Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Jesus isn't very nice.  Sometimes He just plain says things that are difficult to hear.  I know I know, better to hear the unvarnished truth than some platitude.  But, today kind of got me.  

Jesus says He comes not to bring PEACE ON EARTH, but DIVISION.

Ironically, this 'contradicts' all that is previously said about Him bringing peace on earth.  He brings peace from man to man.  He brings peace from man to God. See Luke 2:14, John 14:27, John 16:33 and Eph 2:14 if you care to dig a bit into that aspect of Jesus.

But for today:  Division.  Yikes again.  There are some real dividing lines.  The Kingdom has 'borders'.  There are decisions that are yes or no.  There are actions that are yes or no.  It is not all rainbows and puppies.  Listen and see if you agree that Jesus isn't very nice today.

We have got a pretty well-known verse coming our way today, so that always means we should take EXTRA care in hearing it again for the "first time".    You can even fill in the blank:
"...to whom much was given, of him _ _ _ _ will be required". Well done.

Now we will consider and wonder a bit about what it means.
We are in a passage about being READY because we are servants of Somebody else to whom we are accountable.  Todays' example is the guy who does it WRONG, so of course we have nothing to learn from him.  OOPS.  He's wrong in knowledge, in authority abuse and in excuses.  He gets "cut to pieces", and that ISN'T EVEN THE WORST PART.  What could be worse than that?  You gotta listen and find out.

A logical conclusion to more responsibility = more accountability is to run and hide.  We are going to resist that temptation using 1 Corinthians 12:31.  It is a concept about wanting MORE.   Earnestly DESIRE the higher gifts.  

So yes, to whom much is given much is required.  Therefore, Dear Lord, I WANT MORE!

There is a major emphasis in todays' passage:  Be ready.  Be prepared.  Be continuing to serve the Lord.  Be dressed for it.  Act like you mean it. Be ready to run with your skirty thing pulled up and tucked in.  Have an immediacy.  Be managing your given responsibility.  Be distributing His resources and gifts.  Be responsive.  Be LIT-UP because and until Jesus comes back.

And then half-way through, there is this diamond.  It is an image of this end time banquet; the marriage supper, the marriage of the Lamb.  Jesus flips the tables on us in His upside down world.  He says that HE will put on some servant waiter-type clothes and SERVE the servants. As if He hasn't done enough for us.  How can His servant-cup not be full?  I'm just blown away and amazed and AWESTONISHED at this image.  It is just not right that John Lennon didn't write IMAGINE about this image.  Christ serving his Church AGAIN?!  Tell me more!

Listen with me and be ready and be awestonished.

We please God by treasuring His Kingdom. 
We Treasure His Kingdom by

• seeking His Kingdom
• Selling and supplying His Kingdom
• Setting our hearts in His Kingdom now and later
• receiving His Kingdom and cooperating with it

First big question:  Can God be pleased?  Yes.  He tells us how specifically today.
Second big question:  What is God up to ?  Today, giving us a KINGDOM.  Wow.
Third big question:  What must I do?  ACT LIKE IT.  Act like there is a kingdom in your pocket.

We are to treasure the treasure of His given Kingdom.  Seek. Sell. Supply. In so doing, we are showing that our heart is in the right place.

"Treasure My Kingdom and watch Me be PLEASED".   Listen and let's get started.

Can God be pleased?  If so, what is it that gives Him pleasure?  Lots and lots in the Bible tells us  about the DISpleasure of God.  Today...Just wait for it!

You have journeyed with me in my raging against the Man over the last two days.  I appreciate your patience.  I suppose it is a 'teaching point' here about that kind of pathway:  God can take it.  He walks these pathways with everybody, absolutely everybody.  Perhaps there are those who have an easy faith.  We should all be so lucky.

Anyway, today I get some resolution, and you get to BeWithMe as I do.  If you listened to me shaking my fist at God over the last two days, you are a friend-of-mine for coming back today.  Today, we get a KINGDOM IN OUR STOCKING.  It is His pleasure to give it to us!  So of the worries and clothes and food the last two days?  Ha!  He's got this.  Seek His kingdom.  Treasure by investing treasure.  The heart follows.  All good today.  Thanks for staying with me.  Your reward is a KINGDOM.  Just listen.

Continuing the theme of yesterday, I still am shaking my fist at God like Snoopy saying, "Curse you Red Baron!" after not getting the best of him. 

This podcast is real.  It is daily.  It is not very polished.  Sometimes it is beautiful and celebrates the joy of discovery.  Not so much today.  More on the ugly side, the frustrated, perhaps the misunderstanding side.  I'm going to anticipate the end of all this by saying I don't understand... YET. 

