45 Days in the Bible: Day 8

Matthew 18-20

- Cut it off. Jesus has a weird sense of humor here in Matthew 18. He says it is "better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire."

Weird sense of humor... unless He's not joking. I think Jesus is talking directly to 2009 Christians on this one. We play the "God-and" game.

We want God and a nice house. We want God and a cool car. We want God and a loving family. We want God and a good education for our kids. We want God and to hang out with our friends.

We say I want God... but I also want ___________. Even last night at small group someone made a joke... you have to choose between something and God. And the person chose both.

It was a joke... but the idea is the same. We want God and we want our own lives.

And we completely miss who God is. If I want "God-and," then God isn't enough. If my faith in God is based on the fact that He blesses me with health and wealth, then I'm not truly loving God... I'm loving God's stuff.

Playing the "God-and" game is like saying... I want all of Bill Gates money (God) and a Happy Meal (my life). And we only want God, IF we can get that Happy Meal. Do you see how ridiculous this is?

So why do I hear all the time? I trust God, but I really want a husband/wife. I trust God, but I really want that job. I trust God, but I really want out of this marriage. I trust God, but I love my boyfriend/girlfriend too much to break up with them. I trust God, but I really want my kid to get a sports scholarship. I trust God, but ME ME ME ME ME ME... I want my Happy Meal!!!!

Jesus says... if it is keeping you from having all of God... CUT IT OFF!

- Forgiveness is a sign of repentance. I talked yesterday about the fruits that a Christian should show. Forgiveness is a huge one.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant is a prime example. Here's the story... 1 guy owes his master millions of dollars. He can't pay it back... and the master wipes clean the debt. AWESOME!!!

A 2nd guy owes the 1st guy a couple hundred dollars. He can't pay it back... and the 1st guy has guy 2 thrown in jail for not paying it back. (Which he has ever right to do according to the Law)

The master hears about this and gets very angry. He throws guy 1 into jail, because guy 1 isn't thankful or forgiving.

Obviously (at least I hope), this is a story about the gospel. God saves us from a debt that we have no chance to pay back on our own. He completely wipes it out. Shouldn't we also forgive others who in no way owe us as much as we owed God?

Has anyone on earth ever hurt you so much that you were forced to send your One and only perfect, sinless Son to die as a sacrifice for their sins? And completely rejected you from the day they were born? And continually reject you even after you have forgiven them?

I don't think so. Maybe we should be quicker to forgive and less quick to hold grudges.

- Jesus loves the little children. I think the most overused verse in the Bible is Matthew 19:14... Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me...

This verse is written on my nursery and children's ministry rooms than any other verse. And this verse is quoted by more children's workers and pastors than John 3:16 (or so it seems).

And every time we use this verse is to prove that Jesus loved children MORE than adults. Really? Is that what this verse is about?

I know Jesus loves children. I know God created and formed children. But in a society that completely rejected children as worthless, Jesus did not reject children.

This verse does very little to prove that Jesus preferred children or loved them more than adults. In fact, Jesus interacts with children very few times in Scriptures. Which children's ministry professors fail to see.

Ok... END RANT.

I do love kids and ministering to children. But their ministry is not the "most important ministry in the church." (weird since I teach children every Sunday...)

- Money vs. God. If you had to choose right now between $100 million and spending eternity with (while being in poverty on earth) what would you choose?

And don't say God just because you know the right answer. Seriously think about your life... what would you choose?

And now more importantly, what have you chosen as you look over your life?

For me too often, I have chosen money. I have chosen the world. God is really working on me about this lately. Pray for me. I need to choose God. God is enough. But I still need prayer.

- First shall be last; and the last shall be first. God has a weird way of doing stuff. It's almost like He took human logic and flipped it upside down.

I'm pretty sure my logic says the first shall be first and the last shall be last. That makes sense to me... but then again I'm not God. (and there was much rejoicing)

All throughout Jesus' life He demonstrated this. He is God is human form. And He chooses to be homeless, born in a barn, have no money, be rejected by almost everybody, killed in a terrible death, and the whole time all He does is serve people.

Jesus is the most selfless human being in history. And He had every right to be the most self-absorbed. (After all Jesus is God)

Maybe God's logic doesn't make sense to me, but if I want to be Christlike... maybe I should try to follow His logic.