“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

Matthew 13

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." v45-46

When I read this, the first thing I think is "do I act like my faith is the most valuable thing in my life now and for the rest of my life?"

I am not so sure...perhaps sometimes but certainly not all of the time....wow...I need Jesus...badly...not only to forgive me, but also to help me turn from sin of not loving Him with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength.  I need to submit to Jesus all of my life, including all of that which prevents me from loving Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  This includes my job and career, both of which are causing stress and anxiety for me lately.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO amazing...that You love me, care for me, died for me, etc. I am not worthy of such love...not by a long shot.  I am full of anxiety and stress.  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me...help me also turn from this sin Jesus.  Help me be the man You intend for me.

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

Matthew 13

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. v37-39

 What's great is God wants me to understand His word...so again he teaches in parables and He repeats His messages because repetition helps us learn.  He is the best teacher that ever was, is, and ever will be.  Yesterday, I had trouble fully grasping His message for me, so today...voila...Jesus explains Himself so that I can understand...what a great God that He is SO patient!

I can only hope that I am a righteous one as Jesus references here:

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. v43

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus...what an amazing teacher You are...so patient and empathetic...You want us to understand Your word and You take the time to help us fully understand Your word.  How awesome are You!  I am not worthy of such patience because I lack patience for others.  Thank You that You love me anyway, but please forgive me and help me turn from this sin.  Help me be the man You intend for me.

"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

"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." v30

This verse seems to be both a very powerful and a very complex verse.  I don't pretend to understand its full meaning, yet one meaning to me is quite clear: that sin exists, we cannot hide it, and that God will ultimately deal with it.

I certainly need to be mindful of the sin in my life, and not only pray for God's forgiveness regarding this sin, but I also need to ask God for help in turning from this sin.  Forgiveness is just one step with our sin...we also need to repent.  The dictionary defines repent as an action "to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life ".  Repentance may include forgiveness but forgiveness may not include repentance.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are the only being that is pure and holy...blameless and perfect.  I strive to be more like You but there is no way I can be You because You have been, You are and You will always be the one and only true God worthy of worship by all beings of all time.  You don't need me yet You not only use me for Your glory but You love me and You care for me.  What a great God!  Thank You that You love me despite my anxiety and stress.  Please forgive me for these sins and help me turn from these sins.  Help me be the man You intend for me.

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart.

Matthew 13

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. v19

Having sometimes struggled as to whether I should do both BSF or my own study, I have come to the understanding that both are needed.  BSF helps with "head" understanding but in my view is less effective for me in terms of hearing God's message specifically for me - "personal or heart" understanding.  

This verse in my Matthew reinforces that both are key. 

My Prayer: Lord You are a great God and Your Word is complete and perfect in its Truth and in its wisdom.  Of course there are so many other ways You are great and why Your Word is great.  My words are insufficient... my worship is insufficient for how great You are.  Forgive me for my lack of boldness and my lack of effort to be the best possible servant I can be for Your glory.  Thank You that You love me but please help me be the man You intend for me.

"But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."

Matthew 13

This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;

    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’ v13-15

Building on what I read yesterday, God is SO patient and caring for us His children.  God knows we are by our very nature sinful beings and sinful despite having read and heard Jesus' teachings and the teachings of the Old Testament.  God teaches us by providing vivid and clear examples of how we can apply the teachings and He repeats the messages in scriptures because He knows we need repetition.  What an awesome God and teacher we have!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You ARE so patient and understanding and You meet us exactly where we are with a caring and understanding voice that speaks volumes of the love You have for us.  You want us to be more like You yet You have patience and You coach us with the tenderness a little league coach has for his young players.  How awesome You are!  I am not deserving of such love and patience.  I am not patient myself with others and very often very critical of others.  Thank You that You love me anyway but please help me turn from this sin and forgive me Jesus.  Help me be the man You intend for me.

Then he told them many things in parables...

Matthew 13

Then he told them many things in parables...v3

Jesus cares for us like a good father or teacher does...He makes His teachings accessible and easy to understand.  He places his messages in the context of a story that so we can more easily relate to the teaching.  For those of us with children, we understand this method of teaching.  We are patient with the understanding of our own children and Jesus is too!  What a great and caring God Jesus is!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are such a caring and loving God....full of patience and kindness.  And accessible...we can reach You anytime and anyplace, You will be available for us.  And You will always teach us with great patience, understanding that we may need the same teaching many times!  How great You are!  I am not worthy of such love and blessing...I am impatient myself, especially with other people.  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me Jesus.  Help me turn from this sin and all of my sin.  Help purify me and help me be the man You intend for me.

 

"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12

"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” v50

Family holds a special place in the hearts of most....when friends come and go over a lifetime, family is still there.  In the same way, Jesus wants us to regard our brothers and sisters in Christ as family that will always be there.  We have a heavenly father, we have the church, and we have our brothers, sisters, mother, and father in Christ.  Note of course that there is a difference between our heavenly father, our earthly father, and our father (or any family member in Christ) in Christ.  We are all connected to the body:

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.  1 Cor 12:12-14

My Prayer: Jesus, You are the Father that everyone should seek and worship.  You are always there for me and active in my life molding me and blessing me - all for Your glory.  There is no father on earth that can ever match You Jesus.  That You love me and bless me is amazing...I am not worthy of such love and blessing.  I am impatient, critical, and selfish.  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me Jesus.  Help me be the man You intend for me.