Today’s Life Journal Reading is from:

Matthew 17,18,19
 

Scripture

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁵ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first. (Matthew 19:23-30, New King James Version)

Observation:

I use post it notes, a lot of times, when writing in my life journal, because it’s hard to concentrate sometimes on just a verse from my reading, but passages.

Matthew, Matthew is a great read for many, for there are many fruits to be enjoyed and with prayer, give much needed guidance for growth.

As I read this passage, I usually just look it up in the commentary and make reference notes, but the advantage of posting it here, is that I can share what the commentary has to say:

From the MHC:

The Powerful Can Scarcely Enter the Kingdom at All (19:23-24)

Jesus apparently employs a common figure of speech when he speaks of a camel passing through a needle’s eye (see Abrahams 1924:208; Dalman 1929:230). As much as we want Jesus to have said something else, he said that the rich and powerful could barely enter the kingdom at all. This statement shocked the sensibilities of the disciples even more than verse 10 had; they share the values of Jesus’ enemies (Rhoads and Michie 1982:91-92; Mt 16:23). Presumably because many of their contemporaries viewed wealth as a mark of God’s blessing (for example, Ep. Arist. 204-5; m. Qiddusin 4:14), the disciples may have assumed that Jesus’ standard for people who were not rich was even stricter. If not the rich, who then can be saved? (19:25). Yet because God alone is good (v. 17), salvation by merely human means is impossible for anyone.

Jesus Promises the Kingdom to Whoever Follows Him (19:25-30)

The disciples emphasize that they have forsaken all to follow Jesus, and he does not dispute their claim (vv. 27-28; 4:22). Nevertheless, even once we have committed our lives to him, we must watch and pray to be ready for still other tests. Faced with loss of possessions, the rich young man walked away (19:22); faced with possible death, Jesus’ disciples would later abandon him and flee (26:56).

Because families may oppose Christ’s call to discipleship, a true disciple must be prepared to abandon not only possessions but also family (19:29; compare 8:21-22; 10:21, 34-37) for Christ’s name (compare 5:11; 10:22; 24:9). Jesus himself (12:46-50; 13:55-57) and probably many in Matthew’s Jewish Christian audience had suffered rejection by their families, a pain felt much more severely in that culture than in ours.

The modern Christian emphasis on family values is important, but we must beware lest family become idolatry: for instance, parental opposition or concern for our children is not an adequate excuse to reject God’s call to the mission field. In response to such sacrifices God multiplies our resources (19:29) precisely because in the kingdom we find a new and larger family than the one we have left behind, and as a family true believers share their resources with one another (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; Kee 1977:109-10; Tannehill 1975:147-52). This assumes that the church will live like the community of God’s kingdom, that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. While such words may have encouraged early faith missionaries (Trocma) 1975:203; Rhoads and Michie 1982:92), they just as readily address a persecuted church (Heb 10:34).

 Specifically to these twelve who forsook their livelihoods to follow Jesus’ call, Jesus promises that they will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28). That Jesus would reward his loyal followers would not have surprised them; they seem to have expected as much (16:16, 21-22; 20:20-22). Thus when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne (19:28; compare 25:31; for “glory,” 24:30) those who have followed him in his humble estate will rule (a common sense of “judge”; compare, for example, Judg 4:4; 10:3; 12:7-14; 15:20; 1 Macc 9:73) Israel’s twelve tribes. Indeed, Jesus probably chose exactly twelve disciples with such a connection in mind; see comment on 10:1.

In Matthew’s context the lesson extends beyond the Twelve (5:19; 20:23): those who sacrifice now and become least in this age will inherit the place of honor in the coming age (19:30-20:16; 19:30 and 20:16 function as an inclusio, bracketing the enclosed parable). The disciples’ reward in the kingdom will be commensurate with their sacrifice.

What struck me was this passage: 

²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.(Matthew 19:23-30, New King James Version)

I don’t think it’s a call to forsake our duties…no no no…but interesting thought that in yesterday’s reading and today, this really strucked out and as the holidays come up, it had me thinking.

Is it possible that we tend to use our families as excuses to not to go to church (our husbands who are unsaved, our children who are rebelling against going to church), whom do we serve first then? Them or our Father in Heaven.

The natural order of things should be that, everything should revolve around Him and not based on a hierarchy order, but the sadness, is we don’t live in a perfect world and often, we tend to use our families, not as a reason to follow Him, but a reason not to.

The holidays are coming up and the major sales will be upon us, but how often, in the mind of buying for our friends and families, go to sales, still with the thought of our Father in the the forefront when we buy our gifts for them.

Do we compromise our beliefs and sometimes His word for popular culture or fear of what our family or friends would think if we bought them something that truly is from the heart?

