The Gift of Endurance

"For great is His love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever."
Psalm 117:2

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."
Psalm 118:1

His love; His faithfulness; His goodness... ENDURES

Endure:
1. Patiently suffer through something painful or difficult
To undergo, go through, live through, experience, meet, encounter

2. Remains in existence in spite of circumstances
Lasts, lives, lives on, goes on, survives, abides, continues, persists, perseveres, stays, stays the course

God does the impossible. Since God is defined by His unconditional, unwarranted, undeserving love - His agape' love - God's love does the impossible.

Sitting in my kitchen, praying to God about the circumstances I am in, asking Him to help me refocus off of the circumstances and onto what He says my focus should be, asking Him to provide His peace so I can rest in the midst of these circumstances, asking Him if my expectations are wrong and if I am out in front of Him, asking Him what I am supposed to do and pray about while in these circumstances, I open my Bible wanting, needing, hoping God will speak. Hoping God will choose this morning to speak to me through Scripture. Knowing He can do this. Knowing this is how He speaks to me. Wondering if today He will speak to me because I need Him to speak to me. I need to hear His wisdom, His comfort, His assurances. For, I am allowing my circumstances to consume me and rob me of the vision God has given me. A good and beautiful vision for my community.

I start in Psalm 117, which is part of the grouping of Scripture through which God has been speaking and encouraging me through the fulfillment of the promised vision. This Psalm is only two verses long. Two verses. So, I begin. Doubting God will choose today to speak to me. Doubting God...

At verse two, He speaks. Endures. Endures... endures.

Knowing that the following Psalm, Psalm 118, is also going to start with the character of God being enduring, I pull out my phone and look up the word endures. I know the meaning. I've even journaled about God's unconditional love - His agape' love - enduring to the point of pain yet remaining steadfast as He loves the unlovable, the rebellious, the undeserving. Endures. I cannot go on. I must meditate on endures.

Why did God choose to inspire the word endures when He describes how He is, how He acts, how He lives? It could have been, "... the faithfulness of the Lord is guaranteed forever." Or, continues on forever. Or, remains forever. Or, "you can count on God's faithfulness forever." Instead, God chooses the word endures. It's an active word. God is in action as He fulfills His faithfulness to us; to me; to those in my circumstances. God's ability to love us at all times, even when we are rebellious and hateful and evil, is based on His ability to endure us, endure the circumstances.

What is God saying? His love, His faithfulness, His goodness, His promises, His ability to move through the circumstances to fulfill His promises, all of this comes to be because God endures.

Now, I'm sitting in my kitchen picturing God enduring. And what do I see? God patiently suffering through the madness of this world as He continues to love us, provide for us showing no partiality, fulfill His promises made, forgive us, encourage us, continuing on beside us, continuing to call us, continuing to walk His focused path towards the promised goal... even though we doubt. Even though we don't deserve His love and mercy and provisions. Even though we don't acknowledge Him. Even though we don't believe in Him. Even though we don't love Him in return. Even if we despise Him. Even if we run from Him. Even if we don't trust Him or trust Him completely. Even if we've convinced ourselves that He doesn't exist. Even if we are mad at Him or blame Him for our circumstances or blame Him for the ills of the world. Even when we think He's unjust or oblivious to us. Even when; even when...

God endures. He patiently suffers through our humanness, continuing to love us and be faithful to us, keeping His focus on His ultimate goal as He fulfills that promise. God loves us and is faithful to us even when it is difficult to find a reason to fulfill His promises made to us. God lives through and lives on no matter what we do to Him. God perseveres through life's chaos and madness focusing on His glory so that, when everything comes to fruition, He will share it with us. Because He knows that, at that time, we will be amazed that He continued onward when He had every reason not to. When He had every reason not to bring us along and share His life of paradise with us.  When He had every reason to leave us behind. Leave us out of the promise. Leave us in our circumstances and to our own demise. Yet, God endures and does not allow us and who we are and what our circumstance are to keep Him from fulfilling His promises or to change who He is to us. He perseveres. He endures.

Earlier this week, two friends in a Wednesday morning prayer group encouraged me. One gentleman encouraged me to not dwell on the circumstances. To focus on what God had planned for me. To not choose circumstance #1 or #2 but to choose God's choice and that is "Awesomeness." The second gentleman said that, like Jesus was on the path to Jerusalem in obedience to God despite the known and unwanted circumstances, that I too was on that path to Jerusalem. Those comments shaped my prayers. Shaped my thoughts. Caused me to try to shape my days differently.

As God always has it and displays, today's encouraging message to me reinforces what those two friends said to me and I realized what my circumstances are. They are a gift. The gift of God's endurance. I have been given an amazing gift - and I'll be bluntly honest, I'm not sure I like this gift - it's the gift of endurance. I am tasting ever so lightly what it's like for God to endure us. For God to endure through the circumstances we create while He focuses on the ultimate, promised vision of glory. And now I have a glimpse of Jesus, walking on the road towards Jerusalem. Knowing what He will face. Knowing what He will suffer. Knowing His heart will break when He sees His friends fall away. Knowing He will take on the penalty of the unjust. In obedience He walks. His focus is on God, who God is, God's truths, how wonderful God is. His focus is on God's promises. God's realities. God's glory. And Jesus knows that God will share that glory with Him and all of us, if Jesus Himself endures. And so, this phase I am going through is a gift.

Hebrews 12:1-13
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

and do not lose heart when He rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines the one He loves,

and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

A Word for me… What if I said ‘No’?

I’m in the midst of a large project – you could easily call it a God-sized project because this effort is way beyond my abilities and the abilities of one individual. This project is taking a team of individuals – a team of exceptionally smart and knowledgeable people to manage. Many on the team are recognized experts in their fields. Me? On this team, I am the least significant person in terms of education and expertise. I typically quip that, “I’m an art major” when I feel underqualified in the sea of PhDs. The project has involved over 1,700 community members to-date to provide input into the project thereby shaping its outcome. Mostly, this project is something that I see God’s hand involved and truly, something that only God could dream and complete. Yet He has called an entire community to participate in this effort of His. I can only guess and assume why He’s doing this but, the point being is, He is doing this and He is revealing it to me and others who believe in Him and it is amazing to watch.


As I have been participating in this project for the last five years, I have felt like Joseph and Moses. Partly because when I look back at my crazy, little life, I now see where everything had a purpose; a purpose that has prepared me for ‘right here’ and ‘right now’. Joseph must have felt that way when he was Prime Minister of Egypt and looked back at his crazy life with all of its zigs and zags, ups and downs and how each turn of events finally had a purpose when Joseph was elevated to prime minister. I feel like Moses because he was called out of obscurity to participate in a God-sized effort. Certainly if Moses knew all of the details he would have said, “absolutely, no way” when God called him. Yet, here is this incapable man leading an entire community in all of his ineptness, following God’s lead and getting into situations where the next step looked impossible. Suddenly, God moves and when He moves, the next step opens into a clear avenue of direction and the enemy preventing the movement, falls away.


