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

JESUS, the Storyteller (26)

In Section Four,

JESUS

the Storyteller

continues this week with

"A Hospitable Host"

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

this is a good title to follow last week's
"... Life of the Party" 
because what's a party without a great host that is "hospitable"
I'll bet you can already figure which Parable Jesus is telling
in week 24 "A Hospitable Host"
If not, looking at the Scripture readings (the 1st) will help you

Luke 14:12-24; John 6:35-40; Matthew 11:25-30; Isaiah 55:1-5; Revelation 19: 6-9

and these are the subtitles for this week

"An Offer not to be Refused" "An Offer Refused" "Have I Heard God's Invitation to Me?" "Have I Honored God's Invitation to Me?" "Have I Heeded God's Invitation to Me?"

From the above subtitles in this chapter, it looks like the Host is God,
at least He's the One sending the invitations/offers

"Thank You Lord, that You've invited me to feast in Your Presence at Your table. Quicken my heart that I might always be ready to say yes when You call."

I did a 'google search' for Hospitable Host but the results can't compare to JESUS as the Host
1 Peter 4:9
however this article was interesting & well done
"How Did People Practice Hospitality in the Bible..." 
as well as this one which answers:
"What is the biblical importance of Hospitality?"
"... to display the Gospel..."
I like this:
"Hospitality gives us opportunities to serve others."
"... by providing time and space to display & preach the Gospel..."

In my humble opinion, my mother was a wonderful, hospitable host to our house guests
especially around the holidays. So I recall her traits as a host, or hostess of the mostest!
She excelled in this hospitality all her years even when sick, she continued. 
She enjoyed
 being a Hospitable Host(ess)
much like 
JESUS
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JESUS, the Storyteller (25)

In Section Four with

JESUS

the Storyteller

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

we look into 
"The Life of the Party"
- the lively, amusing person, who is the center of attention at a social gathering -
- someone who brings a lot of energy & enthusiasm!
Perhaps you can recall someone like this or you were; or
perhaps you would never want to be the life of a party 
and are annoyed or prefer not to be around "social animals" like that,
but surely we know that type or someone who fits this role.
{No offense intended to those of you who are so social or like them.}
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Since I am no longer continuing with the Parable Challenge, I still wonder which parable this one would be connected to ... whether the Parable of Jesus for "The Life of the Party" might be one in the book of Matthew or in the book of Luke? (both of these are linked to the blog posts where I listed the Parables back in May 2023). Oh, and regarding the other two Gospel accounts by Mark and John; there are only a few Parables (8-9; 7 repeated from the others) shared by Mark & none in the book of John (some say there are 2). 

The Scripture readings for this week include:

Luke 15:1-10; Luke 5:27-32; 2 Peter 3:8-10; Ezekiel 34:11-16; 2 Timothy 2:22-26

and the chapter segments are:

"Unlikely Companions" (Luke 15) "A Lost Sheep"  "Family and Not-Yet-Family" "A Helpless Wanderer Found" "Cause for Great Rejoicing"

This Week's Prayer:(and it's not "make me the life of the party" for any still aspiring to this)

"Lord, kindle in my heart Your passion for the lost. Give me eyes to see as You see and the will to pursue and invite them into the celebration that awaits them."

and Father, please help the 'life of the party' people to channel their aspiration to being included in Your BIGGEST Party that gives the true & eternal LIFE we all need! And that they accept Your invitation.
Then we can really celebrate with You!
C'mon Let's Celebrate
There's gonna be a Party!
JESUS
    IS & brings
      the LIFE to this
Party
and it truly will be a "cause for great rejoicing"!
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🎶Celebrate good times, c'mon
Let's Celebrate!
There's a party going on right here;A Celebration to last throughout the years...🎶
Kool & the Gang, "Celebration" (1980)
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I cannot think of any party lasting throughout the years other than the one that God invites us!
Hope that you and your loved ones will be there!
<><><>
To ALL the Fathers - Celebrate & enjoy your Father's Day!
After all, our Heavenly Father
wants all of you to emulate
His Love
&
receive His love
Happy Father's Day!

