Saturday, November 18, 2017
Stood Still
The days leading up to Christs death were likely the busiest days of His life. Also, he knew that his mortal ministry was coming to an end. The pressure and stress of what he had to do before he died likely pressed heavily upon him. Yet, the tenth chapter of Mark tells of his character and charity. A blind man on the side of the road hears of Jesus's coming and yells out to him. Despite the great number of people that surrounded Christ he hears the mans call "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me."(Mark 10:47,48) Despite, the crowd of people around, despite his busy schedule, and despite everything else Christ needed to do we read: "Jesus stood, still." (Mark 10:49) Then he proceeds to take time out of his day to converse with the man and heals him so that he is no longer blind. Upon realizing the time frame of the miracle and how hard it is for me to stand still when I'm busy, really stood out to me. Christ knew it was his last week during his mortal ministry, but he still took the time to pause and talk with someone who desperately needed his help. Likewise, no matter how busy I may feel, I should always take time to pause and converse and serve those around me and especially to converse with God, who I desperately need. In doing so I have been able to feel more at peace when I'm stressed and more at ease when I'm overwhelmed.
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Lost
Christ shares three consecutive parables with a the theme of being lost. The first parable is of the lost sheep, then the lost piece of silver and lastly the lost son. Christ shares these parables after the Pharisees and scribes criticize Christ for spending time with sinners. So, for the most part Christ is referring to the state of different sinners or just of people who have strayed from believing in God. In each parable he presents a description for a certain group and the best way to help them so that they can continue with a faith in God.
The first parable of the lost sheep focuses on those that wander. Just like the sheep, many people today don't intend on leaving the fold of God, perhaps they get distracted by a new hobby or job and the next thing they know is that they've strayed from their faith in God. In this case its important to go out and find those that have wandered and to bring them back. Next, the piece of silver is lost because of neglect. On my mission I met a lot of people who stopped going to church simply because they didn't feel like they were included nor apart of the local church. So, just as in the parable we need to seek out those people who feel neglected or that have been misplaced or forgotten. Lastly, the prodigal son, he was lost not because he wandered nor because he was neglected but because he chose to be lost. In this case, the best way to approach someone who willingly rebels against God is to be patient and give them time to come to themsleves. Although every situation is different these parables can be applied to a variety of situations to better help a wide variety of people find or regain faith in God.
Regardless of the case we can never loose hope. No matter the situation someone is in there is always a chance that they'll come unto Christ. As we look to help those who are lost or who have wandered or those who willingly leave we can have faith that they will eventually come to God. When that day comes my joy and your joy will be shared with those in heaven, for "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over [a] sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10)
The first parable of the lost sheep focuses on those that wander. Just like the sheep, many people today don't intend on leaving the fold of God, perhaps they get distracted by a new hobby or job and the next thing they know is that they've strayed from their faith in God. In this case its important to go out and find those that have wandered and to bring them back. Next, the piece of silver is lost because of neglect. On my mission I met a lot of people who stopped going to church simply because they didn't feel like they were included nor apart of the local church. So, just as in the parable we need to seek out those people who feel neglected or that have been misplaced or forgotten. Lastly, the prodigal son, he was lost not because he wandered nor because he was neglected but because he chose to be lost. In this case, the best way to approach someone who willingly rebels against God is to be patient and give them time to come to themsleves. Although every situation is different these parables can be applied to a variety of situations to better help a wide variety of people find or regain faith in God.
Regardless of the case we can never loose hope. No matter the situation someone is in there is always a chance that they'll come unto Christ. As we look to help those who are lost or who have wandered or those who willingly leave we can have faith that they will eventually come to God. When that day comes my joy and your joy will be shared with those in heaven, for "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over [a] sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10)
Sunday, November 5, 2017
A Penny
Christ often taught with parables throughout his time on the earth. Parable can be difficult to understand but there are three things to keep in mind to make them easier to understand. First, is that they compare the spiritual and the physical side by side so they cant be taken too literal. Second, is that each parable is prompted by a question of some sort. Third, each parable has only one unique interpretation but cab be applied in multiple different ways. One parable that stuck out to me this week is the parable of the laborers.
The parable of the laborers is simple, an owner of a vineyard goes out and hires several groups of workers but each group is hired at different times throughout the day. The interesting part is when he pays all of the workers of his vineyard. Instead of paying them each different amounts dependent on the amount of time they worked in the vineyard, they all get paid a penny. A penny may seem like a pitiful amount but in Christ's time a penny was equivalent to one full days labor. The laborers respond to this by saying: "These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day." (Mathew 20: 12) Obviously they were upset that those who had worked less then them got paid the same amount. Now, what prompted Christ to tell this parable is a question Peter asks him: "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Mathew 19: 27) So, with that in mind the parable becomes easier to understand. Whether, someone forsakes all for Christ earlier or later in their life they will all be rewarded the same, we will all be rewarded salvation.
The application for me came when I thought it would have been better if I had waited to forsake all for Christ. The thought was driven by the desire to participate in the activities of the world and then start following Christ since I would still receive the same reward. Like the first laborers in the vineyard I was resentful that in the end I would get the same reward. However, like the laborers I was forgetting that the privilege of working in the vineyard, or following the Gospel, is far greater than being outside of it. The last laborers that were hired did not enjoy the fact that they had to wait the whole day; preoccupied because they didn't know how they were going to buy food for themselves and their families. For me, I have had the privilege of knowing God's plan for most of my life, which has been a great comfort at many times in my life. The comfort and guidance I have received from following the Gospel makes my grateful that I was so fortunate to be someone who began laboring in the vineyard earlier in the day. So, this parable can be applied several ways but the the interpretation is the same, at the end of the day God rewards those who are righteous equally.
The parable of the laborers is simple, an owner of a vineyard goes out and hires several groups of workers but each group is hired at different times throughout the day. The interesting part is when he pays all of the workers of his vineyard. Instead of paying them each different amounts dependent on the amount of time they worked in the vineyard, they all get paid a penny. A penny may seem like a pitiful amount but in Christ's time a penny was equivalent to one full days labor. The laborers respond to this by saying: "These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day." (Mathew 20: 12) Obviously they were upset that those who had worked less then them got paid the same amount. Now, what prompted Christ to tell this parable is a question Peter asks him: "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Mathew 19: 27) So, with that in mind the parable becomes easier to understand. Whether, someone forsakes all for Christ earlier or later in their life they will all be rewarded the same, we will all be rewarded salvation.
The application for me came when I thought it would have been better if I had waited to forsake all for Christ. The thought was driven by the desire to participate in the activities of the world and then start following Christ since I would still receive the same reward. Like the first laborers in the vineyard I was resentful that in the end I would get the same reward. However, like the laborers I was forgetting that the privilege of working in the vineyard, or following the Gospel, is far greater than being outside of it. The last laborers that were hired did not enjoy the fact that they had to wait the whole day; preoccupied because they didn't know how they were going to buy food for themselves and their families. For me, I have had the privilege of knowing God's plan for most of my life, which has been a great comfort at many times in my life. The comfort and guidance I have received from following the Gospel makes my grateful that I was so fortunate to be someone who began laboring in the vineyard earlier in the day. So, this parable can be applied several ways but the the interpretation is the same, at the end of the day God rewards those who are righteous equally.
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