At times I feel like Mary when she is told she is the favored one of God and her reply is, “How is this going to happen? I believe you so let it be done.” She was just a nobody, somewhere between 13 and 16 years old from a backwater town when she was called. Other times, I feel like Abram’s wife Sarai when she responds to God by saying, “You’re going to do this now? Yeah right.” At times, I feel like the disciples of Christ wondering how they must of felt – a little like Arnold Horshack from Welcome Back Cotter – “Ooo! Ooo! Pick me! Pick me!”


What I have learned through all of this process is that God didn’t ‘need’ me to complete this effort and if I said ‘no way’ to His call then He would have called ‘the next person.’  Just like God called Terah and Terah stopped mid-journey so later, God called Terah’s son Abram (Abraham). Abraham simply said ‘yes’ to God’s call and that is why we read about him. If Peter, James and John didn’t say ‘yes’ to God’s call then who would we have read about instead of them? If Paul didn’t say ‘yes’ to God’s call then who would have written most of the New Testament? If Mary didn’t say ‘yes’ to God’s call then who would have been the earthly mother of our Lord? God would have called the next person. These people aren’t extraordinary and that’s why each was called. These people simply said ‘yes’ to God’s call, believed Him at His initial Word and thereby became extraordinary through the experience as God shaped them through their calling.


God doesn’t need any of us. He could simply speak it and it – whatever ‘it’ is – would happen and come into being. However, He asked me to participate in this amazing effort so I could watch Him, witness firsthand what He’s doing, tell others about Him, and be a part of the community He is building  – the working body. This is not community with walls, streets, buildings, infrastructure and ordinances, although in this project it is a physical community too. This is community where people come together working to support one another – the whole, “Love God, Love others” in action. With all of this, I had a choice. Believe God and accept His offer to join Him. Not believe Him and reject His offer to join Him. I chose to believe and accept and I haven’t regretted one moment.


Over the last year, I have been concerned about getting out ahead of God; turning my agenda into "His plan." Misinterpreting His lead and His direction thereby becoming overconfident in my actions missing the quiet corrections God is providing. I don’t want to take credit for His work although He has given me much honor during this process. I don’t want to panic or lose hope in this process although this effort is daunting. I don’t want this effort to turn into a chore where I begin to resent the process or those involved although, I have at times. Mostly, I don’t want to misrepresent God and miss the opportunity to show others who God is by showing them what He is doing. Yet, daily, I misrepresent God or choose to ignore the Holy Spirit’s corrections. As a result, I have been praying asking God to lead and lead clearly and strongly placing me in my place when I stray. And He is doing that.


Typical of my relationship with God, when I am wrestling with the whole “who God is, who He is not; who I am with God and who I am without God,” He speaks to me through Scripture and things I see and hear. I don’t seek out specific Scripture; He just speaks to me wherever I am in Scripture and then leads me to the answer. While in Luke 20, God revealed His plan for me concerning this project. It was one of those moments when you’re reading Scripture and suddenly you know that God is talking to you. When that happens, I usually pause asking Him if He means for this passage to apply to me. Rereading the passage again and again, there becomes this presence of, “Yes; this is for you.”


Those times are overwhelming because, while at the same time you know the Scripture is meant for you, I also question, “Why me? Why are You being so caring for me because I’m a nobody?” The truth in that belief-disbelief moment causes me to focus on the truth of God. He doesn’t need me. I’m not deserving of His attention. I haven’t earned this privilege. When God speaks specifically to me it’s because of who God is. He called me to participate in what He is doing. If I had said ‘no’ to His offer, God would have asked another person to do the role I’m doing. However, I said yes. He has already ordained this plan – with or without me. He said it, so it will happen. However, since I said yes to Him, He will be before me, behind me, beside me, causing His plan to come to fruition even in my ineptness. Even in my failures. He will see it through and not abandon me or forsake me. He is capable. And since I am seeking Him in all of ‘this’ – since I am wanting to be in His will, in His plan, not wanting to be against Him or in front of Him – God said He would protect me. My confidence in stepping out in faith is increasing.


In some sense, I do feel like Esther when she knew she was called for ‘a time like this’ where she was to approach the King on behalf of her people which was a risky action on her part. I feel like the Levites carrying the ark and being asked to step into the flooding Jordan River risking being swept away in its currents. This feeling – almost a understandable knowledge – that you are to do something, take action, going on faith hoping that you heard God correctly and that He will be there for you as you do this action is challenging. There is risk in these challenges and the risk is on all side. What if I fail? What if my failure says something about me and who I am as a person? What if I jeopardize myself and my family? What if people hate me or accuse me of false things? What if I’m vilified? What if I didn’t hear God? What if I am using God for my agenda? What if God gets angry with me? What if God allows me to fail publicly to refine me in the process? What if I don’t do this and miss something really special with God? What if I miss this opportunity to grow closer to God? What if… what if?


During these ‘what if?’ mental battles, I always remember the time when Peter gets out of the boat walking on the water to Jesus. When we read this passage of Scripture, we tend to think about only one side of the story about Peter. He takes his focus off of Jesus, notices the situation he is in – walking ON THE WATER in the MIDDLE of the Sea of Galilea during a STORM in the middle of the NIGHT – and as a result, begins to immediately sink into the water. We like to look at Peter and criticize him for his ‘little faith.’ Instead, we should look at Peter and recognize that, out of all of the disciples in the boat – and there is no telling how many disciples were in the boat because disciples are the student followers not to be confused with the 12 called out as apostles – Peter recognized an opportunity to do something very special with Jesus and he asks to join Jesus on the water. Peter steps out of the boat onto the churning water in the middle of the night, in the middle of the storm and proceeds to walk on top of the water out to Jesus. Who else in the boat stepped out in faith? Who else experienced this event with Jesus? Although Peter got scared by the circumstances around him – and who wouldn’t – thereby experiencing a lapse in faith, Peter stepped out in faith. And, don’t miss this, Jesus was there with him catching Peter when his fear caused him to begin to fail.


