge/ understanding/faith (which would have thrown up some red flags for me — see esoteric gnosticism).

So far, I’m really enjoying the videos. Please, feel free to add your comments and feedback.

Kingdom Ideology

A friend recently shared this video series with me, and I’m walking through watching them. So I’m not trying to specifically endorse or convince anyone to explicitly trust them, but I thought that I might share my thoughts and encircled you to share yours in the comments as well?

I’d like to watch through the whole series once to just get the basic concepts, and then watch back through each one again considering and contemplating each point in greater detail.

https://youtu.be/mUOfg-a616o

Two talking points that jumped out to me during my first time watching this were:

• “There are no new ideas, there’s just a new generation bringing it back.”
• “Ideas can be generational traded. That’s what we call tradition.”

Some self-examination questions that came to mind:

• Are we drinking down a soup of tradition that is a mix of milk, bone, meat and poison that is sourced from someone else’s philosophy and theology that came from their own flawed ideology?

• Or are we going back to God, the source of divine, original, instruction straight from the maker’s mind?