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Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning, my name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. Grab a Bible and go to First Samuel, chapter 25. We are working our way through the book of First Samuel. We left off last week where David had the opportunity to murder Saul. Saul's been chasing David, trying to kill him. David finally has Saul right in his grasp in a cave and he does not kill him. He comes, cuts off a piece of his cloak, follows him out of the cave and says, see this? Do you notice that it used to belong to your cloak? Check out your cloak. I could have killed you and I didn't because I don't want to.Saul and David have this moment where Saul says, I'm wrong, I shouldn't be doing what I'm doing. There's a little bit of a peace. Then it says they head separate ways. We're picking up in chapter 25, and we're going to see this interaction with David and some other people, and we're going to see David actively pursuing sin and how God meets him in that, what happens, how David responds, and how these other people respond. Hopefully, we will learn along with David to appreciate correction.The verse says this:> Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him and buried him in his house at Ramah.Samuel has passed and his work as the last judge is over. He's the last judge of Israel. He has transitioned under the leadership of God and under the desire of the people to a monarch ruling the land. It hasn't gone well. We've seen how all that's worked out. The last we saw him, David had run to him to try to hide while Saul was chasing him. He is now passed, and it says all Israel gathered to mourn. I think it is likely that that included David and Saul, but if it excluded one of them, it was probably David. The way the text is written seems as if David was there.It also says that Samuel was buried in his house at Ramah, which makes me think people didn't keep living in that house. I don't know; maybe it became a site for the people of Israel, but the text doesn't give us much information about that.Continuing in verse 1, it says:> Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. And there was a man whose business was in Carmel.The man was very rich. He had 3,000 sheep and a thousand goats. Take a moment and try to picture that. That's a lot of sheep and goats, a lot of people that have to tend to them. The man was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now, you may have a picture of what shearing sheep is like. You understand that it's removing the excess wool from a sheep. But culturally, when we just say he's shearing his sheep, I don't think we completely capture the festivity.This was festive. In order to shear 3,000 sheep, you need a lot of shearers. They gather, it's like a harvest. You've kept these sheep alive all winter; it's now about to get hot, and it's spring. They gather. It's celebratory. A bunch of people together. The wool means wealth—he can use it, he can sell it. People gather, eat, celebrate, shear sheep, and then eventually they have to spread back out because you can't have that many sheep in one place at one time.So they've been all over the place, gather, shear the sheep, have a festival for however long this takes, a bunch of people together, then spread back out. That's what's happening. Culturally, when they heard "sheep shearing," it's like us hearing it's Christmas time. It's festive in their mind with all it entails.He's shearing his sheep. Verse 3:> Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail.There's another cultural thing missed on us here: the word Nabal means fool or boorish; his name is "fool." If you spoke Hebrew, you'd catch that. Names mean things in their culture. Either it was a rough time in the life of his parents when he was born and they took it out on him, or he was born and his mom said, "You look a lot like your father; we're gonna name you Fool." Some family dynamics we don't want to get into. Or he has earned this name over time and just rolled with it.It'd be like if you introduced him as "my buddy Blockhead," and he'd say, "Sup?" You'd have guesses on what this dude's like. That's what's happening here: his name's Fool.Then it tells us where we are. The woman, Abigail, was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved. So he's earned it; he's lived up to it. At least he was a Calebite, meaning he comes from a prominent family inside the tribe of Judah. David is also in the tribe of Judah, so they would have considered each other kin, more especially kin than just being of the people of Israel.David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men:> Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. And thus you shall greet him:>> Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.>> I hear that you have shearers.>> Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.>> Ask your young men, and they will tell you.>> Therefore, let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day.>> Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.David sends a ten-man delegation to say, "We hear you have shearers, which means it's a feast day. We've been with your shearers and shepherds. We've actually been part of the reason all your sheep are alive. If there's anything you could give us, that'd be great."This can sound a little extortionary to us: "I helped you out, you owe me." Maybe a little of that is there, but they're of the same tribe. This is a normal thing to be hospitable and to expect hospitality. So what David has helped him, he's saying, "I'm part of the reason why this has gone so well for you this year, and we'd like to participate in this feast."The next layer is that we're of the same tribe. They belong to each other. Another layer is you should just say yes to this anyway, no matter who shows up and asks because that's what the people of Israel are supposed to be like: hospitable and welcoming.Well above our cultural pressures to be hospitable and welcoming, this is a normal cultural thing that you would say yes to.It's a little bit like if someone says, "Hey, is there anything you could do? It would be really helpful. You know it is Christmas." Saying "It's Christmas" adds this "You should" kind of thing to it. But they should say yes all the time. At sheep shearing time, it's more festive and more hospitable; there are all kinds of layers to why Nabal should say yes to this. It's expected, it's good, it's what he ought to do.Remember his name, right? Let's see how he acts.Verse 9:> When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David. And then they waited.And Nabal answered:> David's servants, who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to the men who come from nowhere, whom I do not know?That would be rude to us. It is wildly, excessively rude to them. You ever watch a Western? You know how there's a moment where one calls the other a liar, and everything gets tense? They stand up because you've called me a liar. Obviously, I have to shoot you now. That's the kind of thing happening.Or in the play Hamilton, they've seen multiple duels in writing letters back and forth. You can tell these are fighting words, working toward a duel. Culturally, we don't have that anymore. We don't do duels anymore; that's probably good for us.Every once in a while you meet someone and think, "I wish someone had hit them upside the head," but in general, culturally it's good that we turn the other cheek, that we're calmer, that we don't overreact or defend our honor in that way.But what Nabal has done is aggressively, intentionally disregarded, dishonored, picked a fight with David in pride. He said, "Who is David? Who's the son of Jesse? You come from no one; you are worth nothing." He says there are many people who have broken away from their masters and are roaming around the woods these days. You want me to feed all of them? Like, no.This is very aggressive.They go back to David. Let's see how David responds.Verse 12:> So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this.David said to his men:> Every man, strap on his sword.Every man strapped on his sword; David also strapped on his sword. About 400 men went up after David, while 200 remained with the baggage.He leaves 200 and takes 400, saying, "Put your swords on. Let's go talk to Nabal ourselves."Verse 14:> But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. Yet the men were very good to us. We suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields. As long as we went with them, they were a wall to us both by night and by day. All the while we were with them, keeping the sheep."Now, therefore, know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house. He is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.There's a handful of things going on here. Somebody watches this interaction and says, somebody go tell Abigail, somebody get Ma—she'll handle this. That's the assumption.You can actually see the kind of respect and the position that she held in this household by the way they're responding. I don't know if your life has been like mine, but I've been wildly blessed by ladies like this who can handle things, who will sort stuff out, who, when something's going poorly, you say, "Yeah, go get them. Explain this to them. They'll step in, make this better, know what to do." That's the situation she's in: somebody goes to say, "Hey, real quick, Nabal was Nabling, and I need to talk to you about what just happened."They explain it to her.I also want to