Parables of the Kingdom - 8/5/21

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “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?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

Matthew 13:24-30

Questions for Reflection:

How helpful is it when processing life in this world to hear Jesus say that He has an enemy at work wreaking havoc in God's field? Does it explain a lot?

Does it feel like a relief or a restriction to hear Jesus say that separating out the weeds is His job for later not the servants job now?

Having weeds and wheat growing together makes for a messy field. How reflective is this of the real life you live and the real world you live in?

Prayer of the Week:

Lord Jesus, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You and to receive all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor You as my Lord and God and surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to You. Thank You for loving me so very much and I now intentionally enter that love relationship with You as I pray.

Jesus, I admit that there are times I don’t “get” You. I don’t understand how You and the Father and the Spirit are working at this moment in my life and in my world. (Take a couple of moments and candidly admit frustrations with Jesus and situations where you find it difficult and frustrating to trust and obey Him.)

Even as I admit these frustrations I am, in some way, surrendering them to You. You are God and I am not. You see a much bigger picture than I do. I surrender to You – not in a sense cynical defeat but in life giving faith. Jesus, I believe in You. Help my unbelief.

Holy Spirit, I need Your counsel, comfort, strength and guidance. I ask You to fill me afresh with Your presence and life so that I might see the many little ways Your kingdom is breaking in to this broken world. I want to see and seize the opportunities You are giving me to share love and forgiveness, grace and kindness, truth and justice, sacrifice and service, joy and compassion, words and actions all done in Your name as small but vital parts of Your kingdom breaking into our broken world.

I thank You so much for calling me to be Your child, to be Your witness in this world and contend for Your kingdom even in small and seemingly insignificant ways. It is refreshing to know that little things done in Your name do matter and matter greatly. Thank You for being the kind of God where someone as insignificant as me can matter so very much to You. I love You,

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/4/21

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:31-40

Questions for Reflection:

What do you think people find difficult in the fact that Jesus is the one who separates out the sheep and the goats and not us?

Why do you think that is difficult for people?

How can you "tend the field?" How could your Grow Group?

Prayer of the Week:

Lord Jesus, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You and to receive all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor You as my Lord and God and surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to You. Thank You for loving me so very much and I now intentionally enter that love relationship with You as I pray.

Jesus, I admit that there are times I don’t “get” You. I don’t understand how You and the Father and the Spirit are working at this moment in my life and in my world. (Take a couple of moments and candidly admit frustrations with Jesus and situations where you find it difficult and frustrating to trust and obey Him.)

Even as I admit these frustrations I am, in some way, surrendering them to You. You are God and I am not. You see a much bigger picture than I do. I surrender to You – not in a sense cynical defeat but in life giving faith. Jesus, I believe in You. Help my unbelief.

Holy Spirit, I need Your counsel, comfort, strength and guidance. I ask You to fill me afresh with Your presence and life so that I might see the many little ways Your kingdom is breaking in to this broken world. I want to see and seize the opportunities You are giving me to share love and forgiveness, grace and kindness, truth and justice, sacrifice and service, joy and compassion, words and actions all done in Your name as small but vital parts of Your kingdom breaking into our broken world.

I thank You so much for calling me to be Your child, to be Your witness in this world and contend for Your kingdom even in small and seemingly insignificant ways. It is refreshing to know that little things done in Your name do matter and matter greatly. Thank You for being the kind of God where someone as insignificant as me can matter so very much to You. I love You,

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/3/21

After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Matthew 11:1-6

Questions for Reflection:

Reflect on the times when Jesus may have underwhelmed you or disappointed you or didn't come through in a way you really wanted Him to. Did any of those times tempt you to "stumble" in your faith? How would it feel in that moment to receive the encouragement from Jesus, "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”?

Prayer of the Week:

Lord Jesus, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You and to receive all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor You as my Lord and God and surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to You. Thank You for loving me so very much and I now intentionally enter that love relationship with You as I pray.

Jesus, I admit that there are times I don’t “get” You. I don’t understand how You and the Father and the Spirit are working at this moment in my life and in my world. (Take a couple of moments and candidly admit frustrations with Jesus and situations where you find it difficult and frustrating to trust and obey Him.)

Even as I admit these frustrations I am, in some way, surrendering them to You. You are God and I am not. You see a much bigger picture than I do. I surrender to You – not in a sense cynical defeat but in life giving faith. Jesus, I believe in You. Help my unbelief.