Lecrae: Walking on Water

Crowder: I Am


These are the times that I need the Scripture God is using to speak to me. I visually need to read the passages – it’s always more than one passage – to anchor myself to the realities and truths of God in order to calm down, focus on the purpose of the calling, and try not to lose faith in God. This is when I try to stand on the promises and truths of God and not stand on the emotions whirling around me. This is when I need to have solid ground under my feet – the solid ground that only God’s truth can provide. This is when I need His Word to light my way so I see the path, stay on the path and continue to walk forward trying hard to see the sandals of Jesus as He leads on that path. This is when I must surrender, vacating my authority over my life, and allow God to be God. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) This is when I must trust. Trust in the unseen. Trust in the unseen God and hope He has not left me. This is when I must stand on the truths of God as stated in Romans 8:28-39.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God (the authority of God) and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we face death all day long;

We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

(Psalm 44:22)

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heights nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


The Voice of Truth – Casting Crowns

He Said – Group One Crew

Our God – Chris Tomlin (This song has been one of my God-given theme songs for the last few years)


The “Word for me” began in Luke 20 where Jesus is teaching in the temple courts in Jerusalem. The chief priests of the temple publicly question Jesus asking from whom bestowed His authority to interpret Scripture – to teach the meaning of Scripture, to teach about God and God’s kingdom. A chief priest was a priest given official authority to rule over the religious practices of the nation of Israel – God’s called-out people – and the authority to intervene with God on behalf of the people. Jesus shows up on the scene many times teaching, calling students to be His followers, healing, mentoring, converting, acting in the capacity of one given that official authority. A rabbi with semikhah. A rabbi that received authority from two semikhah rabbis with the ability to interpret Scripture as designated by God. The chief priests were upset that this Jesus was operating in their role and He wasn’t one of "them" nor had they given Him permission.


So, the chief priests question Jesus on the origin of his authority. “Who gave you the authority?” As a typical rabbi, Jesus answers back with a question. However, Jesus knew where these men were coming from and why they were asking Him about His authority. In true rabbinical character, Jesus answers the chief priests with a question – yet, check out the question because it contains the answer to the chief priests’ question. Jesus answers with the question, “Was John’s baptism from heaven or from man?” The priests now wrestle with the question because they knew John was a rabbi with authority to interpret scripture. Although the Bible doesn’t specifically say who John trained under, we know he was a Nazarene in terms of his vows of life towards God, and John’s calling on his life was foretold to his father Zechariah a temple priest who would have told others about John’s calling on his life. John was a recognized semikhah rabbi and considered by many, during his time, to be a prophet of God so John had authority to interpret scripture probably bestowed upon him by his two teachers who would have been recognized authorities. Since the chief priests couldn’t deny John’s authority, they really couldn’t deny Jesus’ authority and just answered their own question… and they knew it and were upset. Because Jesus was publicly bestowed the authority to teach by John the Baptist and God Himself at the baptism of Jesus. In a sense, Jesus answered the chief priests’ question.


During this tete-a-tete exchange between the chief priests and Jesus, Jesus turns to the people He is teaching and tells them a parable about Israel. (This parable reminds me of the current situation in my community, too.) He compares Israel to a vineyard – which was the common metaphor for Israel – “God’s Vineyard” – and the relationship the caretakers of the vineyard – the religious leaders of the nation – have with God. Jesus says that God planted this vineyard (Israel) and leased it to tenant caretakers to care for the vineyard on His behalf (the priests and religious leaders of Israel). When it was time for God to enjoy some of the fruits from the vineyard (His people Israel), God sent His servants (the prophets) to acquire some of the fruit. Each servant that was sent to the tenant caretakers of the vineyard, was refused any of the fruit by the tenants. (Remember, the vineyard owner is asking for the fruits of His property and the caretakers have no claim of ownership over this vineyard or its fruit.) Instead the tenants beat each of the owner’s servants, wounding one, refusing to accommodate their landlord’s request. The landlord/owner of the vineyard (God) now determines to send His Son as His representative to acquire some of the fruit of His vineyard – His property. This should have been immediately accommodated as a direct request from the owner Himself as the Son – the heir of the estate; the first born – is recognized as having one in the same authority as the owner. The heir has the recognized right to represent the father in his business and personal matters. (Here is another point about the bestowed authority to represent God made by Jesus.) The tenants instead of acquiescing to the owner’s request now kick the heir out of His vineyard and kill the heir with the misguided assumption that this will cause the ownership of the vineyard to be transferred to them the tenants. Jesus then says that this action will now cause the vineyard owner – God – to directly come to the tenants and take actions to remove them as caretakers of His property, punish them with the same measure they exerted on His servants and Son – destroying them since they killed the Son – and then giving it to another group to manage. The chief priests and the people listening to this parable understood the story and its implications so that their response to Jesus on the punishment enacted by the vineyard owner was, “Surely not!” Yet Jesus, not shrinking from this pointed prophetic outcome looks directly at the priests saying (Rose’s paraphrase), “Well then; tell me what this Scripture means, if you think I’m wrong: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (capstone) Everyone who falls on the stone will be broken to pieces but, he on whom it falls will be crushed.’?” All of a sudden, I tripped over the “stone the builders rejected”, starting with the prophetic meaning of this passage and was then led on an explanation journey which would reveal what God wanted me to learn personally. Even though this is one of the verses that is read and referred to often, even though the meaning of the verse is commonly known in Christian circles and evident, God was teaching me something personal with this verse. It was about to become real to me.


“The stone the builders rejected. The stone the builders rejected.” After looking at the cross reference notes for this passage Jesus quotes, I am led to Psalm 118 and Isaiah 8:5-15 and THAT is when God showed up.


Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:9-10 are the portions of Scripture that support Luke 20:17 – “The stone the builder rejected” and “broken to pieces.” I thought, “OK. I get it Jesus. I see where you referenced Scripture to make your point. And I know you’re the cornerstone but, what does this all mean and why is this for me?” I start reading the footnotes and margin reference notes in my study Bibles looking for clues. I seem to remember a story about the way Solomon required the temple to be built in silent respect to God. It was in 1 Kings 6:7. Yet, I had hoped for more meaning. So, I do what anyone else would do… I Google it and to my surprise, I find the reference. This story about how Solomon’s temple was built is not Scriptural however, the reasoning for this is scriptural (Exodus 20:25; Deuteronomy 27:5-6). The traditional story goes like this:

It was said that when King Solomon began the construction of God’s temple, acting on the plans his father King David provided, Solomon required that no sound of cutting and dressing the stones be heard at the temple site (probably in respect to God saying several times about the construction of previous alters that those alters were to be made of stones not cut by human hands – Exodus 20:25; Deuteronomy 27:5-6). Instead, Solomon required that the stones be cut and dressed at the quarry, according to the temple plans, then transported to the temple site to be installed into place. The cornerstone was cut, dressed and sent to the temple builders early in the construction process but, the builders didn’t recognize that stone as the cornerstone. Tradition says the builders set the stone in a field, not knowing where it belonged in the temple thinking the cutters made a mistake, and continued building the temple. Over time, weeds grew over the cornerstone in the field while the temple was being finished. When it was time to install the cornerstone, the builders requested it be sent from the quarry. The masons sent back the message that the stone was already sent to which the builders remembered the odd stone in the field. Locating and uncovering it, the builders now install this rejected stone as the cornerstone in the temple. So, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

