Thank you once again. Thank you for your letter. It was quite helpful. Your faithfulness is awesome to behold. I give this day to you.
Love,
I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
Paralyzed man: Healed.
Matthew: Called and then he threw a party.
Disciples: Not fasting b/c Jesus is there.
Dead girl and sick woman: Alive and healthy.
Two blind men: Sight restored.
Demon possessed/mute man: Free and talking.
The Workers: few.
I think it's cool that every single person that was healed had faith that Jesus could heal them. In the dead girl's case, it was her dad, but you can't expect her to do it—she's dead.
Ok, you know those messy attic secrets? We all have them. Jesus did too. But in his case, it was more of a Messianic secret. He tried to tell the blind men not to tell anyone what happened. First: How does he expect that to happen? All their friends will know: “oh hey, that guy was stumbling around and now he can see!” But yeah, the former blind men spread it far and wide. My question is, how many people listened to Jesus, only told those who could not help but notice, but did not spread it farther? Did the disciples know? I like to think that there was a time when the disciples left to get food or whatever and someone came up then when it was just Jesus and them. How intimate and precious that would have been! The cool thing is, I have that. It's just Jesus and me right now. And he is slowly healing me of all my old nature habits. … :-)
Workers are few—but you gotta go. Not out of obligation. Out of compassion.
Jesus sends out the disciples. He says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” He's sending me to college soon. People said this about Katie. I think it's almost more true for me. I'd love to be a snake. I'll just have to remember not to get them messed up and be as shrewd as doves and innocent as snakes. Not good.
Don't worry about what to say. At the right time, God will give it to you. (yess...)
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. --Whenever I read that verse, I pull out a hair or two. :-)
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" I always laugh at this, because it makes me think of Erwin R. McManus who talked about this verse. He said “John leapt in his mother's womb when Mary came near! And now he's asking if Jesus is the one? (and then makes a small voice come from his stomach) 'are you the one, or should we expect someone else?'” it makes me laugh every time.
Mt 11:17-19 I love how he quotes the Pharisees here. He's well aware of what people are saying.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I'll take it!
“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. “ That's a reason to keep a check on your tongue! I mean, I know I'm going to heaven. I believe in Jesus and he is mine. But I've made two slips lately. One I didn't know was becoming an offensive word, the other I knew, but it just came out. I think work is rubbing off on me. At least it's not swear words... It also reminds me not to make fun of people because it's funny. If it hurts or is semi-mean—stay silent!
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” It's unoccupied. That's the problem. It needs Jesus in it to fend them off. “When Satan knocks, say, 'Jesus, could you get that for me?'”
Proverbs 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. <--new awesome verse (3)
Whoa. Wisdom is awesome. The crazy thing is, God created the world with the same wisdom he will give to us if we ask.
Revelation 3 Those people in Sardis, who have not soiled their clothes... I give them props. It's really hard to follow God when everyone—even the church!—is going a different way. But God rewards them!
Philadelphia: 1, They have kept his word, and he will spare them. He is coming soon. I'm sorry for this, but it's hard for me to catch the urgency of “I am coming soon” when he said that 2,000 years ago. Yes, I know he can come any day now, and his timing is different and a second is like a millennium, and a millennium like a second, but still...
Don't be lukewarm. I felt lukewarm all summer/fall. I'd try to get hotter, but I can't do that by myself. I'd get warmer, but never hot. Now I'm fanning the flames with God's spirit and becoming more hot. It's been a while though. :-(
Unfortunately, I am looking forward to LT to make me hot. And I'm afraid I'm going to be disappointed because I'm putting too much trust on a conference. Yes, this is a longer conference than others in the past year, but if these conferences have only helped a little, I doubt longer is better. But I also know I'll go, because it will still be good to get away with God and gain some things to take to school with me (!!!).