Author: David Short

Deuteronomy 31:23

Matthew 19:21

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Personal Challenge

There is absolutely nothing that we can do in our earthly life that will bring us to a place of perfection. Perfection only comes in and through Christ. He is the one who works in and through us to bring us to a form of righteousness before our God. Here we have a young rich man who believes he is doing everything needed to be seen as a perfect person in the eyes of God. However, Jesus informs him that there is one more thing to do. He must sell everything that he has, give the proceeds away to the poor, and follow Jesus. This expectation cuts to the quick of his life. As a rich, young man, this is too much to give up. Where are we on this spectrum? Are we trying to achieve, or earn, perfection in the eyes of God by doing things, going to more and more services, singing in the choir or teaching Sunday school, serving on another committee, all the while holding onto the riches of this earth? If we have not been willing to give it all up for Jesus, then we are no different than this young man. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Deuteronomy 31:8

But the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be afraid, nor be terrified.”

Encouraging Words

If we are truly following Jesus Christ and loving him with all our being then there should be no fear in our lives. If we lose our jobs, God will provide. If we get cancer or some other harsh sickness or disease, God will take care of us. This does not mean that we live reckless lives or abandon good sense. It means that in whatever happens in our temporal lives, God has us in his eternal hands. We can turn to Him for comfort, for help, for peace. This also means that as followers of Christ, if we see a fellow human being going through a difficult time in their lives then we are to be the hands and feet of God and be encouraging, supportive, and helping in their time of need. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner!

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Encouraging words

Jesus promises us that if we are gathered together in His name, then He is there with us. He is present with us in community. Whether it be a church service, a book study, a fellowship group, a meal shared, or just a small group of believers together. He is there with us. What a wonderful promise this and what a way to remain strong in our lives. Glory be to God!

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be valiant and strong, do not fear nor be afraid of them, nor be terrified before them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes before you and with you and among you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Encouraging Words

The Lord our God is the one who goes before us. He is the one who is with us and among us. He will never leave us or forsake us. There is nothing in life that is more encouraging than this promise, especially when it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ Glory be to God!

Matthew 18:15-18

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Personal Challenge

We have made it a practice in our modern society for each to be their our own judge, prosecutor, and jury when it comes to dealing with those who have sinned against us. Notice that this verse does not call out when someone offends us. When we are challenged or offended by someone, we are admonished to turn our other cheek to them. This verse calls out when someone sins against us. We are then expected to follow this path of discipline to deal with the sinner. We are not in charge of the discipline, but the body of Christ is. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have money! Lord, have mercy!

Deuteronomy 29:28

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Encouraging Words

Our glorious God is awesome and very much beyond our capacity and ability to ever understand. He is eternal and we are temporal. And yet, because He loves us. He choses to share with us, those who are His children, some of his mysteries. The most glorious mystery is the birth, the incarnation of His son. Jesus was born at a very dark and trying time in the history of mankind. He was born into a lowly and poor family that was oppressed and outcast by society. He was born so that we might live. So much of Jesus, who He was/is, what he did/does for each of us, and how we celebrate him in sacraments such as the Eucharist, are still mysteries that we will never fathom. But the fact that He is God incarnate is a mystery to cherish. Glory be to God!

Matthew 18:12-14

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Personal Challenge

It is sad to see that fewer and fewer leaders in the modern church, the pastors and the priests, are being taught to be shepherds. Jesus used parables related to shepherds very often because these parables paint very good pictures of what He wanted His followers to do. In this parable He makes it clear that leaders should care about those who have walked away. They should be lovingly pursued, not chastised. They should be shown the love of Christ, not admonished for the services the have missed. We should all care about those whom we notice are missing from our communities, not snub them when they do show up after an absence. What does Jesus expect us to do? To love our neighbors as ourselves. Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!