Matthew 16:24-25 - Will you still love him?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

Do you believe God can turn any situation? Will you still love him if he doesn’t?

In preparing for another ladies class discussion, this phrase really impacted me. We are called to believe, but we are called to believe beyond getting our way. Our lesson is on Mary and Martha, but not the story of the sisters having Jesus in their home. This lesson focuses on when their brother, Jesus' friend, Lazarus dies. They expect Jesus to drop everything and come to their rescue, but he doesn't. They both eventually come to show Jesus they love him and he is their messiah, even though Lazarus is dead. That's not the end of the story, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, but Mary and Martha would have loved him even if he hadn't.

Lord, We love you and believe in you, even when you don't do what we ask. Please help us to trust in you always. Amen.

Matthew 6:19-24 - Bible Study Challenge Day 5

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Question 1 - What treasures do we lay up here on earth?
Out treasures can be stuff. We fill our lives and houses with stuff. In the last few day I have spent a bunch of money on a bunch of stuff. It is easy to find our value in the stuff we purchase. Our treasures may be the things/activities we give our time and effort to, especially if it is more time and effort than we give to God. Our treasure may be our savings or retirement account. It's good to think ahead, be prepared and plan to take care of ourselves when we retire, but investments can fail, big expenses can drain us financially and all can be lost. We must be careful we are putting our trust and value in God, not our savings.

Question 2 - How can we keep the light in us?
We are a vessel for light. The more broken we are, the more light gets out to share with the world. We must fill our vessel daily/hourly through prayer, study and meditation, by believing and trusting in God.

Question 3 - Who or what competes to be our master?
So many things!!! Anything we obey rather than God. This could be our job, spouse, children, presidents, food and other addictions, money, etc...

Romans 14:8 - For the Lord

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

No matter what we do, we do it for the Lord. The context of this passage is that we may not have the exact same ways of expressing our faith, but regardless of those differences, we must do these things for the Lord.

Lord, thank you for loving each of us exactly where we are in our faith. Please help us to do whatever we do, for you. Amen.

Romans 14:4 - Who are you to judge?

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Not everyone's faith is the same. Just because someone believes a little different from me doesn't mean they are not a servant of the Lord. If they are willing to listen, we can share our truth, but we need to be prepared to listen to them share their truth as well. Each servant will stand or fall independently to their master. If they belong to the Lord, they will stand, regardless of the differences in the way we believe.

Lord, thank you for having a relationship with each and every one of your followers. Please help us to be coworkers with fellow believers, regardless of our differences. Amen.

Genesis 15:6

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Can you imagine having a conversation with the Lord? I mean sitting down and having an audible discussion with the word of the Lord. Abram had this opportunity on several occasions. But even in these amazing circumstances, it was hard for Abram to believe. Abram was childless and God is telling him he will have numerous offspring, yet Abram believed. He still had questions and didn't know how God was going to accomplish the things he has promised, but Abram believed.

Lord, I believe you. I believe you have a plan for my life. I believe you have a home for me in heaven. Amen.