Silver and Gold

Matthew 26: ¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

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Desperate and tired of the job search, I started applying for positions I had no experience in. “Hmm, Deep Sea Diver… I went in the ocean a few times maybe I qualify for that!”

• There have been times when I was desperate for money.
• There have been times when I was only focused on my bank account.
• There have been times when I was so focused on money that I would do almost anything to get it.

Stretching my moral boundaries was a thought as I considered positions I was not qualified for. In other words I could lie a little because I figured I would be a hard worker and eventually be the best at whatever “it” was. BUT GOD wanted me to be different.

• GOD says to me “Be anxious for nothing” even when times look difficult.
• GOD says to me “The love of money it the root of all kinds of evil” so my desperation could make me go places I may not return from.
• GOD says to me “I AM your dwelling place” so HE has a right to guide me in difficult times and in peaceful times.

Looking back I can see it was not the lack of employment that caused my desperation, it was my love of money. One would say I was justified in my actions, but I was the same even when I was employed. Judas was the same way.

He saw an opportunity to put a man in jail for money. He probably never considered they would kill JESUS. He would do anything to please the rich so he would have his slice of the pie. GOD wants me to grab my desperation and give it to HIM. HE wants to be my guide.

• Are you desperate for money?
• Are you on the path to doing “anything” for money even outside of your moral boundaries?
• Can you stop focusing on your bills and ask GOD “How do YOU want me to serve YOU?” today?

Performance Evaluation

Matthew 26: ⁶ While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

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Disturbed by the pressures of the week I sat on the couch drained. My prayer time led to a number of complaints of “what I did not have” and how “this” person or “that” person was mistreating me. With all these things spinning in my mind, I could not rest. GOD can you hear me!?

• Sometimes I wonder where GOD is.
• Sometimes I get upset that GOD may not be listening.
• Sometimes I think GOD is not performing up to HIS potential.

When the woman poured expensive perfume on JESUS, the disciples immediately evaluated her performance as being wrong. They had no idea that she was being led by the SPIRIT to prepare our LORD for HIS death. They were busy looking at achievement. BUT GOD wants something different.

• JESUS wants me to sometimes focus only on HIM.
• JESUS wants me to bring HIM my concerns but sometimes focus only on HIM.
• JESUS wants me to express my worries, doubts, fears and short comings, but sometimes focus only on HIM.

“She has done a beautiful thing to ME” JESUS said to the disciples. HE wasn’t saying they were wrong; it’s just sometimes you need to focus on GOD alone. HE wants my attention and praise just as much as my concerns, perhaps more. By anointing JESUS with my love, I raise HIM over my concerns.

• Are you extremely worried?
• Do you feel you need to work harder to please GOD?
• Can you take some time to focus only on JESUS today?

I’M going to be killed

Matthew 26: When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, ⁴ and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ⁵ “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

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Nervous and jittery, one friend said to me “I am going to jail.” He had already been sentenced and was supposed to report to the authorities the next day. I was stunned. I had never heard these words before.

• Some news from people can catch me off guard.
• Some news from people can really make me feel helpless.
• Some news from people can throw me off for a long time.

Sometimes I forget that JESUS walked around as a human.  I can only imagine hearing the terrible news coming from another person as they say “In two days I will be killed by the pastors and preachers and church goers”, but that is what happened.

• JESUS says to me “I faced extreme hatred to the point where people wanted to kill ME.”
• JESUS says to me “I faced difficulties, slander and lies about ME.”
• JESUS says to me “I could have stopped those who thought they were in power, but I chose to die for you.”

JESUS knew HE was going to face this horrible day because HE was in constant communication with the FATHER.  HE chose to lay HIS life down for me. I am deeply indebted to HIM.

• Is the death of JESUS real to you?
• Do you sometimes think of JESUS as a fairytale?
• Can you thank JESUS for willingly trying to save you?

I Didn’t See Them

Matthew 25: ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

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As I stepped into the garage a thought popped into my head, “Check voicemail to see if there are any urgent things to take care of.” When I checked, I had all kinds of messages. I answered them all the way to work and some on the way back home. After dinner, I checked email and voicemail then made a few calls. My neighbor rang the bell. I didn’t know his name.

• Life can be distracting.
• Life can be filled with a lot of “stuff.”
• Life can be so busy that I cannot see even the people around me.

When I look back on the tremendous amount of time I spent becoming “successful” I see that the true goal may have been missed, namely to serve people. I did not reach out to my neighbors to see if they needed anything. What should I do?

