The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Extraordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
Emphasis mine Mt 13:44-46
Some of you may be thinking that we wrote about this text last year at about the same time.
We did!
But,
We feel this text is so important that we should write about it again, not looking at last year’s blog.
YOU are the pearl the merchant, Jesus, searches for and finds.
Yes, YOU are that important to God in God’s eyes.
satan has spent all of his efforts convincing you that God doesn’t care about YOU that much; God would never go out to pay that great a price for YOU, the pearl.
How untrue,
The Cross tells just the opposite!
Jesus, by His life, Death, and Resurrection, clearly states that YOU are that fine pearl.
But,
YOU have to believe your Father and Brother value YOU as a fine pearl, and if you doubt your worth, YOU have to change.
God can’t!
God will always love you Outrageously!
Notice also,
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
There’s that word again.
Joy!
God works from Joy!
God was filled with Joy when you were created and is filled with Joy when you decide to be a follower, not just a friend.
If God works from Joy, and we are created in God’s image, then we should be working from Joy!
And,
If we worked from Joy and were a bright light in a dark world, maybe, just maybe, the world would start to change.
It is up to each of us.
If you want to join Team Jesus, try praying. “This is the day the lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
Sidebar:
Cumberland County Jail:
Last week we went into the jail, and the Holy Spirit took over as I hadn’t seen the Holy Spirit take over for a while.
First, we had ten men and commented that this was the largest group since the end of Covid. The reason is that before COVID, one-half of the men were locked up, and one-half were released from their cells to do whatever they wanted to do: talk, play cards, play basketball, games, etc.
The men who were locked up chose to come to Bible Study, NOT because they cared about Bible study, but because it was a way to get out of their cell for an hour.
We knew this and converted many of them from wanting to get out of their cell to wanting to come to Bible study.
Because of the number of men there, the Holy Spirit lit me up!
One of the men looked at me at one point and said, “At eighty-two, you have more energy and enthusiasm than anyone else in this room.
How do you do it?”
Our response was,
“JOY!
Joy changes everything.
Question?
And we ask you to take each question personally.
If you are filled with Joy, would you be healthier?
If you had lived your life living in Joy, would you be in jail?
If you are filled with Joy, would you get out of jail sooner?
If you are filled with Joy, would you look at the time you spent in jail as a waste or a blessing?
If you were filled with Joy, would you have more friends?
And,
If you are filled with Joy, would you be the lost Pearl that The merchant found?”
The last line the Holy Spirit inserted because of today’s readings.
Jail, in your case, means anything that takes you away from God.
We pray you have answered the above questions because they apply just as much to you as they did to the men in the Jail last week.
Picture:
This photo I took while on vacation last week in Newfoundland. This is Cape Spear; it is the easternmost point in Canada and North America. It is also one of the oldest lighthouses on the island.
Thanks, Mary Muir
Please keep Snapping!
Several people from foreign countries have asked for my email address, but I am still waiting to hear back. We decided to include my email for your convenience.
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed, email me.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph. By sending your picture, you consent to allow us to reprint that picture in our next book, God Thoughts 2023, with your name and any comments in the Blog.
