Planting Trees and Words

Matthew 12
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Matthew 12:43b

LET IT GLOW
Doing God's will reassures me that I am a part of His family. Not only is
Jesus my Savior, He is my brother and I am His sister. We have a
relationship where we talk and listen to each other. What a blessing.

LET IT GROW
I had a little elm tree growing in my flower bed that had to go so I
could plant petunias there. So I dug a hole in the yard and planted it.
Every day I water it, but leaves keep turning brown on it. Did I wait
too long to transplant my little tree? Will it live and grow into a big shade
tree? I hope it wasn't moved too late.

My words are like that tree. I can say (plant) them too late for them
to produce encouragement (leaves). As timing is important for
transplanting trees, so is timing important for my words spoken.
They can be too late to do any good.

Jesus said a lot about words:

• the mouth speaks what is in the heart
• a good man, good heart, results in good things
• an evil man, evil heart, results in evil things
• every idle word spoken will be given an account of

The Blackabys said in their devotional book, Experiencing God
Day-By-Day, "Idle words are things we say carelessly, without concern for their
impact on others. James cautioned believers to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, sow to wrath."  Christians should speak only words that uplift and bring grace to others. (Ephesians 4:29)"

LET IT GO
Evaluate whether my words build up others or whether they destroy or hurt others.  Say encouraging words at the right time and not too late.

LET IT GLOW, GROW, GO

Here is the format being used in commenting on each chapter in the
New Testament:
LET IT GLOW: Name something you read today that's a promise, an
                            encouragement, or an example of how God worked
                            in this particular chapter.

LET IT GROW: Describe a principle, a lesson to be learned, or a
                             challenge from the scriptures.

LET IT GO: Tell how to apply, share, or go do the Word read in this
                      chapter.

Rest, Sweet Rest

Matthew 11

LET IT GLOW

John the Baptist heard about what Jesus was doing-healing, miracles.
John was in prison, doubting. So he sent 2 disciples to ask Jesus if He
was The Promised Messiah. Did John expect a pastoral visit? Did he
want to be broke out of jail or something? (We know what happens
to poor John; he gets his head cut off and served on a platter. How
awful.) Seriously, I often doubt when trials try my faith.

"And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." Matt.10:6

Jesus' answer was to tell John what  miracles, which only God could
perform, the men heard and saw. Happy are those who accept God's
will for their lives. They praise, honor, and glorify Him. They don't turn
away, against, or become bitter because of His will for their lives..

The NLT version says,"God blesses those who do not turn away
because of me." (verse 6)

William Beck's The New Testament In The Language of Today says,
"Happy is anyone who doesn't turn against Me." (verse 6)

I haven't denied Christ, but I wasted days going my own way. Those were
days I turned away from Jesus. Too busy to read a scripture or pray. I
can't get them back and neither can  you. But grace abounds; He is faithful. I'm so
happy that He doesn't turn away from me.

LET IT GROW

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  Matt. 11:28-30

Do I need rest for my soul? Do the battles weary me? Yes and yes.
Jesus invites all to come to Him.
He will give rest.
He will share the load (burden).
He is the Ultimate Teacher and will teach.
He is meek and lowly, not proud.
His spirit will comfort and help.

As a pair of  oxen shared the load with each other, so does Jesus
for me.

LET IT GO

Come to Jesus and don't turn away from Him, that's my application.

Sorry this was lengthy.

It's a Bad Hair Day

Matthew 10

He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for
my sake shall find it. Matthew 10:39

LET IT GLOW

How many times have I complained about having a bad hair day?
Almost daily. My solution is to wash it, clip it, then go.

In verse 30 Jesus says,"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

If Jesus cares enough to count my hairs, then I figure He must care for
me an awful lot. I haven't thought how detailed God's interest in my life
is. (Of  course, He is, He died for me.)

I don't think about counting the number of hairs on my head. Do you?
I'm more concerned with counting money, things, and stuff.

Luke 21:18 says, " But there shall not an hair of your head perish."
Are we precious to our Heavenly Father, or what?

LET IT GROW

On a hot summer day, a glass of cold well water is so sweet and
refreshing. Giving my husband one while he mows the yard seems
like the kind thing to do.

In verse 42, Jesus says I'll be rewarded when I give a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones. Each act of kindness done to insignificant
people will be rewarded. Although that is not my motive, showing love is.

LET IT GO

When I brush or wash my hair, I'll thank God for His numerous blessings
and for His care.
I better go replenish the water bottles in the frig. Hubby is still mowing. :)

Touching Jesus, Jesus' Touch

Matthew 9
For she said within herself, If I may but touch his (Jesus) garment, I
shall be whole. (verse 21)

LET IT GLOW

For 12 long years this bashful woman endured with an issue of
blood. She thought to herself that she could get a cure without anyone
knowing by simply touching the hem of Jesus' garment.

