Kingdom Parables

One of themes we have been looking at in our congregation is the place we fit in God’s kingdom.  So at one of our recent leadership committee meetings, we prayed through Kingdom parables.

First we prayed the Lord’s Prayer together, remembering “Thy Kingdom Come.” Then we each picked a verse from the list below to explain and use for prayer.  Then we spent a time in prayer for the meeting and anything else on our hearts.

The list:

  • Parable of the Sower – Matthew 13.1-23
  • Parable of the Weeds – Matthew 13.24-; 36-43
  • Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven – Matthew 13.31-33
  • Parables of Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Value – Matthew 13.44-46
  • Parable of the Net – Matthew 13.47-50
  • Parable of the Seed Growing – Mark 4.26-29

Too Punny

The batteries were given out free of charge.

A boiled egg is hard to beat.

A bicycle can’t stand alone; it’s just two tired.

When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.

The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.

When you’ve seen one shopping center you’ve seen a mall.

 

Thanks, Bob!

Lines Of My Life

I was first introduced to Psalm 16.6 by my friend Joyce back in the 1970s.  It just rolled off her lips one day – “the lines of my life have surely fallen in pleasant places,” she remarked one lovely summer afternoon.  It had a nice ring to it then and has grown in meaning over the years.

For a long time I reserved its use for those special periods when everything was going well and peace reigned.  Like the day almost every March when the snows have melted, the NCAA basketball tournament is underway, the smell in the air tells me the next six months are going to bring longer days and warmer weather, and the cars’ gas tanks are full. Or we have the day before Thanksgiving off, providing four straight Saturdays in a row.  Or it’s the first day of spring break, you have arrived at your destination, and a great, relaxing holiday awaits.  The physical pleasure that always comes to mind when I hear this verse is the huge swing ride tucked into the back of the Cedar Point Amusement park – it spins around fast enough to generate a sense of gentle weightless flight with no risk of jolting roller coaster direction changes.

The verse has developed a broader scope as I more fully realize the impact of Romans 8.28 – God is working all things together for my good and my salvation.  Not just the high points and joys but the setbacks and annoyances are part of my life.

  • I am very thankful for a wife and children who know the LORD. We can do family Bible studies and laugh together regularly even though daily living events can cause stress.
  • I am overwhelmed that God’s great plan includes the Bible, prayer, forgiveness, and a Savior.
  • I am blessed to be in a solid church family that is growing in maturity as disciple-making disciples of Jesus despite pastoral, legal and denominational issues.
  • I have been providentially provided with well-paying work I enjoy even though some days are too busy or frustrating.

I am mobile enough to play Ultimate Frisbee (in the summer) not because I am highly skilled but because I know where to stand on the field. And I can proclaim that the lines of my life have fallen in pleasant places because I know Him in whom I stand.

God’s In Charge

Job and his three so-called friends “discuss” back and forth the reasons for his steep decline from wealthy benefactor to miserable scab-scratcher.  One thing they do agree on is their mighty God is able to destroy and to save.  Job’s monologue in chapter 12 describes these attributes of Yahweh:

  • He knows and is able (verses 13, 16)
  • He controls nature (verses 15, 22)
  • He leads the mighty – counselors, judges, kings, priests, elders, princes (verses 17-21)
  • He provides and takes away wisdom (verses 13, 16, 24-25)
  • He makes and destroys even nations (verse23)

The long list is an echo of the Acts 4.25-26 quote of Psalm 2, “why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot in vain?” God’s perfect plan will prevail.

Elephant Jokes

Back in the day Elephant Jokes were the rage.  Mostly they involved absurd situations with a minimum amount of logic, like:

Why did the elephant paint its toenails red?

So it could hide in a cherry tree.

 

How do you get four elephants into a Volkswagen?

Two in the front and two in the back.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Most everyone knows the Bible story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah – the rain of sulfur and fire sent from heaven (see Genesis 18.16 – 19.29).  There is more to the story than just some hydrogen bomb blasting away the towns.  Seen as an archetype for judgment day, the background gives a lot of information about God’s plans.

First we see God moving to save the godly from destruction.  At the end of chapter 18 there is an interesting discussion where Abraham intercedes for the cities.  He asks if the LORD will spare them for the sake of fifty righteous people living there, since it would not be right to put the righteous to death with the wicked.  “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (18.25) A series of bold requests gets the number down to ten – “for the sake of ten, I will not destroy it” (18.33).  In chapter 19 Lot and his family are rescued from the destruction.  Reading how Lot and his family act (see 19.8, 26, 30-38), one realizes there is more to “righteousness” than just doing good things – the godly and the righteous are the elect – those whom God desires to liberate.

Second we see God’s wrath against the wicked.  The actions of “the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man” (19.4) were despicable.  The angel visitors had to strike the men of the city with blindness in order to rescue Lot (19.11).  All the people of the town committed appalling acts; God’s wrath meant the catastrophe upon the city was total.

Third, we see the certainty of the final judgment.  Verses 18.20-21 tell us the LORD has given careful consideration of the situation and is double-checking all the facts that he already knows to be true.  God is patient with the nations, but he keeps his promises (2 Peter 3.9).  The punishment for all who do not repent and believe will be severe.