~Matthew 13:3-9
3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

~Matthew 13: 24-30
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field?  Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.  “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

My family has heard me say many times that I wanted to start celebrating Christmas only on odd or even years, not both.  Since Covid, I don’t think I’ve said that.  I am just glad to be alive to see Christmas.  I think my tune may be changing.  Maybe the Lord is working on me.   

I was all too excited to decorate our new home for Christmas!  I bought an LED lighted garland to frame the front door.  I can change from colorful lights to all white lights, to flashing lights or running lights, all at the touch of a button!  I am so excited!  I am enjoying all the light displays around town.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about Christmas lights.  

When we read about the birth of Jesus in the Gospels, we read that it was first the light of a star that alerted the world to His birth.  The magi, when they traveled to King Herod, asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Mat. 2:2)   Jesus said, as John recorded in 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We call the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments the Intertestamental Period - during this time, the people did not hear any word from God.  Can you imagine how dark the Earth must have felt with God keeping silent?  When we pray we want immediate answers.  We sometimes give God a few days to answer, but 400 years is a long time.  How long does it take before a man loses hope?  400 years with no word from God might feel like a pandemic - fear of fellow man, sickness, death, loss - and it’s only been 2 years!  When that light, the star that announced the birth of God’s one and only Son, the Savior of the world, appeared, it made a statement.  The people needed a Savior, just like we need a Savior today!  

While some of us have a tendency to make Christmas about material things, we need a Christmas season to give us hope.  I heard on the news this week that the United States’ death toll due to Covid, is around 800,000.  Many families will mourn the vacant seats at Christmas dinner this year.  We need the hope that the Christmas season brings.  Our loved ones, who are physically dead but believed in Jesus, are dwelling in heaven with Him.  If we, too, believe, we will be reunited one day.

Some of us have prayed and it feels like God is not going to answer.  We need a Christmas season to remind us that at another time in history God was silent - but oh what a glorious day it was when He answered!  

We need a Christmas season to remind us that God loves all people.  He placed that star for the whole world to see because Jesus came to save all people.  Those who love Him, must also love all people.  As we move into the new year, pray that God will show you how to love all people.  When we love people, we don’t fight with them, we seek reconciliation, we forgive, and we lead people to Christ.  

We need a Christmas season to help us to refocus on the light.  The world, the culture, has all sorts of distractions.  The distractions draw our attention away from Jesus.  They are the thief who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”  Jesus came “that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Use this Christmas season to refocus your attention on Jesus.  He came to bear the burden of your sin.  If you believe in Him, your sins are forgiven.  There is no need to hang your head, feel guilty, or ashamed.  Pray to Him, giving thanks and ask Him what He would have you do in 2022.  Ask Him who He would have you lead to Him in 2022.  Amen!


Thank you so much for reading!
Enjoy the Christmas lights!
​Kim​

~Isaiah 55:8-11
8My plans aren’t your plans,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my plans than your plans.
10Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky
 and don’t return there without watering the earth,
 making it conceive and yield plants
 and providing seed to the sower and food to the eater,
11so is my word that comes from my mouth;
it does not return to me empty.
Instead, it does what I want,
and accomplishes what I intend.

​

Ye of little faith.  Do you really think I need a tree to provide a shadow?  Look, the tree is gone, but there is a shadow.  Quit your obsessing and trust in me.  ​

In Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus and His disciples are in a boat when a storm begins to stir.  Jesus is sleeping, but the disciples are being tormented by the wind and rain.  In desperation, they wake Him saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”  26He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Earlier in this chapter, we read about several other miracles Jesus performed.  He heals a man with Leprosy.  They saw the centurion’s servant healed of paralysis by Jesus merely speaking that he should be healed.  We read about Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law of fever.  Then when the storm arises, they are afraid.  Is this not how we operate today?  We know God, we know His love, we know His power.  We know He is in control of all Creation, but when there is a situation, we resort to fear.   