point out that they say, "You know what he's like. You can't talk to him. He is such a worthless man. No one can speak to him." I just want to tell you that you don't want that to ever be true for you. You don't want people to say, "Well, you know what it's like to talk to them? They don't listen. They're hard to talk to."You want to actively fight that in yourself. When someone says, "Hey, I need to talk to you about something," you want to go, "Okay, this is my chance. Lord, help me. Don't get defensive. Help me listen," because that's a bad spot to be in.They say he was very rude to them, and they've been great. David was great to us. It was great to be with David. We didn't worry about anything. As long as we were with them, there was nothing to worry about. They helped us; they protected us; they defended us.Not only should he probably not respond that way to anybody, but he certainly should be good to these guys because they've been very good to us. That's the situation they're saying to him.Verse 18:> Then Abigail made haste and took 200 loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared, and five seahs of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins and 200 cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.That's a lot of food just ready to go.She starts piling this on donkeys: 200 loaves, five sheep already prepared, 200 cakes of figs. He's very rich.We'll find out later it's not like she went and cleaned out buffets. They don't even notice this stuff is gone. Not only should he have said yes, he actually had the ability to say yes and not even notice it. So he's got all this ready to go at the moment. It's unnoticed.She puts it on donkeys.Verse 19:> She said to her young men, "Go on before me; behold, I come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.As she rode on the donkey and came down under the cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her. She met them.David had said:> Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him. And he has returned me evil for good.>> God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.David's plan as he's traveling is, when we get there, we're going to kill every man. David says to himself that it was a huge waste of time that he defended his sheep.If you lived in a modest home backed up to somebody's massive acreage and could see all the wealth they had, and at some point their fence broke and their little yappy dog got out, you helped catch the dog and fixed the fence. Then later, you go around and say, "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any eggs?" and they say, "I can't be giving handouts to people who can't afford eggs." What does that look like? Charity? "Get off my lawn before I call the police."You might go back to your house and think, "I'm going to break their fence and steal their dog." Originally, you weren't doing it because you knew one day you were going to need something, but there might be something in you that goes, "That was a waste of time. This guy's such a jerk. He doesn't deserve any good thing I've ever done for him."You might just be losing it in your backyard.That's a little bit of what's happening with David here. He's responded violently and is saying to himself, everything that I did that was good was a waste of time. He's decided he's going to kill everybody.He gives an interesting curse—we've seen several curses in First Samuel. This is one of the better ones because of how he words it. Most curses we've seen have followed a pattern: "May the Lord do so and more also to me if I don't blank to them." But David says:> May the Lord do so and more also to my enemies if I don't kill all of them.A double outward-facing curse. It seems like a better way to word it. If I don't kill them, may the Lord kill them. He just puts it out that way; he doesn't bind himself in a curse.His plan is to go kill everybody.I want you to hear this clearly: David is wrong. Don't read your Bible and think this is one of the good guys. Not everything he does is good. The Lord is good, and what he does is good. You can see what he's doing and say that's good (Jesus is good). The Bible isn't about good people and bad people; it's about bad people and Jesus.You see Jesus at work; you can say, "This must be good," but you can't do that with anybody else.What David is about to do is wrong; he's going to defend his pride through massacre. Nobody talks to David like that; that's where he's at.But who just met him? Abigail.David's coming with 400 men, all with swords strapped on. They don't look pleasant; they're on their way to harm people. She comes to talk to them.What she's about to do is insanely courageous.You know how you have things you're afraid of? Meeting new people, large crowds, public speaking, facing down an army, possibly being murdered, conflict. She's about to do all those, and handle them extremely well.When you look at Proverbs 31, which talks about what a woman should look like—a wife should look like—Abigail is Proverbs 31 on display: using intelligence, ability, wisdom for the good of those around her.She could have avoided this situation. She knew something bad was coming. She could have left; it would have affected her household. But she was involved.She jumps right in the middle for Nabal's sake and for David's sake. She sees two foolish men. She actually knew that something bad was going to happen.As soon as she heard the situation, she said David's on the move. She was right. She said, "I don't think you can talk stuff to David like that without there being a lot of bad things that happen next."She's right.She's going to intercept David and Nabal, jump in the middle of them and this brokenness where pride, arrogance, anger are about to slam into each other.Suddenly there's Abigail on a donkey, about to give the largest speech of any woman in the Old Testament. She's going to share wisdom, clarity, humility, faith.This is what she says.Verse 23:> When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.She begins with a very humble posture. She shows up, bows to the ground. It does not tell us if she gets up. It's possible she continues speaking from that posture or maybe stands.Verse 24:> She fell at his feet and said,>> On me alone, my lord, be the guilt.>> Please let your servant speak in your ears and hear the words of your servant.>> Let not, my lord, regard this worthless fellow Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.Quick pause: I don't believe this gives wives license to speak however they want about their husbands, even their foolish husbands. Which I know is a follow-up question.Put your hand down.But if you are negotiating good for his entire household and trying to save his life, I think the rules get looser than when you're at book club with your friends. She doesn't speak in a very honoring way of her husband. He has actively done dumb things. She is trying for the sake of their household to bring good.She's trying to bring blessing to him, even though he's acted like that.But this isn't how I think you're allowed to talk about them all the time.Even if she did, you still shouldn't.She starts off by saying we don't want Nabal representing her house. This is on me.Don't let him lead you into this. That's what she's saying.She continues:> But I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. Please forgive me. This is on me. If I had seen him, we wouldn't have this problem.Verse 26:> Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from blood guilt and from saving with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.She says it's so good the Lord restrained him from blood guilt. She assumes graciously and boldly that he's going to stop. The Lord has intercepted him to keep him from doing something foolish.She doesn't say "foolish," but it's baked in.The fool was about to create folly, and she's thankful the Lord helped stop it.Then:> May the Lord make all of your enemies like Nabal—not dead, but foolish. Let them act foolish, but don't let you act foolish.Verse 27:> And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. Please forgive the trespass of your servant, for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.> If men rise up to pursue you and seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God, and the lives of your enemies shall he sling out as from the hollow of a sling.She's wise in words, uses sling metaphors for David. He gets it immediately.She brings blessing. She shows up in the middle of sin, takes guilt, and brings blessing.She brings physical blessing and then verbally blesses him. She says, “Take this gift,” and then she blesses David, his house, family, future.Verse 30:> When the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel...It seems known that David has been anointed and that he's going to be king; that has spread at least to the people in Judah.Verse 31:> My lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause, or for my lord working salvation for himself.> When the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.She says when she shows up, "I'm glad the Lord let me intercept you to keep you from blood guilt." She ends with, when he makes you king, you won't feel bad about this. You won't have pangs of conscience that you tried to save yourself or shed blood without cause.It's wise, clear, corrective, humble.Verse 32:> David said to Abigail,>> "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me.>> Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you who have kept me this day from blood guilt and from working salvation with my own hand.