Matthew 12 - 3.27.25

S - At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:1-2

O – The Pharisees had established 39 categories of actions forbidden on the Sabbath, based on interpretations of God’s law and on Jewish custom. Harvesting was one of those forbidden actions. By picking wheat and rubbing it in their hands, the disciples were technically harvesting, according to the religious leaders. Jesus and the disciples were picking grain because they were hungry, not because they wanted to harvest the grain for a profit. They were NOT working on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, however, could not, and did not, want to see beyond their laws’ technicalities. They had no room for compassion, and they were determined to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing.

A - Although there is so much to share about in this chapter, these two verses always stop me in my reading as I do a big eye roll. What in the world?! This feels ludicrous and seems the epitome of looking for sin that isn’t there. Is this ALL they could fault them for? This was the best they could do? Could they not see how ridiculous this sounded?!

The seventh day is to be a holy day for God. That doesn’t mean that a person cannot lift any objects, but it does mean that a person must not labor at their job. What the disciples were doing did not break the Old Testament law. It is clearly stated in Deuteronomy….

Deuteronomy 23:24-25 - 24 If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.

We should never add or subtract from the Bible. We must be careful not to add our own traditions onto the teaching of God’s Word. These traditions can cause bondage and legalism instead of a heart to serve God. At the same time, be very careful not to judge others for things which the Bible doesn’t condemn. We could very easily turn people AWAY from God by doing these things, rather than draw them into the loving relationship with Him that He desires.

1 John 5:3 - 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

The Sabbath was made for man. This day was not meant as a yoke of bondage where people would sneak around scared of breaking one of the thousands of rules on this day (the Rabbis had come up with many additional rules governing every area of life including how many steps you could take on the Sabbath and forbidding spitting on dirt because when the dirt turned to mud that is work.) The purpose of this day was to rest from their work and spend time learning about and worshiping God as a family and country. How could a person ever rest it he had to count every step he took during the day, weigh out everything he carried to make sure it wasn’t too heavy, and look before spitting, etc.? These kinds of rules crush people and turn them off from following God. But imagine the other way. Knowing they weren’t supposed to work in the fields, gather grain, or plow, the people could truly rest. They could put aside all of their worries for one day and just enjoy each other and the Lord. God’s commands are not burdensome, but ours very well could be. (studyandobey.com)

P – Lord, forgive me for the times that I let my busyness get in the way of taking time for a Sabbath with you. Help me, and anyone else struggling to rest in you, remember what the Sabbath is, and what its intended purpose is for. Help us to set aside a day to just soak in Your presence and Your love….to spend time worshiping you, breaking bread with our brothers and sisters and sharing ALL of the amazing ways in which you are actively caring for us, loving us, protecting us and providing for us. YOU are worthy of all of our praise and You are all that we need. Help us to remember that when we find ourselves being too busy to put aside a day to rest in You. May Your commands fill us with peace as we know your Heart for us is always GOOD and that when we take the time to really BE with you, you honor that time and we have no need to worry about what is to come the next day. You are already going ahead of us to work those things out. Lord, thank you for the reminder that it is my privilege to spend time with you and that the time spent with you is NEVER wasted! Amen!

- Crystal Flory

Psalm 54 - 3.26.25

Scripture

Psalm 54:6-7

I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
    I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.
You have delivered me from all my troubles,
    and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

Observation

I love reading the psalms and how real David is with his emotions. He cries out to God and pours out all his worries, misery, and despair. And after he lets it all out and lays the problem at God’s feet, then he comes back acknowledging that God is in control, that he is faithful and good.

Application

Pastor Levi talked about this same thing on Sunday. Following Jesus does not mean we will never experience difficulties. But he asks us to trust him. When confronted with storms, we can spiral out of control or we can run to the one who loves us and promises peace and comfort. I’ve had the opportunity to put this into practice this week. I’ve had some difficult circumstances that feel overwhelming. I can lay awake worrying and filled with anxiety, or I can lay it at his feet. Over and over the past week I have had to pray and put things in God’s hands. And he is faithful to hear my cries and replace them with peace. My circumstances have not changed, but I believe that God is in control.

Prayer

Lord, you are faithful. You have answered my prayers before and you will do it again. I am thankful that I serve a loving, faithful and mighty God. No circumstances are too big for you. Thank you for being in control and thank you for surrounding me with your peace.

- Debbie Dunn

Matthew 10 - 3.25.25

SCRIPTURE:  MATTHEW 10:28 – 31

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

OBSERVATION

Jesus is preparing the disciples for what’s to come in the days ahead. There will be persecutions and many more trials – even to the point of death. Jesus doesn’t want them to worry or be afraid and shares what’s more important:  our soul and value to the Father.

Jesus knows everyone will be concerned about the worst case scenario: dying. But the death of our body isn’t what matters most but the death of our soul. We will all physically die at one point and there’s nothing we can do about it. But we do have the ability to affect our soul. We can have a healthy fear of “the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” That healthy fear is what causesd me to seek God in my life. But is fear where we should live our life? No, that’s why Jesus immediate shares just how precious and important we are to the Father.

Jesus tries to provide a valuable comparison just to help the disciples understand their fear but to also give them hope and comfort.  He takes a common sparrow, which were not valuable then or now, yet are cared so much by God that “not one will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” What a tender and loving vision this creates of God gently caring for the sweet little sparrows. God’s love doesn’t end there. Jesus goes on to say that “even the very hairs on your head are all numbered.” God loves us that deeply!  Jesus comes full circle on the fear of death, our value above sparrows, to then encourage the disciples “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

APPLICATION

Physical death is inevitable. Our bodies will pass away one day. My fear shouldn’t be about my body but my soul. Am I living a life that glorifies God? Am I more concerned about God or people on this earth? It’s all about our priorities and the choices we make each day. We can live in fear or can live our life for God. Understanding how important and deeply loved we are to our heavenly Father can easily turn every fear into praise.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, thank you for the comfort your Word provides. You care about what we feel – and provide exactly what we need to hear.  You help us to see, in comparison with sparrows, that we’re more important to you! Thank you for loving me. Help me to always keep my focus on you. Help me to remember this scripture when any form of worry or fear comes along. In Jesus name! Amen

- Mary Oberg