With the word “cornerstone” it can mean ‘cornerstone’ or ‘capstone’ and either reference is correct in terms of how you view the impact of Jesus in your life. After reading all of these passages of Scripture, I tend to think the word should be defined by its ceremonial meaning. In some cases, the cornerstone was the first foundation stone laid during construction whereby each other stone laid for the foundation would be laid in relation to the cornerstone. However, this meaning doesn’t properly explain the Scripture because it says that the builders rejected the cornerstone but it didn’t say that this action led to an improperly laid foundation. The meaning and traditional use of both the cornerstone and the capstone, is a ceremonial stone installed at the end of construction marking the dedicated use of the building including the starting date of construction, the architect and the builder. This is why the cornerstone was installed lastly and it has better application. During the building of the temple the builders followed the plans of God who is the architect to build a place where people could worship God in Spirit and in truth.


The same thing applies to our lives. The architect is God, our birth is the starting date, we (and others) are the builders of our lives and our lives are to be the temples of God. Once we make a decision to surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ choosing to follow Him, Jesus is now installed as the cornerstone of our lives. We dedicate our reborn lives, our hearts, which is who we are to Jesus Christ who is the architect of our lives. “Don’t you know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) As we “build” our lives going through all its zigs-and-zags due to decisions and circumstances of which God allowed through free choice, He foreknew those decisions and circumstances allowing them to shape our lives. He foreknew our eventual decision, date, time to choose Jesus as Lord and dedicate our lives to Him. Because He foreknew, He predestined that those decisions and circumstances would shape our lives for His purpose. He ordained our lives and caused everything to work according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28-39) Along the way, we also rejected Jesus as the architect of our lives many times throwing Him out of our lives where He stayed until discovered. Then one day, realizing who’s we are, we call upon Jesus as the reason for our lives. He is installed and becomes the cornerstone of our lives – of our temples – and at that time, the stone the builder rejected has become the cornerstone of our temple. On our temples, the cornerstone notes the dedicated purpose, the date of construction, the architect and the builder(s).


The portion of Luke 20:18 that says this cornerstone will break men into pieces or crush them harkens from Isaiah 8:5-15 specifically 8:14-15. Isaiah is telling the southern kingdom Judah of the impending war it will have with its northern sister-kingdom Ephraim (Israel) who has sided with Syria to take over Judah. Judah, on the other hand, doesn’t rely completely on God for its protection and provision. Instead, Judah contracts with Assyria to fight Israel and Syria. God says through Isaiah that this contract will be Israel’s near destruction as the Assyrians will nearly drown Judah as it overflows into its kingdom nearly taking it over. Yet God, in His faithfulness and mercy, will defend Judah because of His promises He made to Judah – O Immanuel “God is with us.” God says that the people of Judah (southern Israel) will be broken to pieces during this war as the people see the near destruction it invited into its kingdom yet also witness the hand of God at work for them. The attacking countries will be crushed by God for attacking His people. In the process of war and the realization of what Judah did, it will be broken to pieces as it throws itself onto God. The parts of Judah that are not of God will be broken off so that it can recognize who God is, give God the glory and recognize who it is with and without God. This passage of Scripture explains how everyone who falls on the Lord will have their selfish lives broken to piece or their selfishness will be broken off of them and how those that completely reject God will eventually be crushed entirely.


In the case of the cornerstone being Lord God Jesus, those of us who ultimately choose Christ as Lord and as we go about building our lives either indifferent to God or outright rejecting Him, we end up tripping over Him many times where the stuff not of God is broken off of us during those trips and falls. Our lives are broken to pieces by this Cornerstone – the Rock of God. (Genesis 49:24) However, those that ultimately reject Jesus as Lord thereby will eventually experience the wrath of God at judgment, those people will face the Rock falling onto them and crushing them. (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 8: 7-9)


However, there was more to this Word than just the cornerstone and breaking in pieces. Context was needed to fully understand what God was saying and I knew He wanted me to read beyond these passages. Going back to the beginning of Psalm 118 and reading it in its entirety, it became obvious that this Psalm was the Word for me.


In Psalm 118, God is telling me how the approval process of my project will play out, how my behavior must be and what He will do through this approval process and why. I’ve been rereading it nearly daily out of my English Standard Version study Bible over the month of January and now into February this is how it reads to me:


His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

(An added title for Psalm 118 that I read along with the Psalm)


Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

For His steadfast love endures forever!


Let Israel say,

“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”

Let those who fear the Lord say,

"His steadfast love endures forever."



His unwavering and unconditional love continues on in a constant state forever. God is agapé.


We have Cheapened the Meaning of Love Rose’s Journal with God


Israel = the Called Out: those who wrestle with God and with whom man is with and without God.


Aaron = He is making us into a royal priesthood; those that serve the Lord. 1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 20:28


Fear the Lord = respect God, in awe of God knowing God is Almighty God; the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 1:7; this is the attitude of your heart towards God


Out of my distress I called on the Lord;

The Lord answered me and set me free.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

The Lord is on my side as my helper;

I shall look in triumph on those that hate me.


It is better to take refuge in the Lord

than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord

than to trust in princes.


I am with you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15


No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5


Romans 8:31; Always – Kristian Stanfill


There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives our fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

I shall pray for those who hate me: Forgive them Father, because they don’t know what they’re doing; turn their hearts towards You.


All nations surround me;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

They surrounded me like bees;

they went out like a fire among the thorns;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,

but the Lord helped me.


In the name of the Lord = in the authority of Jesus our Lord; acting as a representative of Jesus our Lord; Jesus is always seeking God first, truthful, a servant, compassionate, merciful, honest, forgiving, inclusive, kingdom grower, seeking the lost; discerning, direct, factual, applicable


Luke 22:27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.


Cut them off = the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13


Proverbs 2:1-22 …but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.


The Lord is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation.

Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous:

“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,

the right hand of the Lord exalts,

the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!"


I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the Lord.

The Lord has disciplined me severely,

but He has not given me over to death.


Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter them

and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate to the Lord;

the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.


John 10:7, 9 – I am the gate for the sheep. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.


Righteousness = God’s right and perfect standard

You have allowed me to enter Your temple, through Jesus, that I may love You, commune with You and serve You.


1 Corinthian 6:19 – don’t you know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit?

I rejected Jesus earlier in my life but, He is now the cornerstone of my life as I live for God. He has saved me from destruction.