>> For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left in Nabal so much as one male."David erupts in worship:Oh, thank the Lord! Blessed be the Lord! Blessed be your discretion! Blessed be you that you came because I was about to do something so foolish!Y'all, may we respond like David when we're corrected. May we love the people who correct us.Culturally, we celebrate, "I want my friends to match my energy." Like, if I'm amped up, I want you to get amped up with me.I saw a clip from a movie: a guy comes in, looks at his friend, says, "Hey, you can't ask me questions; I need you to come with me. We're going to hurt some people. We can never talk about this again." His friend looks at him and says, "Are you driving, or am I driving?"Culturally, we say, "Yay! Best friends! Secret murders!"That's what we want. We want friends who ride or die. We want you to hop in the car if I say, "Let's go."Reality is, no. You need some calm, patient, wet blanket friends. Some people who say, "Why aren't you mad?"You need people who have wisdom, discretion, who slow you down, love you enough to risk a relationship by correcting you.I'm not talking about argumentative, contrary people. I'm talking about people who love you enough to say, "Hey, we need to talk because what you're doing is unwise, unhelpful, foolish, sinful."We want to learn to be people who say, "Praise Jesus that you listened to the Spirit when I didn't! Thank you, Lord, that you sent them to be around me."You're doing things over your life that are unwise. You're doing things that aren't good. You're sinning.The last time you were corrected is maybe the last time someone showed you genuine love.If you go long seasons without correction, you need to begin to work on how you respond to correction and the type of people you surround yourself with.May we be people like Abigail who love people enough to say something. She jumped in the middle, could have left, but she was involved.Verse 35:> Then David received from her hand what she had brought him.>> He said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice and granted your petition."Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house like the feast of a king.Nabal's heart was merry within him; he was very drunk.She told him nothing at all until morning.Verse 37:> In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things.>> His heart died within him, and he became as a stone.>> About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.She went and explained: you said this, I did this, I met David with 400 men coming to kill everybody, the gift I gave him.He locks up; something happens to his heart, his body. He dies ten days later.Verse 39:> When David heard that Nabal was dead,>> He said, "Blessed be the Lord, who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal and kept back his servant from wrongdoing.>> The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head."This principle runs throughout Scripture: we aren't meant to get vengeance ourselves. We're to trust the Lord that He will respond, will care for us, and this is not to be taken into our hands.We are to say, "Lord, I will bear insult, trusting you'll bring about good."That's how David responds when he hears that: "Thank you, Lord, for letting his wickedness fall back on him and not on me.""For me not getting involved, me not doing wrongdoing, You kept me back from him."Verse 40:> Then David sent and spoke to Abigail to take her as his wife.When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her:> David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.She rose and bowed with her face to the ground, saying:> "Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord."Abigail hurried, rose, mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her.She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.First of all, she has little notes: she has the largest lady entourage of anybody in Scripture.She's wealthy and well attended to. She humbly accepts this. She even responds, "I'll just be a servant." I think she knows she's going to get married, but she humbly says, "I'll be a servant." She's gracious.The story begins with David sending men to say, "Hey, Nabal, can we have some food from your feast?"It ends with him going and getting Nabal's wife.It's a wild story.One thing is when David's corrected by Abigail, he loves her for it; he responds.I want to read the last of this chapter before considering a few things:Verse 42:> So she became his wife.David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.Saul had given Michal, his daughter, David's wife, to Palti, son of Laish, who was of Gallim.Personally, I wish that note was somewhere else, because it feels like you see this interesting little love story play out, and at the end they're getting married, but then there's another lady also, and you're like, "Wait, what?"Historically, men in power had multiple wives.We see David wrongfully, angrily respond to a thing. We see him begin to take multiple wives.He's not handling everything well.One of the things for kings is they wouldn't have too many wives. He's not even a king yet; he's just roaming the woods.He already has two and a half because we're not exactly sure what's going on with Michal. She's married to someone else but also married to him.We'll see how that plays out.That's the situation.Looking back, consider something beautiful in this text.Abigail rides in to intercept in the middle before things go wildly wrong.David loves her for it.He walks under the shadow of the mountain, ready to murder.He leaves praising the Lord.His heart is softened at her correction.Nabal is hardened at her correction. He turns to stone, and it kills him.We have softening and love, and death born out of the same action.This reality is how Jesus comes to us.He intercepts us in our sin.He comes to correct us, call us away from sin, stepping into situations He didn't have to but does because He loves us and wants to rescue and bring blessing.He steps in to take guilt on Himself, saying, "Let the guilt fall on me."All who hear this message will either, like David, soften and love Him or will harden and say, "Who does He think He is? Why do I have to worship Him? Why do I have to follow Him? What does He mean He died for my sin? What is sin? He made the rules. Why would I have to?"You will twist on it.There's a way to respond that brings life, blessing, joy, hope.There's a way that hardens you up.If you belong to Jesus, your heart ought to be very soft to Him and His correction.You ought to see with joy the love He shows when He corrects.You ought to be soft in correction to those around you who say, "I think you're wrong about this."You ought to say, "Thank you for loving me."Try to listen as best you can, understand what they're saying, sort it out, be patient.Praise the Lord for people who will correct you.None of us want to harden ourselves against Jesus or His people so we might work closer to death, locking ourselves into stone so we can't hear His voice or listen.Let's pray.God, may You in Your grace let us be soft and receptive.May we be receptive to Your Spirit when You call us to repentance.May we be receptive to the people in our church family and those around us who know us and love us and love You who correct us.May it be a delight to our soul as David was blessed and continued to bless Your name for turning him away from wrongdoing.Lord, may we love the people in our church and those close to us enough to correct them.I pray in Jesus' name and by Your Spirit's work, for those who have hardened themselves against Your calls to repentance, may You not let them do it.May You not let them harden their heart or turn to stone so they cannot hear Your voice or listen to Your people.May You intercept them by Your grace even now.May they hear and repent.We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.As a church, we are going to take communion together.I'd like to read from Luke chapter 22.This is Jesus on the night He was betrayed, at the last supper with His disciples.Luke 22:19 says:> And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying,>> "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."When we take communion together, we take a loaf and remember that Jesus' body was broken for us.Our hope is not that we would suffer and die for ourselves, atone for our sin, but that He has.We share in one loaf, and when we do this together, we remind ourselves and each other that our one hope is Jesus and Jesus alone.And then likewise the cup:> "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."This hope is made sure because it is covenanted with us through the blood of Christ, sealed through His work.If you have trusted Christ, we take communion as a remembrance of this moment and the covenant made with us.We take it in hope of the day coming when all things are restored and made new, forgiven fully and made free.If you have not placed your faith in Jesus, this is not for you.We say Christ is for you. His offer of salvation is for you. Repentance is for you.But we ask you not to take communion until you understand fully what you're celebrating.For those who've placed faith in Jesus, take a moment, listen to the Spirit.If there's somewhere you need to repent, if there's someone you need to talk to, do that, then come joyfully.Remind your soul your sin has been paid for, and your hope is held sure because of Christ's work.If you have a gluten allergy, we have gluten-free back there.

