19 Feb 13:Jesus and the Rich Man and/ Avoid Divisive People

Prayer: Father, I pray that you bless this study and make it a blessing for the readers. Bless them, Lord, and send them the Holy Spirit that will help them understand Today's message. In Jesus' name. Amen.

**Read Matthew 19:16-30 and Romans 16:17-27

I. Jesus and the Rich Man
- In  Matthew 19:16-30 , a young rich man approached Jesus asking Him how to receive eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments of God and if he wants to be perfect, to sell all his belongings and follow Him.

- The rich man was a good man.  He obeyed God's commandments, helped his fellowmen, and also had the desire for salvation.  When he asked Jesus what else he needed to do, Jesus told him to give up everything and follow Him.  Because he had so many earthly possessions, he could not bear the fact of giving all those away.  In truth, he was blinded by all his riches. He could not imagine losing all his money and luxuries in life. He was too attached to all these material things that chose them over God.  Following Christ is a lifelong commitment   We can not just give a part of our life.  We need to devote our entire life of living a Christian life and following His ways.  We tend to endure suffering in order to collect riches here on earth.  These things have no value in heaven and it is only through our repentance of our sins, our acceptance of our savior, and the grace of God that will give us eternal life.

- In verses 23-28, Jesus told His disciples that it is "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".  They might be good, have different charities, help other people, but all these does not give you a free ticket to heaven. They love their money and their riches so much that they start to worship them.  Money is not evil. It is the love of money that gets us in trouble with God. Sometimes, when God had blessed us with everything we need, we still asked for more. We tend to focus on our riches and our fame so we can build our names here on earth that we forget that what really matters is the riches that we build in heaven. When we love money so much, we forget to thank God, praise Him, and worship Him, and we start to glorify ourselves and the "great things" that we did to get where we are at. We forget to glorify God and share the blessings that He had showered upon us. Money and earthly possessions are not everything. Some people always ask God why they did not bless them like the rich people. We, sometimes, feel jealous of how prosperous they are.  What we do not know is the same people, even though they have everything that they want, are the ones who are depressed, suffer from anxiety, have family problems, and are not liked and loved by the people around them. People go to them because they have the money and not because they really want to associate with them. I'll rather be loved by my family, friends, neighbors, and by God than be super rich and be lonely. I'll rather have eternal life through our savior Jesus Christ and the grace of God than to have eternal cash that we can't take with us in His Kingdom.  Remember in Matthew 6:24,

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

II. Avoid Divisive People
- In Romans 16:17-27, Paul warned us to be vigilant and look for those who cause division. Watch out for those spreading false teachings that are not in the Bible. The Bible is God's Word and we must follow what is written by the apostles who were inspired by God. A common tactic of the enemy is to deceive people by adding to the scriptures. They talk of new laws, new promises, new prophets, and new messages.

Deuteronomy 4:2 says " You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you".

"Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." - Deuteronomy 12:32

" Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar." - Proverbs 30:5-6

"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the
holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." - Revelations 22:18-19

- We need to know the truth and to know this, we have to devote our time in studying the Word of God.  With the help of the Holy Spirit  we can discern false teachings and be closer to God. We can learn of God's promises and God's love. Let us not trust mere human beings but trust God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that He will reveal to us the message, not according to man, but through His revelation. The message is very simple, we need to repent of our sins and trust the Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the only way, the only mediator, and the only "intercession" that we need to build a relationship with our Father.

"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" - 1 Timothy 2:5

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6

III Proverbs for Today/ 10:5
He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

Additional Old Testament Reading:
Leviticus 7:28-38, Leviticus 8, Leviticus 9:1-6, and Psalms 37:12-29

18 Feb 13: Jesus Blesses the Little Children and/ Paul Greets His Friends at Rome

**Read Matthew 19:13-15 and Romans 16:1-16

I. Jesus Blesses the Little Children
- In Matthew 19:13-15, children were trying to go to Jesus when His disciples tried to deny them. Jesus reminded the disciples that children are those who are going to the Kingdom of God. This does not mean that only children can enter but if you remember our study of Matthew 18:1-5, Jesus wanted us to be like children who are innocent and humble. We need to change our attitudes to those that are like children's who are willing to listen and learn. We need to get rid of the stubbornness and the hardness of our hearts because we think that we already know God's Word and plan. Sometimes we let our religious education and sophistication stand in the way of the simple faith needed to believe in our savior, Jesus Christ.

II. Paul Greets His Friends at Rome
- In Romans 16:1-16, Paul sent greeting to people he knows who are fellow workers for Christ. As we can see the names, Paul listed Romans, Greeks, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, prisoners and good citizens. This shows us that a follower of Christ can be anyone. Unlike popular belief, the Church is open to anyone and no priest or man can deny access to God's temple no matter how bad your past is. Everyone deserves to hear the Good News and everyone should have a chance to know God and have a relationship with him. If you are one of them, God does not care if you had committed murder, adultery, lies, idolatry, steal, or worshiped man and their statues. The Kingdom of God will be open when you return to the father. It is not too late to repent and trust in the Lord. Remember:

"16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

III. Proverbs for Today/10:3-4
3 The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Leviticus 6, Leviticus 7:1-27, and Psalms 31:1-11

17 Feb 13: Jesus Teaches about Divorce and/ The Collection for The Jerusalem Church

**Read Matthew 19:1-12 and Romans 15:23-33

I. Jesus Teaches about Divorce
-  Matthew 19:1-12  ; In verses 1-10, Jesus was again tested and confronted by the Pharisees regarding what is written in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 about divorce. The Pharisees asked Jesus if it was "lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?". Jesus replied by challenging them instead. Jesus told them that God's initial plan was to join a man and woman after marriage and never separate them. But because of our hard hearts and sinful nature, they had to allow to divorce as long as it is because of adultery. Jesus added that if you were divorced because of "other than unfaithfulness" reasons, if you remarry, it will still be considered adultery.

- We see, God had a great plan for marriage. He created Adam and Eve so they can live together forever. Nowadays, couples don't see marriage as anything special. Here in the US, people say that you are really not an American unless you are divorced at least once. And what is the main reason for divorces? It is because of "irreconcilable differences". It is the differences between spouses that are considered sufficiently severe to make married life together more or less impossible. Then why did you get married
in the first place? People don't care about marriage because of how easy it is to divorce. If you have "irreconcilable differences", then separate but with prayers and trusting God, you will be reconciled as long as you live the Lord's way. If you are a true Christian, there would be no reasons for a divorce because you will love your spouse and trust God to fix your marriage.

