Matthew 19:16  What...must I do to get eternal life?

Among the various times I can imagine Jesus laughing is when a man asked Him how to get eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments. The man implied that he had - perfectly - since he was a boy.

At this point I can imagine a tremendous hilarity overtaking Jesus, as He mused:" As if you could! Ho! Ho! Ho!"

You and I fail utterly on our own. But throwing ourselves at the feet of Christ, we receive mercy.

Imagine another person has arrived at the portals of heaven. A voice asks: "What is the password? Speak it and you may enter."

"The password?" the person replies tremulously. "Well, is it: 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'?"

"No," replies the voice.

"The righteous will live by faith?"

"No."

"For God so loved the world that He gave...?"

"Those are all true sayings," says the voice, "But they are not the password for which I listen today."

"Well, then, I give up," says the person.

"That's it! Come right on in!"
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 19:14  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I'm often amazed at my children's memory. "Dad, do you remember?" often begins a recollection of an incident I'd long since forgotten, told to the minute detail. They remember and embrace these early memories and tell them back with great joy.

How important a task parents have to tell the stories of our great God to their children at the earliest possible moment. Though not totally understood, these gems of the Gospel become an open door through which the children can run unhindered to their Savior Jesus. The message that Christ died for their sins and the sins of the whole world indeed assures them that their Father's arms are now open in welcome and will remain open until the day when they are safely in His arms in heaven. They will remember and retell these stories throughout their lives as they grow in faith through Word and Sacrament. Grooming  them for discipleship, bracing them for their journey through life, assuring them of eternal life in heaven, we have a God-pleasing task. What greater joy could we have than to say, "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these"?

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 18:19-20 If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.

This is the age of the megachurch, congregations with memberships that total in the thousands. Some of these churches have their own orchestras, parking lot attendants, and even restaurants and aerobic classes. They offer families support services that go far beyond what small congregations can offer.

There is one thing, however, that both large churches and small churches must offer, and that is Christ. He is the reason we have church. He must be the center of all we do in our congregation. All our social and entertainment programs, as important and helpful as they are, cannot take the place of "the one thing that is needful."

There are very few places in the gospels where Jesus mentions the function of the church. In the previous verses of Matthew 18 He addresses the issues of church discipline. Now, He mentions that "where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them." Two or three is a pretty small congregation!

It doesn't matter what size our church is or what programs we offer our members. As long as we are meeting in the name of the Savior who suffered, died, and rose again for our salvation, we can be assured of His presence and blessing.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Everyone has heard the statement, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Many offers and promises sound awfully good until one tears away the packaging or looks at the fine print:

"You're poised to win $10,000,000.00."

"Save an additional 75% off the price."

"No matter how bad your credit, we'll put you in a new Cadillac with no worry about payments for one year."

"Just step up and try the game. Everybody wins."

Who hasn't been stung by some slick salesperson touting his or her goods, some commercial that guarantees riches and happiness, some investment scheme that promises a large monetary lifetime return? They urge us to buy, to invest, to indulge, but after we have, we discover the claims were at best exaggerated. The barker at the circus promises that "everybody wins," but what one wins isn't worth what you've paid to play the game.

In the process of believing and then discovering time and time again that a claim or a promise isn't true, we become cynical and distrustful. We even become skeptical of God's promises, such as the one made by Jesus in Matthew 11:28-29. He invites all who are burdened to come in faith to Him and He'll give them rest. It's an offer that seems too fantastic, but it's true. Even in doubt, we need to remember St. Paul's words, "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously gives us all things?" (Romans 8:32).
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 10:32  Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven.

When your first child or grandchild was born, did people have to pry this news from you? Most likely, you sent announcements and told everyone you knew. It has been my experience that grandparents share pictures and tell stories about their wonderful grandchildren even to people who may not be very interested, including store clerks, doctors, and lawyers.

In this Matthew passage, God gives each of us the opportunity to be billboards for Jesus. We have the special privilege of telling the story of Jesus.

We are promised that if we acknowledge Jesus before other people we will be acknowledged by Christ Himself to the Father in heaven. There are many who desire an audience with the pope, an invitation to the White House, or a request to appear before the queen of England. Here is our opportunity to come into the presence of the King of kings. Can there be a more prestigious invitation than the one offered?

If we received an invitation to meet a head of state, it is unlikely that we would keep it a secret. Having an invitation from the King, let each one of us accept this special offer to tell our own story about the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Most of all, let us acknowledge Jesus to our children and to our grandchildren. How are you telling the story?

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 6:33  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

A layman was making a call on a wealthy businessman, asking him to help in the Lord's work. The man wrote a check for $250 and handed it to him. Just then someone in his office brought in a message. The business read it with dismay.

"This message tells me I have just suffered a great loss," he said. "It makes a great difference in my affairs. I shall have to write you another check."

"I understand," said the layman and handed back the $250 check."

The business's checkbook was still open. He wrote another check and handed it to the layman, who read it with amazement.

"But this check is for $1000," he gasped. "Haven't you made a mistake?"

"No," said the businessman. "That message was really from God. It read, 'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth'" (Matthew 6:19).

That man had his priorities in proper order. He had placed the kingdom of God first and his material affairs second.

How often do we put ourselves first and the "things that come from the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:14) second?

God says, "My son, give Me your heart and let your eyes keep to My ways" (Proverbs 23:26). Oh, may we always lovingly respond, "With all my heart...I will obey Your decrees" (Psalm 119:145).

Summed up, always place Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself third. Then you will truly have J-O-Y.

--Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

There's nothing more frustrating than driving up and own a dark street, looking for an address, and none of the houses have any lights on, including, apparently, the one you are looking for...the home to which you have been invited. This is an area that you are not very familiar with, and you've had a hard time even finding the right street. Now you are creeping along, peering into the darkness, not even sure you are in the right block, wondering which side of the road you should try. When you finally do find the right house, it sure doesn't seem very inviting.

We invite people to our homes all the time. If our invitation is not very sincere, perhaps a salesman that we couldn't get rid of, we're not very helpful. But if we are excited about our guests coming, we give them good directions, we describe landmarks, we leave the lights on, and we eagerly greet them. How much more excited, then, could we be than when we invite people into our Father's home?

As we, by the power of the Spirit, witness the love of Jesus Christ to other people, we need to leave our lights on. As people see our lights, the joy that radiates from us, the surety of our salvation, the fruit of the Spirit that dwell within, they will feel invited; they will feel welcome.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,