What We Cover in This Episode: The science behind why your brain craves busyness (Answer: dopamine)How I've been rewiring my busyness cravings (& how you can too)What “rest guilt” really means, and how to repattern it especially if you're a first-gen immigrant like me5 questions to help you reconnect with the version of you beyond your job title.Resources Mentioned:Rest is Resistance by Tricia HersheyEpisode 114: My 1st Place Pitch Replay from SCMSDC and how I hit 2024 Revenue in May: You can listen to this 34-minute podcast episode on Apple or SpotifyWhere We Can Connect:Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it's a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/callCheck out our 314 client reviewsFollow the Podcast on AppleFollow the Podcast on SpotifyFollow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou CartasCheck out our other podcasts for Women of Color

Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44Today's Gospel presents us with two very short and similar parables. In the first, quoted above, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “treasure.” In the second parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “pearl of great price.” Though these parables are very similar to each other, there are also subtle differences worth pondering. It appears that the treasure mentioned in the first parable is discovered almost by accident. The person simply “finds” it. This is in contrast to the second parable, in that the merchant who finds the pearl of great price did so after “searching” for it. We often encounter the Treasure of the Gospel without even looking for it. We do so any time God intervenes in our lives without us seeking His intervention. For example, if someone were to offer an act of charity to you without you seeking it out, this is God giving you a treasure of His Kingdom. Or if someone shares with you their faith, or an inspiration they received, this is indeed a treasure given to you by God. The problem is that many times when we are given these treasures of the Gospel, we do not always see them as treasures. Imagine, for example, if the person in this parable were to stumble upon the treasure in the field and fail to open it out of indifference. They see it from a distance, have a bit of curiosity about what is in the box, but they are not energetic enough to actually open the box and look inside. In that case, the person would have no reason to go and sell all that they have so as to buy the field in which the treasure is found.One clear message that this first parable reveals is that we must be attentive to the countless treasures of God's graces given to us each and every day. God is so prolific in offering us grace, that we truly do stumble upon His grace all the time. Thus, having eyes to perceive His actions and ears to Hear His Voice is essential.A second message clearly given in both of these parables is that once we discover the graces God gives us every day, we must foster within ourselves a desire for those graces that is so strong that we are willing to do anything necessary to obtain them. The discovery is made through the gift of faith, but the discovery by faith must then be followed with a zeal that drives our will to conform to that discovery. Reflect, today, upon two things. First, have you discovered the treasures God has given to you? If you hesitate in answering this, then it's most likely the case that there is much you have yet to discover. Secondly, as you do discover the riches that come with the gift of faith, then have you allowed that which God has spoken to you to consume you to such a point that you are willing to sell all you have, meaning, do whatever it takes to further accept all God wants to bestow? Resolutely determine to go forth on this holy search and you will find that the riches of grace that you obtain are of infinite value. My Lord of all riches, You bestow upon me and upon all Your children countless graces every day. The treasures of Your mercy are of infinite value. Please open my eyes so that I can see and my ears so that I can hear so as to discover all that You wish to bestow. May You and the riches of Your Kingdom become the one and only, all-consuming focus of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Possibly Rembrandt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning. We'll continue to walk through First Samuel. We're going to be in chapter 23 and 24 today, so you'll walk through those two chapters together.In high school I played baseball and my freshman year we won state. Going into sophomore year, our senior class was kind of a little bit big headed. Before the season started, you had to pass a conditioning test called the country mile. It's about a four and a half mile run. Our seniors decided that because of where our coach was positioned—he parked his truck and the school was out in the country—it just was a run where you're running down that stop sign and back and around the school near the cow field. They realized that he didn't have visibility in every part of the run, so they thought, we're going to take some shortcuts. We're not going to run the full four and a half miles. We're going to shortcut here, here, and here.When you're 15, 16, 17, you're dumb; you're not thinking through things. We thought we were because we thought, here's what we'll do. We'll all bunch up together here and we'll release here. We had a guy on our team who was about 300 pounds, so we didn't think through that he needed to be way back and finish way late. Our coach picked up pretty quickly that we were cheating. He saw the times and said this is very curious that the biggest guy on our team is running a seven and a half minute mile pace.They finally said, all right, you guys have been running so well and doing so good. Like a cross country team, I've got your times, and that's the time you have to pass in order to make it on the baseball field. If you pass it, you go straight to the baseball field, but twice a week you have to make this run and then go to the field. He said, all right, now it's time to do it. Here are your times. We positioned all the coaches at every part of the run to see how good you were.We quickly learned that cutting this race short and taking the shortcuts was a terrible decision. For weeks as we tried to make those times, I was one of the faster guys. It was like 28 minutes. I'm not a cross country runner; I'm not going to make close to six-minute pace for four and a half miles. I'll finish that story later and what happened. But I learned there, and I think we learn in life, that shortcuts are not good. They are short-sighted. We take them because we think that's ultimately what is good, that if we take the quickest route to get what we want, that's what's best. It's our own nature to trust in our own instincts and to actually not trust in the Lord, when oftentimes He lays out the more difficult road, a difficult path filled with suffering and difficult obedience.Today we're in the part of David's story that feels, when you're in chapter 23, that for years he's been on the run for his life and he's been through trials and suffering and betrayal and the threat of death. He's been in it. But when we shift into chapter 24, he's going to have an option, a shortcut to the throne. We're going to see how this plays out and what this means for the Christian life as we consider what it means to have a long life of obedience to our Lord, even when it is difficult.Let me pray, and then we'll walk through this together.Heavenly Father, I pray that You would help us receive Your word as we walk through these chapters to see Your truth. God, I pray that we would not just be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word, responding in faith and repentance and ultimately delighting in You above all things. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.All right, so verse 1:"Now they told David, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors."We pick up where we left off last week, where David and his men are on the run. They just heard about the priest of Nob being slaughtered for proceeding to help them out. They're feeling the threat of death. At this point, they hear of a town called Keilah, a town in Judah on the border between Philistine's land and the people of Judah, and they're being robbed by the Philistines.Verse 2:"Therefore David inquired of the Lord, Shall I go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."David gives us an example here of what it looks like to walk with God. He sees a difficulty. He asks the Lord. The Lord responds, and he's willing to do it. But his men hear this and have questions.Verse 3:"But David's men said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"Which is a legitimate question, because if they go into Keilah, they expose themselves. They've been hiding in caves throughout the land. To go and help this town, chances are Saul will hear about it and come. It might be a situation where they're fighting the Philistines and Saul's army is coming. This seems risky.So David goes back to the Lord.Verse 4:"Then David inquired of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand."David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines, brought away their livestock, and struck them a great blow. David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.Verse 6:"When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in hand."Abiathar was the remaining priest from the priest of Nob story last week. He comes and brings an ephod. Ephods are priestly garments that priests wore, but this is probably the main ephod that the high priest wore. This is important because in it were two stones—the Urim stone and the Thummim stone. We don't know for sure how they were used, but they generally helped answer prayers in a yes or no fashion, like, should we go here or there? The priest did some type of pulling out or casting of stones.Verse 7:"Now, it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah, and Saul said, God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars."Saul finally hears about it and says, aha, I've got them. They're in Keilah, a place with gates and bars. We'll stop the men there and finally take David down.Verse 8:"Saul summoned all the people to go to war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him."He says to Abiathar the priest, bring the ephod here.Verse 9:"Then David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard, O Lord, God of Israel, please tell your servant."They seek the Lord, asking if the city will betray them after David's protection.Verse 11:"And the Lord said, He will come down. Then David said, Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will surrender you."David and his men, about 600 now, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. They asked the question, should we trust Keilah? The answer was no, as you see from the Lord's response.When Saul was told that David escaped Keilah, he gave up the expedition. David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.David saw that Saul had come to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh and strengthened his hand. He said:"Do not fear for the hand of Saul. My father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you."Saul, my father, also knows this. The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh and Jonathan went home.Jonathan, David's friend, hears about these troubles and encourages him. From Psalm 34, which was written while David was in the cave fearing his life, we know the Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. David, on the run for his life with deep discouragement, has this friend encouraging him.This encounter is significant because Jonathan has hopefulness. He says, one day you'll be king, and I'll be beside you. This foreshadows that Jonathan will never see David be king; he will not live to see him on the throne. This is their final encounter. Jonathan, in his last friendship act, encourages David, telling him not to fear and to trust God's promises.Verse 19:"Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah saying, Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Akilah, which is south of Jeshimon? Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand."Saul said:"May you be blessed by the Lord for you have had compassion on me. Go make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is and who has seen him there, for he is very cunning. See and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information."They went ahead to Ziph as spies.If you read Psalm 54, David expresses his distress at this betrayal by his own countrymen:"For strangers have risen up against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves."David is deeply discouraged by continual betrayal, even from people of Judah.David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, about five miles south of Ziphara in the Arabah. Saul and his men went to seek him. David went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David there. Saul went on one side of the mountain and David and his men on the other side.David was hurrying to get away from Saul, who was closing in to capture them.A messenger then told Saul:"Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land."Saul returned from pursuing David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. David then lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.At the last moment when Saul was about to capture David, God sovereignly intervened. Saul did what a king should do and protected his people, and God preserved David's life again.Chapter 23 gives us more examples of David continually facing the threat of death and betrayal. Think—he escaped death at Nob, at Ziph, at Maon, at Gath, and at Keilah. This is years of hunting, suffering, and fear. Every time trying to go to sleep, hearing a branch break, wondering, is it the day? Years of hardship and trauma under the threat of constant death.This sets up First Samuel 24, where David has the opportunity to end it.Verse 1:"When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men out of Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wild Goats Rocks."Saul handles the Philistine raid, then he finds that David is near Wild Goats Rocks, basically a rocky hill where wild goats live.The story takes an interesting turn.Verse 3:"He came to the sheepfolds, where there was a cave. Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave."Saul goes into the cave to use the bathroom, for privacy. David and 600 of his men are hiding inside that cave, which hopefully gives you an idea of how big it was.David's men were very excited because Saul was most vulnerable now, when using the bathroom. This was a moment on a silver platter—David and his men could have ended all the hardship with one swing of the sword.Verse 4:"And the men of David said to him, Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you."They urged David to take this opportunity.David rose stealthily and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He could have ended it all but instead cut a piece of his robe.Verse 5:"And afterward David's heart struck him because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed."David persuaded his men not to attack Saul.Saul rose and left the cave, going on his way.David knew God's heart and the heart of the king. Saul was the Lord's anointed king, even if evil had been done. David would not decide when Saul's kingship ends. He trusted the Lord and obeyed, not murdering a man while he was vulnerable.His men, who have been under the threat of death for years, followed his example. That shows David's leadership.After Saul left the cave, David boldly confronted him.Verse 8:"David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, My lord the king."Saul looked back. David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.David said:"Why do you listen to the words of men who say, Behold, David seeks your harm? Behold this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, I will not put out my hand against the Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed."David pleaded:"See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. I cut off the corner and did not kill you. You may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it."He called out:"May the Lord judge between me and you. May the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you."He even said:"Out of the wicked comes wickedness, but my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After a dead dog, after a flea? May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand."David showed that he would not sin to get what God promised. He humbly lowered himself to be insignificant—a dead dog, a flea—and pleaded with Saul to see that he was not the enemy.Verse 16:"As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said, You are more righteous than I, for you repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. You have declared this day how you have dealt well with me and that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands."Saul has moments of clarity and contrition. He weeps and realizes David is the better man.There's a cool link to Judah and Tamar back in Genesis 38, a picture of having evidence in hand and declaring righteousness.Saul continued:"Now behold, I know that you shall surely be king, that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hands. Swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house."David swore to this.Saul went home; David and his men went up to the stronghold.Saul finally sees it: David will be king. He pleads for the protection of his offspring, as it was common in history for successors to kill rival family members.When you think about chapters 23 and 24 back to back, you see how long David suffered and how many years of hardships he endured. He had the opportunity right then to end all his hardships with one swing of the sword and take the throne. But he did not. He trusted the Lord and was obedient to the will of the Father.This is a beautiful picture of trust in God.It's also a foreshadowing of the more righteous path of Christ.Jesus also would be offered a shortcut to the throne during His temptation in the wilderness.In Matthew 4:"The devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said to Him, All these I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve."Jesus was offered the throne but rejected the shortcut because He trusted the will of the Father, even when that road was filled with suffering—the road to the cross.Jesus suffered agony, physical pain, separation from the Father as the full cup of God's wrath bore down on Him.Even when Jesus was suffering, He could have called down angels to end it, but He did not.He endured to the final breath, with redemption in mind for us.When He finished His work on the cross, He ascended to the right hand of God, where He rules over all kingdoms forever.Amen.Going back to 10th grade, when we were running this unreasonable time every day before practice, it was clear we were never going to make our times.Finally, our coach said, all right, I'm going to bump up the time to what it should have been.You smaller guys got 32 minutes, which was a pretty steady pace.I hate running. To this day you won't see me running; I'm not a runner. I don't want to be a runner.Because I hated running so much, I was determined to make the time. I ran faster than I ever had in my life. I was blazing fast.Coming around the final turn, about a quarter of a mile left, my coach said, you're not going to make it.I sprinted, after running four-ish miles, with everything I had.The final few steps before the finish line, I puked. Then I puked walking across the finish line because I was not going to miss this time.He said 29 minutes.I was like, are you kidding me? I could have walked.What we failed to see about this conditioning test was we could only see what was right in front of us—a stupid run we had to do.You may think, why do baseball players have to run? It's because of endurance for the season.When you play 30 games in high school, 60 plus in college, or 162 in pro baseball, you have to get in shape, or your body will break down mid-season.At 15, you don't see what the coach is doing. You don't see that the suffering he puts you through over and over again is for a greater good, so you can make it through the season and not break down.We didn't trust our coaches. We saw what was good in our minds, so we took the shortcut.But that's what we do all the time in life. We see the easier option right in front of us and want to take it.We have wonderful examples from Scripture about what it looks like to be obedient and how good that is.David could have taken a shortcut to the throne, but didn't.Jesus was obedient to the Father, even through suffering, for our redemption.We have wonderful examples of the long road of obedience, even when it's difficult.So the question today: What shortcuts are we tempted to take?In business or work, we know shortcuts: how to cut corners, how to cheat.We see others do it and wonder why we have to do it the right way.But God calls us to integrity and obedience for our good.In relationships, it's common now to simulate marriage without the covenant.Living as if married, moving in together, enjoying pleasures without commitment.It's hard to be obedient in that and honor the Lord.But God has good for us when we trust Him in obedience.We fail to see that when we take shortcuts.Some feel a desire for vengeance when they've been wronged.Shortcut is to take vengeance ourselves.God calls us to trust Him for justice, which is far better.In parenting, there are shortcuts.Moments needing patience, control of emotions.Shortcut is to lose control or discipline wrongly.In marriage, conflict, and other struggles, shortcuts abound.We often coach people to confront, to avoid gossip, to be faithful to God's calls.Some suffer deeply and may see shortcuts like substances, self-harm, or worse.We cannot see the long obedience God calls us to.As you consider today, what shortcut options are you taking when God calls you to obedience?My hope is we consider David's actions and the better David, Jesus Christ, and follow their lead.Matt will come up and lead us in one final song.As he comes, don't shift or move, just listen.The wrong response to the call is to say, "I'm going to do this by my strength," trying to muscle obedience.The response is to look to Jesus.Hebrews 12 says this after chapter 11:"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race set before us,looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."Our example is to look to Christ, put our hope in Him, who endured the cross and now rules from heaven.May we first look to Christ by grace through faith and be people who trust God every step in obedience.Let me pray.Heavenly Father, I pray that You would help us hear the good news of the Gospel that calls us to trust You, so that we might not take the shortcuts in life that do not bring joy, honor You, or bring good to us or those around us.God, I pray for faithfulness, but that it comes by first trusting in You.We have failed, sinned, and chosen shortcuts.May You cover us in grace, by Your grace, through the blood of Jesus shed for us.May we leave here as a people obedient to You, even when it is hard.In Jesus' name, Amen.

