JESUS, the TEACHER (31)

In Section Five, 

we meet

JESUS

the TEACHER

I think that JESUS, the Storyteller; and JESUS, Teacher are closely related.

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Having been a teacher, I remember when weaving a lesson through storytelling 

seemed to make the lesson more enjoyable for both student and teacher.

That storytelling ability and a song makes the lesson stick a bit better.

This section on JESUS, the Teacher seems to have fallen at just the right time of the year, 

as teachers soon begin their preparation for the next school year, many already have.

There is so much more to take into account being a teacher nowadays

that every minute preparing ahead helps you deal with the extra being required of 

the teachers in our school/education system.

JESUS

is the ultimate example for

the Teacher

but the bar Jesus sets is a pretty high one!

Sadly, far too many teachers (and students) are paying a very high price 

in our schools these days with their very lives, just as Jesus did yet

Jesus sacrificed for an eternal reason.

The loss of teachers and students

is an absolutely senseless loss

without any reason.

This tragedy

in our lifetime has to end now!

It is completely out-of-control - 2023 statistics show us clearly.

This is not why we become teachers, nor why we send our children to school!

I might never have the chance to speak out against this

as I do right now, as I begin with

JESUS, the Teacher

I pray we look closely at the lessons that 

JESUS

teaches and see that

Violence (Gun Violence)

does not fit with any of His Principles, Character or Design

for His Children.

In no way, does any of this violence & hate line up with Scripture!

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In this section of

JESUS

the TEACHER

there are 9 chapters or weeks: #31-39

31. Flying Standby 7/30 32. A Prayer Warrior            8/6 33. Focused on the Father  8/13 34. The One Who Provides 8/20 35. The Treasure Principle  8/27 36. A Marriage Counselor   9/3 37.Can One Become Two? 9/10 38. Love: Can Two Stay One? 9/17 39. The Number One Priority   9/24

Can you guess what that last one is?
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In the introduction to JESUS, the Teacher, James Merritt writes:

"Scholars debate almost everything about who Jesus was and what He did. But all agree He was a masterful teacher. He spoke with an understanding of spirituality and philosophical depth that continues to dazzle the minds of the masses. His teaching addresses life's most pressing problems and helps us navigate through them. The trick is to encounter Jesus' familiar phrases & well-trod wisdom with fresh eyes."~James Merritt

I couldn't agree more, plus this is so concise & well said that I decided I needed to share it.

It gives such a good overall view of JESUS, the Teacher!
I can already see some of the lessons that I should have paid better attention to in my life.
Coming to know and relate to JESUS in all of these capacities,
 gives me such a broader view of the JESUS I know & fall more in love with Him
every.single.day
if that's even possible
but doesn't even come close to how much He loves us,
that He would speak to us & cover all these aspects of our lives
in simple yet complex ways,
where we can always learn more and grow more as
He stretches & challenges us as we read & reread His Word given to teach us,
help us, encourage us, motivate us, guide us, transform us ...
What a Teacher! What a Savior!
I'm not one of those scholars,
yet I know a Masterful Teacher when I meet one
or have the privilege to sit under His Teachings & learn.
There are many wonderful teachers,
in fact, each year, in each state, there is a chosen
Teacher of the Year
as well as finalists from which they're chosen, but
JESUS
is the Master
Teacher of Every Year
without a doubt, we have so much to learn from Him!
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Here are the Scripture readings for this week:

Matthew 7:1-6; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; John 12:44-50; Romans 2:1-11; Romans 14:1-12

I'm not too sure what "Flying Standby" is or means for this week?
but I hope to understand after finishing reading 
these subtitles/segments:

"First Impressions"; "To Judge or Not to Judge"; "Eliminate Improper Judgment"; "Participate in Self-Judgment"; "Validate Righteous Judgment"

"Lord, teach me to see myself and others clearly, so that I might be more aware of my own sin and more passionate about Your grace for sinners like me."

Thank You Teacher - I'm ready to sit at Your feet again
for more lessons!