However, Jesus reads her secret thoughts and sees her need. How
surprised this woman must have been when Jesus spoke to her, much
less healed her!

We're told in this chapter that Jesus healed five others-man with palsy,
ruler's daughter, 2 blind men, and a man possessed of a devil.

Does my faith touch Jesus?

Ps. 53:2 says,"God looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God."

LET IT GROW

Jesus didn't ask the two blind men if they could pay for a cure or if their
status in town merited a cure. Instead, He asked if they believed He was
able to heal them.

Hebrews 11:6 says,"But without faith it is impossible to please Him
(God).

After answering yes, Jesus touched their eyes and said,"According to
your faith be it unto you."

According to Websters Dictionary, faith is belief without proof.

LET IT GO

Once when I was praying about a physical need, Jesus told me that it
wouldn't be faith if I knew the outcome. So now I have to trust the
outcome of any situation to Him. He knows best. (I fall short so many
times.)

Do I have enough faith for Jesus to tell me,"According to Linda's faith,
be it unto her?"

O Me of Little Faith

Matthew 8  
Verse 26: And he (Jesus) saith unto them, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of
little faith?" Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there
was a great calm.

LET IT GLOW

When He was asked to heal people, Jesus replied, "I will." He healed
the leper, the centurion's servant, and Peter's mother inlaw. Jesus
fulfilled Isaiah 53:45 where He "Himself took our infirmities and bare
our sicknesses."

By His death on the cross, Jesus took my sins upon Himself and took
away my sickness by the miracles of His life. [Matthew Henry]
Such great compassion and love He showed me.

LET IT GROW

Jesus was asleep in the ship with the disciples when a great storm came
up. How bad was it? The disciples thought they would die in this storm.
He could have prevented it, but then Jesus would not have received
glory and the disciples would not have experienced Him as their
deliverer, the God of nature. Before Jesus calmed the winds and the sea,
 He said, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?"

If the disciples doubted, where does that leave me?

When the storms come into my life, I, too, cry out,"Lord, deliver me from
this!" instead of having faith and trust Jesus to see me through it. This
storm is for my good and His glory. Easy to say, hard to apply.

Romans 8:28 says,"And we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
 purpose."

LET IT GO

O me of little faith. Yes Sir, I'm guilty. What do You have for me to learn
from this storm? I want to see beyond the wind and the waves, and trust
Jesus to see me through, for His glory and my good. When He is there
with me in the middle of the storm, there will be peace.

Logs, Dogs, Hogs

Matthew 7                  Judge not, that ye be not judged.

LET IT GLOW

Jesus tells how to pray as a means to obtain what is needed:
Ask of my wants and burdens to God and freely receive support and
       supply
Seek as for a lost thing of value, God, and He will be found
Knock as desiring to enter a door of a house, and God will open
        it with mercy and grace. [Matthew Henry's Commentary]

As I ask, seek, and knock He promises to answer. Wow, what a
great promise.

LET IT GROW

Jesus tells me not to judge others. If I do, then I will be judged by the
same standard and found guilty. Am I the only one who has problems
with this? Henry tells me that my own sins ought to appear greater to
me than the same sins in others.

So I need to remove my sins (log in my eye) before pointing out those
sins (splinter) in another's life.

As dogs return to their vomit and hogs return to their muddy mire, Jesus
warns me to not stand with sinners nor sit down with the scornful.(Ps.1:1)
They are people who hate the reproofs of instructions (pearls). Watch out
with whom I associate, for good and bad ways rub off.

LET IT GO

I better get busy removing some logs and watch out for dogs and hogs.
With the golden rule found in verse 12, Christ tells me another thing to
work on-treat others like I want to be treated. This homework for today
will keep me busy. How about you?

Seek What?

Matthew 6

But Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you.

LET IT GLOW

As I seek (pursue, desire) God first, making Him the most important
thing in my life and thoughts, and do things the right way, then all my
needs will be met by Him. We see God clothing the field with grass and
flowers and feeding and watering the birds. He promises to do the same
for me.What a promise!

Verse 32 says the Heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these
things. It is comforting to know that God knows just what I need. I can
trust His judgement as to when and how He provides.

LET IT GROW

How do I give, pray, and fast in a way pleasing to God?
Jesus said (3 times) to do them secretly so only God sees and He will
reward me.