Monday, 21 July 2025   But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: Matthew 12:3   “And He said to them, ‘Not you read what he did, David, when he hungered, he and those with him?'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus' disciples, and thus implicitly He also, were accused of doing what was not lawful on the Sabbath. In response, Matthew records, “And He said to them, ‘Not you read what he did, David, when he hungered, he and those with him?'”   The Pharisees' accusation was of doing something in violation of the law that is not even recorded in the law. Only by a huge stretch of the imagination could what His disciples did even be inferred as wrongdoing. Rather than address the nonsensical legalism of the accusation, Jesus turned to Scripture, citing an account from the life of David.   The account is recorded in 1 Samuel –   Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” 2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.' And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. 3 Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.” 4 And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.” 5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.” 6 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away. 1 Samuel 21:1-6   Jesus has given an example from the historical writings of Israel about a matter that arose. This matter could also be inferred as a violation of the law. This will be further explained in His continued words.   Life application: In a society, there has to be a basis for legal matters. In the US, for example, there is the prime basis for the workings of the government, the Constitution. This sets the basis for what is legal and what is not.   From there, the Constitution authorizes certain bodies to run the government, make laws, regulations, etc. There is a judicial system set forth to interpret the constitutionality of new laws, determine if violations of the law have been made, etc.   Lower governments likewise have the authority to make and enforce laws. The Bible is the governing authority for spiritual matters in the Christian faith. At times, from that springboard, many denominations and churches add books of rules for the governance of the body that they oversee.   These usually start out closely aligned with the Bible, at least someone's interpretation of it. However, such books of common order, discipline, and governance can be amended. As amendments take place, there is often a deviation from Scripture.   As an example, a church that once would not allow homosexuality in the congregation because it is contrary to the Bible may eventually change its written guidance to allow homosexuals to be members of the congregation. Later, the book is amended again to allow them to be deacons. From there, amendments are made to allow them to be ordained.   When a book of governance deviates from the Bible, the Bible is relegated more and more to a showpiece without any true authority. The best policy is to keep away from such books that can be amended and keep to Scripture alone as the basis for the faith.   Scripture cannot be amended by man. It is also not an organic document where its meaning changes over time. Rather, it is the fixed and unchangeable word of God. Within the Bible, there are dispensations which reflect the way in which God is working with man at various times in human history, but this is not something that changes set doctrine for a given dispensation.   Rather, it is what reveals doctrine for each outcropping of dispensations as God's word has unfolded in the course of redemptive history. Understanding this, keeping the interpretation of God's word in the proper context is the appropriate way of interpreting the Bible. Let us be sure to do this.   The word is precious, and it must be treated as such. Hold fast to it and let it be your guide for daily living and a right walk before the Lord at all times.   Glorious God, may our time in Your word be guided by You as You reveal to us what You intend for our lives. Help us to properly consider what it says and how it applies as we progress through it. May You help us to keep from faulty logic and faulty interpretation concerning it. Be with us as we engage with You through this precious word. Amen.

Thursday, 26 June 2025   But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. Matthew 11:8   “But what you went out to see? A man having been enrobed in fine cloaks? You behold! Those wearing the fines, they are in the kings' houses” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus asked the crowds what they went into the wilderness to see. Was it a reed shaken by the wind? Now, He asks again, saying, “But what you went out to see?”   The thought beginning with “but” dismisses the previous thought. “No, it can't be for that reason. Maybe it was for another reason. How about, ‘A man having been enrobed in fine cloaks?'”   The word malakos is introduced. It signifies soft. By extension, that would carry to the idea of fine clothing, but also of a soft, effeminate person. That is how Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 6:9. In this case, Jesus is referring to it in the sense of enrobing a person.   If the people were looking for a particular type of person, the garments would be an indicator for them concerning a particular category. Maybe the people were looking for someone who possessed wisdom like a scribe, wealth like a nobleman, or power like a king. Maybe it was someone who could impress the people like a magician.   Each of these would normally have particular clothing to match their lifestyle. The finest of them all at this period would be the king. Therefore, Jesus exclaims, “You behold! Those wearing the fines, they are in the kings' houses.”   Is this what they went out to see? Because if that were the case, they went to the wrong place. In going out to the wilderness, one would expect someone roughly attired. This is, in fact, how John was dressed, as noted in Matthew 3:4 –   “Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”   Indeed, some prophets and wise men of the past lived well while serving the kings. Daniel, for example, was in the king's court of Babylon and later under Persian kings. However, if the people heard of someone calling out in the wilderness, they would expect something entirely different.   Jesus' question, therefore, begs another negative answer. “No, not at all. That is not what we went out to see.” He is asking them to think through what would lead them into the wilderness and what it meant that they came to John to hear his message.   Life application: One can generally get an immediate sense of what to expect when walking into a church and seeing the pastor. When you walk into an independent fundamental Baptist church, you will often see a person with a short haircut who is wearing an inexpensive monotoned suit and tie.   If you walk into a charismatic church, you might see someone wearing a suit that is flashier, no tie, and the colors are intended to draw attention to the speaker.   The mega-church style will often have someone wearing skinny jeans, expensive leather shoes with flat-toe ends to make his feet look longer than they are, and wearing a dress shirt with no coat or tie. The sleeves may be rolled up as if he is in a conference, expecting results from those around the table.   Once the individual is seen, you can make a guess as to what his style of preaching will be. These are just generalizations, but the style of clothing attracts people. If you want formal, stuffy religion, you will go to a church with pre-designed robes, maybe poofy hats, etc.   Along with the appearance of the pastor, the style of music is a huge draw for many people. It may even be what keeps people coming back. All of these things are externals and really have nothing to do with the quality of the material to be presented. What should matter, first and foremost, is adherence to the Bible.   Unfortunately, this is often hardly a consideration at all. In some churches, the Bible is all but ignored. When you go to church, what do you expect to see? Jesus asked the people why they went out to see John. He will explain what they received when they did so.   When you go to church, are you sitting under a great teacher of the word? A great orator, regardless of how he explains the word, a flashy person whose message stirs the emotions, a showman who speaks in nonsensical tongues and makes people's stunted legs grow right in front of your eyes?   What are you going to church for? Evaluate that and consider what it is that motivates you to go at all. The answer should be Jesus. Above all, you should want to learn about Jesus, God incarnate.   The only way you are going to receive that properly is by hearing the word that tells of Jesus explained to you. Go to church expecting to find Jesus. That will be the most rewarding church experience of them all.   Glorious God, forgive us when we make going to church about ourselves. We may want to hear a band give us emotional songs, or we may go in hopes of being told everything will be ok. We may go with the intent of making business connections. Lord, help us to be motivated to learn about You. May You be our desire at all times, particularly when we go to church. Amen.