My STORY

JESUS the STORYTELLER
our STORY Teller

 As I finish yet another Section - Four out of Eight; meaning halfway through 52 Weeks with Jesus (devotional book by James Merritt) as I focus on JESUS in 2023; I realize that JESUS is the very BEST STORYTELLER, and there is even a Scripture in Hebrews (12:2) that calls Him, "the Author & Finisher of our faith". Although this verse is not speaking of Jesus, as the actual Author of our story, I do believe that He is ... since "author is an originator or Creator" and that He IS; Jesus is the ultimate Author and that is what He does in each believer's life as we hand our lives over to Him, and we can watch as He pens our story ... page after page, with all kinds of ups and downs, but He definitely is weaving each day or page into the next to create a tapestry of our entire faith journey. It may not be a Parable, yet I can see Jesus, teaching and using each thread to tie together the difference He makes in our lives; the days that He walks through our hard times and then all the beautiful moments He creates in our life. He calls each one of us to share our life with one another and with others that do not yet call Him, Lord and Savior. He wants our Story to make a difference for us and for others. As in the Parables, He wants us to share our common experiences - good and not-so-good - so that our STORY will connect with His Story, bringing us all closer together to understanding, with compassion and caring that unites us rather than divides us. He wants us to learn and grow closer to Him and others through our stories interlocking and changing us for the better. We all have a story to tell!

Surely, if JESUS has and was the STORY TELLER of your STORY, what might He want you to share. I love people who tell or share their STORIES. My father was like that and repeatedly he told and retold his stories of his STORY to anyone that came to visit so I heard them often. Many were his "world world II" stories, POW story and then some were about his amateur boxing days. But he was most often telling his STORY to all. I, too, enjoy story telling but not too often are they the ones from my personal life but rather ones already in a wonderful book. When I was in my high school Drama Class/Club, part of an assignment once was to tell & act out a story. My favorite one was Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hatches the Egg". Right now, this summer, the birds have chosen to build their nests close to our house entrances above the doors - this is not the delight you may think it could be. But back to telling our stories...or better said/written -God's story in our Story. Because HE is and that's the best part.

Years ago, back in 2010, I decided to attempt to put my STORY together as how I saw and understood it at that time. I think that if I wrote a new STORY of my faith journey now, it would hopefully be different and better. Yet I am sharing the links to that attempt to share my STORY

again here - I had just gone through a devastating experience in the last month of 2009, which might have influenced my writing or train of thought as I wrote; a very dear close friend had taken his life and I discovered him. A life shattering experience like that profoundly impacts your heart, soul and mind. It is one of many throughout my life that I know - without Jesus - I would not have made it! Jesus changes everything! And our prayers change everything! So clearly, our STORIES are meant to change and inspire, encourage and impact the lives of those around us. I hope my STORY may help you see how God loves & desires us to be image bearers that bear our stories - one to another; seeing our differences and similarities as we press on and continue to deepen our faith, strengthen our hope and increase our love for one another through Jesus Christ, who took all our stories & brought them to the Cross to redeem and forever change us to be more like Him. May you see Jesus in my STORY!

THIS IS MY STORY... Part I. MAZES... this too is my story...  MESSES... this too is my story... MIRACLES... this TOO is my story THIS IS MY STORY... PART II THIS IS MY STORY... Part III THIS IS MY STORY... Part IV THIS IS MY STORY ... Part V. THIS IS MY STORY... Part VI THIS IS MY STORY... Part VII. END of THIS STORY

If you just go to the Blog Archive (in the right side bar >>>)
and go to the year 2010 to open August you will find all of these blog posts
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Perhaps if I had found this website "Tell Your Story" I might have had a better STORY of
MY STORY
or more polished if I had followed others I have now found:
"How to Write about Your Life"
"Telling Our Stories"
"Preparing Your Personal Testimony"
{this is more of what I was trying to do}
"5 Simple Steps to Write Your Faith Story"