JESUS, the Storyteller (24)

In Section Four with

JESUS

the Storyteller

today

we open to the story on

"The God of Tomorrow"

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

but first you need to make your guess about which Parable you think this is about
If you need help, remember that I have two previous blog posts that list the
Parables found in Matthew (#22)
and the
Parables found in Luke (#21)
so
decide which Parable you think
James Merritt is sharing this week that he entitles:
"The God of Tomorrow"
The challenge is to choose a Parable, go to the comments & share your guess

after you share your guess 
you can return here & read the rest
to find out if you are right
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Many of us have concerns about the future
the future of our lives on planet earth
the future of this planet
our future in our nation
and those of us who know 
JESUS
hopefully are more optimistic in our future after life here
because we know who holds our future
we probably don't know what our future holds however
but thankfully 

"The God of Tomorrow'
does
"JESUS Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"
AND
that is enough
The God of Tomorrow is here with us today!
No matter what we may read in the headlines, we need to stand firm on the truths
that God is still in control
God has a plan
and God is working out His plan 
in the midst of what's happening today & what's coming tomorrow.
God has tomorrow under control!
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Here are the Scripture readings for this week:

Luke 16:1-13; Romans 14:10-12; Psalm 39:4-7; Luke 12:35-40; 1 Timothy 6:6-11

with these subtitles

"Preparing for Tomorrow" "Money Lovers" "Accountable for the Management of What We Have" "A Shrewd Dude" "Investments that Last"

James Merritt's final statement:
"Take everything you have, everything you are, and give it to Christ todayso you will be ready for tomorrow."
Excellent advice!

"Lord, All that I have is Yours. Teach me to be a wise steward with what belongs to You and invest in Your eternal kingdom."

AMEN!
Let it be so
today, tomorrow & forever
for Your Glory
King JESUS
my God of Tomorrow
today & every day
🙏
<><><>

Note: I guess that not too many of you find this Challenge deal interesting or want to make a choice & share in the comments; so I will not be continuing the Parable Challenge for the remaining chapters #25-30. I thought that this might involve you a little more in participation with JESUS, the Storyteller. If you still want to guess today's or any of the future ones, just put the # and your Parable guess. Thank you to those of you who are still reading my blog posts because the stats show some are being read. I hope this means that perhaps some of you went to the link I shared so you can receive 52 Weeks with Jesus in your own email & that's why you're no longer with me here.😏💖😉

JESUS, the Storyteller (23)

In Section Four, we read about

JESUS

the Storyteller

with

A Better Financial Planner

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

Before you read onthink about whichParablemight James Merrittbe writing about with this title of
A Better Financial Planner
Clearly it's a Parable about our finances 
You can look at the Parables from Matthew (in #22) or those from Luke (in #21)in my last two blog posts where I listed them to help you choose
then the Challenge is to go to the Comments & share your guessbefore reading more of today's postso

make your choice of which Parable you think it might be

GO

to the comments & share your guess

then come back and continue

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I look forward to gaining wisdom from Jesus & this Parable.
Although I am sure I have read this Parable many times,
I rarely made mental note of these points as
planning better financial matters. 
I just so happened to 'google' this title 
which gave me "5 Traits of Successful Financial Advisors"
among other financial points yet I think JESUS probably is the BEST
FINANCIAL PLANNER

Just in case you may need to know  these traits; they are: 1) Passion for financial planning & wealth management; 2) deep Analytical ability; 3) Professional salesmanship;4) putting a Client's interest first; 5) Curiosity Thank you Investopedia!
Truthfully, I don't have enough finances to warrant this kind of managementyet no matter how much or what we have - Kingdom building calls for usto be financially responsible, plan and manage according to the principles that JESUS teaches usthroughout His Word butespecially in the Parables

However, let me clue you in on the first point James Merritt tells us that the

reflections from this Parable & readings are not just for the RICH

then he lets us know

"we are richer than we think"

Let me give you the Scripture readings for this week:

Luke 12:13-21; Romans 12:9-13; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; James 2:1-7

and these are the subtitles/segments:

"How Do You See Your Wealth?" "Secret Wanting" "Be Content with What You Have" "Foolish Thinking" "Be Conscious of Where You are Going"

"Lord, thank You for meeting my needs. I agree that what is mine is Yours - guide me as I give to those who need  what I have."

I'm sure that you have heard or learned as I have how much better it is
TO GIVE
than
TO RECEIVE
Giving is an act of worship!
What a great reminder this is for every day
"20 Reasons Why It's More Blessed to Give than to Receive"

JESUS, the Storyteller (22)

In Section Four, we lean in to hear

JESUS

the Storyteller

on a not so popular topic or at least one

we hope to not have to deal with 

"The Divine Auditor"

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

A couple of weeks ago, I began somewhat of a challenge for you, as the reader, to guess which Parable you think James Merritt will be using in the devotional according to the title that he's chosen & given to this week's Story that JESUS, the Storyteller is sharing when the author gives us the title:

"The Divine Auditor"

Last week, I narrowed down your choices to the Book of Luke to help you out and also to broaden your knowledge of the Parables that were told in the Book of Luke. This week, I am sharing the Parables in the Book of Matthew so that you can choose from this list for this week's Chapter. 

