Practical Proverbs

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 16 May 2024. Today’s topic: It’s About the Joy

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44

It’s about the joy.

Right after explaining the end-times meaning of the parable of the weeds, Jesus tells His disciples this short parable. Don’t get wrapped around the first thing you see: hidden treasure. The message isn’t “to hide.” The message is “have joy.” We can have joy because the kingdom of heaven is worth giving up everything to have.

Remember the context of the verse. Jesus didn’t tell this parable to a large crowd. He spoke it to His disciples, away from the crowds. He wanted them to noodle this thought; He didn’t tell them exactly what it meant. Instead, they, with whom the Lord often spoke frankly, were to learn as others did. The meaning? He was their treasure, and His Word was the treasure He was giving first to them, in private. They had been given a gift worth more than everything they could ever imagine: personal instruction and friendship with God Immanuel. They, who had given up normal lives to follow Him, would be enriched in Him.

Jesus is the treasure hidden in the field. A man, albeit God, but one hidden in the field of the world, in plain sight; overlooked, trodden-over, just another guy. Yet, when we meet Jesus, we’re changed. When we let Him into our hearts, His Spirit changes us, makes us someone new. That new someone sees Jesus, sees life and everything about it, different than they did before. When we fully give our hearts to Him, Jesus replaces our inward-looking focus with one of joy that looks outward, hoping to share it. As it will be with the next parable, Jesus’ message is that His kingdom is of such great value that we should be willing to give up everything to be part of it. That thought can only end in joy, because Jesus, our Savior and friend and teacher and God, only brings joy to His followers.

We need that more than ever. Jesus had already talked with His disciples about the end of all things; in their lifetimes, the entire structure of Judaism and Jerusalem itself, would be destroyed. They would be persecuted for following Jesus; nearly all of them would die for it. Our world is now much closer to the end than it was in their day. Current events have many people wondering if Jesus’ return is imminent, and that will mean pain, hurt, and destruction for all who don’t believe in Him. For the believer, it means something different. Knowing all that, we need constant joy to counteract the swarming darkness of unbelief.

For more read: Isaiah 55:1, Philippians 3:7-8, Matthew 13:44

Lord Jesus, You are the joy in this world. You are my joy. Be with me today, inspiring joy through me for others to see.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 15 May 2024. Today’s topic: One Day It Will Happen

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 13:37-43

How would you have liked to have been one of the disciples in listening to this the first time Jesus spoke it? Here, you’ve listened to Him speak in parables, and you might have thought he was talking about different kinds of people, and how some are led astray while others grow in the Lord. And you might have picked up on how Jesus was talking about Himself as the sower, and as the seed, and as Lord.

But now Jesus floors you by telling you plainly that this parable is actually about the end of the world. He’s not just talking about those other things that are true now. No, Jesus is actually talking about what will happen at the end of the world. Being Jewish men who were brought up in synagogues, the disciples were familiar with what the prophets Daniel and Joel, especially, had said about the end of the world. Yet here is Jesus now, not only validating what those ancient prophets said, but also telling you more about how it will come to pass. Would you have been ready to hear that?

Jesus told them that, at the end of the world, He will send angels to separate humanity, believer from unbeliever. It won’t be an act of vengeance: no, it will be the ultimate act of justice, of respecting mankind’s choices in life. Those who choose to put their faith in Christ will be the good seed that grew good crops, producing other believers and followers after them. Those who choose other things instead of Christ will be the bad seed that produced crops of the devil, evil following evil. For the believer, there will be an eternity of adventure and love; for the unbeliever, an eternity of burning and anguish away from God, away from even the idea of hope or mercy.

Now that you’ve heard it, get ready. One day, maybe soon, it will happen just as He said it would.

For more read: Daniel 12:3, Joel 3:13, John 8:44, 1 John 3:10, Revelation 14:15, Matthew 13:44

Lord have mercy!