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Sunday, 25 May 2025   You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Matthew 10:18   “And also upon governors and kings, you will be brought because of Me for a testimony to them and the Gentiles” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told his apostles to beware of men because they would deliver them up to councils and scourge them in their synagogues. Continuing with this thought, He next says, “And also upon governors and kings, you will be brought.”   A new word is introduced here, agó, translated as “brought.” It is a primary verb signifying to lead, bring, drive, etc. In this case, it is future tense with a passive voice, thus “you will be brought.”   In the Bible, the word translated as governors includes positions such as proconsuls, procurators, etc. The title of king is one that is seen at times in the NT, such as Peter's being arrested under the authority of King Herod in Acts 12.   The words of Jesus here certainly would have applied to these apostles to some extent later in their ministries, but the majority of the interaction with such positions, as recorded in the Bible, was between Paul and such men. This is because Luke especially followed the life of Paul as he traveled among the Gentiles.   In fact, the name Paul was probably one taken on by him after his meeting with Sergius Paulus, as is recorded in Acts 13. After that encounter, he is never called Saul again, except when quoting past events. From that time forward, he was known as Paul. As for the reason for being brought before them, Jesus next says, “because of Me.”   This was their life calling. They were apostles of Jesus, and He was sending them forth bearing His name. It may be that even during this early period, they would appear before such positions, but there is nothing specifically recorded concerning it. Whenever it did happen, however, it was “for a testimony to them and the Gentiles.”   The stating of two different categories, “them and the Gentiles,” seems to indicate that the testimony was for the leaders to hear and then bring a positive influence for the gospel on those under them. As many of these would be Gentile leaders, this is where their influence would rest.   As such, what appears to be the case is that this is referring to something such as the trial of Paul in Acts 25, where Festus, Agrippa, and others held trial. The testimony concerning Jesus was to both Jews and Gentiles there, as it was in other situations Paul found himself in. But Paul, like the other apostles, knew in advance this would be the case –   “Then Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.' 15 But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.'” Acts 9:13-16   The words tend to give weight to the thought that while Israel was rejecting the gospel, the Gentiles would begin to be receptive to it.   Life application: The words thus far are intended to show that Israel was given every opportunity to accept Jesus as their Messiah. The testimony to foreign positions of authority and foreigners was actually a part of this. Jesus spoke concerning the sign of Jonah, meaning his preaching.   Jonah said that in forty days, Nineveh was to be destroyed. In the Bible, the often-seen application of such a statement as this is a day for a year. In other words, when Jesus said that the sign of Jonah would be given to them, He was saying that they had forty years to acknowledge Him.   The witness to Gentiles was intended, even from the beginning, to get Israel to see this and turn to Him –   “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.'” Romans 9:25-27   Paul wrote this during that forty-year period, and from other passages in the New Testament, it seems that it was believed that this blindness would quickly be replaced with sight, the kingdom would be ushered in, and Jesus' return would have taken place.   And yet, we are still waiting for this to take place two thousand years later. Jesus' plan is being worked out, and His church continues to be built. Israel was destroyed, they were exiled, having rejected Jesus, but they will be spiritually restored to usher in the promised millennial kingdom. Their regathering at this time is for this purpose.   They will go through the purification of the tribulation period along with the rest of the world, but they will be saved through it. God's promises will never fail. Let us trust in this and be confident that everything promised will come about as prophesied.   Lord God, there are times in the past when we have misunderstood Your word. Maybe that is still the case today. There may be a long haul before the return of Jesus comes about. All we can do is wait patiently and continue to faithfully proclaim Your word until then. However, it is our desire to see Him really soon! May You speed His coming. How we long to see Jesus. Amen.

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Wednesday, 14 May 2025   And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Matthew 10:7   “And going, you proclaim, saying that ‘It has neared – the kingdom of the heavens'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told His twelve to specifically go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Next, He instructs them, “And going, you proclaim, saying.”   Jesus uses the same word that has been used several times already, kérussó. It signifies to proclaim or herald an announcement. HELPS Word Studies says of it, “bringing eternal accountability to all who hear it.”   Consider it! Jesus is sending His chosen twelve out among the people of Israel. He has already been conducting His ministry for some amount of time, but the harvest field is so ready for reaping that He has decided to send forth those who have followed Him and learned from Him to expand the process. What words will He ask them to proclaim? The answer is “that ‘It has neared – the kingdom of the heavens.'”   In Matthew 3:2, the first recorded words of John the Baptist were, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens!” Likewise, in Matthew's gospel, after His baptism and temptation, the first words of Jesus' ministry to the people were, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens!”   Now Jesus instructs these disciples to likewise tell the people that the kingdom of the heavens has neared. In each instance, there is the anticipation that a great change in the economy and focus of God's redemptive plans is set to take place.   This is just the beginning of the instruction to these men. In Luke 9, there is a complementary account of Jesus' instructions to the twelve. That is followed in Luke 10 with Jesus sending out seventy more to continue the proclamation throughout Israel.   Life application: A common question that arises concerns the terms “kingdom of the heaven(s),” and “kingdom of God.” The words are certainly used interchangeably at times. For example, Jesus says that the kingdom of God is the kingdom of the heavens in Matthew 19 –   “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'”  Matthew 19:23, 24   In those two verses, which are given in parallelism, He is clearly indicating that they are the same thing. The term kingdom of the heaven(s) is not used in the epistles. Rather, they refer to the kingdom of God. However, Paul does say that the Lord would deliver him and preserve him for His heavenly kingdom.   As such, there is certainly overlap in the thought. At times, however, it is clear that the promised kingdom to Israel is a literal earthly kingdom. This is how the disciples understood it when asking Him about the restoration of the kingdom in Acts 1:6.   The best approach to understanding the idea of a kingdom, then, is to check the surrounding context to see what is spoken of. God is working through time and dispensations in various ways to bring man to a state of restoration.   As He does this, a kingdom is either set up or being set up that is being expressed in various ways, actual or anticipated. In Romans 14, Paul speaks of the kingdom as a reality for believers now, and yet it is something that is only so positionally, as indicated elsewhere. The actual kingdom is something anticipated for believers at this time.   As such, it is good not to get overly dogmatic about things but rather to consider that there is a positional belonging and an actual belonging that may apply in one way or another.   For us, because of faith in Christ, we can be reassured that we are accepted into the kingdom now, even if we have to await the rapture to be actually received into the marvelous blessing of the kingdom that lies ahead for us. Be assured that Christ has accepted you if you have believed. Every good promise He has made will, therefore, be realized on that day.   Lord God, despite not yet being with You in heaven, we know we are with You through faith in what You have done. Help us to remember this in our times of trial and difficulty. We have a better and surer hope ahead than anything this fallen world can provide. May You come soon for Your people so that we can forever rejoice in Your presence. Amen.  