• GOD wants me to open my eyes to those HE delivers to me.
• GOD wants me to see my neighbors and pray for them as much as I pray for myself.
• GOD wants me to serve people just because they need to be served.

Rich or poor, GOD wants me to seek those who need to see HIS face. Serving people brings attention to them and possibly they can hear that GOD loves them and cares for them. Eternal life is not just about “me” getting saved, it is about how many people here on earth did I get a chance to plant the seed of life into their heart.

GOD will grow HIS kingdom with each sincere seed planted. HE wants me to see people HE delivers to me every day.

• Are you extremely busy or extremely worried?
• Do you see the people around you?
• Can you stop being so distracted and look at a person around you so you can serve them?

Okay Do That

Matthew 25: ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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“What will I say?”, “What shall I do?” were the questions that ran through my mind as I went out on my first mission’s trip. After riding for a long time I calmed down but when I got off the bus I felt a bit overwhelmed.  I mean there were people there who only possessed the clothes on their backs. I didn’t know what to do.

• Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the problems of the world.
• Sometimes I want someone else to handle the problem of poverty and loneliness.
• Sometimes I don’t want to know that someone else is hurting because I need a vacation.

Thinking about someone else who had more problems than me was the first hurdle. I mean I had enough problems to have a missionary sent to me. Besides, what was I supposed to “do” when I encountered this person? I was not a billionaire so I couldn’t house and feed everyone. “Maybe the rich should do this!” I thought brazenly to myself!

• JESUS says to me “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for ME.”
• JESUS says to me “It does not matter what you do as long as you are serving those in need.”
• JESUS says to me “Start somewhere because anything you do for those in need, you do it for ME.”

I only had handshakes, hugs and prayers to give to the people. I sat with several and listened to them and prayed with them. We laughed a while and I encouraged a few. When I went back two years later I ran into one person who remembered me but I did not remember him.

“You encouraged me!” he said. “Now I am a pastor reaching out to others. I was excited and overwhelmed again as the words popped into my head “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.”

• Are you too overwhelmed with your own problems to help someone?
• Do you feel like you have nothing to offer someone because you too are broke, hurt and lonely?
• Can you ask GOD to be sent to the right person so you can encourage them today?

Simple Things

Matthew 25: ³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

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After minutes of belief in CHRIST, I ran into a snag. “LORD what do YOU want me to do?” was my question. Years later, after walking away and returning to serving, I thought things would be easier, but they weren’t. “LORD what do YOU want me to do?” was my cry again.

After serving the rich, powerful and aloof, I decided to follow GOD a little more and was let go. “For real LORD, what do YOU want me to do?”

• Sometimes I question GOD because I am not getting my way.
• Sometimes I question GOD because I thought things would be easier when I chose HIM.
• Sometimes I question GOD because I expect good things to happen and then something bad hits me in the face.

“What do YOU want me to do?” was more of a complaint versus a question. I could have really said “What do YOU want me to do NOW?” as if to say, I am tired of not getting my way. Sometimes I work really hard to please GOD when HE wants the simple things.

• I feed JESUS when I feed those who are hungry and outcast.
• I quench JESUS’s thirst when I give those who are thirsty a nice drink.
• I provide JESUS shelter when I invite people into my home and give them clothes.

JESUS gives me instructions for how to live. It is the simple things that please HIM. I don’t have to be wealthy or smart or accepted by those in power to serve JESUS. I don’t have to coerce or trick people, I just simply have to serve people because JESUS wants me to. It is the simple things that please GOD.

• Do you think you have to work hard to please GOD?
• Are you tired of not getting your way?
• Can you stop trying so hard to get your way and do something simple by serving someone today?

Do something with the gift

Matthew 25: ¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

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“Why am I this way?” I exclaimed to GOD. I mean at times it seemed like I was wrong for every situation. People were telling me how wrong my looks, clothing, choices and personality was for a given situation.

• Sometimes I feel wrong for the job.
• Sometimes I feel wrong for the situation.
• Sometimes I feel wrong for society.

Can’t I just sit in my house and talk to no one? I mean it beats rejection, coercion, blame and other unkind stuff the world dishes out. BUT GOD wants me to do something with the gifts HE has given me.

• GOD wants me to reach those HE has given me with my personality.
• GOD wants me to reach those only I can reach because of the way HE made me.
• GOD wants me to reach those who HE sends me to.

When GOD made me and “that” person HE said it was perfect. This is exactly how I made you and I want you to use that to bring people to ME. When you use your gifts for me, I will bless you!

• Are you hiding?
• Do you feel inadequate or making others feel the same?
• Can you use the simple gifts GOD has given you to bring others to HIM?