March 21, 2025
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Lent 2025 – Day 1 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Growing Opposition
Read Sections 4.71 through 4.73 (pages 126-129)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
Lent 2025-Day 1
Lots of great books have been written by great men over the years, but there is absolutely nothing that comes close to reading the words that Jesus spoke while he was here on earth. Absolutely nothing will feed our soul like the words that Jesus himself spoke. the spirit within me, leaps this morning, reading these words. My grandchildren came home from second grade yesterday and they told me about a classmate who does not believe in God, but believes in Jesus, they said to their classmate, but God and Jesus are the same!! the faith of a little child.
Divorce is an easy “go-to” for couples nowadays if people even bother to get married at all. God clearly created marriage to be a til death covenant. Now certainly there are times where men and women cheat or are abusive and God does not want that for any spouse but marriage is also hard and divorce shouldn’t be used because someone doesn’t want to put in the work. Life isn’t always hearts and rainbows and like Jesus told the rich man, following God is about sacrifice and putting aside the things of this world for a greater reward of salavation and eternal life. Jesus picked up that cross and died on it for us and we must pick up our own crosses each day whether that be a difficult marriage, money trouble, addiction, or whatever other area we need to die to self and give it to God and it will be hard but unlike Jesus who did it alone, He helps us carry ours!
Lent 2025 day 1
Jesus tells the followers not to turn children away. Telling us how God’s kingdom belongs to those who are like these little children. Our children trust us as parents so much with no feelings that we will not be there. We need to have that same unquestionable trust loyalty
and love for our God.
Picturing a camel absolutely never going thru the eye of a needle makes me happy I am not rich! In the world we can actually have anything but all comes with a price. How wonderful that our reward is eternal life. It says there are different levels of eternal life advising us that the last will be 1st and 1st will be last. Same example in the vineyard.
Lent Day 1
The believers of Jesus were trying to prevent the little children from coming to Him. Probably because they felt He was too busy to have time for little children. After all Jesus was a great teacher and only the adults needed to hear Him. How wrong they were, and they had alot to learn. Jesus instead has the children come over to Him and takes interest in them. Then He gives an example to the believers of how a person needs to come to Christ. Just like a little child putting their complete trust in Him. In the story of the rich man, he asks Jesus how he can have eternal life. He addresses Jesus as good teacher. Jesus tells him that no one is good but God alone. Right away Jesus shows him his sin for no one is good. Jesus brings this man to the Ten Commandments to show him that he has sin. Jesus is speaking to his conscience. This rich man says that he obeys the commandments that Jesus brings up. So, Jesus convicts him with sharing his wealth and he walks away sad. Jesus wanted all of his heart, not part of it. There is nothing wrong with having wealth but if it is so important like an idol than that will prevent a person from being saved. You must not have any gods before me. One of the Ten Commandments. This is even true once we become believers. If other things are more important to us than the Lord, then He won`t be able to use us or at least very little. No one can save themselves. It is a free gift. How foolish to think that if we are good enough, we can earn our salvation. Titus 3:5 {Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.} When it comes to salvation, we are all equals, for we are all saved through the cross of Christ. May the Lord bless you all.
Lent 2025 – Day 1
Lent days 1 & 2
How well these stories go together. In order to enter God’s kingdom we must come to him like a child, with the simplicity of faith and trusting God just because of what He says about salvation. So for the man to come with his works and his wealth thinking I’ve got what it takes…I am really just asking so Jesus will validate all that I have done and say I am good to go. But no, do you have the childlike faith to obey the master, if in fact that is what you recognize me as? His problem is more that He doesn’t trust Jesus to do what He says than the willingness he has to give up his wealth. Now the reason the apostles are shocked and respond that if this guy can’t be saved, what hope is there for anyone., is because they thought riches were a sign that God’s blessing was on someone. So Jesus turns their world upside down as well with this interaction. And just how does God’s economy work. Well it is based in grace and the goodness of God to give generously to those who deserve less. The last will be first and the first will be last. The ones who think they have something, don’t. Those who don’t think they have something do when they believe and trust God for the doing and the blessing.
The workers in the vineyard parallels with what I just read in Ezekiel 33 : ”“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’ When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.“
Ezekiel 33:12-16 NKJV
Afterwards the people say, “God isn’t fair.” Just like the owner of the vineyard paying everyone the same; it is his to decide what to pay.
In our humanity, we judge everything by fairness and equality, but that’s not how God works and if it weren’t for Jesus NO ONE Would make it!
Steve made an interesting point that it’s about relationship. The righteous turn away from God, and sin by trusting their own righteousness, and the wicked turn towards God and trust Him.
Day 1
Just wanted to say, Kaitlyn, that I appreciated your testimony on Sunday. We are often days behind in the readings too!