- In verses 11-12, Jesus teaches about celibacy. A few definitions to make it easier to understand. Celibacy is the abstinence from sexual relations or acts. Eunuch is a castrated man or someone who is deprived of external genitals. Jesus told us to live like Eunuchs until marriage. I know this is hard because of the culture and the peer pressure especially in schools as young as middle school or even elementary but as true believers of Christ, we have to not give in to the peer pressure and the "world" just for the sake of "fitting in".

II. The Collection for The Jerusalem Church
- In  Romans 15:23-33 , Paul is asking the Gentiles to continue sharing their material blessings, providing necessities to the Jerusalem Church who has been experiencing some hardships. The Jerusalem church has been the source of missionaries sharing the Good News of the Lord of salvation to the Gentiles. Additionally, he asked them to pray with him that his listeners would accept the gospel and accept God. We need to share our blessings with the church. We need to help our brothers and sisters in faith especially those who are hungry, naked, and sick. Let us show God's love to them through our compassion by taking care of those in need.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Leviticus 4-5 and Psalms 36:1-12

16 Feb 13: The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant and/ Preach Where There is no Church

**Read Matthew 18:15-35 and Romans 15:14–24

I. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
- Matthew 18:15-35 is great reading about forgiving our brothers and sisters.  Jesus instructed us to let those who have sinned against us know what they have done so he may have the chance to ask for forgiveness and reconciliate with you.  If he does not want to hear it, Jesus told us to bring more people as witnesses until he sees his fault and ask for forgiveness.  Jesus commanded us to love one another and if someone does harm on us, we need to let them know and not hold grudges.  By doing this, we would not have that hardened heart that might lead to gossip or revenge which are all sin.  Show our compassion to our neighbors so they may see the love of God within us.

- In verses 21-35, Jesus shared the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.  The King is God who forgave us when we repented of our sins.  He is compassionate and just as is stated in 1 John 1:9 which read: "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  The servant represents us who sometimes are offended by a friend, family, a neighbor, a co-worker, or a stranger.  Maybe they had said something bad about us or have argued with us in the past, but they have tried to mend our relationship with them and have asked for forgiveness and compassion.  But because we have a hard heart, we did not forgive them and even condemned them.  We need to see that we, too, are not perfect and that we have committed sin against the people around us and God.  God has shown pity on us when we repented and we have to show the same compassion to our brothers and sisters when they ask us for forgiveness.   Let us forgive others as God has forgiven our sinful past.

II.  Preach Where There is no Church
- Romans 15:14–24, Paul shared his desire to go to other places to share the gospel of the Lord with the "unreached" and non-believers.  This is called the Great Commission which was written in Matthew 28:19-20,

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

We, ourselves, are called to the Great Commission.  We are given the responsibility to share the gospel to everyone especially the places where Jesus Christ is not known.  We have to share verses, lead bible studies, and teach everyone about God's Word and His promises so others can hear and possibly accept and be saved.

Prayer: Father, Let us be the light for the non-believers.  We pray that you use us to share your Word so that everyone would be saved and experience your love.  Guide us and provide us spiritual gifts that we can us in our little ministry.  Father, we pray for our souls and we ask for forgiveness of our sin.  We pray all these, in Jesus' name.  Amen.

III. Proverbs for Today/10:1-12 (Wise Sayings of Solomon)

10 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
But righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
7 The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise in heart will receive commands,
But a prating fool will fall.
9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Leviticus 1-3 and Psalms 35:17-28

15 Feb 13: Children and the Kingdom and/ Glorify God Together

**Read Matthew 18:1-14 and Romans 15:7-13

I. Children and the Kingdom
- In Matthew 18:1-14, We are told to be like a child.  Children are full of humility and innocence.  Unlike us, who have the appetite for glory and greatness.  We always try to be better than everybody so they can envy us.  We are boastful and proud of what we have.  A child, on the other hand, is humble and follows what his or her parents does.  As a child of God, we need to live in simplicity and follow the will of the Lord.  We need to praise Him and glorify His name.  We need not to be proud of ourselves but instead worship and honor the Father almighty.  We need to act like a child and follow the will of our Father.

-  In verses 10-14, Jesus used another parable to teach His disciples.  He illustrated that if a shepherd had 100 sheeps and of them goes astray, the shepherd  will leave the other 99 and look for that lost one.  At the same time, he would be happier once he finds this one than for the 99 who stayed.  This is the same for God.  He does not rejoice when one of our brothers or sisters goes astray.  God will still look for that one lost soul and invite them to come back to His home even though you have left Him and committed sin.  God's love is everlasting and He will always accept you no matter what you have done in the past.  Just accept his son, Jesus Christ as your personal savior and repent on your sin and God will forgive you and be happy to accept you in His family.

II. Glorify God Together
- Romans 15:7-13 teaches us to accept one another, no matter how sinful we are for Jesus, himself, accepted us when we were rebellious .  By doing this, we will be glorifying our Father and we will be sharing how God is loving and merciful.   As Christians, we need to act like Jesus.  He was sent to die for us when we are sinners at the time so we can be righteous once again.  We need to share the gospel and the message to our friends and families so we can help them find hope, the truth, and the way to salvation through the grace of God.  John 3:16 states that

"16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Whoever believes in Him should not perish.  These are strong words.  Whoever....It means that everyone has a chance for salvation.  We have to believe in Him and receive grace so we may not perish and live for eternity in heaven.

III. Proverbs for Today/9:11-18

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

13 A foolish woman is clamorous;
She is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat by the highest places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of hell.[a]
Prayer:  Father, we thank you once again for this message.  A message of hope and a future for our humble hearts.  Lord, we thank you for your Word, the message that encourages us and teaches us the love that you have for us.  We pray that we would not be that one who goes astray but we need Lord, that even if we do go astray that you would be looking for us and you would accept us in your family.  Father, we repent for our sins and ask that you forgive us and give us a new life, a new beginning through our faith in Jesus Christ.  We pray that you touch our hearts and surrender ourselves to you.  We pray these, in Jesus' name.  Amen

Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 39-40 and Psalms 35:1-16

14 Feb 13: A Coin to Pay Taxes and/ Adopt the Attitude of Jesus

**Read Matthew 17:22-27 and Romans 15:1-6

I. A Coin to Pay Taxes
- Matthew 17:22-27; In verses 22-23, Jesus predicted his death and resurrection once again.  Because His disciples did not know His real mission on earth, they were saddened by this.  The were all in grief because they did not understand why Jesus kept talking about His death when old scriptures stated that He will establish His kingdom.  What they did not know is that Jesus was establishing a Kingdom but it is not political and not here on earth.  Jesus' Kingdom is not of this world and as Christians, we are only here on earth temporarily. The Father has set a place for us in heaven through our faith in Jesus Christ and the repentance of our sins.

