Not a Moment, But a Movement

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the Parable of the Three Servants, sometimes known as the Parable of the Talents. In this parable, there is a a man who gives his three servants five, two, and one bag of silver respectively. The first two servants invested the silver and went to work with what was given to them so that they could earn more. The last servant buried the master’s money. When the master returns, he praises the first two servants and scolds the last one: “Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (25:30, NIV). He has given us earthly resources and spiritual gifts to be used to grow his Kingdom, but many of us bury those gifts in order to live a self-centered life. Our selfish lives will turn to dust, but our work in God’s Kingdom will last for eternity. What have you been doing with what God has given you? God hasn’t given us earthly resources and spiritual gifts in order to just go to college, get a degree, score a good job, move up the corporate ladder, get married, have kids, send our kids to nice schools, upgrade our cars, upgrade our house, and generally live a nice and comfortable life. While these things aren’t inherently bad, these things cannot be our purpose for living. They will all turn to dust in the end. What won’t turn to dust is the effort we put toward eternal work. When we focus our short lives on loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and making disciples of all nations, then everything we do has purpose. First Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (NIV). It can be sobering to think about the brevity of our lives, but it is even more terrifying to think of living a life that was completely pointless. The only way our lives can have purpose is if we find our purpose in giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Only then will our lives have an eternal impact. Reflection/Discussion Question: Are you currently more focused on living for yourself or doing the work of the Lord?

As Jesus gives his disciples the new command to love another as he has loved them (John 13:34), he is referencing washing his disciples’ feet. But it wasn’t just the act of washing their feet that showed his love, it was what washing their feet represented. John 13:3 says, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist” (NIV). This picture of Jesus taking off his outer garment and wrapping a towel around his waist is a mirror image of Jesus leaving his heavenly throne to become a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Jesus made himself nothing in order to secure our salvation. As Jesus went around to each of his disciples to wash their feet, he was foreshadowing his death on the cross. He would become sin for us in order to wash us clean and make us holy before God.  So, when Jesus commands his disciples to love one another as he has loved them, he is calling them to a radically humble kind of love. He is calling us to a radically humble kind of love. This is a love that is willing to sacrifice anything. This is a love that leaves behind comfort and worldly success. This is a love that willingly enters the mess of other people’s lives.  It’s one thing to love your neighbor as yourself, but it’s another thing to love one another as Jesus loved us.  Reflection/Discussion Question: What does it look like to love one another as Jesus loved us?

My son is suffering emotionally, mentally and physically. The emotional and mental issues he’s informed me have been going on since middle school. The physical part has been going on several months now; with blood work, MRI’s, muscle and nerve test and still no answers. He has said he would rather be dead than not know with the mental challenges he’s dealing with. Anxiety. Panic attacks and stress. Missing weeks of work and some days he has to leave. His employer has been very gracious, definitely a gift from God. Our relationship has totally changed. I was able to baptize him two weeks ago and my daughter was baptized at the same time by her husband. A beautiful gift; God is answering prayers. I have been able to come and stay with him several days a week. Cook. Clean. Do his laundry. We Have had great conversations. We have watched many sermons together and we are attending worship as a family. I live two hours away so Being able to come and stay with him has been the and. I’m so Thankful my Father makes a way and provides. Father may your will be done.

My neighbor was having a hard time adjusting to health issues with her father. I told her that I loved her and wanted to make her family homemade chicken noodle soup.