How do I pray? The Lord's prayer says to:
1) praise God in His greatness and glory
2) recognize Him as Sovereign Savior, as His kingdom (heaven) comes
3) pray the King's will to be done
4) ask forgiveness for my sins as I forgive others, grace
5) seek help to never return again to folly and not be tempted to do it
6) ask for deliverance from the devil's assults and not be overcome by
    those assults
7)  declare God as The King, all powerful, glorious, and forever eternal.     
    [above ideas are from Matthew Henry's Commentary]

LET IT GO

Seek God first, ask forgiveness for my sins, trust Him to meet my needs,
give, pray, and fast for His glory.

Loving the Unlovely

Matthew 5

LET IT GLOW

In verse 20, the Pharisees and scribes were teachers of the Jewish law.
To them, keeping the law was the most important thing instead of loving
others and meeting their needs.

LET IT GROW

Jesus tells us to love, bless, do good to, and pray for our enemies.
This way people know we are children of God, our Heavenly Father.
The unlovely curse, hated, despitefully use, and persecute us.
What do we focus on, the deeds of the unlovely or the lovely deeds
of Jesus?

LET IT GO

Instead of focusing on obeying the law and/or the unlovely's deeds, I want
to love the unlovely. In doing so, Jesus is seen through me. The golden
rule tells us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Prove It

Matthew Chapter 4

LET IT GLOW

Three times the devil tempted Jesus to prove He was God's Son.
Jesus resisted the devil by quoting scriptures. He said that man lives
(meaning spiritually) by God's Word; we don't challenge God to prove
Himself; we worship and serve only God. We have a Savior Who
knows what it is like to be tempted to sin, yet He didn't yield and sin.

LET IT GROW

When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him, they
immediately obeyed Jesus.

In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus said,"If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will
save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the
same shall save it."

Leaving home, family, and friends was very hard to do whenever Jesus
required it. (My husband and I went to college and into the ministry.) We
had to deny ourselves of our wants and follow Jesus' wants. But,
the rewards were a hundredfold as in Mark 10:30-31.

LET IT GO

Lord, help me to recognize what tempts me to sin and resist it.
James 4:7 says,"Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
I want a heart willing  to follow You Jesus wherever You lead.

Pleasing Him

What a blessing to have you walking along this road of faith with me.

Matthew Chapter 3

LET IT GLOW: In verse 17 God said after Jesus' baptism,"This is
                          My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
                          Don't we all want our heavenly Father to say the
                          same thing about us?
LET IT GROW: John the Baptist is  telling everyone to "repent"
                          according to verse 2. Repent means to stop sinning
                          and completely turn around and go a different direction.
LET IT GO:       Father, please forgive me of my sins. I need Your help
                          as I stop repeating these same sins and turn away from
                          doing them. May my words and actions please You
                           today.
                       
                        
         

Gifts Fit For A King

Matthew Chapter 2

LET IT GLOW: Apparently the star left the wise men
                          for a while and then returned.When the wise men saw
                          the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. They
                          knew their long journey had not been in vain. They
                          had stopped 7 miles short of their destination-
                          Bethlehem. The star led them to Jesus. Do we have
                          exceeding great joy when we meet with Jesus?
LET IT GROW: What was the first thing the wise men did when they
                           saw Jesus? They fell down and worshiped the
                           Messiah. Then the wise men opened their treasures
                           and presented unto Him their gifts:
                           gold-as a king, paying Him tribute,
                           frankincense-as God, they honored Him with the
                                                smoke of incense,
                           myrrh-as a man that should die, used for embalming
                                      dead bodies.
LET IT GO:        I will worship Jesus as my King first and then present
                           my gifts to Him.

     

The Promise Keeper

Welcome everyone! I'm looking forward to meeting with you as we read
 through the New Testament Monday -Friday. Be sure to share your
comments. Shall we get started?
Father, as I open wide my mouth, I trust You will fill it with Your words.
 (Ps. 81:10)

Matthew Chapter 1
LET IT GLOW: After 42 generations waited for the Savior, Messiah,
                          Emmanuel to come, He finally did. Jesus was His name.
                          God was faithful to keep His promise.
                          (Isaiah 7:14) Of course it was  in God's timing, not
                          man's timing.
LET IT GROW: A young country girl engaged and planning her
                          wedding had it interrupted  by an angel. She was told
                          that she would have a son, The Son of God, by the
                          Holy Ghost. (Luke 1:35)
                          How did Mary react to this news? She trusted God.
                          Mary was God's obedient servant.
                          How did Joseph react? He was going to quietly
                          divorce Mary, but an angel of the Lord appeared in
                          his dream one night. The angel confirmed Mary's
                          unique news. Then Joseph obeyed, took Mary as his
                          wife, and later named  her son Jesus.
LET IT GO:       Help me Lord Jesus to keep my promises. I want to
                          obey you, even if it is a unique request  that You make
                          of me.