Holy Spirit, I need Your counsel, comfort, strength and guidance. I ask You to fill me afresh with Your presence and life so that I might see the many little ways Your kingdom is breaking in to this broken world. I want to see and seize the opportunities You are giving me to share love and forgiveness, grace and kindness, truth and justice, sacrifice and service, joy and compassion, words and actions all done in Your name as small but vital parts of Your kingdom breaking into our broken world.

I thank You so much for calling me to be Your child, to be Your witness in this world and contend for Your kingdom even in small and seemingly insignificant ways. It is refreshing to know that little things done in Your name do matter and matter greatly. Thank You for being the kind of God where someone as insignificant as me can matter so very much to You. I love You,

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/2/21

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."

Matthew 13:31-35

Questions for Reflection:

Do you find yourself feeling impatient with God? What situations cause you to feel the most impatient?

Why do you think patience is such a high value in the Kingdom?

Prayer of the Week:

Lord Jesus, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You and to receive all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor You as my Lord and God and surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to You. Thank You for loving me so very much and I now intentionally enter that love relationship with You as I pray.

Jesus, I admit that there are times I don’t “get” You. I don’t understand how You and the Father and the Spirit are working at this moment in my life and in my world. (Take a couple of moments and candidly admit frustrations with Jesus and situations where you find it difficult and frustrating to trust and obey Him.)

Even as I admit these frustrations I am, in some way, surrendering them to You. You are God and I am not. You see a much bigger picture than I do. I surrender to You – not in a sense cynical defeat but in life giving faith. Jesus, I believe in You. Help my unbelief.

Holy Spirit, I need Your counsel, comfort, strength and guidance. I ask You to fill me afresh with Your presence and life so that I might see the many little ways Your kingdom is breaking in to this broken world. I want to see and seize the opportunities You are giving me to share love and forgiveness, grace and kindness, truth and justice, sacrifice and service, joy and compassion, words and actions all done in Your name as small but vital parts of Your kingdom breaking into our broken world.

I thank You so much for calling me to be Your child, to be Your witness in this world and contend for Your kingdom even in small and seemingly insignificant ways. It is refreshing to know that little things done in Your name do matter and matter greatly. Thank You for being the kind of God where someone as insignificant as me can matter so very much to You. I love You,

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 7/31/21

1-2 O my soul, bless God.

From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!

O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing!

3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.

He heals your diseases—every one.

He redeems you from hell—saves your life!

He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.

He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

6-12 God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet.

He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel.

God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love.

He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him.

And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.

Psalm 103:1-12

Questions for Reflection:

Using the words from Psalm 103, spend some time thanking God for the amazing ways He loves you.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you areas of your life He wants to show you where you are stingy with grace or love or forgiveness. Take time now, to confess, ask for forgiveness, and receive His amazing grace!

Finally, listen to the song Reckless Love, and bask in just how Recklessly He loves YOU! Then go, recklessly love others today!

Prayer of the Week:

Heavenly Father, I recognize your presence here with me right now and I invite you Father, Son and Holy Spirit into my life and this time of prayer. Holy Spirit, lead my prayer and show me how to pray.

Jesus I confess to you now that I have an unpayable debt that is larger than I can know. I confess to you that I have sinned against you and others in thought, word and deed. I have hurt you and others in ways that I don’t even know. I come to you now asking for your forgiveness. I ask that you apply to me the forgiveness that Jesus has won for me on the cross. I receive your complete forgiveness that covers all of my sins.

Father thank you for your generosity towards me and all people. I thank you for the grace that you have lavishly placed upon me. You are more generous than I can even imagine. You have daily provided for my every need. I thank you for blessings that I see and blessings that I pass by without even noticing. Help me see every day your generous gifts.

Holy Spirit I thank you for bringing true life. I receive you Holy Spirit now and I ask that through your power I am able to respond to the generosity shown to me and respond. Holy Spirit help me to be a river of grace not a pond. Help me to lavish grace upon those who have wronged me. Help me to forgive like you forgive.

Jesus help me to see and respond to all the different places where you have called me to be a contender for the Kingdom. Thank you Father for revealing yourself to me. I desperately desire to live the meaningful life Christ intends for me this day!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 7/30/21

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world

1 John 1:8-2:2

Questions for Reflection:

Think of a time where you have realized a great sin after perhaps not thinking it was a sin. How does knowing that your sin is 100% atoned for, paid for, by Jesus bring peace to you?

What is your response to the fact that our lack of recognizing sin, even denying its presence in our life, is calling God a liar?

How does knowing you don’t have to have some kind of elevated spiritual wisdom to receive salvation bring joy and relief for you?