The right hand of the Lord = the authority of God = Jesus Christ; Daniel 7:14; Matthew 28:18


Valiantly = fearlessly, boldly, determinedly, resolutely

Exalts = hold in high regard

Death = the enemy of God; permanent, eternal separation from God in hell


Save us, we pray, O Lord!

O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We bless you from the house of the Lord.


The Lord is God,

and He has made His light to shine upon us.

Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,

up to the horns of the altar!


You are my God, and I will give thanks to You;

You are my God; I will extol you.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

for His steadfast love endures forever!


Your Word is a lamp to my feet

(a title for Psalm 119 that I read in conjunction to Psalm 118)

On my teapot is the Scripture Psalm 118:24 and I noticed it about one month into this lesson with God. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” God has ordained this project to happen before time and what He has ordained – what He has determined to allow to happen – will occur as He has prescribed.

Hosanna to the Son of David. Matthew 21:15 Hosanna = save us; Son of David = Messiah = Jesus the Christ


Blessed is the person who comes representing Jesus to the world. Beautiful Feet – Lecrae (has been my prayer song since 2010)


We bless You, Lord, from our hearts and with our actions; Extol = praise enthusiastically


John 8:12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.


Festal sacrifice = the peace offering; Jesus was our peace offering, the sacrifice that brought payment/atonement for our inability to live to Gods standards, for our sins, for our debts to God. He gave His life as a ransom for us. We are also to live our lives sacrificing what we want to do, to benefit others. The whole love God, love others. As Jesus was the Lamb of God, the ultimate sheep for slaughter whose life benefitted all of us – those that ultimately chose to follow Jesus and love Him and those that reject Him and hate Him – He died once and for all. We are also sheep that go to slaughter for the benefit of people we love, hate, who know us and do not know us. We are to daily pick up our crosses and follow Jesus, being led by Him and walking on the path He has ordained for us. Matthew 16:24

In the NIV Version, the  verse reads: With boughs in hand, join the festal procession, up to the horns of the altar. The "boughs in hand" are palm branches which were a symbol of the nation of Israel and this meant to engage in warfare against the oppressive enemy nation. For me this is, "join me in the spiritual battle against the darkness that is oppressing the community; join me up to the alter of the One who can free you from this oppression."



I also read Psalm 118 in the NIV version, as it reads slightly differently than the ESV translation. The NIV version reads:


Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good

His love endures forever.


Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”

Let those that fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”


In my anguish I cried to the Lord,

and He answered by setting me free.

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

The Lord is with me; He is my helper.


It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.


All nations surrounded me,

but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

They surrounded me on every side,

but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.

The Lord is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation.


Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous;

The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!

The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;

The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!


I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

The Lord has chastened me severely,

But He has not given me over to death.


Open the gates of righteousness;

I will enter and give thanks to the Lord

This is the gate of the Lord;

through which the righteous may enter.

I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

You have become my salvation.

The stone the builder rejected

has become the capstone;  

the Lord has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.


O Lord save us;

O Lord, grant us success.


Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

From the house of the Lord we bless you.


The Lord is God,

and He has made His light shine upon us.

With boughs in hand, join the festal procession

up to the horns of the altar.


You are my God, and I will give You thanks;

You are my God, and I will exalt You.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

His love endures forever.


In addition to Psalm 118, God also warned me in Isaiah 8:11-15 saying:


For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people (Judah and Ephraim) saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, not be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”


My friend Melissa Irwin, while praying one morning for me, emailed me on 1/21/2014 at 7:59 AM to provide the Word of God given to her for me. Luke 21:15, 19 – “ …for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.” And, “By your endurance, you will gain your lives.”


From all of this I have learned that God is in control. He has ordained this project to succeed and whatever shape that success takes will be revealed in time. I am to trust in Him, His truths, His plans and not that of man or the rulers of our community. I am to seek protection in God and not in others. The enemy will rise up against me and this plan and it will look fierce. The enemy will surround me and appear to be as numerous and challenging as a swarm of bees. However, their offensive attack will quickly die away. The enemy will not be able to stand against God and His plans. At times, I will feel overwhelmed and failing but, God will grab me and keep me from failing. I am to represent Jesus and all Jesus is to people. Seeking God first. Seeking the lost, I must pray for the enemy because they are God’s cherished created people too. And who knows, through this process, they may see God’s hand and turn towards God to be saved. They may trip over Jesus, fall and break into pieces only to establish Jesus as the cornerstone of their lives and THAT is what God wants. He is righting the injustices being done in this area and those that have caused the injustices, if they are not penitent, will be cut off from controlling this land. I am not to worry about the circumstances I see myself in thereby trying to take measures in my own hand. I am not to make treaties with others that can overwhelm this movement of God which will nearly drown me in the process. I am not to fall into the conspiracy discussions from the enemy or from those who will benefit from this effort. I am simply to continue to follow God and when He moves, shout for joy and praise Him for the work He is doing in our community.


These are my prayer songs, some for several years:

God of this City – Chris Tomlin (has been my prophetic prayer song for 2006)

Lose My Soul – Toby Mac (has been my prayer song since 2006)

The Bride (the church) – Lecrae

Losing – Tenth Avenue North (was Lauren’s prayer song in 2012 then became mine in 2013)

God of Angel Armies – Chris Tomlin (One of Sarah's favorite songs and now mine)

Let Them See You - JJ Weeks (My new prayer song during this study)


Lately, I’ve asked Jesus if I can join Him on the water, not to walk but to dance on the water with Him. I want Him to hold me so I can look into His eyes as we throw our heads back, laughing at the storm and celebrating what He can do as we dance on the water. And when the sun comes out, the waves are still and the wind ceases at His command, we – the entire community – can all dance across the water to the shore line.

Reason Me This

When I was a young girl, I had a few favorite TV shows that my Mother allowed me to watch after school. For some reason, Mom understood that I needed to let my brain relax and stop thinking for an hour so I could later do a little homework before bed. Mindless TV is a go-to choice for me. My routine was to arrive home after school, have a snack, watch two or three of my favorite afterschool TV shows, play outside with the neighborhood kids for an hour or two, have dinner, do homework, then bed. My favorite shows… Gilligan’s Island, Batman, The Green Hornet, Kimba the White Lion, Speed Racer and Lost in Space. In Batman, the villain called the Riddler always spoke in riddles and you had to reason the riddle to anticipate what the Riddler was doing. He would say to Batman, “Riddle me this, Batman,” then state the riddle. I loved to figure out what the Riddler was doing alongside Batman while sitting in the den enjoying a Drake's Ring Ding. It’s funny how things impress upon you like “riddle me this” did to me.