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 14 May 2024. Today’s topic: Ask for Help

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” Matthew 13:36

Once again, the disciples went to Jesus and asked Him to explain what He had said. If you honestly don’t know something, or don’t understand it, it’s ok to ask someone to explain. If you are honestly struggling with something, or are hurting, or are concerned, or are genuinely flummoxed, or whatever, it’s ok – it’s ENCOURAGED – to go to Jesus and say, “I don’t understand/struggle/hurt/etc, Lord. I need Your help.”

How must Jesus have felt? Spoiler alert: when you watch season four of “The Chosen,” you’ll see a Jesus who is sometimes exasperated with His students, His closest friends. He loves them, He knows they’re only human. But Jesus knew He was also running out of time, and that they didn’t know that, let alone understand what it meant. From time to time, Jesus snapped at them, brought them up short. Some of His words even seem hurtful. “Are you still so dull?” “Why don’t you believe?” “Oh ye of little faith.” “How long must I put up with you?”

Jesus meek and mild wouldn’t say that, right? Yes He would…because He did, and He meant it. Put yourself in His shoes. You have only so much time, and you’re teaching people who are going to take your place when you leave (very soon). You spend all your days and nights with them, and they don’t understand, aren’t getting it. THEY JUST DON’T GET IT. Either they’re not listening or are distracted or aren’t focused on the right things. Whatever the reason, they don’t get it. So they come to you and have questions. How do you react?

You and I would probably snap at them…but that isn’t what Jesus did. Tomorrow, we’ll see Him explain the parable, just as He did the parable in the previous chapter. He, who probably felt the same exasperation as we sometimes feel, chose the better route. He explained what it meant. He helped them understand because they genuinely didn’t. They had been listening; in this, they weren’t distracted; they were focused on the right things, but they still didn’t understand.

I find that comforting. I’m closer to 70 now than I am 40, and I could endlessly list the things I don’t understand about Jesus, God, faith, and things from the Bible. I confess that while also accurately saying I’ve read & studied it more than most (as a fact, not a boast). After all that, there is much I don’t understand. The way to address that is to go to God in prayer, and confess what I don’t know, and what sin results from that. And then, to ask for His forgiveness and help.

For more read: Matthew 13:37

Lord Jesus, forgive me when I don’t understand because of my own sins. Help me to understand things You want me to know.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 13 May 2024. Today’s topic: Parable Ways

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” Matthew 13:34-35

The prophet Matthew was speaking of here was Asaph, to whom is attributed Psalm 78. That psalm says, “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” It was probably written towards the end of King David’s reign, written by someone named Asaph, who may have been a musician, or poet, or a skilled writer in David’s court. As has been speculated about Shakespeare, Asaph may also have been a name given for several people, a group of hymnists who wrote numerous psalms.

Whoever he was, Asaph recorded a parable that was also prophetic in nature. His words foretold how Jesus would teach strangers, people who He knew weren’t spiritually, emotionally, or even intellectually prepared for deeper meanings; they were also people who, Jesus knew, also craved the Good News and weightier teaching than what the Pharisees and scribes had been offering for centuries.

Think about it: we still do it today. We aren’t any more enlightened than the people of Bible times. We teach kids what they can handle based on their readiness at a given age. If someone dies and we have to tell a small child about it, we don’t share all the details. We tell them, “Grandma went to heaven to be with Jesus” instead of an in-depth coroner’s report. Ditto explaining war, finances, birth, how seeds grow, and so much more. We sort of tell parables. In doing so, we’re doing what Jesus did, uttering truths that haven’t been known by all since the creation of the world but in ways they’ll grasp.

It isn’t insulting or derogatory to do this. It can actually be an act of love. I’m a college educated published author with forty years of work experience, well-read of several thousand books, and one who has traveled to more countries than most people even know of. And if you try to explain certain things to me, both you and I may end up frustrated. It might be better to chunk them down into simpler truths that are more easily digestible by my self-congratulatory brain. I appreciate it when someone levels with me, respecting my ability to make my own choices. But, if I’m being fully honest, because I’m a sinful and broken human being, I also appreciate it if I’m not party to all the facts all at once.

