100 Days #25

Matthew 20.

This chapter includes the parable of a master of a vineyard (Matthew 20:1-26). Let me paraphrase; this owner of a vineyard highers some guys to work for a denarius. Let's just say, to make it more applicable to today's society, these guys were working one long day for $50. When the job is almost done, a couple of new workers show up, and the owner decides to go ahead and pay the new workers $50 too, even though they're only putting in 1 hour of work while the original workers have slaved away for a whole 8 hour shift. Of course, the guys who worked the full shift are upset that the newbies are being paid the same amount, so they start to gripe. The owner simply reminds the workers that they agreed to do their work for $50 and how he chooses to pay the other workers is his business. "Take what belongs to you and go." He says,  "I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?"

This parable brings a couple thoughts to mind:

God doesn't always operate how we think he should, and it's not up to us to question him or to even try to understand how he chooses things to be. Worldly ways are not godly ways. Also, the fruit of salvation is offered to all who accept Christ, whether its while they're young and live a long life of discipleship, or if they come to Christ ten seconds before death. 

Tomorrow?  

Chapter 21

100 Days #24

Matthew 19.

Some verses that jumped out at me and my thoughts on them:

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 18:1-4

- The Kingdom of heaven is literally the very opposite of current culture where the humble are trampled and the prideful triumph.

"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me..."18:5

- As a childcare counselor, how could I not love this verse?

"Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18:21-22

- I am not capable of this kind of forgiveness on my own. I am so dependent on God's grace to love others as I should.

100 Days #23

Matthew 17 

- Just a few thoughts that popped up while reading today.

"And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light." 17:2
 
- How beautiful and terrifying it must have been to see the true form of the Son of God...

"Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." 17:19-20

- If the disciples could not cast out the demon from the child because of their "little faith," then I think it's safe to say that they could have cast the demon out if they would have had "big faith." If that's the case, what would "big faith" look like today? Would a person of "big faith" be casting demons out of those we call mentally ill in current culture? Would there be healings? What?

We are a fallen race, and we continue to drift further and further from what we were originally created to be with each generation. Are we even capable of taping into this kind of powerful faith today?

"As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed." 17:22-23


- What went through the disciples minds when they heard the prophecies of the crucifixion? This wasn't just a faith they followed, or a doctrine they subscribed to. Jesus was their friend. They heard him speak. They felt his touch. They ate with him and traveled with him... 

Did they selfishly repress the prophecy, somehow doubting it's truth as a way of guarding their own hearts? Did they embrace it as the bridge to their salvation? It's seem as though they struggle to grasp the concept that Jesus is the Son of God despite witnessing his miracles, and that he will, in fact, be crucified. Do they struggle with this because they're incapable of understanding? Or unwilling? Or somewhere between the two?

100 Days #19

Matthew 15.

Jesus gives the smack down like only He can in this chapter, literally calling-out the pharisees as the hypocrites they were.

What I hear Jesus saying in these verses (Matthew 15:1-20) is simple. It seems, to me, that He is stressing the importance of loving and honoring God with your heart and living in a way that is pleasing to Him, instead of 'loving' and 'honoring' God falsely to impress others or just to feel good about yourself by boastfully living by 'rules' for the sake of rule-following...

Over the past fifteen minutes I've typed, deleted, and re-typed out several ideas. My mind is rabbit-trailing right now, just pondering all the countless thoughts this chapter could invoke. Not many of them seem to connect with one another well, so I'm just gonna let them brew for a while.

And again, as in many of these chapters, the miracles Jesus performed...
The way He loved and lived.

Beautiful.

100 Days #18

Day 18! Matthew 14!

Lots of miracles in this chapter.
Healing, feeding hungry crowds, walking on water...

And something else.

"... he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself." 14:13

"... he went up on the mountain by himself to pray." 14:23

Jesus had compassion on the sick and healed them. He fed the hungry and shared life with His disciples.  And, even as the Son of God, He set aside time to tend to his own relationship with His Heavenly Father.

By Himself. He'd go. To pray.
And so should I. 

100 Days #17

Day 17. Matthew 13. Have you read it lately?
I just did, and one of my favorite parables in this chapter!

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Matthew 13:3-8

Soil needs to be worked; tilled and weeded and fertilized. Rocks and roots have to be removed. Pesky wildlife has to be accounted for. There's lots of work to be done. I have to keep this in mind when sharing about Christ. Certain hearts may not be ready yet. Maybe God's plan isn't always for me to see a person give their life to Him; maybe its His plan that I help to work the soil a little bit, remove a rock or two for the seeds that will be planted in the future. I also have to keep this in mind because my own heart is a field of soil, too. And a fruitful field needs continuous tending; maintenance. I need to keep the ground worked and fertilized. I have to rid myself of weeds and pests. Daily.

100 Days #16

Day 16. Matthew 12. Read it with me!

This verse jumps out at me:  

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil." Matthew 12:33-35

Jesus just lays it all out here. Simple enough. Gotta love it.

100 Days #15

Day 15 Matthew 11 Read it!

I love this verse: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

100 Days #14

Day 14. Matthew 10. Read it!

