Read: Luke 6:37-42

The current inflation problem in the United States has eaten its way into your bag of chips.  Recent news reports have said that Frito-Lay and other companies admit to reducing the amount of product in their bags in order to keep from raising their prices.  While this may not be good for getting value out of your purchase it just might help us shed a little more weight.

When reading this news report I thought of what Jesus said in Luke 6:38.  He said, “Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Jesus was speaking about forgiveness in these verses not chips.  He is encouraging us to forgive others in the way that God forgives us.  But this also can be applied to other things in our life.

When time is short, schedules are full, and we are weighing our options of what to do and what not do what gets our vote?  Do we pull back from things of God and reduce our commitment to church and other acts of kindness and outreach to do what we want, or do we give God our all and let other things fall where they may?  God blesses us in so many ways, we need to give back in any way that we can.

Make It Personal:  Where have you been cutting back lately?  Are you cutting out the most important things?  Remember the words of Jesus this week, “Give, and it will be given to you.”  That holds true for forgiveness and many other things in life.

Be blessed this week,  Glen Rhodes

Read: 1 John 4:9-16

Do you know how many words are in the English language?  Do you know how much water is in the oceans of the world?  I think of these things every time I sing the hymn “The Love of God.”  It says, “The Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell… To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry.”  If you have ever wondered about God’s love for you the words of that song sum it up.  It is greater than you can imagine and it extends further than the highest star in the sky.  That is a great love and it will last forever.

Frederick M Lehman wrote that hymn in 1917 after he lost everything in some businesses that went wrong.  He then began working in a packing house in Pasadena, California packing oranges to try and get back on his feet. One Sunday he was moved by a sermon on the love of God and could not sleep that night.  The next morning he penned the lyrics to this hymn on some scrap pieces of paper and broken crates as he worked.  He later put it together with the melody as he sat by his piano.

In 1 John 4:9 the Bible says that God showed us his love by sending his one and only Son Jesus into the world so that we might live through him.  He sent him to show us how to live this life but he also sent him as a sacrifice for our sins.  Those verses go on to say that since God loves us this much, and continues to love us this much that we should also love one another.  If we do that it says that God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  God loves you far greater than you could ever imagine, I hope you will accept his immeasurable and unending love for you today.  By the way, according to Google and the Oxford dictionary there are currently 171,146 words in use in the English language.  According to the U.S. Geological Survey there is 321,000,000 cubic miles of water volume in the worlds oceans, seas, and bays.

Make It Personal:  These scripture verses and this hymn share about God’s love for us but in verse 19 of 1 John 4 it says, “We love because he first loved us.”  Let’s go out and love others in the way that God loves us.  This will make the world a much better place to live.

Read: Mark 6:1-13

We know from the gospel accounts in the New Testament that Jesus was a Carpenter and most likely worked alongside his father and others around the town of Nazareth.  Can you imagine having Jesus come to do some carpentry work in your home.  Scripture says that he was perfect so his handy work would have been perfect as well.  But Jesus was much more than a Carpenter.

In Mark 6 we see that the people had a hard time seeing Jesus for who he really was.  Along with his daily work he was also about the work of God.  Most likely the two went together.  Jesus was just as concerned about the people as he was the work he might have been doing for them.  Perhaps this is a good example for us to apply to our daily work.

Pastor David Jeremiah shares a story about a furniture store in Indiana named Purposeful Design.  David Palmer is the owner and he sees his company as more than a place to create custom furniture.  He sees his business as a way to help employees rebuild their lives from addiction, homelessness, and much more.  David shares Jesus with his employees and helps them to see how Jesus can bring change, restoration, and hope to their lives along with a paycheck.

Yes, Jesus was much more than a Carpenter.  He is our Messiah!  Our Lord and Savior!  In our daily work and relationships may we find ways to introduce Jesus and be an example of Jesus to those we employ or work alongside.  We are called to do much more than show up for work, we are called be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need him in their life.

Make It Personal:  Think about your weekly schedule.  Whether you have a job, a family, or are retired you have been called and sent out to make a difference in the name of Jesus.  Who is God calling on you to reach out to this week?  In verses 7-13 of Mark 6 Jesus sends out his followers to share the good news.  Let’s go out and do the same.

Read: Proverbs 10

A man once asked God, “What does a billion dollars mean to you who are all powerful?”

“Hardly a penny.”  God said.

The man then asked God, “And what are a thousand centuries to you?”

God answered “Hardly a second!”

Thinking he had God backed into a corner, the man then said, “If that’s the case, O Lord, then give me a penny!”  God replied, “Sure, just give me a minute.”

Perhaps you have heard that before?  I ran across it again recently online.  The idea behind that is that wisdom is not outsmarting God, wisdom is living in and with God.  Wisdom is being in Christ and surrounded by Christ.  Wisdom is eating and drinking from the feast God has prepared for us.  God’s Word is full of wisdom and the book of Proverbs has an abundance of it for us.

It’s hard to pick just one chapter of Proverbs because there is so much in each chapter.  These Proverbs of Solomon are short, one or two verse bursts of Godly wisdom. One verse will talk about how hatred stirs up conflict, but love conquers all wrongs.  The next might speak of how the fear (reverence) of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked come to nothing. Nothing in this world compares to the knowledge and wisdom of God.  Proverbs has it if you will open to its pages.

Make It Personal:  Spend some time this week in Proverbs and ask for the wisdom of God to be real to you and known to you.  Take these great nuggets of wisdom and apply them to your life as you head out the door.  Like this one, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”