In what ways might you be suffering from less than enough faith?  Are you in a financial bind and need His guidance to make ends meet?  Are you in a relationship that needs to be mended in a way that only He can?  Are you grieving the loss of a loved one and don’t think you will ever feel whole again?  Are you praying for the salvation of a loved one, but he/she continues to live a lifestyle that dishonors God?  Are you waiting for a prayer to be answered and don’t see any resolution?

Have faith.  He can and He will.  Do your part - be obedient.  Faith without works is dead.  Do what you are supposed to do.  Yes, you must pray, but maybe you also should send a text or an email.  Maybe you must submit to an earthly authority.  Do your part and He will take care of the rest.  There is no problem too big or too small for Him.  Have faith.  Amen. 

If you have a red letter Bible, you can easily distinguish the words of Jesus, I’d say those are some of the most powerful words in the Bible.  We read in Matthew 8, some of the miracles Jesus performed.  His conversation with the Centurion is below. ​

In those times a Centurion was the leader of 100 soldiers in the Roman army.  Their years of faithful service was what promoted them to this rank.  Their servants, however, had no legal rights, they were property.  This Centurion, however, had great comparison for his suffering servant and he believed Jesus had the power and authority to heal.  He didn’t even believe Jesus’s physical presence was necessary.  He said, “if Jesus would, just say the word, and his servant would be healed.”  We read in v.10, that Jesus was amazed, and remarked on the Centurion’s great faith. 

​This amazed me.  We read in Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  I know I’m not perfect.  I know that I am not even close.  I know that my actions are much closer to perfection than my internal thoughts and dialogue.  But I also know He knows my thoughts and motivations, so I am back to imperfect.  To know that Jesus was impressed by the Centurion’s faith is a challenge to me.  I wonder what Jesus would say about me!  Would He be impressed by any aspect of my faith?  This idea challenges me to examine myself, my attitude towards others, my attitude towards my sin.  The previous chapters of Matthew contain Jesus’s words in the Sermon on the Mount.  He teaches us how to live - not just how to behave, but how to think, the proper attitude we should take, how to pray, and what a repentant heart really is.  He knows we will never be perfect, but challenges us to live as He demonstrated.  How are you living?  What would Jesus say about you? 


Amen.  Thank you for reading. 
Kim  

​

A few weeks ago I posted on Facebook that I had never noticed how dramatically sunrise changed throughout the seasons until now.  I hadn’t noticed it before because I had always slept through it.  I wrote about how God made the Earth and tilted it exactly 23.5 degrees on its axis.  This combined with its 24-hour daily rotation and 365-day revolution around the sun causes the seasons.  Well, that’s the scientific explanation of seasons, but knowing God as I do, He probably had other reasons that this would be so. I speculated that it’s because He knows mankind very well - He knows mankind better than mankind knows mankind!  Maybe He decided to give us four seasons to keep us interested in the natural things and away from sin.  

Way back in Genesis He said, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Gen. 8:22)  I don’t know how many thousands of years it’s been since these words were written, but they are certainly still true.  

Most people have a favorite time of year, but there are exciting things to do in every season.  Our change of address has shown me new interests I never knew I had.  I never knew the joy that working in the yard could bring.  In the past I planted shrubs that did not flower, but now I shop for flowers that will bloom at different times of the year.  I had no idea Camelias bloomed in the winter!  I have never desired to decorate for fall.  This year I bought some mums and a scarecrow for the front porch and fall wreath to hang in the kitchen.  All of these things are new for me!  