- In verses 24-27, a tax collector asked Peter if Jesus will be paying his taxes, which Jesus said he would.  When they came to his house, Jesus explained how strangers usually pay the taxes for the Kings of this world.  Just like in heaven, as sons and daughters of our loving Father, we are free from taxes once we repent and our saved.  Instead of worrying for money and all other treasures in this world, we need to be focus on the treasures of heaven.  All this cash, gold, and other "earthly stuff" has no value in the eyes of God.  On the other hand, all those who have rejected God and His word, would have to pay their share of taxes.  It is simple, either we are for Him or against Him.  Those who are for Him will receive everlasting life. Those who are against Him will receive death.  So which side are you in?

II. Adopt the Attitude of Jesus
- In Romans 15:1-6, As followers of Christ, we need to live and act like Jesus.  Jesus came to us, not to live a great life but suffer and be a sacrifice for the sinners.  For us to live a life of the Lord, we need to start thinking of others and show our love and compassion to them.  We need to stop looking at how we can be the richest or how we can have the coolest and newest fad at that time.  We tend to boast of our new electronics, jewelries, clothing, cars, jobs and all we are doing is glorifying and worshiping ourselves.  We don't do this to share it with others but for them to actually be envious of our success.  As a Christian, we chose to leave the life of this world and live the life of the Lord.  If we truly accept to be "born-again", God changed us from within and His love will reflect in our words and actions.  Instead of boasting of our own successes, let us share these blessings to our brothers and sisters in faith and at the same time, glorify God.

III. Proverbs for Today/ 9:9-10

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:

Exodus 37-38 and Psalms 34:11-22

13 Feb 13: Jesus Heals an Epileptic Boy and/ Build Each Other Up

**Read Matthew 17:14-21 and Romans 14:17-23

I. Jesus Heals an Epileptic Boy
- Matthew 17:14-21; Jesus, prior to this, Jesus had gone to the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John and they left the other nine disciples to continue the ministry, teaching, and healing for the first time without Jesus by them.  The nine disciples did preach and heal but there is one boy who they could not heal.  When Jesus and the other three returned, a man approached Him, begging Him to heal his son which Jesus did.  After this, the nine disciples asked Jesus how come they could not heal him.  Jesus pointed out that they had little faith, smaller than a mustard seed.  Because they had been healing many, they became too confident in their own ability and started using their "own ability" instead of relying in God.  They were so convinced that they can heal anything or anyone that they treated it as if they had the powers to act alone.

- Sometimes, when we experience a difficulty in our lives, we reach out to God to help us.  After God answers our prayers, we tend to forget who helped us and start relying back on our own understanding.  It is also till we experience a new problem that we go back to Him.  We are reminded to keep our faith in God for God does wonders in our lives.  We should not rely on ourselves but rely on our faith in God as the first step of any of our problems.  Let us meditate and ask God for our help for he is a loving and faithful God and He will grant our hearts' desires, if its His will and in time, if we just ask.  With God on our side, nothing is impossible.

II. Build Each Other Up
- Romans 14:17-23 reminds us that we cannot attain the Kingdom of heaven just by "eating or drinking" what the elders or church leaders tell us.  We can not be accepted into heaven by following the laws and traditions of our ancestors.  It is only though righteousness, repentance, trust in Jesus Christ, and the grace of God that we may be blessed with salvation.  Let us seek to do everything out of love for God and leave our sinful past behind.  Let us live the life of the Lord and give up the lusts of the world.  Let us be holy, godly, and righteous, and help each other out during our walk in faith so we may be drawn closer to our father.

III. Proverbs for Today/ 9:7-8
⁷ “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 35:10-35, Exodus 36, and Psalms 34:1-10

12 Feb 13: The Transfiguration of Jesus/Be Sensitive to Others

Read Matthew 17:1-13 and Romans 14:10-16

I. The Transfiguration of Jesus
- Matthew 17:1-13; This story is once again a confirmation of who Jesus really was.  From yesterday's devotional, Jesus asked His disciples who He was to people and to them.  They gave Him answers ranging from John the Baptist, Elijah, then Peter said that He was the Son of God.  These were human responses given by the community and His own disciples.  With Jesus' transfiguration along with two of the greatest prophets, and God's assurance that Jesus is "His Son whom He loves", they were given a divine response.  Once and for all, they have received a confirmation that Jesus is the messiah that God had sent to save the world from our sins.

- In my opinion, most are still waiting for some kind of confirmation or sign that Jesus was the messiah. We have many believers and non-believers alike, who wants to receive a Divine Intervention that will tell them that Jesus is the Lord and God is a living God.  Faith is believing without seeing. We need to believe in the Word and God's promises.  He is real and once we devote our lives to Him and follow His ways, we will experience something that only God can provide us.  He is the only One who can give us eternal life.  Let's surrender our lives, have faith, believer, and build a relationship with our Father, who is the creator of heavens and earth.

II. Be Sensitive to Others
-  Romans 14:10-16; Paul wanted us to not judge our fellow brothers and sisters in faith.  Some might have a strong faith than others but we should not use this to look down on our fellow Christians that are weaker in faith.  Instead of judging them, let us use the discernment that God has blessed us with the help of the Holy Spirit to help them mature and be strong in faith.  Instead of bashing them, let's share the Word, give our testimonies, and share with them the blessings and grace that God has showered us.  They already have the seed planted in their heart so let us be the gardener and provide water and fertilizer so it would grow and bear good fruit for our Father.

III. Proverbs for Today/ 9:1-6
⁷ 

The Way of Wisdom

9 Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
² She has slaughtered her meat,
She has mixed her wine,
She has also furnished her table.
³ She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
⁴ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
⁵ “Come, eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.



IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 34, Exodus 35:1-9, and Proverbs 9:1-6

11 Feb 13: Jesus Predicts His Own Death and/ Jesus Lord of Both Dead and Living

**Read Matthew 16:13-28 and/ Romans 14:5-9

I.  Jesus Predicts His Own Death
- Matthew 16:13-28; In verses 13-20, Jesus asked the disciples who they think he was.  Some answers were that He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or other prophets but Simon confessed that He was the Son of the Living God.  Jesus replied by blessing him and telling him that he didn't learn this from all the rumors and his own understanding but it was a gift from God that this had been revealed to him.  After this, Jesus changed his name to Cephas (Aramaic) or Petros (Greek) which meant rock for he will be the rock where the church will be built.  Peter did start the early Christian church in Jerusalem and he also was the first to profess that Jesus was the messiah and the son of God in front of a crowd during Pentecost.