Prayer of the Week:

Heavenly Father, I recognize your presence here with me right now and I invite you Father, Son and Holy Spirit into my life and this time of prayer. Holy Spirit, lead my prayer and show me how to pray.

Jesus I confess to you now that I have an unpayable debt that is larger than I can know. I confess to you that I have sinned against you and others in thought, word and deed. I have hurt you and others in ways that I don’t even know. I come to you now asking for your forgiveness. I ask that you apply to me the forgiveness that Jesus has won for me on the cross. I receive your complete forgiveness that covers all of my sins.

Father thank you for your generosity towards me and all people. I thank you for the grace that you have lavishly placed upon me. You are more generous than I can even imagine. You have daily provided for my every need. I thank you for blessings that I see and blessings that I pass by without even noticing. Help me see every day your generous gifts.

Holy Spirit I thank you for bringing true life. I receive you Holy Spirit now and I ask that through your power I am able to respond to the generosity shown to me and respond. Holy Spirit help me to be a river of grace not a pond. Help me to lavish grace upon those who have wronged me. Help me to forgive like you forgive.

Jesus help me to see and respond to all the different places where you have called me to be a contender for the Kingdom. Thank you Father for revealing yourself to me. I desperately desire to live the meaningful life Christ intends for me this day!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 7/29/21

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:1-9

Questions for Reflection:

Name a time when you were shown extreme kindness .... the kind of kindness that makes a difference in your life. Is it hard to think of a time? Has God ever been that kind to you ..... that you can recall?

How does it change the way you view your life today (and new life in Jesus) if you view it as a gift given and received but not deserved?

How is living like life is an underserved gift different than living like life is less than I deserve? Which is ultimately more freeing?

Prayer of the Week:

Heavenly Father, I recognize your presence here with me right now and I invite you Father, Son and Holy Spirit into my life and this time of prayer. Holy Spirit, lead my prayer and show me how to pray.

Jesus I confess to you now that I have an unpayable debt that is larger than I can know. I confess to you that I have sinned against you and others in thought, word and deed. I have hurt you and others in ways that I don’t even know. I come to you now asking for your forgiveness. I ask that you apply to me the forgiveness that Jesus has won for me on the cross. I receive your complete forgiveness that covers all of my sins.

Father thank you for your generosity towards me and all people. I thank you for the grace that you have lavishly placed upon me. You are more generous than I can even imagine. You have daily provided for my every need. I thank you for blessings that I see and blessings that I pass by without even noticing. Help me see every day your generous gifts.

Holy Spirit I thank you for bringing true life. I receive you Holy Spirit now and I ask that through your power I am able to respond to the generosity shown to me and respond. Holy Spirit help me to be a river of grace not a pond. Help me to lavish grace upon those who have wronged me. Help me to forgive like you forgive.

Jesus help me to see and respond to all the different places where you have called me to be a contender for the Kingdom. Thank you Father for revealing yourself to me. I desperately desire to live the meaningful life Christ intends for me this day!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 7/28/21

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 7:37-39

Questions for Reflection:

Think of a time when you experienced a "river" of grace from someone else. Perhaps a time when you received forgiveness or a blessing that was simply not deserved. How did that feel?

Why is being forgiving so hard? How does the fact that what you give away when you forgive is what you have already been given help you when forgiveness is hard?

A river is dependent on its "source" to be what it is supposed to be.

Prayer of the Week:

Heavenly Father, I recognize your presence here with me right now and I invite you Father, Son and Holy Spirit into my life and this time of prayer. Holy Spirit, lead my prayer and show me how to pray.

Jesus I confess to you now that I have an unpayable debt that is larger than I can know. I confess to you that I have sinned against you and others in thought, word and deed. I have hurt you and others in ways that I don’t even know. I come to you now asking for your forgiveness. I ask that you apply to me the forgiveness that Jesus has won for me on the cross. I receive your complete forgiveness that covers all of my sins.

Father thank you for your generosity towards me and all people. I thank you for the grace that you have lavishly placed upon me. You are more generous than I can even imagine. You have daily provided for my every need. I thank you for blessings that I see and blessings that I pass by without even noticing. Help me see every day your generous gifts.

Holy Spirit I thank you for bringing true life. I receive you Holy Spirit now and I ask that through your power I am able to respond to the generosity shown to me and respond. Holy Spirit help me to be a river of grace not a pond. Help me to lavish grace upon those who have wronged me. Help me to forgive like you forgive.

Jesus help me to see and respond to all the different places where you have called me to be a contender for the Kingdom. Thank you Father for revealing yourself to me. I desperately desire to live the meaningful life Christ intends for me this day! Amen