Dear God,
Thanks for today's letter. Well, really most of this was Sunday's letter. I still have most of Monday's letter before I get to today's letter. I had to get behind of course. But you will help me catch up and stay strong. I didn't know I had reading on Sunday (The memory verse said "Catch up.") And then yesterday I meant to do it between dinner and Chuck, but we had a scholarship thing to fine-tune. Thanks for that time, anyway.
Thanks for the Medalist scholarship too, Lord! How on earth you pulled that one off, I don't know. But I guess you want me to pay attention to OSU. I was hoping you'd make it simple, I wouldn't get anything, and could say that it seems like You don't want me there. But now I have to go and actually see what's up.
Grr. I don't know what to think now. But really, thanks for that.
Love you!

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11
Matthew 25
The story of the virgins, and the servants with the talents. Be prepared. Use the time God has given you well, and do not let yourself be empty-handed, or even with what God gave you in the first place. Take what you have, keep a deep store of it, use it, produce more of it. I'm thinking "It" is talents, opportunities, gifts, character, etc.
Don't ignore the needy, poor, broken. You'll ignore God. And sometimes needs, poverty, and brokenness can be hidden behind cheerful facades. When I read this, I thought of when you told that blessed lady to brush the man's hair. In the middle of the airport. But she was able to bless that man and allow him to go home to his bride of (decades!), and be presentable. She brushed your hair. She did that for you.
Ah, we are almost done with the sermons (awesome, by the way) and are getting to the plot of the passion.
That woman... epitomizes spending all you have and just
wasting it on Christ. I wish I knew what made her do that. It was beautiful.
Judas. You, on the other hand, at this point, are... I have this picture in my head. It's ugly. Gross. Dark. Untouchable. I'm sorry. The sobering fact? Anybody could have done it. We can't be all prideful and say that we'd never do that.
Peter. Whoa. He's prideful and says he'd never do that. Sorry Pete. You're in the same boat as us. Capable of falling away. Only by God's grace do we endure. (Thank you!)
It seems like Jesus is trying to get Peter to not disown him: "Watch and pray that you do not fall into temptation." Even though he predicted differently. You are always hoping, helping, guiding us to do what is right. Oh! How I am getting to know those words! "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." I feel like my body is so weak. The spirit wants to do one thing while the body wants to do another. O Lord help!
I want to focus on the torment of Jesus as he is contemplating the task looming before him. Especially since it's close to Easter. But I can't stop thinking about those disciples failing, falling asleep. No one stayed awake. They all failed, even when Jesus "yelled" at them. That is sooo me right now.
Jesus has accepted his task, and he will follow through, as peacefully as possible. And all the disciples fled. Even Peter. Though he did turn around and follow at a safe distance. I wonder if he did that because he remembered his promise and he considered, in his fear-laden mind, that this was not
quite deserting Jesus. And yet then he feels like he's followed too far and backs out, disowning him. I hope I will never do that (by the grace of You) but I know I am definitely capable of doing that. I'm human. It's just sad to see someone who has hung out with Jesus for three years turn around and say he never knew the man. And he knew Jesus better than I do. I know what Jesus is going to do here in Matthew, but he knew many things about Jesus, about more things he did that nobody wrote down, about just the person, Jesus.
Jesus tells the truth and they call it blasphemy. I mean, what else are they supposed to think? I wonder how much strength Jesus had to muster up to say that yes, he was the Son of God. That's why he prayed for so long in the Garden.
I really pity Judas. I never really did before. It was always a "uh, yeah Judas, what do you
think was going to happen, huh?" But now it's more of a... I feel sorry for him. I'm sad someone had to do it. But think of the remorse to hand back your money, even though they would not take it, and commit suicide. I'll try to remember that remorse. I hope I never do anything that grave, but I will definitely do something I regret in the future. Probably a lot.
All these random prophecies are now making sense. Everything is clicking into place. The angels are watching with bated breath.
Pilate's wife suffered greatly a dream about Jesus, and warns her husband. Sounds like Julius Caesar, but better. I never noticed that bit there.
Mob rule. Ew.
Jesus could have come down off the cross. He could have stood up clean, with basically a new set of skin since the old one was almost gone from the beatings. But that would not have saved the generations to come. He stayed on that cross for us. for his people. He saw the big picture. Even through the pain. And then he died. There was darkness, and earthquake, the curtain was destroy--the most holy place of holies was now open! Man could come before God.
LORD thank you.
And in vain the people tried to make sure you would not "appear" to have risen. Against everything, you rose again. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) And appeared to women first. That's so typical you. We may have sinned first, but we were the first to see you after you had risen. Earthquakes and Angels! After (what, 500 years?) of silence from God, he was now working in crazy ways.
Liars. That makes me sad. Jews don't believe because of this. It's sad.
I didn't realize that with Matthew, the only thing mentioned after the resurrection from Jesus was the Great Commission. He just wanted to make that clear.
And so ends Matthew's account.
Proverbs 7
Listen to instruction, learn from others mistakes, don't listen to the sweet-talking woman (or man). I noticed in verse 22 it says all at once he followed her. He was hesitant, not quite sure... then all at once he decides, yes, I'll do it. Impulse. Rash.
Revelation 7
Seals on the believers. White-robed people who came through much to stay with You. You were the reason they endured much. And now they will be forever with you and you will protect them!.
"Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
Proverbs 8
Wisdom is calling to all to come and listen to her.
Verse 17: I love those who love me, and
those who seek me find me. THAT is a promise.
I love the whole idea here of waiting for wisdom, hanging on every word. Daily watching her doors.
My favorite part in here besides the promise is the fact that through Your wisdom, you made the heavens and the earth. She was there when you turned the earth's axel 23.5 degrees. When you put it 93 million miles away from the sun. When you gave us a moon to keep us going. When you did all these amazing things to make sure life could happen on earth. Every dial was set perfectly. By you. And wisdom. And we can have that wisdom. Crazy.
Revelation 8
There's a lot of crazy stuff happening to the earth ( A third of the night was dark! crazy! ). But what I noticed was the half an hour of silence.
Thank you lord. You died for us. You have orchestrated everything perfectly so that all this could happen. You can give us wisdom. You have the ending figured out. You are... oh everything beautiful.