- There are many religions that consider Jesus as many things.  Some argue that he was only a prophet just like Elijah or Moses.  Others don't even consider Him as a religious figure.  After all the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled and all the signs and miracles He performed during His ministry, we are assured that He is the messiah that God promised His children to save us from our sins.  We need to profess our faith and accept Him as our personal savior and confess it to others that we may glorify His name and praise Him.

-  In verses 21-28, Jesus predicted His own death. He told His disciples that He will face rejection, suffer in the hands of the church authorities, be killed, and resurrect after three days.  When Peter heard Jesus say this, he told Him that this will never happen to the messiah.  Jesus then replied by calling Peter "Satan".  Peter just proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of the Living God and because of this, he could not accept that the messiah, the Lord of the Lords, and the savior of the problems of the Jews, would suffer and end up dead.  Peter thought that Jesus was to rule over the kingdom here on earth and beat all those empires that ruled ever Israel and its people.  That's why Jesus called him Satan because it is Satan's desire for Jesus to live as a man forever and not finish God's mission to die for everyone's sin.  Peter had his own perception of what the Son of God will be doing on earth and he tried to define the mission and purpose of Christ.  We also tend to have our own definition of who Christ is and what is His mission.  Before we confess that Jesus is the Christ or the messiah and the Son of the Living God, we need to look closely what God had stated about Jesus' purpose.  We cannot be blinded by our human desires and agendas that will lead us to mistaken conclusions.  We need to learn from Him by studying His word and by doing this, we can build a true and deeper relationship with Him.

II. Jesus Lord of Both Dead and Living
- Romans 14:5-9; In everything that we do, we need to remember to put God first and that we live to love and obey Him.  God needs to be the central focus of our lives.  All our wishes, desires, wants, and activities must have God in our minds.  No matter if we are alive or dead, we will still be God's children and He will shower us His blessings and His grace for he is a loving and faithful God.

III. Proverbs for Today/ 8:33-36

³³ Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 32-33 and Psalms 33:1-11

10 Feb 13: The Teaching of Pharisees and Sadducees and/ The Weak and the Strong

**Read Matthew 16:1-12 and Romans 14:1-4

I. The Teaching of Pharisees and Sadducees 

- Matthew 16:1-12; The Pharisees and Sadducees had already seen and heard Jesus do numerous miracles in the past but they still wanted more signs.  As we mentioned before, they were supposed to be the scholars of God's Word yet they could not discern the signs of the messiah.  We, sometimes, have doubts about God and we ask Him for signs of His existence.  When this happens, just look at our environment, the beauties of this world, and the life that we have.  These are all the signs that we need.  Jesus said in Luke 4:12 and Matthew 4:7, "not to put the Lord, your God to the test".   When we do, it shows that we have little faith in Him.  We need to trust Him in everything we do and He will take care of us and bless us.

- In verses 5-12, Jesus told His disciples to “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”  When the disciples heard this, they thought that Jesus was referring to the bread that they did not bring in the journey.  Jesus answered by reminding them of the two miracles that he just did, feeding 5000 and 4000 people with a few bread and fishes.  Jesus then explained that the leaven was the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  They are false teachings that focuses on the works and the religious customs and traditions rather than the relationship and loving God.  They are the dead ends that the blind guides try to lead us to.  There are numerous churches nowadays that does not preach the good news but instead poison our hearts and minds.  There are teachings that are not Bible-based and are definitely man-made.  We need to pray to God that He send us the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us to discern His Scriptures.  Let us read and study the bible ourselves so we can understand the truth and discern the false teachings.  If they are teachers of the Word of God, then they will follow the Holy Bible and nothing else.  Other teachings would be considered leaven such as the Pharisees' and the Sadducees'.

II. The Weak and the Strong

- In Romans 14:1-4, Paul is telling us Christians not to reject our brothers and sisters in faith, no matter how strong their faith is.  The church is open to everyone: to the murderers, adulterers, rapist, idolaters, thieves, and liers.  The Christian church is not an exclusive club only for the strong in faith.  Remember that Jesus "did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Mark 2:17).  We need to abstain judging our fellow Christians in matters that are non-essential.  This is a question that many of the non-believers ask, "If Christianity is the religion of the true God, how come they have different denominationals?".  The answer is that it does not matter what the denominational are because they only differ in the non-essentials in our faith such as baptism and communion.  What matters is that they are teaching the word of God, as what is written in the Bible, and that the corner stone of our faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which brings us hope that we will have eternal life.

III. Proverbs for Today/8:27-32

27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;[a]
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men.
32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For blessed are those who keep my ways.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading
Exodus 30:11-38, Exodus 31, and Psalms 32:1-11

9 Feb 13: Jesus Feeds the Four Thousands and/ Loving Others is Obedience to God

**Read Matthew 15:29-39 and Romans 13:8-14

I. Jesus Feeds the Four Thousands
- In Matthew 15:29-39, we read a story of Jesus healing the lame, the blind, the mute, the maimed, and many others.  The crowd was marveled and glorified God.  If you all remember in Matthew 12:22-30, Jesus healed the blind, mute, and demon-possessed man.  And after He did all these, Jewish Pharisees accused Him of being with Beelzebub.  We can see the difference in these stories.  After witnessing the miracles, we had Gentiles who believed that Jesus Christ was the son of God and glorified God; and we had Pharisees  who accused Him of being with the devil.  The Pharisees were supposed to be the experts of the scriptures.  They claimed that they were religious and instead of accepting Jesus as the messiah, they slandered Him.  Sometimes it is the so-called "religious" people who have hard hearts.  They are so stuck in their old ways, that they are blinded by their tradition.  Jesus, the messiah, was in front of them, doing numerous miracles of healing, but they still rejected Him.  Is this how we also act?  We have the Scriptures and testimonies about our living God, and even if His Word is right in front of us, we still ignore Him and continue to live our unrighteous lives.  How many more miracles does Jesus have to do for us to follow Him?  How many more lives does God have to change for us to believe?