So let’s follow Jesus’ lead and speak truths but in parable ways of love and acknowledgement for each other’s hearts.

For more read: Psalm 78:2, Romans 16:25-26, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:263., Matthew 13:36

Lord Jesus, thank You for speaking truth to me in ways You know I can handle.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 9 May 2024. Today’s topic: Sourdough Jesus

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Matthew 13:33

Last week, I made my first sourdough bread. My daughter in law and son gave me a jar of starter last Christmas, and I promptly put it in the fridge, intimidated to use it. A couple of weeks ago, however, we had them over for dinner, and the three of us got out the starter and revived it. I fed it for days on end, following the directions to empty & refill it. Last Sunday, I mixed the dough, worked and proofed it twice, let it proof again all day, scored it, and then baked my first two loaves. I have to tell you: I was proud of it. The loaves rose very well, doubling in size, and the crust baked to that light brown crispy crunch that you want with sourdough.

I’ve made homemade bread many times before, but that was the longest process I’ve ever followed. It won’t be the last, though. I intend to repeat it every week or so until I have learned the best ways to make the bread in my kitchen. When I do, I’ll think of it in terms of what Jesus said in today’s parable. Usually, when Jesus talked about “yeast,” He did so to illustrate how bad things spread and grow. “Beware the yeast of the Pharisees,” He says in Mark, warning His disciples that their sinful teaching will work itself all the way through their hearts.

Here, However, Jesus says something else. When you use yeast, or a starter, you use it as a leaven, as a way to make your bread fluffy, better, even more nutritious. That doesn’t happen by magic, though. With sourdough starter, you use only bread and water, letting time and natural yeast bacteria grow and culture, then you control it by pouring off and feeding. A dry yeast does the same thing: it grows when you restart it (by adding water and sugars), then it leavens the rest of the bread ingredients. Where once you had static, single ingredients, you soon have light, airy bread that you can use for many other purposes. If you had no other food to live on, you could live on only bread.

Or on Jesus’ word alone. If there were no food at all, Jesus, who is the bread of life, would sustain you as you needed. His teaching, His Word, is like a yeast, working through the large static ingredients that are our lives, our hearts, our minds and souls. It grows and makes us into something we weren’t before: something better. Like bread.

Come to my house this weekend if you want some fresh sourdough.

For more read: Genesis 18:6, Mark 8:15, Galatians 5:9, Matthew 13:34

Savior, Your kingdom is like yeast, rising and lifting me and making me better. Thank You.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 8 May 2024. Today’s topic: Planting Mustard

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

Have you ever seen a mustard seed? It’s a tiny thing, a small seed indeed. If you plant just one mustard seed and tend to it, the plant will grow into an extremely large bush, one that’s the size of a small tree. I’m a gardener; these kinds of things interest me because, every year, I plant a new vegetable garden. This year, I’ve done more to prepare the soil and, so far, tend to the garden than I have ever done before. The results show: it’s growing like gangbusters, with every veggie sprouting and booming and few losses. But my garden doesn’t grow plants that big.

Jesus is that seed. If you plant Him in the garden of your life, of your heart, then tend to growing your faith, that faith in Jesus will grow into something large and wonderful. It will be so healthy and flourishing that others will rest in it, that it will become a home for others to grow their own faith in Christ. Whatever Jesus blesses, He prospers, and in ways that matter much more than the unimportant things of wealth, power, or prestige.

Jesus is the growth. In Him is found the key to the kingdom of heaven. And, when we align our hearts and minds with His, we find He makes all things grow in love, in mercy. He is the sunlight; He is the earth; He is the very air we breathe because nothing lives apart from Him. That means He is in everything alive, and can turn that which is bad to good.