"Perspectives: On Sharing Our Stories" by Kelly O'Dell Stanley{I received this as an email}
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What is the best part of your STORY?
every one of us
have a
STORY

JESUS, the Storyteller (30)

Today's is the last in Section Four with

JESUS

the Storyteller

telling us about

"A Divine Divider"

19. The Seed Sower 5/7 20. The Best Boss    5/14 21. The Eye Opener 5/21 22. The Divine Auditor 5/28 23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4 24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11 24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11 25. The Life of the Party          6/18 26. A Hospitable Host              6/25 27. The Object of Our Worship7/2 28. The Grace Giver                7/9 29. Discerner of the Heart     7/16 30. A Divine Divider               7/23

JESUS
is the
DIVINE DIVIDER
Luke 12:51
"He brings doctrines that divide.
He is Creator come in the flesh to reveal Truth..."

Dr. Henry Morris writes, “The division is life or death, light or darkness, heaven or hell, Christ or antichrist . . . and the choice is ours!”

Heavy words, but so much truth.

"Divine division: The two words appear to be an oxymoron--an expressed idea in which there seems to be completely contradictory terms.  "Divine" means that something is of God or emanates from Him.  "Division" is the act of dividing, separating into two parts, or forming a boundary between." Global Christian

As you know, I really like to search for meanings & this link brings us 16 chapters on
DIVINE DIVISION

I'm quite curious about which Parable this "Divine Divider" is about but I'm pretty sure
that it has to do with "to whom much is given, much is expected".
Let's look at the Scriptures for this final week:

Luke 16:19-31; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

The devotion is divided into these segments/subtitles:

"Eternal Reversal"  "Our Final Exit"  -"...today's decision determines tomorrow's destiny" "Live Right" "Look Ahead" "Listen to God" - "Begin now to live for God, look to God, and listen to God for that is the only life that will matter both today and tomorrow."

This Week's Prayer:

"Lord, thank You for Your Word, which guides us into all truth. Quicken my heart to receive and respond to Your Gospel today." Thank You for the lessons in the Parables.

The rich man and the poor man - which one would you rather be?

JESUS, the Storyteller (29)

In Section Four, #29

JESUS

the Storyteller

tells us about the

"Discerner of the Heart"

19. The Seed Sower 5/7 20. The Best Boss    5/14 21. The Eye Opener 5/21 22. The Divine Auditor 5/28 23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4 24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11 25. The Life of the Party          6/18 26. A Hospitable Host              6/25 27. The Object of Our Worship7/2 28. The Grace Giver                7/9 29. Discerner of the Heart     7/16 30. A Divine Divider                 7/23

It says that the Word of God
"is a discerner of the thoughts  and intents of the heart"
Hebrews 4:12
also another from Bible Tools
I was actually just searching for a clear definition of DISCERNER ...
when I stumbled upon the above 
since "discerning" is something I have not been to good about throughout my life,
most certainly, in matters of the heart but it literally means "hearing or listening"
and I hope that I have done that at least from my heart of compassion.
I guess "discernment of spirits" was more of the problem for me.
"5 Helpful Tips for making a good discernment" (😕me, ???){at least the first 3 given were good points for me}
The 3rd was "pay attention to what's going on in your heart" which is needed to weigh the
"pros and cons" - that's good advice!
It's important for us to have a discerning heart "to help discover & understand what
God desires for us.
Now, I'm trying to figure out which Parable this might be ... 
but looking at the Bible Scripture will help me a lot. 
For this week, they are:

Matthew 13:24-30; 2 Corinthians 11;12-15; Galatians 1;6-9; 1 John 2;3-11; 1 John 2;18-23

but the key one is in Matthew

And the weekly devotion starts out with the familiar story to most of us on the Stradivari violin; so these are the 5 segments of this chapter beginning with the "Treasure from Trash" aboutStradivari

... (given above) "Only God can Tell Sinners from Saints" "Appearance of Righteousness" "Only God Can Take Sinners from Saints" "When the Reaper Reaps"

"... Turning a sinner into a saint is something only God can do"
Let's Pray:

"Lord, I confess that it is not my job to judge between weeds and wheat (please keep reminding me gently when I do); it is Yours! I long to be fruitful for Your Kingdom."

