Our blog is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Emphasis mine Matthew 5: 17-19
I, yes I, looked at the three readings for today and groaned, and frankly, I have read and heard these all my life and never fully understood them.
I said a quick prayer, “Your words not mine, for your glory, not mine, and then asked, “where do we go from here?”
I didn’t have a clue, and that’s not a great way to start writing a blog.
I went to the top of the readings to see if there were any alternative readings.
None!
I reread the Gospel reading, and the last two lines attracted my, now our, attention.
The Holy Spirit is kicking in and working in my, now, our life.
Let’s go to the start of the Gospel reading.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
Emphasis mine
I know I have broken the commandments and the laws, so I now realize I will be called least in Heaven.
But notice, as I just have, I am called least in HEAVEN.
Wow!
I’m in Heaven!
How many people have I talked to who felt that they didn’t stand a chance of getting to Heaven because their lives were not one-hundred percent aligned with the will of God the Father?
We’ve beaten ourselves up by focusing on our sins, as we should, and forgetting the mercy of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we shouldn’t.
Now we get to the last two lines, and Jesus says, “But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
And who we ask has done this?
Jesus!
Only Jesus!
And we have one quick proof for you.
At that time Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
Emphasis mine Matthew 12: 1-2
Jesus, I learned from season two, episode six of The Chosen, Jesus DIDN’T eat the grain; only His disciples did.
Jesus obeyed every letter of the law, which is why Jesus is and always will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
If you want to join Team Jesus, throw satan out of your life by praying, “Get behind me, satan,” or “Come Holy Spirit.” And fight your way back into the Love, Joy, and Peace of the Holy Spirit.
Sidebar:
I bought a new Bible last year, NRSV, The C.S. Lewis Bible: for reading reflections and inspiration. I have read a few books by C.S. Lewis, and although I can’t say I fully understand C.S. Lewis, I am fascinated by his writing.
Right now, I am reading The letter of St. James.
James, I find is tough; he is very direct, for example:
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Emphasis mine James 2: 15-17
C.S. Lewis commented: “I am often, I believe, praying for others when I should be doing things for them. It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see him.”
I laugh every time I read this,
But,
The Holy Spirit called to my mind Jesus, yes, Jesus.
By the way, Mark’s Gospel and Mark show the Humanity of Jesus.
Let’s set the scene. Jesus, Peter, James, and John have just descended from the mountain after Jesus was Transfigured.
They meet with the remaining disciples, who can’t expel a demon from a child.
“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”
Emphasis mine Mark 9: 17-19
The thought that came to my mind, Holy Spirit, was how much Jesus had to put up with our unwillingness to believe He, Jesus, is the Messiah sent from His father to establish a new world.
Jesus lived His life NOT doing the easy, to quote C.S. Lewis, but doing the heavy lifting.
Which is why Jesus “will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
I hope you will stop momentarily and reflect that I started this blog saying I didn’t have a clue what we would write about and how the Holy Spirit pulled something we read earlier this morning into today’s Gospel reading.
I also just noticed this from C.S. Lewis, “If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
It’s ten O’clock, and sadly I’m done writing the blog, but I am filled with Joy!
Turn your life over to The Triune God and live in the “Spirit World,” filled with Joy.
Picture:
I have wanted to share some photos with you for several weeks but haven’t had the courage to do so. So after I sent you my information, my husband and I went for our usual morning walk to the beach. Upon arriving a little late for the sunrise, the Holy Spirit gave me the answer I was looking for. His light shining down on us.
Picture by Patty Archibald
Please note, The Holy Spirit is active in Patty’s life.
Please keep Snapping!
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph; in the comments section at the bottom of our blog, tell me you want to submit a picture, and I will send you my email address in our reply on Thursday.
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.
