Tag: the narrow gate

Day 136 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Luke 13. Jesus kept telling the religious Jews “Unless you repent you all perish.” The fig tree is a symbol of Israel, and until then God had been patient with the barren Fig Tree. Moving on, like Jesus so often did, a woman was healed on a Sabbath, which made the ruler of the Synagogue furious. Jesus took issue with that, asking why you can save animals on Sabbath but not people? He then told the parable of faith like the Mustard Seed, the Leaven and the narrow Gate and explained why not all will enter. Finally, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem.

1 Kings 6 retells in great detail how Solomon had the Temple built.

And the retelling continues in 1 Kings 7, how Solomon had his palace and the other buildings built. He hired Hiram the Craftsman, and he completed the bronze pillars for the Temple, the Sea and the Oxen, The Carts and the Lavers, and had all the temple furnishings made.

Day 44 of reading the Holy Bible in 365 days.

Matthew 7:1-20 is a continuation of the sermon on the mount. Jesus was admonishing us not to be judgmental but to look to our own faults before condemning others. And don’t waste your time by casting pearls before swine. Ask, seek, knock is another theme. and so is doing to others what you would have them do to you. This sums up the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate. A tree is known by its fruit. This should still be taught in school, it is the opposite of Critical Race Theory, which divides us all.

The book of Leviticus tells about Mosaic Law. I for one am glad I am not under the Law anymore, but redeemed with the blood of Jesus. However, it is interesting reading, and it is still valid proof that we cannot fulfill all the law.

Leviticus 1 tells of how the burnt offering shall be performed.

Leviticus 2 specifies the grain offering.

Leviticus 3 deals with the peace or fellowship offering, and

Leviticus 4 defines the sin offering.

May 16: Reading the Holy Bible in a year.

Luke 13. Jesus kept telling the religious Jews “Unless you repent you all perish.” The fig tree is a symbol of Israel, and until then God has been patient with the barren Fig Tree. Moving on, like Jesus so often did, a woman was healed on a Sabbath, which made the ruler of the Synagogue angry. Jesus took issue with that, asking why can you save animals on Sabbath but not people? He then told the parable of faith like the Mustard Seed, the Leaven and the narrow Gate and explained why not all will enter. Finally, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem.

1 Kings 6 retells in great detail how Solomon had the Temple built.

And the retelling continues in 1 Kings 7, how Solomon had his palace and the other buildings built. He hired Hiram the Craftsman, and he completed the bronze pillars for the Temple, the Sea and the Oxen, The Carts and the Lavers, and had all the temple furnishings made.

February 13, reading the Holy Bible in a year.

Matthew 7:1-20 is a continuation of the sermon on the mount. Jesus was admonishing us not to be judgmental but to look to our own faults before condemning others. And don’t waste your time by casting pearls before swine. Ask, seek, knock is another theme. and so is doing to others what you would have them do to you. This sums up the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate. A tree is known by its fruit. This should still be taught in school, it is the opposite of Critical Race Theory, which divides us all.

The book of Leviticus tells about Mosaic Law. I for one am glad I am not under the Law anymore, but redeemed with the blood of Jesus. However, it is interesting reading, and it is still valid proof that we cannot fulfill all the law.

Leviticus 1 tells of how the burnt offering shall be performed.

Leviticus 2 specifies the grain offering.

Leviticus 3 deals with the peace or fellowship offering, and

Leviticus 4 defines the sin offering.

May 16: Read through the Holy Bible in a year.

Luke 13. Jesus kept telling the religious Jews “Unless you repent you all perish.” The fig tree is a symbol of Israel, and until then God has been patient with the barren Fig Tree. Moving on, like Jesus so often did, a woman was healed on a Sabbath, which made the ruler of the Synagogue angry. Jesus took issue with that, asking why can you save animals on Sabbath but not people? He then told the parable of faith like the Mustard Seed, the Leaven and the narrow Gate and explained why not all will enter. Finally, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem.

1 Kings 6 retells in great detail how Solomon had the Temple built.

And the retelling continues in 1 Kings 7, how Solomon had his palace and the other buildings built. He hired Hiram the Craftsman, and he completed the bronze pillars for the Temple, the Sea and the Oxen, The Carts and the Lavers and had all the temple furnishings made.

Luke 13, Repent or Perish, the barren Fig Tree, healing on Sabbath?, the Mustard Seed, the Leaven, The narrow Gate, Jesus laments over Jerusalem.

Luke 13, Repent or Perish, the barren Fig Tree, healing on Sabbath?, the Mustard Seed, the Leaven, The narrow Gate, Jesus laments over Jerusalem.

A Mustard seed

A Mustard Tree

mustard-flowers-and-oak-tree-in-chaparral-landscape-los-olivos-california-C3CRM2

 

Matthew 7, judging others, Ask, Seek, Knock, the narrow gate, a tree and its fruit, “I never knew you”, the wise and foolish builder.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” ( Jeremiah 1:5)

I woke up one morning with a chorus we sang in Church in the 70:s.

With eternity’s values in view, Lord,

With  eternity’s values in view.

May I do each day’s work for Jesus

With eternity’s values in view.

Then it hit me: Is this really right? It sounds so good, but is it right? The words from Jesus in Matthew 7: 21-23 rang in my ears:

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

In the case of the prophet Jeremiah God knew him before he was even conceived, but in the case of  the false disciple Jesus never knew him in spite of all the things he did for Jesus. Why the drastic difference? Does God pick winners and losers, or is there anything we can do to be assured to be on God’s side?

The answer may lie in one more quote, this one from the apostle Paul in Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

There we have it: God doesn’t want us to do things for Christ, God wants us – all of us as a living sacrifice. He wants us to die to self and be resurrected to new life in Christ. This is available to anybody – a new life in Christ. Then the Holy Spirit can lead us into God’s perfect will.

One more quote. Many can quote Ephesians 2:8-9, but the answer is really in verse 10: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

By the way, the word handiwork is in the Greek ποιημα (poiema) from which we get the word poem. We are God’s poem. I like that.

My saying:

“He, who builds his house upon a rock has to plant his trees with a pick”.

There is work associated with doing it right.