JESUS, the Storyteller (28)

In Section Four, 

JESUS

the Storyteller

is telling us a Parable about

"The Grace Giver"

Clearly, JESUS is the Ultimate Grace Giver, but I believe He invites us to join Him,

not only by "embracing Grace" but also by showing/giving Grace like His to others.

Perhaps this week, looking at this "Grace Giver" we will learn more on this.

19. The Seed Sower 5/7 20. The Best Boss    5/14 21. The Eye Opener 5/21 22. The Divine Auditor 5/28 23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4 24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11 25. The Life of the Party          6/18 26. A Hospitable Host              6/25 27. The Object of Our Worship7/2 28. The Grace Giver                7/9 29. Discerner of the Heart       7/16 30. A Divine Divider                 7/23

The Scriptures for this week:

Luke 15:11-32; Psalm 103:1-14; Psalm 78:32-39; Isaiah 57:14-16; Lam. 3:19-24

with the following subtitles/ chapter segments:

"A Modern Parable" "Two Groups" "The Father Loves Us When We Rebel Against Him" "The Father Accepts Us When We Return to Him" "The Father Pursues Us When We Reject Him" <> {my favorite line at the end again} "...No matter how far you've wandered, no matter how low you've sunk, know that upon your return, you will find the Father in front of an open door with open arms and a loving heart." (p.139) James Merritt

This is a "story" that many of us can relate to - and many of us have embraced gratefully.
We each have such a story - such a recollection and such a beautiful image of our
Heavenly Father
through
JESUS
our Grace Giver
we receive an abundance of grace freely
so that we can pour out to others

"Lord, make me an agent of Your grace by teaching me to stand with arms open wide to welcome *any child who has wandered." {text says *Your}

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"The Grace Giver" by Jacque Watkins(a heart-warming read)
You Version has a reading plan The Grace Giver

JESUS, the Storyteller (27)

In Section Four, 

JESUS

the Storyteller

let's listen to this next story carefully:

"The Object of Our Worship"

as we reflect on that title

now which Parable might this be?

19. The Seed Sower 5/7 20. The Best Boss    5/14 21. The Eye Opener 5/21 22. The Divine Auditor 5/28 23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4 24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11 25. The Life of the Party          6/18 26. A Hospitable Host              6/25 27. The Object of Our Worship7/2 28. The Grace Giver                7/9 29. Discerner of the Heart       7/16 30. A Divine Divider                 7/23

"Worship is not about us, but about God."
WORSHIP
is a lifestyle!
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"When you look up to God, you will never look down on others."~James Merritt

Here are the Scripture readings for this week:

Luke 18:9-14; Matthew 7:14-23; Matthew 7:1-5; Isaiah 6:1-7; Luke 5:1-11

and the subtitle chapter/segments are:

"A Tale of Two Men" "This Story May Be for You" (Luke 18) "Don't Bother Comparing" "See Yourself Correctly" "See Yourself Clearly"

You may want to check out "Finding God Among Us" for the lessons in this Parable

"Lord, I confess that I am a sinner in need of grace.{actually saved by grace} Forgive me for thinking I'm a bit better than the next guy, and help me to see clearly."

This is my favorite line from this week's devotional (right before the ending so I couldn't miss it):
[Pharisee to the Tax Collector] "Let's make a deal: you don't think you're not good enough for God, and I won't think I'm too good for God. Let's pray for each other." (p.135) James Merritt
I pray I find myself in neither of these positionsyet hope that JESUS is the true & only object of my worshipbut if not, I pray He reveal and make it so!
I worship God because of who He is, He alone is worthy of praise & honor.He alone is worthy of our worship!
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"The First Commandment: The Object of Our Worship"Sovereign Grace