Another impressionable thing my Mom did was to answer homework questions like a rabbi. When you ask a rabbi a question, typically he won’t outright answer you and instead leads you in a reasoning discussion so through that process, you actually learn the answer yourself. When you learn something directly as opposed to simply hearing the answer, you understand it better, can recall and apply the learned lesson in your life. The answer means something to you now because you went through the learning process of reasoning. So, when I would ask my Mom how to spell a word, I was greeted with, “Well, how do you think it’s spelled?” I would have to guess and sound the word out phonetically working through the process to spell the word answering my own question. That process was probably the best learning process for me as one of my weaknesses is spelling. Needless to say, I did the same “rabbinical” teaching style with my kids.

As a result of some of these formative events, I enjoy reasoning. I enjoy looking at things and determining issues, opportunities, alternative plans, reasons for doing. Why is this happening? How is this happening? What’s really going on here? Where are the road signs and contextual indicators charting the course? What makes this tick? Where is the solution? Are there one, two or more solutions or courses of action?  This is how I try to approach Scripture when reading so as not to simply gloss over the text thinking the meaning is evident or drawing incorrect conclusions thereby attributing wrong interpretations to God’s character.

When reading Scripture, we forget that Jesus was also considered a rabbi with authority to interpret Scripture. He would not only want us to grasp what He is saying but also to have that lesson impact us at our core reflection to be the catalyst to impressionable and actionable change.  Being a rabbi, Jesus answered questions in a rabbinical style through parables or posing the question back to the inquiring person(s) asking the person to reason the answer. “Show me a coin. Who’s image is on the coin?” “Who do you think I am?” “Suppose one of you has… Do you not…?” When asked a simple question, Jesus many times would answer with a lengthy parable (or riddle) where in that parable, He poses several scenarios laced with contextual details that should have caused the questioning person to reason for the point. In that reasoning process, not only would the person come to the answer but he would also have to reflect on the intent of his own heart and thoughts as they relate to God and God’s truths. The reasoning process should reveal truths about who God is and who you really are. You can almost hear Jesus saying, “Reason me this, Pharisees. Reason me this, Disciples. Reason me this, Rose.”

If we simply read Scripture superficially and not engage with Jesus in His invitation to reason, critically think, chew on His Word and digest it, we are missing the greatest part of learning from Him and one of the most exciting parts of being in relationship with Jesus. After all, Jesus is called “the Bread of Life” and said that “Man does not live on bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Jesus is also spiritual water for those who thirst after God. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37) So we are to chew on His Word. Feed our spirits and souls on His teachings. Drink down His teachings. Nourish and refresh our spirits and souls so we can be well nourished on God’s truth, grow strong in our faith in God understanding the lessons so that we can apply them to our lives, living out our faith as a testimony to God thereby glorifying Him and leading other. We are to be in active relationship with Jesus. 

“Reason me this, Rose.” 

While reading the parables in Luke, I came to chapter 16 where Jesus tells the parable of “the shrewd manager.” I have to admit, this parable gnaws at me. It’s one of those parables that seem out of place with God’s character. “Why is this in the Bible,” I find myself asking? And, “Why is Jesus telling this parable to the Pharisees?” It seems understandable but, then again it seems contrary to God’s character thereby being one of those sections of Scripture that seems conflicting with the Bible. I reread it over a couple of days asking God to explain it to me knowing there had to be more to it than what met my eyes. “What are you trying to teach us, Jesus? Tell me what this parable means? Why is the dishonest manager commended and called shrewd? And why are we to act shrewdly with fellow believers? And what about the rich man? Is there something with him, too? Help me understand, please.” Once again, Jesus did help me reason the meaning.

“Reason me this, Rose,” and the reasoning began.
 
I started with what was in front of me: the rich man and his manager who was accused of wasting the rich man’s possessions. The rich man and his manager. The one man was rich and the employer. The rich man’s employee was his manager and he has been accused of wasting his employer’s property. (Reason me this.) First, I noticed that the manager was accused of wasting his employer’s property. Not caught in the act. Not possessing evidence of misusing the property or possessing property. And what was the property, anyway? Food? Money? Land? Animals? Homes and furnishings? People? Then I thought, why would the manager feel comfortable misusing his employer’s property? Was he unsupervised? Was the employer overly trusting? And later Jesus calls this manager “dishonest” (Luke 16:8) so it becomes more reasonable to conclude that this man was worthy of being accused. But, I kept thinking about why the manager felt comfortable misusing his employer’s property and, if he was, he was now confident enough to do the actions visibly. People have now witnessed the actions and brought word to the employer’s attention. Perhaps now the manager was becoming brazen in his dishonest practices. A person only becomes brazen in his actions if he, 1) is confident the actions are acceptable and won’t be called into question, 2) is unsupervised enough that he believes he won’t be discovered or 3) thinks he’s in an untouchable position. So, either the rich man (the employer) was overly trusting, absent or he set a tone that the behavior was acceptable.

Ah ha! The rich man… hey, what about this guy do we know? I went back to the beginning of Luke 16 to see clues about the rich man – the employer. Seeing the parable appeared to be a continuation of the conversation from the previous chapter – Luke 15 – I went to the beginning of Luke 15 to read for context. Sure enough, it appears that Luke 15 and 16 are one conversation; actually, it appears that Luke 14 through 16 are one conversation where Jesus is dining at a prominent Pharisee’s home and taking advantage of the audience there to have teachable moments where Jesus is posed questions and He answers them in parables – riddles – causing the guests at the dinner to reason and reflect. In Chapter 14, there may be a break where Jesus leaves the home of the Pharisee, meets up with His crowd of followers (groupies) and continues teaching in parables but, even if that is the case, it doesn’t change the meaning of or reason for the parable teachings.

The first series of parables begins with Jesus healing a man with dropsy on the Sabbath at this dinner. Have you ever noticed that at these dinner parties Jesus attended, there seemed to be people from the neighborhood who don’t appear to be invited guests to recline at the table but, party crashers there to see Jesus? These “uninvited” dinner guests seem to be allowed to crash the dinner party in order to see how Jesus would react to them, in front of the Jewish leadership so then the Jewish leadership could pin Jesus into a theological corner to question Him. In this case of theological sparing, it’s the presence of a man with dropsy – a man needing healing – at a dinner party, at the house of Pharisee, on a Sabbath. Can you see the set-up? Jesus knows what’s happening, heals the man, then begins to pepper the Pharisees and the rest of the dinner guests and party crashers with parables explaining truths of God while also revealing the intent of the hearts of each person in that room. Each person. Not just the Pharisees but, Luke 15 reveals that sinners and tax collectors have crashed this party and Luke 16 reveals that Rabbi Jesus’s student followers are at the party too. This is a big dinner party!

