Verse of the day
Ephesians 6:14
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
Ephesians 6:14
Amen! The Truth that comes from the Word of God!! It is the foundation that gathers together all of the armor of God so that it can be used effectively. It holds up the breastplate of righteousness; one cannot truly be righteous without the belt of Truth. In order to be effective in spiritual battles, the belt of Truth MUST be worn. Amen!!! Lord, thank You for the Word of God!!!
' “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”'
Matthew 20:1-16
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.20.1-16
There is work to do for the Kingdom of Heaven are the rewards are immeasurable. God promises rewards, but His manner of distributing them is not like the world. There will be people who join into the work much later, but will still get the same rewards as those who have been working their whole lives for the Kingdom of God. He is a generous God and noone has the right to question anything He does. It is not our business what He does for others. We are to focus on Him and be thankful for the many ways that He has, is, and will bless us which is so much greater than we could ever deserve. Sometimes we are blessed more than we even realize and that could be why we feel like others are more blessed than we are. When we see others get blessed, the right response is to praise Him who gives generously and to be happy for the receiver of the blessing. Besides, it all comes from Him and He loves us just as much as He loves them. He has been so incredibly good to us and is NOT done blessing us, either. We have no idea the blessings He has in store for our futures! However, it isn’t about what He does for us, but about who He is anyway. My point is that if it looks like someone is getting blessed more than us (especially when we are going through trials), it is not a measure of how much more He loves them.
'Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”'
Matthew 20:20-28
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.20.20-28
Every mother wants great things for her children, but it is up to the Lord to decide their positions or callings. We cannot say things like, “Lord, I would really like my son/ daughter to be a worship leader who sings like the angels in Heaven.” Only the Lord gets to decide what they will do and his plans are so much greater than we can ever imagine. Lord, I am in agreement with whatever wonderful plans you have for my children. If You want to give me a picture of what that look like, I pray that You will. That would also be greatly encouraging to me because it would tell me that they will be walking with You and working for Your Kingdom, which is what I want for them more than anything!! Lord, Show me who Kaisa, Ethan, Jacob, and Judy are to You and in Your Kingdom, in Jesus’ Name!!
'As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.'
Matthew 20:29-34
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.20.29-34
Lord, thank You for being a miracle working God!! Thank You for Your compassion, grace, and mercy. Thank You that You bend down to listen to our prayers and that You answer!! Your Goodness is immeasurable and there is noone like You!!
Ephesians 6:14
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
Ephesians 6:14
Amen! The Truth that comes from the Word of God!! It is the foundation that gathers together all of the armor of God so that it can be used effectively. It holds up the breastplate of righteousness; one cannot truly be righteous without the belt of Truth. In order to be effective in spiritual battles, the belt of Truth MUST be worn. Amen!!! Lord, thank You for the Word of God!!!
' “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”'
Matthew 20:1-16
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.20.1-16
There is work to do for the Kingdom of Heaven are the rewards are immeasurable. God promises rewards, but His manner of distributing them is not like the world. There will be people who join into the work much later, but will still get the same rewards as those who have been working their whole lives for the Kingdom of God. He is a generous God and noone has the right to question anything He does. It is not our business what He does for others. We are to focus on Him and be thankful for the many ways that He has, is, and will bless us which is so much greater than we could ever deserve. Sometimes we are blessed more than we even realize and that could be why we feel like others are more blessed than we are. When we see others get blessed, the right response is to praise Him who gives generously and to be happy for the receiver of the blessing. Besides, it all comes from Him and He loves us just as much as He loves them. He has been so incredibly good to us and is NOT done blessing us, either. We have no idea the blessings He has in store for our futures! However, it isn’t about what He does for us, but about who He is anyway. My point is that if it looks like someone is getting blessed more than us (especially when we are going through trials), it is not a measure of how much more He loves them.
'Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”'
Matthew 20:20-28
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.20.20-28
Every mother wants great things for her children, but it is up to the Lord to decide their positions or callings. We cannot say things like, “Lord, I would really like my son/ daughter to be a worship leader who sings like the angels in Heaven.” Only the Lord gets to decide what they will do and his plans are so much greater than we can ever imagine. Lord, I am in agreement with whatever wonderful plans you have for my children. If You want to give me a picture of what that look like, I pray that You will. That would also be greatly encouraging to me because it would tell me that they will be walking with You and working for Your Kingdom, which is what I want for them more than anything!! Lord, Show me who Kaisa, Ethan, Jacob, and Judy are to You and in Your Kingdom, in Jesus’ Name!!
'As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.'
Matthew 20:29-34
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.20.29-34
Lord, thank You for being a miracle working God!! Thank You for Your compassion, grace, and mercy. Thank You that You bend down to listen to our prayers and that You answer!! Your Goodness is immeasurable and there is noone like You!!