Certainly, this is not my first trip around the sun, but on this 45th trip, I am realizing that I don’t know how many more trips I have!  Nor do I know who will continue to take these trips along with me!  Rather than watching it all happen and waiting ‘til next year,’ to decorate my porch, I’m doing it right now!  The Lord has prompted us all to experience the seasons and we should experience them to the full!  I encourage you to allow the orange, red and yellow trees to bring smiles of awe to your face this fall.  Celebrate it.  Have friends over.  This is the season of roasting marshmallows and sipping on vegetable soup.  I’ve seen the Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes on store shelves, but to me it’s too soon for that!  It’s pumpkin time until the end of November!  At that point we can prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Personally, I am not upset about the supply chain interruptions that threaten to keep our store shelves bare.   Hopefully it will help us to celebrate the true meaning of the season.  Christmas is about giving, but it’s giving and showing love, not expensive presents that will make us slaves to the lender through the following year!  Give love and show love like God demonstrated by giving us His one and only Son who takes away the sins of the world.  Amen. 

Thank you for reading!
This year, change with the seasons!
Kim



​

In Matthew 5:13 Jesus says those who follow Him are the salt of the Earth.  He doesn’t say we will become salt in Heaven, He says we are the salt now.  Would you agree, a little salt goes a long way?  I have a recipe for a cream cheese pound cake that calls for a “pinch of salt.”  I once made it and forgot the salt.  The cake was ruined - not exactly, but it was terribly bland.  Now when I make it, I am SURE to remember that pinch of salt.  The 3 cups of sugar are nothing against that pinch of salt! 

If we are blessed to live a long life on Earth, we will undoubtedly face difficult situations.  We will meet people of different backgrounds and beliefs.  We will be challenged to make difficult choices - we can choose to be in agreement with the culture or we can be in agreement with the Word of God.  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”  (Mat 6:24)  

In His Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5, Jesus explained the characters of those whose destiny is Heaven.  ⇼The poor in spirit are those who recognize the need for God’s direction.  ⇼Those who mourn are not those who mourn the death of a loved one.  He is speaking of those who mourn their sin because they realize that sin is an offense against God.  ⇼The meek are those who submit to the Word of God forsaking man and cultural standards.  ⇼Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness desire only to please God.  ⇼Those who are merciful are quick to forgive and show compassion to others.  ⇼Those who are pure in heart not only do the right things, but think the right thoughts - they will spend eternity in Heaven.  It’s easy to discipline oneself to exhibit certain outward behaviors, but remember God knows our motives, He knows our reasoning.  The pure in heart do the right thing for the right reason.  ⇼Peacemakers will be destined for Heaven.  On Earth, they don’t seek their own good, but the good of others, they show mercy, and they both forgive and forget.  ⇼Jesus says blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.  We can face earthly penalties for our obedience to God.  We may lose friends, we may not be invited to gatherings, we may face hatred or violence, but we must rest assured that our reward is in Heaven.  

These characters are how we should be salt.  A little salt is a potent thing.  You may be the only person in your workplace who is a follower of Christ.  There may not be another person in the classroom who has the character of Christ.  You may be the only person in your bookclub, or on your street, or in Walmart at the moment who knows Jesus Christ and can choose to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Mat. 6:20)  Choose wisely.  

Galatians 6:9 advises, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  I think this is what Jesus is referring to when he spoke of the salt losing its saltiness.  Doing good; choosing righteousness time and time again; loving the people who persecute us for our obedience to God; forgiving folks who repeatedly try to do us harm.  We can definitely become weary, but we must not stop obeying the Word of God.  When we feel we are about to succumb, or about to lose our saltiness...it’s a signal to pray.  How can we become salty again? We must pull out our Bible and read, then we must pray some more.  Do not lose your saltiness.  For if you do, you are worth nothing except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)  

As you begin this first week of November, I will leave you with these words of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)​

~ ~ ~

AMEN!  Thank you for reading!  Your comments are always welcome and encouraging to me.  I don’t always reply, but I always read them.  They definitely help to keep this weekly message being produced.  I don’t want to lose my saltiness either!  Amen. 
Kim ​

As my children age and approach their independence, I am becoming aware of my parenting failures and I’m trying to correct them before they head out into the world.  I laughed when they went to purchase Father’s Day cards and didn’t get envelopes.  I guess I never showed them that the envelopes are right behind the cards and that they’re free!  For the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking on another potential failure - not a complete disaster, but something that might benefit from a bit more urgency. 