If we assume that Luke 14 through 16 are one event, then at that dinner party are Pharisees – part of the ruling body of the Jewish religious nation – Jesus, His disciples (maybe more than 12 of them as the 12 were the Apostles), most likely “the help” associated with the host Pharisee, the “party crashers” including the man with dropsy (Luke 14:2) and tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1). If Rabbi Jesus is addressing the entire audience with His series of “riddles”, then in each parable will be a character that will represent the heart attitudes of each person in the room. In the case of Luke 16, the rich man and his shrewd manager each have a role in the parable and, the heart intentions of both characters will speak to every person in the room.

So, we must also look at the rich man to see why he is in this parable and what does the rich man say about us. Which brings me back to the tension between the rich man (employer) and the shrewd manager (employee) and the question of why the manager felt confident in wasting his employer’s property? In order to consider the rich man’s position in this parable, we need to read what the shrewd manager did after being confronted by his rich employer. The manager calls all of his employer’s debtors – those the rich man did business with who owe him money – and asks each debtor what each owes his employer. After learning what each debtor owes, the manager takes a percentage off each bill thereby reducing the debt each man owed to the rich man. Then the strangest interchange happens. The rich employer commends the accused employee – the dishonest manager – for his actions calling the employee shrewd. The actions by the employee just placed him in a position that, if the rich man were to fire him from his job, one the grateful debtors may consider hiring him. We also do not see the rich man following through and firing the now shrewd manager. To add to the puzzle, Jesus now calls the shrewd manager dishonest but tells the hearers of this parable to act shrewdly like this manager when dealing with fellow believers. Huh?! Oh my… time to digest and think.

“Reason me this, Rose.”

Perhaps we should consider that the rich man, just because Jesus suggests that this man has been wronged by his employee, became wealthy by some dishonest ways as well. Perhaps his business practices allowed him to make additional wealth and, if his manager was aware of any alleged dishonest practices, then the manager had a reason to believe his dishonest management practices would be acceptable to his employer or at least overlooked. Mulling over this, within the parable, what clues show that the rich employer may have also been dishonest?

As we reason, keep in mind that the Bible doesn’t condemn wealth. Many people featured in the Bible were wealthy and accepted by God such as Abraham (Gen 13:2), Lot (13:5) David, Solomon (1 Kings 3:13), Job (Job 1:10), Nebuchadnezzar, the woman in Proverbs 31, Joseph of Arimathea (Matt 27:57), and Lydia (Acts 16:14) to name a handful. However, throughout the Bible we see that people wrongly believed that wealth was given to a person because God deemed that person as righteous (or in right standing with Him) and, the reverse, poverty was an indication that the person was not righteous or worse cursed by God. Similarly, good health was seen as proof that the person was considered righteous by God and illness was a sign of being a sinner thereby cursed by God with poor health such as being lame or a leper or blind, etc. If there wasn’t a well-known reason for a specific person to be suffering from poverty or illness or another affliction, then it was assumed that someone in that afflicted person’s family had sinned and the punishment for the sin was being administered to several generations as a result (John 9:2).

However, Jesus spent much time correcting this thought process showing that it is the thoughts and intentions of man and the actions that come from those thoughts and intentions (beliefs, thoughts, will, desires) that deem a person to be a sinner or accepted by God. Wealth and money were to be stewarded well and used to help people. Trust was to be placed in God and His abilities and not placed in wealthy people or the money itself (Luke 12:20). Remember God Himself is actually the creator of all things that we call wealth. Following the creation act, God calls all things He created good. God has heavenly storehouses and treasuries filled with His created good things. He also created civilization, community and the economy. He is the ultimate wealthy being. And yet, when God came to earth to dwell with us in human form – Jesus – and to teach us His truths, God came as a homeless, severely destitute person. Jesus arrived into this world poor and left this world poor. From all indications in Scripture, Jesus never amassed any wealth during His 33 years as a human on this planet. So, if God lived both extremes, then He deems neither existence over the other as an indication of righteousness or cursed.

In the case of this parable, being the rich employer doesn’t mean he was good at heart and had amassed his wealth by being righteous thereby blessed by God. And, if everyone at the time Jesus was teaching this parable wrongly thought that being rich meant you were righteous according to God, and if Jesus was teaching God’s truths through these two parable characters correcting misperceptions, and if some of the Jewish religious leaders (Pharisees) were in the audience, then perhaps the rich man’s appearance in the parable has more to do with the position of the rich man rather than the dishonest/shrewd manager.

Back to the clues: When the rich man calls the dishonest manager shrewd, it’s because the dishonest manager reduced the debt of each debtor by what appears to be an arbitrary amount. So, if the manager was being accused of wasting his employer’s property, why would the rich man appear to commend his manager for reducing the debt of the people who owed the rich man money? Furthermore, why would Jesus tell His disciples to act shrewdly with fellow believers like non-believers act with one another? Yes, it’s getting sticky… unless… unless the manager corrected something that his rich employer was doing dishonestly too! Then that would explain why the rich man commended his employee rather than fire him and have him thrown into jail for confirmed stealing.

Perhaps the amount reduced by the manager to each debtor was a percentage amount. Perhaps it was an interest on top of the debt. If that was in fact the case, then the rich man was violating the Law by charging interest on top of the debt owed. Deuteronomy 23:19-20 says: “Do not charge your brother interest whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.”

This harkens back to the truths of God. God doesn’t hate wealth. It is to be used to assist people. And when you assist people with your wealth you can do one of several things. You can just give expecting nothing in return. Maybe you trust that one day, when you need the assistance, someone will do the same for you. Or you can lend someone out of your wealth and allow the person to reimburse you the amount borrowed. Sometimes there may be a good reason to do this. The last option is to lend expecting reimbursement in full plus an additional interest amount to compensate you for the loss of your investment. In the Law such as Deuteronomy 23:19-20, God tells us how to minimally act in acceptable ways. In this scenario, He says not to charge interest to fellow Israelites when lending. What we do with that Law and how it guides our intentions and actions, determines if we seek after the heart of God or not. If we give out of our wealth to assist someone and expect nothing in return, we leave the door of trust open for God to bless us knowing that, when we are in need, He will provide in some way.

In the case of the rich man’s debtors, what did each debtor owe? Gallons of olive oil and bushels of wheat – food items. More than that, these items are also items that are required sacrificial gifts for temple worship. Olive oil was used for food, medicinal reasons as well as for temple worship activities from the lampstand in the Holy area of the temple, to mixing with fine flour for offertory cakes, to pouring onto offerings. Wheat ground into fine flour was used in many of the gifts given at the temple during the required worship times. Plus, if you were ‘very poor’ (a status below just poor) and could not afford a dove or pigeon for a sin offering gift – which was a substitute gift for the poor who couldn’t afford a lamb, goat or young bull – the very poor were allowed to give fine wheat flour for a sin offering gift. Now the rich man’s potential offense has increased significantly.