Parables of JESUS in the Book of Matthew

 

1. Parable of the Lamp - Matthew 5:14-16 2. Parable of the Speck and The Log - Matthew 7:1-5 3. Parable of New Cloth on Old Garment - Matthew 9:16-17 4. Parable of The Divided Kingdom - Matthew 12:24-30 5. Parable of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 6. Parable of The Weeds Among the Wheat - Matthew 13:24-30 7. Parable of The Mustard Seed - Matthew 13:31-32 8. Parable of The Leaven - Matthew 13:33-34 9. Parable of Hidden Treasure - Matthew 13:44 10.Parable of Pearl of Great Price - Matthew 13:45-46 11.Parable of The Net - Matthew 13:47-50 12.Parable of The Heart of Man - Matthew 15:10-20 13.Parable of The Lost Sheep - Matthew 18:10-14 14.Parable of The Unforgiving Servant - Matthew 18:23-35 15.Parable of Laborers in the Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-16 16.Parable of The Two Sons - Matthew 21:28-32 17.Parable of The Tenant Farmers - Matthew 21:33-45 18.Parable of the Marriage Feast - Matthew 22:1-14 19.Parable of The Budding Fig Tree - Matthew 24:32-35 20.Parable of Faithful vs. Wicked Servant - Matthew 24:45-51 21.Parable of The Ten Virgins - Matthew 25:1-13 22.Parable of Ten Talents - Matthew 25:14-30

Now once again before you read on, I am asking you to stop & make a choice of which Parableyou think this one is and go to the comments to put in your choice to go with
#22. The Divine Auditor

before I continue

CHOOSE & COMMENT

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The Book of Matthew, the Gospel written by the apostle Matthew (the Levi), a former tax collector, makes sense that this Parable of The Divine Auditor would be one from Matthew, one of the 12 disciples. It fits - tax with audit, right. Hopefully, you've never had to go through an audit on your taxes. The original audience may have been the church in Antioch, Syria. Its members included Jewish and Gentile Christians. Matthew was probably a Jew of the tribe of Levi. Matthew was not the first disciple chosen by Jesus and he shares his story in Matthew 9.

The Gospel (Book) of Matthew was believed to be the first Gospel written, though we now know Mark dates earlier. Matthew's Gospel comes first because it most intensely is concerned with issues related to Judaism - it is a good bridge between the Old & the New Testament after 400 years. Then, as now, there needs to be a bridge between Christians & Jewish as we learn much from the Jewish tradition & Jews that have become Christians. Our minds and hearts definitely need to be more open and accepting of others. JESUS, as the Servant-Messiah and Son of God, represents the nation of Israel. There is no better author to begin telling us the Story - and His Story. But for this week with JESUS, the Storyteller, we will be looking at: 

 

#22. The Divine Auditor

(no one is a better Divine choice than JESUS, as Auditor)

since none of us really want to be audited, He would be the most fair

and my first choice.

as we continue & read the following

Scriptures:

Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 4:1-16

Clearly with the list of Parables in Matthew, this parable had to do with finances, so that helped to limit your choice but if you had the Scripture reference above,you can easily select the correct choice.
These are the subtitle/segments for this week:

"A Kingdom Melody"; "A God-Given Opportunity to Play Our Parts"; "A God-Given Responsibility to Play Our Parts"; "A God-Given Accountability to Play Our Parts"; "Every Player Matters"

As you can see we have been given by God the
Opportunity
Responsibility
and
Accountability
to do/play our parts
EVERY.ONE.OF.US
MATTER
and
MUST
in God's Kingdom
"... JESUS told this Parable about People playing their parts and how important that is to the Church and to God's Kingdom. Not everyone plays the same instrument and not everyone has the same part. ... It's not how much you have that matters to Jesus; it's what you do with what you have that matters to Him."

"Lord, teach me to be a good steward of the talents You've given to me. Grant me the wisdom to use them wisely and the courage to share them freely."

Reflect on what the particular "talents'' are that God has entrusted only to you
- gifts, resources, treasures, abilities.
Now let's 
PLAY OUR PARTS
DO our PART
just as
JESUS
did
HIS
🕇🕆🕈
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