Maybe our families are not saved and give us a hard time about going to church? Do we bow to their demands and worry more about what they think then what our Father in Heaven would think?

In a way, how is this doing service for Him or being in service to Him, when we are more afraid of losing our friendships or our families than we are of losing sight of Him.

In truth, everything is in His hands. A great quote that I saw said,”We are the ones who will save men, God will, but we are called to tell men how to be saved”.

Okay, that is not an exact quote and it’s still early morning for us here (kinda,lol), but the bottom line, do we withhold medicine from someone who is sick or do we share in the hopes that the medicine, not us, we are just the ones giving the medicine, will heal them.

Interesting note when I think of how I can’t do that. Our Father’s Son, Jesus Christ, was rejected even by His own earthly family. His OWN earthly family.

You would think of all the people to believe and trust in Him, it would be them, but no..even they thought He was mad!

No one said walking the Christian walk would be easy, but neither is it easy for an athlete running a race; they may make it look easier but a lot of work and effort goes when they are in a race and sometimes, sacrifice too, including time away from family.

MHC comment: The modern Christian emphasis on family values is important, but we must beware lest family become idolatry: for instance, parental opposition or concern for our children is not an adequate excuse to reject God’s call to the mission field.

 

Application:

As I read this passage, it is a major challenge that I can’t worry about what my friends or families think; It’s not even about them or a religion of them; This is about our Heavenly Father. Even the sick are in denial sometimes that they are not well, and so when sharing the word of God and just walking your faith, there will be times when we have to remember, it’s not about our family and we can’t compromise for them to make them happy.

They are still human, like you and me and they are still sinners like you and I and are in need of His word, even if it means, not saying anything, but just living your faith in the face of rejection.

Our Heavenly Father, Himself, was rejected by His own earthly family at one time, but He didn’t stop for the many others who still needed to hear His word. In heaven, we are all brothers and sisters; We are all part of a bigger family that doesn’t love on the level of earthly conclusion and it’s something we have to remember, even in the times of holidays.

 

Prayer:

 

Heavenly Father, Thank You for being my Father, Lord and I pray and hope that You keep challenge and remind me that I, Gentle Readers everywhere, all of us, are all part of a bigger picture, a bigger family. Help us remember to use our words and actions in a loving way, not a license to be ugly, but a license to bear GOOD testimony to Your word, but even in the face of adversary, even if it comes from our own home, that we have a bigger home that we live in that isn’t made of brick and wood that one day, with the passage of time, will disappear, but Your Home is forever.

Thank You Father, Amen

 

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****Purpose of this post****

Gentle Readers, There are days that I will read a verse or passage and just feel pulled to share here, but there are days when I will read something and just feel, I need to spend the day, in personal contemplation of what is being convey and may just post via Twitter, what passages I have read that day and post nothing on here.

That is what bible reading is about; It’s not about having to write something down everyday; There maybe days when you are reading say, Numbers and it’s just lineages, but other days, you may find yourself dealing with a “powerhouse verse” of the moment and have to just go “WOW” and seek God in personal time and prayer to understand what He is sharing.

I will try to post daily, but particularly on weekends, if I’m sick or I’m just completely in awe of what I’m reading or maybe I am trying to understand what I am reading, I may not post here, I may just write in my Life Journal (hardcopy), because I will find myself having to seek His Word and/or the Commentary and just seek in prayer to understand what our Father in Heaven is seeking to reveal.

Either way.

Reading His Word, is about getting to know Him better and developing your Christian growth and maturity. Do what is right and good for you.

If you do use the Life Journal and participate in the daily readings, I would like to hear from you and your perspective on each day’s reading, when I do have a post up, or feel free to comment on a previous “Daily Bible Reading post” or send me a quick email.

Please feel free to join in the linky that I post below, so others too, who uses the Life Journal/or SOAP method to read the bible can participate.

Don’t feel obligate to have to blog about each passage to be read, but if anything, feel free to share those passages that have the most impact on you that day.

There maybe some days that you may read your daily reading and find nothing to jot down in your journal or on your blog and that’s okay, but there maybe other days, that you will find yourself inspire.

This is about you being encouraged to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, and spending each day with Him, You and Him.

It is my prayer and hope that this will be an encouragement to establish a personal daily reading as well.

To find out more about using the S.O.A.P. method, here’s a link to an ehow article and here’s the link to the Life Journal to find out more what it is, and how you can use it for your own daily bible readings. If you don’t want to order the journal or if it’s not available through your local church, another method is simply, buy a journal or notebook or even blog about your life journal readings.

Disclaimer: I am not personally affiliated with the church that the link goes to, but merely share it as a resource of what the Life Journal is, how to order it.

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