And Jesus looks to invite each of us into His kingdom of heaven. He invites us into it right now, to be part of it during our walk here on the Third Rock, not just at harvest time. Here and now, belonging to Jesus imparts His fruit into your life and spurs you to want to change, to want to let Him change you. Having Jesus rule your heart empowers you to love more, share abundantly, spread kindness. We become like that mustard plant, providing hope, refuge, and food for those we love and strangers as well.

Just like the garden. We’ll get our first produce soon; spinach and lettuce next week, which we’ll enjoy and share. That’s why God blesses it because He blesses and provides for us through it. But next year, I think I’ll try to plant mustard.

For more read: Psalm 104:12, Ezekiel 17:23, Ezekiel 31:6, Daniel 4:12, Luke 17:6, Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 13:33

Lord, let the faith in my heart grow to show others. Use it and me to shelter and provide for others.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 7 May 2024. Today’s topic: The Beginning, the Now, and the End

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30

There’s something else to understand from this parable. In it, we can choose to make the weeds the focus of our lives, or we can focus on Jesus. That matters because the Third Rock, as we know it, won’t last forever.

There will be an end to this world. This parable is one of the times when Jesus spoke about it. He did so in terms of talking about what happens at harvest time. At that end time, Jesus will send angels to separate the believers from the unbelievers, to separate the good crops from the weeds. The good crops will be harvested and treated as valued. The weeds? They’ll be cast out as trash. They’ll be burned up. That’s a frightening picture of divine justice, but that’s one thing Jesus is talking about here.

If talking about the end times frightens or intimidates you, then think of it in terms of your own life. Jesus is content to let weeds grow up in our own lives, too. He understands that times and trials test and mature us, grow our faith, teach us to rely on Him even more. At some point, your life and mine will end. It will end either before or at the end of this world. When it does, the bad times won’t matter anymore…unless you’ve chosen them over Jesus.

If you’ve chosen Jesus as your focus, as your only Savior, then nothing can separate you from an eternity with Him. If you’ve chosen something else as your focus, as what you think would save you, then Jesus will respect your choice so you can spend an eternity with the consequences of it. Choose wisely what will grow in your garden. Don’t forget that Jesus is the seed. He is the harvest; He is the good plant; He is the direction; He is the beginning, the now, and the end. All of that is context for this and other parables.

For more read: Matthew 13:31

Lord Jesus, I believe in You alone. Save me from my sins. I am sorry for what I’ve done. Forgive me.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 6 May 2024. Today’s topic: Message of Beauty

My friend, Andy, preached on this parable yesterday; he’s making my work much easier! As with the sower, he preached it using several Vincent Van Gogh paintings (literally) as illustrations. In listening to him, I thought of a few things.

In my opinion, Van Gogh probably didn’t contemplate suicide for long, if at all. His deep faith shows through in his artwork, and that was a saving faith that shows in his work. But there was an enemy. Van Gogh dealt with inner demons who tormented him, spurring him to do a terrible thing he might not otherwise have done. His died from an infection, caused by a self-inflicted gunshot. Who knows the heart of anyone, especially someone suffering?

Yet, in my opinion, much of what we consider to be mental illness could in fact be demonic. Was Van Gogh haunted by a demonic enemy? It’s the same enemy who attacks you and I. He uses cancer against us. He causes arguments and division. He undermines our faith and overplays our pride. I believe Van Gogh struggled against that enemy. So do we.

And notice what the servants did: they accused the sower. ‘I thought you sowed good seed.’ Translation: you did something wrong. This must be your fault. How typical that is of we humans, to drag someone down when they’re afflicted with something. It must be your fault you got cancer; it must be your fault you lost your job; it must be your fault whatever. Let’s be real: sometimes it is. Most other times, though, it’s circumstance that God works through

But what’s Jesus’ response to that? “I am always with you.” He is with us, providing sunlight, air and nourishment to both good crops and weeds alike. He gives all of us the life-long opportunity to live thankfully in His provision and mercy. Against that, the enemy is powerless because Satan has no unity, hope, or love. This, too, was Van Gogh’s message of beauty.