Perhaps this is a familiar place for you.  Perhaps you can resonate with me as I resemble the bad examples that are used in today's passage.  I was mad yesterday at the BIRDS.  Today it is the LILIES that have my undies in a crumple.

Eventually we are going to get to the good part, the God part.
He sees all the nations regarding this area of frustration.  (That is good so then I am in good company!)
He knows that we need them (the needs of the body, clothing, food, meaning, purpose, life)
He values me more than the birds and the lilies which I am so mad at today
He provides:  How much more will He clothe...

If you are a perfect Christian, then this will be our last Podcast together.  If you are NOT a perfect Christian, then maybe I'll see you tomorrow.  Listen and find out which you are.

Even though this Podcast is titled: Be With Me, I am afraid that I am not very good spiritual company this morning.  Today, I mostly have complaints.  I'm doing a little raging against God.  

If you want a cartoon picture, it would be Snoopy with his fist up in the air, "Curse you Red Baron!".  Now you know that Snoopy and the Red Baron will engage again.  But for today I am feeling a little shot down, insulted, and mad.  "I don't like the Bible" much today.  

Perhaps some days you feel like this too.  I suppose it is good for you to see me like this, for this is the nature of a spiritual walk.  

Here are some of my complaints today:  Ravens?!  Really?  They are the good example in the story? Could you be more insulting Lord? And how can you ask us to NOT be anxious about the stuff of life when the stuff of life occupies so much of our waking hours?  Walking that fine line of concern, but not anxious concern is too much of a tightrope.  Who can do this?  I could go on.

I know some of the right answers:  Life is more than...You value me more than...Ultimate control is in the hand of our Dear Lord.  Blah, de Blah, de Blah...

In the meantime, I HAVE COMPLAINTS.

We have been throwing the rich fool under the bus over the last few episodes.  And rightfully so.  But there is one thing that continues to nag me in my considerations of him and I thought I might share it with you.

We all have an "interior life".  We have an ongoing conversation with ourselves inside our head and inside our heart and inside our SOUL.  In fact, helpfully, this fool distinguishes those various audiences by "thinking to himself", and later, "saying to my soul, Soul..."  Now what he does in those conversations is not very impressive, but ya gotta love that at least he is having them.

So, I was wondering how we'd fare if WE "had a conversation with our soul".  Certainly, like the fool, it would reveal the way we think about God.  Or even IF we think about God at all.  Would we find some things to admire in that conversation?  Or, would we be throwing you and your conversation under the bus?  Listen and find out.

You can retire RICH!

Ironically, the "rich man" in the RICH FOOL parable is the poorest of the poor when it came down to the brass-tacks of judgment day.

Think with me then, what it might look like to be "RICH TOWARD GOD".  Specifically, this is what the man was assessed to be lacking.  So what does it mean to be "rich toward God?"  What "things can I prepare" that I can take with me into that next life.

Hopefully, today will be the day that my life is required of me and I get to be with the Lord. Don't get me wrong, I love being here and love this life.  But I am pretty sure I am going to like the next one EVEN BETTER.  I cannot wait to go and be with the Lord.  Perhaps, and I say this with an eye to His valuing me enough to exchange my life for His, He cannot wait to be with me.  Maybe He'll be as excited for that day as I am.  I hope this thought is not heretical.

Meantime, help me to be prepared, practiced and ready.   Help me to be rich toward God NOW so that I can be rich toward God on that day.  Can you prepare a soul with gratefulness and humility, and fear and treasuring so on THAT DAY, I will be found to be RICH TOWARD GOD?  Listen and wonder with me about it.

A man does some "Soul-talking" in the parable today.  In fact, he even addresses his soul as, "Soul".  There is nothing wrong with having a conversation with your own soul.  It is the content of the conversation and what it reveals that is the tragedy of this wondering. 

His little conversation with Mr. Soul reveals not that he values his soul too MUCH, but that he values it TOO LITTLE.  He doesn't quite see his connection to the Lord; his creation by the Lord; his gifting FROM the Lord; and his responsibility TO the Lord.

He thinks he is also in charge of his days and that he has laid up security for MANY YEARS.  Nope.  Tonight.  I wonder if the Lord speaks to him at breakfast and says this very night your soul will be required of you.  Maybe our Lord gave him all the day and the evening to think about his wrong conclusions.  I'm speculating here.

So if we had an "out loud" conversation with our own soul, "Mr. Soul", what might it betray? Listen and consider this with me.  I so appreciate your attention to this now.  I pray that it will help us all later, specifically on the day our soul is required of us. Perhaps we will say THEN, "Phew, I'm glad I listened and wondered about this...!"