- We continue the story with Jesus feeding 4000 followers.  He did this by blessing seven loaves and a fish and distributing these to all of them.  After everyone was satisfied, they still collected seven baskets full of fragments.  What we need to see here is how His disciples acted when faced with obstacles.  They knew that these people had been there for 3 days without any food.  And they were starting to worry because they didn't have enough food to share.  What they forgot is Jesus fed 5000 people just prior to this with just 5 loaves and bread and 2 fishes.  How easily did they throw their hands in despair when faced with tough situations.  They failed to remember that they were with the Son of God who can do what is impossible for men.  Like the disciples, we often forget that God can do anything.  When we face challenges, we forget that God had cared for us and helped us in the past.  We need to trust in God when facing tough situations and let Him guide us and direct us to the right path.

II. Loving Others is Obedience to God
- In Romans 13:8-14, Paul explained that loving our neighbors is the fulfillment of the commandments of God in the old scriptures.  If we love God , we wouldn't worship any other God, not have any idols in any carved image, not use God's name in vain, and finally, not pray to any dead person but only to God, through his son Jesus Christ.  If we love our neighbor, we would not commit adultery, murder, steal, bear false witness or gossip, covet, and we would honor we mother and father.  With love, we have obeyed God's commandments.  Jesus, also, had commanded this in John 13:34,

'34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

- In verses 11-14, we are reminded that now is the time to wake up from our "sleep", repent and accept Jesus as our personal savior.  Now is the time to change from our old ways and be "born again" of the spirit into the family of God.  We need to stop the drunkenness, lewdness, lusts, quarrels, and also being envious or jealous of others.  As believers, we now have Christ in our hearts who will lead our way.  Let's walk like true Christians and live a righteous life and follow the way of our Lord so we may inherit the Kingdom of God and receive eternal life.  

III. Proverbs for Today/ 8:14-26

14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, I have strength.
15 By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of the earth.[a]
17 I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.


22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
Or the primal dust of the world.

IV.  Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 29, Exodus 30:1-10, and Psalms 31:19-24

8 Feb 13: The Faith of The Canaanite Woman and/ Obedience to Authorities

**Read Matthew 15:21-28 and Romans 13:1-7

I.The Faith of The Canaanite Woman 

- Do you consider yourself to have strong faith even in hardships?  In Matthew 15:21-28, we read a story of a Canaanite Woman who needed Jesus' help to cast out her demon-possessed daughter.  Jesus Christ kept telling her that He didn't come to help Gentiles just to test her but the woman persevered and kept asking the Lord to help her.  Like we've discussed in previous posts, we, for some reason, go to God as our last resort for a solution to our problem.  And, as weird as it may sound, sufferings and despairs lead us to go to Christ and His mercy.  When we are problem free, we forget to talk to God, we forget to praise Him, and thank Him.  We are caught up with our accomplishments and things in this world that we forget the sacrifice that Jesus Christ has done for us.  But when hardships hit us, and all things possible for men have been tried, we go seeking God again for help.  Then when God does not answer our prayer request in our time, we tend to give up easily on our faith,  We need to be like this Canaanite Woman who showed strong faith.   Even after Jesus called her a "dog" and someone not worthy of His miracles. she persevered on her requests and called the Lord for help again.  Instead of getting insulted, she kept her trust on the messiah and Jesus did not dissapoint, healing her daughter that very hour.      

II. Obedience to Authorities

- In Romans 13:1-7, Paul shared that God wants us to submit to our government and its leaders.  The authority was given by God to punish the evil and reward the good.  He wants us to abide the laws of the land that we live in.  We should not disobey our leaders for any personal reasons unless it is against what God wants.  Most of the time, all governments punish the wrong-doers and praise the law-abiding citizens.  Paul said that if they ask for taxes that we should pay the taxes.  These are only material things and what we need to focus on is building a relationship with God.  

III. Proverbs for Today/8:11-13

11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
 12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 26 - 27 and Psalms 31:1-8

7 Feb 13: Righteousness of the Heart and/ Conquer Evil With Good

**Read Matthew 15:1-20 and Romans 12:14-21

I. Righteousness of the Heart
- In Matthew 15:1-20, the Pharisees and the Scribes accused Jesus' disciples of breaking the law and the traditions of the elders by not washing their hands before they eat.  To answer this, Jesus asked them why they break the same law by telling others not to help and honor their mother and father.  Jesus, then, called them hypocrites for calling out others when they themselves break the law.  Jesus then explained that we, as humans, have added different laws of men and traditions to our teachings. It is not these simple customs such as not washing our hands before eating that will take us away from God but it is our hearts, our evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, idolatry  theft, false testimony, and slander.

- We try so hard to have a good reputation.  We spend so much time to keep our outward appearance attractive.  Just like the Pharisees and the Scribes who showed everyone that they honor and worship God but deep inside, they were envious and had other intentions.  They were supposed to be teacher's of God's word, but everything that comes out of their mouth were about the laws of mankind.  They're supposed to be the religious leaders who will guide us closer to God but what they teach was not in the Holy Scriptures, driving us away from the Lord.  It is not how we look outside and how others view us that matters.  What is in our hearts is what is important.  When we become true Christians, God changes us from within and because of this new life, our outward expression also changes.  When we are full of love from God, we tend to share this love to others.   When we were changed, our way of life shows that we are now followers of Christ and part of God's family.

II. Conquer Evil With Good
- In Romans 12:14-21, we are reminded not to hold grudges but instead pray for those who persecute us; be joyful with those who rejoice;  not be envious of others' accomplishments, be happy for them, and be humble and not be conceited for what we have, instead let us glorify God for his blessings.  We shouldn't take revenge on those who have done us wrong.  It is God's job, and not ours, to avenge what they have done and to punish them.  Instead, we need to care for our enemies.  Show them love and share our blessings with them.  Let us forgive them and free ourselves from the heavy load of bitterness.  We should not keep anger in our hearts for Jesus died for us even if we were still sinners.  Let us be like Him and be lights of this world and hope that by sharing our love with our enemies, their hearts will be softened and they will realize their mistakes, repent their sins, and give their life to God.

III. Proverbs for Today/8:1-10 (The Excellence of Wisdom)

8 Does not wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold;

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 26-27, and Psalms 31:1-8

6 Feb 13: Jesus Walks on Water and/ Gifts are Given to Serve Others

**Read Matthew 14:22-36 and Romans 12:6-13

I. Jesus Walks on Water
- Matthew 14:22-36; After feeding 5000 people with just 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus went to pray in the mountainside.  His disciples were in the boat in the sea when Jesus started walking on water towards them.  At first, the disciples thought that He was a ghost but Jesus assured them that it was Him.  Peter saw this and asked Jesus to command him to walk on water towards Him.  On his way to Jesus, Peter felt the gust of wind and realized that he was walking on water, he panicked and started sinking.  Jesus caught him and got him back to the boat.