For more read: Mark 4:26-30, Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 13:31

Lord, thank You for Your forgiveness, hope, and love. I reject the enemy.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 2 May 2024. Today’s topic: Explaining the Seed

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23

Now Jesus explains the parable. Maybe He did this at other times we don’t know about, but this is one of the few recorded examples of Him plainly stating what He meant about these words. Jesus’ explanation covers all of us; He lists four kinds of people: path, rocky ground, thorns, and good soil. Like we talked about earlier in the week, we get wrapped around the fact that we are these soils, and Jesus illuminates our understanding of that. But the main focus needs to circle back to Jesus being the seed. He made us to glorify the Father. Our lives are supposed to be lived to worshipfully honor Him. We are the soil, but He is the lifegiving, growing seed.

The foremost way we do that is by producing the crop. We do it by using the talents God gives each of us, and using them to the best of our abilities to honor Him. If you’re a cook, thankfully cook well and share what you make with others. If you’re a writer, write words that talk about your faith in Him and then share them with others. If you’re a mom, ditch digger, teacher, CEO, Java programmer, fast food order tech, pastor, dog trainer, or whatever, use your abilities that God gave you as a gift to give Him glory in this world. Our talents are one way He provides for us. We can live lives of worship by using them selflessly for the betterment of folks more than just ourselves.

That begins by always remembering He is the Word. The Word has purpose and life. Like a plant seed, Jesus was born, grew, produced, and died. In His death, He then created new life. His Word is supposed to do that in and through each of us. Is that growing through you today?

For more read: Matthew 13:24

Father, thank You for sharing Your love in my life. Help me to share it with others; help me to always do my best for You.

Practical Proverbial, from Matthew, 1 May 2024. Today’s topic: Longing Like a Prophet

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Matthew 13:16-17

I’ve been finishing up the curriculum for my church’s middle school Sunday school. For the last 3 years, I’ve been writing, organizing, managing, and teaching our middle schoolers. Since last September, we’ve been covering heroes and villains from the Old Testament.

The last lessons of this school year will be about the books of the prophets (from Isaiah through Malachi). I’ll admit: I’ve read all these books, have written extensively about three of them, and know who the authors were. And, until just these last few weeks, I never put it all together, seeing how their lives sometimes overlapped, how the topics they preached on fit into (their) contemporary history, and how each of them delivered prophecies about both their own times and the times of Christ (and later) to come.

One strand that runs through all the books is this: they longed for God. They who individually heard His word and acted on it longed to hear from Him, to see Him, to be with Him. The prophets of old believed in God, in His magnificence and divinity and unequaled power. They desperately longed to have their people, the Israelite Jews, know God in even a glimmer of the way they each knew Him. Some of them, like Jeremiah, were depressed over what God told them to say; some, like Jonah, were initially terrified of it. But they all spoke what God told them and left their words as a legacy for us to use in our lives. Because they believed, we still read their words today.

We long for God, too. I have no idea if anyone will be reading my words in 3000 years; to be honest, I don’t especially care. But I hope you read them now, and that they bless you somehow on your walk through life, and that maybe you’ll share them with someone else. I do these blogs because God puts in on my heart to do so; I do them, because I feel longing for Him and want to share my longing & His inspiration with you.

That’s why I teach the kids, too. Lately, I’ve been picking up a sense that, as kids do, they’re expressing longing for God, too. Longing to understand Him and the world around them; longing to know what purpose He has for their lives. I hope they know that’ll be a lifelong pursuit and yearning.

For more read: John 8:56, Hebrews 11:13, 1 Peter 1:10-12, Matthew 13:18

Father, I long for You. I long to hear Your voice, and feel Your touch on my heart. I long to stand before You and worship and give only You my full devotion. Help me do this today.