Perhaps this rich man was at minimal charging interest on top of food items to fellow Israelites. Worse, perhaps he was charging interest on top of food items to fellow Israelites who were also using the food items in their worship activities. Even worse, for the man that owed a thousand bushels of wheat, perhaps he was very poor and was being charged interest on top of what he owed and some of the wheat was being used as a sin offering as well as food. This man would have been in a situation of perpetual indebtedness to the rich man which would have been a form of slavery.

I think we can safely eliminate that the man owing the wheat may not have been “very poor” because the manager was hoping his debt-reducing actions would lead to future employment should he lose his job as the rich man’s manager. I think we can safely deduce that the rich man was simply charging illegal interest to fellow Israelites on top of what was owed.

That debt-reducing action now revealed to the debtors and others within the rich man’s household, who perhaps knew the manager was being accused of misusing property, that the rich man was also being dishonest. Once this rich man’s dishonesty was made known publicly, the rich man could not fire or imprison the manager for any dishonest actions he did without self-accusing. And that is a shrewd action. That is why the rich man called his dishonest manager shrewd. The manager indirectly and professionally exposed the dishonesty of the rich man doing it in such a way that it placed the rich man in a position to correct his behavior too.

This is why I think the manager felt comfortable abusing his authority by using the rich man’s property in a way that was above customary.  If his employer was breaking the Law in such a fashion, then the employer certainly wouldn’t mind if the manager used an animal for his personal needs or ate food from the storehouse designated for the rich man or did something else. The manager felt safe with his dishonesty because his employer was also doing illegal things.

This showed that the wealth gained by the rich man was not a blessing given by God because the rich man was “righteous in God’s eyes”. This showed that the rich man was abusing his wealth at the detriment of his fellow Israelites. And THAT would have stuck in the throats of the Pharisees because they loved money (Luke 16:14) and reasoned that their wealth, no matter how they acquired it, was seen as an indication of being in right standing with God.  Now here is Jesus (God in human form) telling them that they are not in good standing with God. Worse yet, Jesus just told everyone at the party that all fellow brothers and sisters in the faith should expose the wrong doings of other fellow believers when they act like the dishonest manager and the illegal rich man. Ouch!

The Pharisees were wrestling with the taught beliefs of their faith. They wrongly assumed they were in good standing with God because the enjoyed a lifestyle bought with wealth and when this man Jesus showed up doing the things that only the promised Messiah could do, the Pharisees expected Jesus to positively recognize and confirm them for being righteous. And Jesus does the exact opposite. Jesus is saying through this parable to the Pharisees and anyone who thinks like they do that, having an easy life or wealth isn’t an indication that you are in right standing with God. Having blessings from God doesn’t mean He justified the actions that you did in defiance of His standards. In fact, God gives us blessings to, 1) steward it for Him in the ways He called us to steward and, 2) as a test so that through the test we will see where our thoughts and intentions are thus where we stand with God and not deem ourselves deserving or self-righteous. (Matthew 25: 14-30)

Yet this parable isn’t solely about the rich man and Jesus isn’t condemning wealth. The shrewd manager didn’t get off easy, in Jesus’ eyes. Jesus calls the manager dishonest (Luke 16:8) so, what the manager was being accused of seems appropriate. The manager was trusted to act honestly on behalf of his employer – the rich man – and he did not. He took advantage of his employer’s trust so therefor, the manager may have been shrewd but not trustworthy. The manager was most likely part of the illegal practice as he probably issued the interest on top of the debt owed by the borrowers to his employer. After all, how did the manager know what amount to reduce each each when he was looking to protect himself? And what would the manager have been like if he were both shrewd and honest and trustworthy?

This parable is not an either-or conclusion. This parable points to a comprehensive understanding of God and man in relationship with God. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law – all 600+ standards of God – but to fulfill them and teach us the correct interpretation. In doing so, He also didn’t say that following the Law directly is the way to be considered righteous by God because God desires that we show mercy and compassion in addition to rules and regulations. Mercy and compassions should guide the actions resulting in following God’s standards.

When Jesus gave His sermon on the mount towards the beginning of His earthly ministry (we call it the Beatitudes), He corrected many teachings showing that it’s our hearts and minds – our intentions and thoughts – that indicate our right standing or lack thereof. People in the crowds following Him, who most likely had been excluded from the Jewish faith for breaking its Law, thought Jesus was telling the religious leaders that God wanted 100% mercy and compassion over the Law. Then Jesus says (in Matthew 5:17-20) that He didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it saying the standards of God outlined in the Law will not disappear until everything God is accomplishing is completed. Jesus was speaking out about being hypocritical. Don’t hold others to standards that you yourself cannot meet. Don’t incorrectly teach God’s truths to justify your actions. Don’t say you’re one kind of person then act like another acting against the standards of the primary person you claim to be.

Looking at the characters in this parable in this manner helped me better understand Jesus’s concluding points in Luke 16: 8 through13. From what I gather, Jesus is saying that we fellow believers are not to allow other fellow believers to take advantage of a situation, misrepresenting God’s truths for personal gain. We are to use what God has blessed us with to benefit others for the eternal sake of others. By doing this you are “storing up treasures in heaven” as opposed to storing up treasures here on earth that will be threatened by theft and calamity (Luke 12:16-21). Jesus said that if you are trustworthy with the little things in life, it’s a good indication that you will be trustworthy with the bigger, weightier things as your guiding, root intentions and thoughts are correct. And lastly, life is not God plus something, in this case money. You cannot well-serve two bosses. You cannot serve both God and money. Or to think of it this way: You cannot profess to be a follower and believer of God and not have that faith impact your life’s decisions and actions. You cannot worship God just one day a week then go off and live your life any way you please. In effect, by living this way, you are serving two masters; 1) God and 2) Life, in this case Money. In both cases – the rich man/employer and the dishonest/shrewd manager – each man allowed their selfish thoughts towards money shape their life’s decisions and actions. They each had the opportunity to have God shape their decision and actions and, until the dishonest manager acted shrewdly, neither acted in a right manner towards the people placed into their lives. Neither managed what God had entrusted each to manage. Because, after all, in God’s economy, the people He created are His valuable treasure worth saving.

And where am I in the parable? I hate to admit that after reasoning, I am now reflecting, questioning myself and will ask God to correct me. Yes, I am a work in progress. I am surely not perfect and these lessons apply to me as well. The point being is that, through reasoning with Jesus, the process exposed in me aspects about myself that need the hand of God to touch, heal and correct. Without this process, I would be oblivious to the things in me needing correction. For that, I am thankful for this process shared with Jesus.

Reason me this.