-  Jesus called Peter, "You of little faith".  Sometimes we are like Peter in which we start on our journey to Christianity and then adversity comes, maybe in a form of an unanswered prayer, distress, or misfortune.  When this happens, we start to doubt God and his plans for us.  We started to lose our faith and try to solve our problems ourselves.  It is only when all humanly possible solutions were tried when we go back and ask God for help when we should have prayed and asked God the first place.  This does not mean that we failed though.  When Peter's faith faltered, he still reached out to Jesus because he knew that Jesus was the only one who can help him.  When we go through hardships, let's reach out to God, through Jesus Christ and He will help us and bless us.

II. Gifts are Given to Serve Others
- Romans 12:6-13; In verses 6-8, we are reminded that God has blessed everyone with spiritual gifts, and we should use these gifts to serve God and our brothers and sisters.  There are 7 gifts that God has given us: prophecy, teaching, ministry, exhortation, giving, leading, and showing mercy.  Prophecy is given to those who can communicate revelations of truth from God.  These are prophets like Moses, King David, and Elijah. The gift of teaching is what our pastors and bible study leaders have.  They have the ability to research and share the Word in a way where we can understand them.  Jesus was a great teacher and used different stories and parable for us to understand His message.  Ministry is the gift of serving the church and others.  We can help the church by being ushers, committee leaders, nursery caregivers, and even grass cutters.  People also volunteer at homeless shelters and feed events.  Exhortation is a gift of encouragement and reminder.  They are the ones who always have the perfect bible verse when we need encouragement in trusting the Lord.  They also remind us not to commit sin and keep our walk in faith.  The fifth gift is giving.  We have many people who have been blessed financially by God and they are sincere and generous that they share their blessings to the church and other people without boasting and glorifying their name.  They need to be giving without and personal agenda to gain fame or gain influence.  They are the anonymous givers whom God will bless more, as they share.  Leading is a way of managing a group.  It is either by physically leading or just being an example that people just follow you.  They are the managers, organizers, and administrators.  They are the overseers who directs different ministries in the church.  Finally, some might have the gift of being merciful.  Those are the people who have pity and compassionate among the poor, the sick, and all others who are experiencing any hardships.  They are the crying shoulders who lend their ears so we can share our problems.  They are joyful and cheerful who uses their personality to cheer us up and make us smile during times of distress.

-  Each and everyone of us has received one of these 7 spiritual gifts from God.  We need to find this gift and ask how we can use it to serve God.  Not everyone can be a prophet or a pastor but we can all do our part in helping and serving our church (people) and glorify God.

III. Proverbs for Today/7:24-27

²⁴ Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And all who were slain by her were strong men.
27 Her house is the way to hell,[a]
Descending to the chambers of death.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 23:14-33, Exodus 24-25, and Psalms 30:1-12

5 Feb 13: Jesus Feeds Five Thousand and/ A Living Sacrifice

**Read Matthew 14:13-21 and Romans 12:1-5

I. Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
- Matthew 14:13-21 is the story when Jesus took five loaves and two fishes from a boy and fed 5000 people.  It was written that all 5000 people not just ate, but were satisfied. When His own disciples doubted him and were worried because of the insufficient food that they possessed, Jesus multiplied it and provided for everyone.  Luke 18:27 states that “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”  This is a revelation that God can provide for us and He can meet all our needs. We need to trust in the Lord and bring everything that we have to Him and He will bless us, prosper us, and lead us to the right way and the only way for our salvation.

II. A Living Sacrifice
- Romans 12:1-5; God wants us to be living sacrifices instead of placing dead cows or sheeps in altars.  By being a living sacrifice, we fully devote ourselves to God and the way of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Will God value a rich man who donated all his money when he died or another who gave his life to the Lord and shared his blessings to others when he was alive.  I think God will view the latter one more holy because he had everything and still chose to serve God rather than the dead man who didn't have anything to lose because he was already dead and can't use his money anyways.  Our obedience from our heart and our love for our brothers and sisters are more important for God than all the old religious practices.  We need to leave our earthly desires, become "new creation", and follow Him so we, ourselves, can be called righteous and holy in the eyes of our creator.

III. Proverbs for Today/7:6-23 (The Crafty Harlot)

6 For at the window of my house
I looked through my lattice,
7 And saw among the simple,
I perceived among the youths,
A young man devoid of understanding,
8 Passing along the street near her corner;
And he took the path to her house
9 In the twilight, in the evening,
In the black and dark night.
10 And there a woman met him,
With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.
11 She was loud and rebellious,
Her feet would not stay at home.
12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him and kissed him;
With an impudent face she said to him:
14 “I have peace offerings with me;
Today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
Diligently to seek your face,
And I have found you.
16 I have spread my bed with tapestry,
Colored coverings of Egyptian linen.
17 I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
20 He has taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home on the appointed day.”
21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips she seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,[a]
23 Till an arrow struck his liver.
As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 21:22-36, Exodus 22, Exodus 23:1-13, and Psalms 29:1-11

4 Feb 13: Herod Beheads John the Baptist and/ God's Unchanging Mercy

**Read Matthew 14:1-12 and Romans 11:28-36

I. Herod Beheads John the Baptist
- Matthew 14:1-12 is a story of the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist.  John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas because he spoke against his marriage with Herodias.  When Herod Antipas visited his half-brother, Herod Philip, he fell in love with his sister in law so he divorced his wife to marry her.  For this to happen, Herodias must divorce her husband too so when Herod Antipas and Herodias got married, John called it "immoral and unlawful" under Jewish law.  Because of fear of an uproar and possible loss of power, Herod Antipas, with the request of her new wife, ordered the imprisonment of John the Baptist.  But Herod did not give John a death sentence because of fear of John's followers, who see him as God's prophet.  This all changed at Herod's birthday when his daughter was given a promise to give her whatever she asks.  She, with the help of her mother, then requested for the head of John the Baptist delivered on a platter.  Because of the pressure of his daughter's request and the guests with them, he ordered John the Baptist's beheading.

- Herod did not want to kill John the Baptist but he gave the order so he would not be embarrassed in front of all the guests at his party.  He gave in to the pressure of his daughter, wife, and the crowd to do something wrong and evil.  Sometimes we are pressured by our friends and own family to do something that we are not comfortable with, something that is against our faith.  Sometimes, they discourage us to take the leap of faith and leave the old religious traditions.  We need to be strong and not give in to their requests even though we will be embarrassed in front of them and others.  We are not here to please them but we are in this world to please the true God.  Our friends and families will not give us salvation.  It is your personal decision to have a relationship with God, not of your parents, your friends, your relatives, or anybody else. We need to do what is right no matter how painful or embarrassing it is.

