Matthew 16-20
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATT%2016-20;&version=72;
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Hello and welcome to the 2008 New Testament Study Blog. The goal of this blog is to provide a vehicle for users to have world wide Bible study of the New Testament. All participants are invited to read the passage for the week and comment on your thoughts, feelings and revelations. Proverbs 27 says that "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" and Ecclesiastes 4:12 says "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." So let's together be sharp and strong for the Lord in 2008!
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4 comments:
Matt. 17:27
Jesus points out that they were technically and legally exempt from paying the tax. He had a right to claim exemption. But in this case he chose to give up his rights in order to not offend. Now we know that he wasn’t afraid to offend others when necessary, but this passage shows that we don’t ALWAYS have to argue our own case and stand up for our own rights. When is it right to argue our own case, and when is it right to back off and show deference?
That is a GREAT question! One that I am constantly wondering about here in India. Between the cultural differences and the miscommunications, I am in a new situation to decide whether I stand up for my rights or not almost every day. And every day I have to ask that question...when is it right to argue our own case? I haven't figured it out yet, so I usually end up being submissive and taking the blame when I am not wrong. Hard, but not offensive. But aggravating for me. I dunno...
Matthew 16-20
16:25 – Jesus said to Peter, “You do not have in mind the things of God…” Peter wasn’t trying to do the wrong thing. He thought he was saying the right things. But clearly, he wasn’t. This made me wonder how often He thinks the same of me. In my attempts at righteousness, how often do I fall short of the things of God?
19:29 – “For my sake.” In verse 29, where it talks about leaving all sorts of things for the sake of Christ, it made me wonder. When I make sacrifices, do I do it for His sake? Or do I sometimes do it for me? Is it for His glory or for mine? I think that often, I make sacrifices and do things that appear to be for God’s glory while inwardly thinking of myself instead of Him. Anyone else have this struggle?
20:1-16 – Parable of the workers. They all got paid the same, no matter how long they worked. IT ISN’T FAIR! I need to learn from this. Fairness has been something that I have always struggled with (meaning, I get easily offended when I feel that I am not being treated fairly). But I need to realize that my responsibility is to glorify God, not myself. I need to realize that what I think is fair is not always right. My idea of fairness is wrong. It was fair for the master to pay the workers what they agreed to work for. When I worked at K-Mart I struggled with this concept. If I was doing more work more effectively than others, shouldn’t I make more than them? Or at CTB. If I scored more tests in less time than others, should’t I get paid more? It wasn’t fair. But that is not true. I needed to happily work for the wages I agreed to. That is fair.
20:26-28 – We need to live as servants. We are here to serve others. Jesus did it. We need to do it.
I thought of you, Raymond, when I read this passage about fairness. :)
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