Our Bible study group has been reading Matthew, and dissecting Jesus’ sermon on the mount, I’m not only seeing holes in my own Christian walk, but areas in which I haven’t been the best parent because my own level of understanding was incomplete.  I’ve read Matthew 5 before, but I read it with Kim’s definition of being “poor in spirit,” and Kim’s definition of “those who mourn,” and hunger and thirst I read as hunger and thirst, not “hunger and thirst for righteousness” - there’s a difference!  For a long time, I think I lived as if I had God in my pocket.  If I needed Him, I knew He was there.  I didn’t depend on Him, I didn’t pray without ceasing, I lived as if I was in control of my own life, and if there was something I couldn’t control, I would call on Him.  I’ve always been conscious of my behavior, as I wrote in last week’s message Conduct Matters, but my thoughts...unspeakable.   I wasn’t necessarily breaking the Law (Ten Commandments), but I certainly was not fulfilling the Beatitudes.  

Until the pandemic, we attended church regularly, and began Bible study in 2013.  It’s been regular for me, but my sons have missed portions due to sports practices and such.  They won’t miss any more of it!  I was in awe of Genesis last year as I had heard portions of many of the stories, but had never read them and reflected upon them for myself.   This study of Matthew has been different. Reading about the pure in heart and the peacemakers has been eye-opening. ”For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:20)  

Studies show that within 3 weeks of being away from home, a typical college student raised in the Church will assimilate to the culture of the school, forgetting all about his Christian ideals.  My fear is that since my heart change came later in life, that it wasn’t early enough in my children’s lives to make a lasting impact.  My prayer is that God has predestined them to His kingdom.  I pray that they will continue to participate in Bible study and grow in sanctification.  While they will soon be on their own out in the world, I want them to be salt and light realizing that the Word of God is far greater than anything the world can possibly offer.  Amen. 

~2 Timothy 2: 15 
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

~Romans 8:29-30
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

~1 John 4:4
​You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.




Thank you for reading,
Kim

When I was in elementary school, we received grades for handwriting, spelling, and conduct in addition to our academic marks. As I recall, the grades were O for outstanding, S for satisfactory, and N for needs improvement. To my parents, the most important grade on my entire report card was the conduct grade. I admit…typically, my conduct grade was not Outstanding, it was usually S for Satisfactory, but my teachers were cognizant to add a personal note, “talks too much, but is never rude or disrespectful.” Thank the Lord, they wrote that note because less than outstanding behavior was a spanking!

We don’t give conduct grades anymore, and I’ve aged out of grade school, anyway, but I’d like to think my conduct is still in the satisfactory to outstanding range.  I still talk too much, but it’s always in fun. I like to smile, laugh and I like to make others do the same.  I’m not confrontational, and I don’t have an angry spirit.  Our conduct is important.  People are watching, children are watching.  I hear from my children's teachers that they, too, have good conduct in class.  Hopefully, they are emulating me!  Children do what they see their parents do, so be sure you are saying and doing the right things.  We have all seen examples, recently of poor conduct, our children, see this too and know that personal conduct is a choice.  

The sin nature we inherited from Adam remains and continues to raise its ugly head.  It’s the cause of our impatience, selfishness, lies, anger, and malice.  You see this in videos on social media, you’ve seen it in the grocery store, in schools and maybe even at church.  Poor conduct leaves a negative image in the minds of all who witness it.  Scripture says, Even small children are known by their actions.  (Prov. 20:11)  What would your conduct grade be?  Conduct matters.

James 1:19-21
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Galatians 5:16-17
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 

Romans 12:2
​​Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.



Conduct Matters.  Amen. 
Thank you for reading!
Kim


​