"What good is it to a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul" - Matthew 16:26.

II. God's Unchanging Mercy
- In Romans 11:28-36, Paul explained that God's original plan was for the Jews to share all their blessings to the Gentiles, which they ignored and neglected.  Now that God has blessed the Gentiles anyways through Jesus Christ, it is now the Gentiles's turn to obey God and bless the Jews.  His mercy does not change and is still for everyone.

- We used to be with the world , unrighteous and disobedient to God..  We were the ones that were away from God but now that we have been "born again" spiritually, into His family, we need to share our blessing with the non-believers.  We can do this by sharing the "good news" and praying for them.  We can ask God to plant a seed in their hearts so one day, it might grow and open their eyes and ears to God's word.  Jesus has given us the Great Commission to spread the good news to everyone:

"And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” - Mark 16:15

III. Proverbs for Today/ 7:1-5

7 My son, keep my words,
And treasure my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,
5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 19:16-25, Exodus 20, Exodus 21:1-21, Psalms 28:1-9

3 Feb 13: The Parables of the Kingdom and/ The Kindness and Severity of God

**Read Matthew 13:44-58 and Romans 11:22-27

I. The Parables of the Kingdom
- Matthew 13:44-58; In verses 44-52, Jesus taught his followers with parables once again.  In verses 44-46, He described the Kingdom of heaven like a treasure hidden in the field and like pearls.  People look for these and when they find these treasures, they gave everything for it.  When we seek the scriptures and the love of God and when we find it, we will know that this is better than anything we have here on earth.  Better than money, better than cars, better than IPads or IPhones, basically, better than everything!  When we seek God, we have to make a choice: to give up all the earthly and worldly things to follow the Lord and his way or to acquire earthly materials and live the life of the world.  This will be the difference of us getting our salvation from the grace of God.   We are blinded by all the treasures here on earth.  We are too busy seeking riches, intelligence, fame, and power that we forget to glorify and honor the creator of heaven and earth.  We start worshiping money and ourselves and become proud of all the accomplishments and the "wisdom" we received.  We tend to glorify ourselves and our "good luck" instead of thanking God for all the blessings that He has given us.  Remember in Jeremiah 9:23-24,

23 Thus says the Lord:
     “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
     Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
     Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
     24 But let him who glories glory in this,
     That he understands and knows Me,
    That I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
     For in these I delight,” says the Lord. 

- In verses 47-52, Jesus also described the Kingdom as a dragnet, which fishermen used to catch fish.  When they pull the net, the fisherman will only pick and keep the good ones and throw back the bad ones.  This is the same for the Kingdom.  When judgment day comes, the angels of heaven will come to earth to separate the believers from the non-believers.  Those who gave everything in this world to follow Christ, our Lord, will have everlasting life and  those who rejected him and followed the world will be thrown into the furnace of fire.

- In verses 53-58, Jesus came back to his hometown of Nazareth and preached in Synagogues.  When His neighbors heard him teach, they started doubting Him and rejecting Him because they knew Him as their neighbor, the son of a carpenter, Joseph and his wife, Mary.  They brother of James, Joses, Simon, Judas, and a couple sisters, who were all just like them.  They started asking questions where He received the Wisdom of God and refused to believed that He is the son of God that was promised in the scriptures.  Sometimes we also have questions why the son of God had to come to us as a man to save us.  We are skeptics and unconvinced of the messiah.  Here's a story that my grandmother shared with us.  It is the story of The Man and the Birds.

"There is a man who was kind, loving, and caring for His family.  He was a good man but He doesn't believe in the story that God sent his son Jesus, as a man, for us to be saved from our sins.  One Christmas eve, He told his wife that He wasn't going to church with her and the kids because he felt like a hypocrite to sit there, not believing the message.  So he stayed in the house and waited for his family to come back.  After his family left for church, a snow storm came.  He was sitting on his chair, reading a newspaper when he heard a thud.  At first, he thought that it was just kids throwing snow balls.  Then he heard that thump again, and it kept going and going, so he decided to check it out.  When he opened his curtain, he saw a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow.  They had been searching for a shelter and tried to fly through his large landscape window.  He could not leave the birds out there to freeze and die so he decided to try to get them to the barn where they would be warm.  So he got his coat, opened the barn doors wide open and turn on the light but the birds did not come.  He tried to lure them with bread crumbs making a trail from his house to the barn, but the birds just ignored him.  He tried shooing them to the barn, walking around and waving his hands, but the helpless birds just got scared and scattered in every direction except to the barn and its light.  Then he realized that the birds were afraid of them and said to himself, "if only I was a bird like them, then I can talk to them and tell them not to be scared and follow me to the warm barn.  I need to be one of them so they may hear me and understand me".  After he said this, he heard the church bell ring and then he realized that this is the same thing for Jesus Christ.  He then understood that Jesus came to earth as a man so we can hear Him and understand Him and hopefully follow Him to the warm barn, which is the Kingdom of Heaven." 

II. The Kindness and Severity of God
- In Romans 11:22-27, Paul told us that even though God has provided the Gentiles the same grace as the Jews, it does not mean that we have the freedom to commit sin and not honor Him and still receive salvation. If you are a true believer of God and a follower of Jesus Christ, you will love Him and obey Him. God has cutoff the original branch (some Jews) from the root and He will do the same thing to the new grafted branches (Gentiles) if we continue to disobey Him, reject Him and refuse to change our ways. But also remember that it is never too late to accept Jesus as our savior. Once we do this, and ask for repentance, God will forgive us, bless us, and with His grace, He will accept us in His family.

III. Proverbs for Today/6:27-35

27 Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
30 People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.

Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 17:8-16, Exodus 18, Exodus 19:1-15, Psalms 27:7-14

2 Feb 13: The Parable of the Weeds Explained and/ The Ingrafted Branches

**Read Matthew 13:36-43 and Romans 11:13-21

I. The Parable of the Weeds Explained

- In Matthew 13:36-43, Jesus explained the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30. The sower is Jesus Christ, the field is the world, and the good seeds are the believers. The weeds are the non-believers and the devil is its sower. The harvest is judgment day and the harvesters are the angels. When the end comes, the angels would be separating the harvest (believers) from the weeds (non-believers), the good from the evil.  All non-believers and unrighteous will be thrown to the fiery furnace of hell and all of God's children will inherit His kingdom.  There are true and false believers in our churches today. At the same time there are true and false churches out there. According to Jesus, we cannot judge the false believers because we might damage the true believers while doing so. We need to constrain ourselves and instead share with them verses from the Bible, pray for them and hope that they, also, would see the light and the true gospel.  As a follower, we have the duty and obligation to share the Word to everyone who hears.  Let us give them the chance to receive God's message and choose if they want to be a good seed or a weed.  Let us give them a choice of life in heaven or life wailing and gnashing of their teeth.