A few verses that stand out to me:

"... You received without paying; give without pay." 
-Matthew 10:8b 

"... When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." -Matthew 10:19-20

^"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." -Matthew 10:32-33

100 Days #11

Day 11. Matthew 9.

My thoughts: It's always beautiful to read about the miracles and healings that Jesus performed, but what I love the most about this chapter is verses 10-13.

"And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:10-13

100 Days #10

Day 10. Matthew 8.

"When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus“I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  Matthew 8:1-3

My thoughts: This verse (Matthew 8:1-3) in chapter eight jumps out at me for a couple reasons. First of all, Jesus mingled with lepers. He touched them; the untouchable, the unclean. He loved them regardless. This is the example He led for us and the kind of people we should strive to be.  Secondly, the leper in this verse has unique faith. He believed Jesus had the ability to make him clean. He did not ask Jesus if he could do it, he asked Jesus if he willed it to be done. We are limited in our faith. We have a hard time believing the unbelievable, and when we do stretch our faith to pray for something, its usually within the limitations of what's 'realistic' and in accordance with our own will instead of His.

Lord, help me be merciful and love others unconditionally. Grow my faith in You and place in me a desire for Your will above my own.

100 Days #7

Today's reading is Matthew 7. Read it HERE.

Some of Jesus' words and my uneducated, super random thoughts on them:

^"3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" We all have sin in our lives, but its so much easier to identify and dislike sin in other people. We need to focus on bettering ourselves instead of bringing judgment onto others.

^"7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." This sounds so easy! Am I doing something wrong here!? LOL! I think this is in reference to finding salvation, but it doesn't seem quite clear, like maybe if I ask for a million dollars... heheh!

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." It takes around twelve weeks to establish a good habit, and about two weeks to pick up a bad one. It's definitely easier to go wrong than right in this life. I've gotta watch where I'm going and stay on track; I wanna make it through that narrow gate!

^"17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." We can say we're 'good people' or 'Christians' or whatever else makes us feel special, but really it has nothing to do with what we say about ourselves. It's about how we live life. Its about the fruit we produce. I'm always telling my kids at work that they can only do 'bad things' for so long before they're just plain 'bad people.' Our deeds will speak for us...

100 Days #6

Day 6, Matthew 6!

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1

My thoughts: One of the major themes that jumps out at me from this book is the importance to have a humble heart. Our deeds are pointless when done for the applaud of men. Everything must be done for the honor and glory of God.

Lord, continue reminding me that everything I do must be done for Your name and not my own.

100 Days #5

Matthew 5.
I LOVE this book!

Light of the world. Salt of the Earth. Beatitudes.
LOVE it all!


Lord, make me hunger for righteousness; create in me a clean heart. Thank you for Your mercy, and I pray I am able to demonstrate Your mercy to others, so they'd know Your love for them. Make me a vessel for Your light, that I might lead others to You.

100 Days #4

Day 4, Matthew 4. Read it!

"The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." Matthew 4:16

"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”" Matthew 4:17

"And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Matthew 4:19-22

Again, lots in this chapter. I have a lot are random, unconnected thoughts. Here's just a few: Jesus withstood great temptations. His first followers left everything behind to follow Him. As in chapter 3, the concept of repentance come up.

100 Days #3

Day 3!
Matthew 3.

You read it, too!
Just click on the link.


"Bear fruit in keeping with repentance."
Matthew 3:8

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." 
Matthew 3:11-12

Thoughts: There's a lot in this chapter that stands out to me: the word "repentance" is used twice, John's response to the Pharisees and Sadducees, John's ascetic lifestyle, when people went to the Jordan to be baptized they confessed their sins, I love John's response when Jesus comes to him to be baptized.. lots that stand out!

Lord, help me seek true repentance.  Baptize me in your Holy Spirit.

100 Days #2

Day 2 down!
Join me.
Read Matthew 2.

 "...behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him." Matthew 2:9-11

My thoughts: These men, they weren't just following a star. They were following their hearts; their faith. They believed in something and chased after it. There had to be some uncertainty, but it didn't interfere with them reaching their destination. I want to be like these men, to recognize a sign when its right before me. To follow, chase, pursue.

And this star itself, it shined like a beacon, guiding the wise men to Christ. It had to rise above, to shine brightly; it had to be exceptional in order to be recognized enough to be followed. 

Lord, increase in my heart the desire for You. Consume my thoughts until I cannot help but to pursue You in every waking moment. Continue Your work in me. Use me for Your will. Do exceptional things through me, that I could be like the star of Bethlehem, and drawl others close to You.

100 Days #1

Day 1 complete!
Matthew 1.

Read it! It took no time at all.
And I made it effortless for you by adding the link ;o)

My thoughts: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel...” - Matthew 1:23

Immanuel. I love this word. "God with us." Always.
Lord, help me remember you are always with me, even when I don't feel like it, and increase my faith in You, that nothing is impossible.

100 Days

I need to keep motivated, and so do you! So let’s do this together! The plan is easy. All you have to do is click HERE, and its all laid out for you.

I’m going to begin Monday, January 23rd. When are you starting?