Everything I Need

Philippians 4:11-13

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is like to be in need, and I know what it is like to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Paul went through so much in his life, as a student and scholar of the strictest sect of Scripture study, so he was well-acquainted with his (Jewish) people's checkered history. Then he opposed this new upstart sect, and encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, turning him completely around, 180 degrees. That's when trouble came into his life! Eventually, he was sent out to found churches, and travelled the known world of the time. So God taught Paul, and through him, taught me, too, to be content and trust Him to provide everything I need. And if I'm in want of something I need, I know He will send it, and it will probably have human fingerprints on it.

The Parable of the Forgiving Master

Matthew 18:21-35

Peter asked, "How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven times (unlimited). Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants."

In the Kingdom of Heaven, King Jesus will settle all accounts.

"As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him ... "

In today's money, one talent was worth $1.8 million. So ten thousand times $1.8 million would be $18 billion--it would take forever to pay that much.

"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with  me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'"

As though he would be able to!

"The servant's master took pity on him, cancelled the debt, and let him go."

God forgives us of our totally unpayable debt of sin.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (a few dollars, or a handful of change) He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt...."

He refused to give his brother even a little of the forgiveness he had received from his master.

"Then [word got back to the king, and] the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger the master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.'"

Wow, tortured! He could never pay back that much money in his whole lifetime--he'd never get out of prison!

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

God will judge each of us with the standard we hold against others. So if we say that God forgave us, then we must be sure to treat others, who don't deserve it any more than we do, as God has treated us; to give others the same forgiveness, allowance, and acceptance we want from God. If we find we can't do that, then maybe we need to search our own hearts to see if we have really admitted to God that we owe that immeasurable, eternal debt that Jesus paid on the cross. If He paid more than we think we owe, then it wasn't our debt He paid; it was someone else's who did owe that much. There is no dividing up the suffering Jesus endured--it's either all my debt or not. Personally, I know I owed that immeasurable debt, and Jesus took my place on the cross & paid my debt for me. He loves me that much.

We Are Being Watched

Hebrews 11 & 12:1-2

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do  not see.... By faith we understand ... that what is seen was not make out of what is visible.... By faith Abel ... by faith Enoch ... by faith Noah ... by faith Abraham.... All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.... They were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham ... by faith Isaac ... by faith Jacob ... by faith Joseph ... by faith Moses' parents ... by faith Moses ... by faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land ... by faith the walls of Jericho fell ... by faith the prostitute Rahab ... Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David, Samuel and the prophets ... the world was not worthy of them. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses ...

The writer sums up the whole Old Testament, naming all the people he can, then tells us that they are all watching us! All who have died in faith throughout all the ages past are watching to see how we are doing in our faith. That is a great incentive to:

Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus ....

Why I Can Pray with Power

Hebrews 4:12-16

(Paraphrased, Personalized Prayer)

O my dear Father, your Word is alive and active. It is sharper than any double-edged sword made by man. Your Word penetrates even to dividing my soul from my spirit, my bones from the marrow inside them. By it You judge the thoughts and attitudes of my heart. Nothing in all of Your creation is hidden from Your scrutiny, O God; everything is laid bare before Your eyes, that we must give account. Therefore, since You have given us a High Priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus, Your very own Son, O God, help me to actually have the faith I claim to have. For my High Priest is able to sympathize with my every weakness, having been tempted in every way I am tempted--yet triumphed over every temptation, never entering into sin. Because of this, Father, I approach Your great throne of grace with firm confidence that I will receive mercy and find grace to help me in my every time of need. Thank you, Father!

God"s Faithfulness

Those who know  your Name will trust in you, For you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. (Psalm 9:10)

O my Father God, I thank you and praise you for your faithfulness; that I can trust you to always be true to your Word. That you will always keep every one of your promises, no matter how unlikely the circumstances seem against it.

Death

John 11:33, 35, 38

When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled....Jesus wept...Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.

Lazarus was one of Jesus' best friends. Jesus would lodge at Lazarus' home when He was in the area, and appreciated him. When Lazarus died, even though He knew what He would do, Jesus was very troubled that this enemy, Death, would have such a strong hold on His friend. When Jesus confronted Death in Lazarus, He was deeply moved.

John 12:27

Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say, "Father, save me from this hour"? No, it was for this very reason that I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Your Name!"

Even when talking about His own death, Jesus was troubled.

God is never pleased with Death, it is our enemy, and God loves us. So much that He allowed His own Son to go through death in order to conquer it. The last enemy to be destroyed is Death.

God's Love Letter to Me

First Corinthians chapter 13

Personalized:

Oh, Bonnie, I want you to love others the way I love you. No matter what you say, what you do, what you believe, it all amounts to nothing at all without love. When you love others with my love, Bonnie, this is how it will look: You will be patient, you will be kind. You will not envy or boast, or be proud. You will not be rude or self-seeking or easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs. You will find no delight in any evil, but you will rejoice when the Truth wins out. You will always protect, always trust, you will always have hope, and you will never give up. 

Bonnie, your love will never fail because My love for you will never fail. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge of this world, it will pass away when it will no longer be needed. For everything you know in this world is only a small part of My story for you, Bonnie. 

Remember when you were a child--your understanding was so limited and was reflected in how you spoke, thought and reasoned; but now as an adult you've grown past all those childish ways. In that same way, while you're living this life you are limited--you see as in a dim reflection of the Reality I am preparing for you; you only know a small part of what I shall reveal to you when you see Me face-to-face, and I teach you everything in full. 

So now, hold on to these three: Your faith in Me, your hope in all I have already promised you, and My love in you to share, because everything I do is from My love for you. I AM LOVE.

Love,
Dad