II. The Ingrafted Branches

- In Romans 11:13-21, Paul explained to the Gentile Christians not to feel superior to the Jews because God rejected some of them.  He explained that the Jewish religion is the root and the Jewish people are the branches. Some of the Jewish non-believers were cut off the tree and were replaced by Christian gentiles, who are now also considered holy.  He reminded them not to boast against them for the Jewish religion was the root of Christianity. Christianity is the continuation of Judaism with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We cannot be prideful for the blessings and grace we received from God but instead we need to glorify His name and praise Him for the salvation and blessings He has given us.  Let us pray for all humanity that they may soften and open their hearts to the message of the Lord, accept Him as their savior, repent of their sins, and follow His ways.  Let us lead them as Jesus led us closer to God and His family.

III. Proverbs for Today/6:20-26

20My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
 22When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
 23For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
 24To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
 25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
 26For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

Additional Old Testament Reading:

1 Feb 13: Parables of the Kingdom and/ A Stumbling Block to the Jews

**Read Matthew 13:24-35 and Romans 11:7-12

I. Parables of the Kingdom
- In Matthew 13:24-35; Jesus again used parables to illustrate the kingdom of heaven.  in Verses 24-30, Jesus told the parable of the weeds.  The wheat are the believers and the weeds are the non-believers.  This can also represent the church as a whole.  In a congregation, there are always the "true Christians" and the ones who "say that they are Christians".  There are murderers, idolaters, adulterers, liers, thieves, gossipers, and money lovers among us for the church is open to anyone.  In a church, we, as human beings, can not distinguish who they are.  Appearances can be deceiving.  We cannot judge people by the way they look or our first impression.  Some might come to service with their nice coats or Sunday dress, stands up and lifts their hand during worship, but when they get home, they prey on young kids in the internet or they worship their money and belongings.  Then we'll have someone who comes in wearing a simple shirt and jeans and has a full beard, tattoos, and ear piercings everywhere but leads a bible study and volunteers at a homeless shelter every Saturday.  Jesus is saying that these two groups of people would be separated during judgment day by God.  God, when it is time, will determine who are wicked and who are the righteous.  The wicked would be "tied into bundles and burned" in eternal damnation while the righteous would be gathered into the barn and receive salvation and eternal life.  It is not our job to separate them but when the time comes, when they are "fully grown", God will distinguish them and give his judgment.

II. A Stumbling Block to the Jews
- In Romans 11:7-12, Paul explained how Jesus Christ have shared the "good news" and only some have accepted it.  Many have rejected Him as the messiah and if they continue to refuse the "good news", they eventually would be punished by God and would be blinded and be deaf for they would not understand what they see and what they hear for the message would be unclear no matter what they do.  Without knowledge of the Word of God, you would not know God.  And without God, there would be no grace and salvation.

-  There are many out there who we've tried to reach and share the message but have rejected God's word.  They have hardened hearts who are set on their beliefs influenced by their customs, religious traditions, and family culture. We have family members and friends who discourage us with our faith and try to pull us back to our "old religion" because of the misfortunes that is happening in our lives.  They seem to reject our way of life, which we actually based from the Bible, God's Word.  It's not like we distorted the message and added laws of men and try to force it to them.  We are basically just following and sharing what the Bible says.  But because they are blinded by the lusts of the world and pride, they would not change for the better, they would not accept the "good news", and they would no follow Jesus' way.  The scripture clearly stated that if they continue to refuse, God will punish them and take away any chance of understanding the Word through the Holy Spirit, which will prevent them from a relationship with Jesus Christ and God and entry to the Kingdom of God.

III. Proverbs for Today/ 6:16-19

16 These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

IV.Additional Old Testament Reading:
Exodus 13:17-22, Exodus 14, Exodus 15:1-18, and Psalms 26:1-12

31 Jan 13: Parable of the Sower and/ The Remnant of Israel

**Read Matthew 13:1-23 and Romans 11:1-6

I.  Parable of the Sower
- In Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus used the parable of the sower to illustrate the different people that is in the world.  The seed is the word of God and the sower is Jesus Christ.  When Jesus Christ shares his "good news" with others,  there are four receivers: the wayside, stony place, thorns, and finally, good ground.  The wayside are the people who receives the message but does not understand it.  They might think that the message is all rubbish talk.  These are the "close-minded" people who no matter what you share, would not care because they are stuck in their old tradition.  The stony place are the people who hear the message, accept it easily, but does not dig deeper in their faith.  They are the curious and willing who go to church every Sunday, sing the worship songs, and listen to the message but because they "don't have a root", when hardships come, they criticize God and blame Him for what is happening in their life.  They are the hypocrites and proclaim that they love God but worship idols, commit adultery, and gossips against others.  The thorns are the people who hear the message, accepts the message but at the same time, loves the world and its lusts.  They are the people who are blinded by money, fame, and pride.  They are the people who care so much about what people think about them and boasts all their successes to their fellow men.  Because of this, they don't bear good fruit for they are selfish and self-centered.  The final one are the good ground.  These are the people who hears the message, understands the message, accepts them, repent, and seek the Lord through bible studies and building a relationship with Him.  They are the ones who devote themselves by changing their lives and follow Jesus' way of life.  We can tell who they are because their lives drastically change and they don't do the "norm" or the way of the world anymore.  They bear good fruit and build treasures in heaven.  So what ground are you?    When are you going to leave the wayside, the stony place, and the thorns to go to the good ground and follow the way of the Lord?

II. The Remnant of Israel
- In Romans 11:1-6, Paul continued his argument that God has not left Israel and the chosen people.  At the same time, Paul has said that not all Jews would be saved.  Not just because they were descendants of Abraham, part of a religion or a family, they would automatically enter the kingdom of God.  They need to have faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and by the love and grace of God, they would have eternal life.   Remember that is only by grace of God and not of any works or good deeds that you would receive salvation and righteousness.

III. Proverbs for Today/ 6:12-15 (The Wicked Man)

12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 He winks with his eyes,
He shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
He devises evil continually,
He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly;
Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading:
 Exodus 10-11 Exodus 12:1-13  Psalms 25:1-15