Read With Me! ~Matthew~

It is Spring School time, and that means it is time for the New Testament!

And what does the New Testament start with? Matthew that's right! So I'll blog about what I am reading in the great book of Matthew as I go through it, and I'm going to attempt to keep this going throughout the whole New Testament! Good luck to me!


Matthew 1 and 2

Jesus! Welcome to the world. What a great opening to the New Testament, the arrival of our Savior. What a humble beginning. A barn, a manger, some hay, and smelly animals for the King of Kings? What is wrong with this picture....nothing...it's perfect and beautiful.


Matthew 4

Alright, who's idea was it for Jesus to be lead into the desert and have to starve for forty days? What is this, it's crazy. And then, after he has been fasting for FORTY DAYS, in case you missed that, he is tempted by the devil himself. The thing that makes me laugh and wonder is v. 2 "AFter fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry" (speaking of Jesus) He was hungry? Really? You think? If this was the 'Beau Standard Version" this verse would say something like, "after fasting FOREVER Jesus ABSOLUTELY, UTTERLY, COMPLETELY AND INCANDESCENTLY FAMISHED, STARVING AND READY TO EAT AN ENTIRE HORSE, COW, DOG, SHEEP, CHICKEN, WALLABEE, WHALE, ELEPHANT, AND ANYTHING ELSE IN THE GENERAL VICINITY. That is what my version would say.

I will admit, on an empty stomach, I can very tempted to fall into the sin of gluttony, and other things, and I get hungry after a few hours! But Jesus, he is the man! He does not give in to satan's temptations. He uses the power of the Scriptures to get through the temptation.
v.4
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word taht comes from the mouth of God.'"

Jesus rebukes the devil with Scripture! I powerful and awesome is that! I can do that to. When I am tempted, I can use Scripture to remind me, and Satan, of the power I have over him.

Twice more the devil tempts Jesus, and twice more Jesus tells satan what is up with Scripture.


Matthew 5
The Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed...Well I for one want to be blessed so I am going to start working on being those things that Jesus said get you blessed! The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted.

Alright, I'm going to be blessed. I am going to hunger and thirst for righteousness, be merciful and pure in spirit, all of those things. I want to be blessed, desire to be blessed by the Lord. If Jesus said this is how it is done, then that is how it is done!

Jesus goes on to talk about Salt and Light. I am the salt of the earth, Jesus said. I did a short message on our 'lights' for Jesus while on Ten Day Outreach in Morley. I talked about how we sometimes hide our lights, and then we also allow other things or people to hide our lights, and that if we are going to be lights for Jesus we much get rid of all those things and let our light shine bright! There are so many songs that come into my head when I think of my light for Jesus..."This Little Light of Mine," "Go Light Your World" "Shine (my favorite Newsboys song) so many wonderful songs talking about bringing our lights into a dark world!

Love your enemies? What? Even though I've heard it a thousand times I still have a hard time digesting it. Love my enemies, and pray for those who persecute me. OK...so I need to love the people who have hurt me, those who have never been my friend, those who have spoken about me behind my back. I will pray for them, I will work on loving them...I may not want to be best friends with them, but pray and love I will do.

This is a hard one, the human nature in me wants to just hurt them back so much, to never speak to or of them for the rest of my life and to tell everyone what they did to me. But, no, I can't do that, I will show them Jesus through my love and compassion towards them.

Matthew 6
Prayer...
This past six months at Capernwray has given me time to really work on my prayer life and quiet time spent with God. What a gift that has been! I have learned the true value and utter power there is in prayer. So many of my prayers have been answered during my time here, and I am positive more will be answered. I have learned that the motivation of my prayers is important. Is it to get somethig out of it? Or is it to spend time with God? Worship is an integral part of prayer, the biggest part of prayer I think. It is a time spent in direct communion with the most high God! The most high God who wants and desires to listen to me of all people! Now isn't that amazing.
Fasting...
Hmmm...I like food. But I have done a few fasts. I survived amazingly, but I am not sure if they were the correct way to fast. This one is still a new one to me...I'll keep you updated. I just like food...a lot.

Matthew 12

I do not want to be like the Pharisees, who knew what the Scriptures said, but did not understand the true meaning of them. I want to understand that God spoken meaning contained in the words on the pages of my Bible.

Matthew 13 verses 44-46

I love these few short passages about what the Kingdom of heaven is and how it is obtained. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. And when man discovers the treasure he goes and SELLS EVERYTHING so that he can buy that field and have the treausre. What I find great is that, he doens't just take the treasure, there is no 'finder's keepers' the man goes and sells all his worldly possesions so that he can buy the field and therefore OWN the treasure also. It is his officially after he has bought the field. The best thing is, heaven in actuality is a gift to us as long as we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross and in his resurrection.


to be continued...