My guest is author Patti Clark who was born and raised in San Francisco during the 60's and 70's – a flower child who started drinking and using drugs at the tender age of 13 In this episode:- Patti started drinking and using drugs as a young teenager Her mother was an alcoholic and died when Patti was just 16. She was Academically successful despite the heavy drinking and drug use. Patti first got sober at the age of 30 – she attended AA and stayed sober for 13 years. She eventually left 12-step recovery thinking she could moderate The drinking ramped up again and she drank for another 13 years. Patti's red flags included hiding bottles, kids noticing her drinking. Patti got sober again in November 2014 and this time it stuck She rebuilt her sobriety using therapy, journaling and creativity. She eventually co-founded an NA meeting with a focus on emotional sobriety  Journalling played a huge role in her recovery, helping her to access her inner feelings and creativity. We both agreed on the value of sitting in the void Although it can be boring and uncomfortable at first it allows space for growth, ideas, and new passions. Believes women relapse partly because traditional 12-step recovery doesn't fit women's emotional needs. Relapse is often linked to lack of connection and trying to fill emotional voids. Three key messages from Patti:- a) Find your tribe — Emphasizes that connection and community is critical for recovery. b) Allow yourself to be uncomfortable in early sobriety — that discomfort will lead to growth c) Joy and purpose are central to lasting recovery — sobriety should feel like an upgrade, not a deprivation. Patti's Books a) This Way Up — about the search for self (includes journaling workbook). b) "Recovery Road Trip" — real conversations with women about relapse & recovery; includes a journaling guide. Books available via Amazon, Simon & Schuster, available on Kindle, and as an audiobook Patti welcomes emails from readers and loves hearing their stories. Her email is patticlarksemail@gmail.com More Info:            Our next BF program kicks off on 11th May    You can sign up for Breaking Free here Episode Sponsor This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today Read more about our program and subscribe HERE Help us to Spread the Word! We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share. If you enjoyed the podcast, then please leave us a 5-star review on Apple podcasts. Take a screenshot of your review, and DM it to Tribe Sober's Instagram page – see PS below for instructions. We'll send you something special to say thank you! We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning. You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram. You can join our private Facebook group HERE. PS: How to Leave a Rating/Review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS Device) Open the Podcasts app. EASY. Choose “Search” from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (e.g. Recover Like a Mother) into the search field. Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes). Scroll down past the first few episodes until you see Ratings & Reviews. Click Write a Review underneath the displayed reviews from other listeners. You'll then have the option to rate the show on a 5-star scale and write a review (you can rate without writing too but it's always good to read your experience).  

Start May with Purpose, Power, and Positivity!

Read Online“Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher' and ‘master,'  and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” John 13:12–15Do you want to be holy? Perhaps this question is not one that everyone will immediately answer with a resounding “Yes.” Sadly, holiness, for some, can seem boring and unattractive. The lure of evil is very enticing on a confused and superficial level. So what is your answer to this question? Do you want to be holy?As we begin today the sacred Triduum, we enter into the holiest days of the Church year.  We walk with our Lord through His final glorification today as He celebrates the Passover with His disciples and enters the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. Tomorrow we walk with Him through the stations of His Cross. On Saturday, we sit in silent adoration of His tomb as we await the Resurrection.In the Gospel quoted above, Jesus gives us a model for holiness by the witness of His actions. He Who is the God of the Universe, the Creator of all, the Eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, humbles Himself and takes on the form of a lowly servant by washing the feet of His disciples. He then offers them the Most Holy Eucharist for the first time, before He goes to meet His persecutors.The model Jesus gives us is a prophetic action by which Jesus tells us that true greatness, that is, true holiness, is found in humility. Holiness is realized in our lives when we turn our eyes from ourselves and love others as their servants. None of us are the Savior of the World, but each of us must become instruments of His saving act for others. As we accept Jesus' gift, we must then turn to others and humble ourselves before them. We must help them to see our love and their dignity. We must serve them with humility and put them first. Doing so will then enable us to invite them to imitate us as we imitate Christ. Thus, our humble imitation of Jesus becomes a means by which Jesus invites others to follow Him.Reflect, today, upon the invitation of Jesus: “...as I have done for you, you should also do.” Jesus gave us everything, so we must give everything to others. We must serve without counting the cost. We must love them, putting their needs before ours. We must become a model of the love of Christ for them. Ponder Jesus' service today and throughout the Triduum and commit yourself to live the invitation given you by our Lord.My humble Lord, may Your name be praised and adored above all things. May You be exalted by Your humility and lowly service. I see in Your humble act, dear Lord, the deep love You have for me and for all. May I imitate that humble love in my own life so that my imitation of You will help to share Your saving love with others. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Palma il Giovane, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Read OnlineSo the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:47–48Jesus' public ministry had two primary effects upon the people. For many, they were coming to believe in Him and were hanging on His every word. They sought Him out and began to understand that He was the promised Messiah. This was the response of faith. But the reaction of the chief priests and the Pharisees was far more worldly. In the passage above, we see a group of religious leaders who are completely consumed with worldly concerns to the point that these concerns drown out all matters of faith.As the Sanhedrin convened and discussed what they should do, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, spoke up and gave advice that perfectly depicts this worldly vision. He said, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” Caiaphas and many other religious leaders at the time appeared to be far more concerned with their worldly status and power than they were with matters of true faith and eternal salvation. If they were men who deeply loved God and sought only His holy will, then they would have rejoiced that Jesus' ministry was so fruitful in the lives of the people. They would have offered thanks to God, day and night, for the privilege of seeing the prophecies of old about the Messiah come to fruition before their own eyes. They should have had joy and gratitude, and they should have allowed those spiritual blessings to grow within them and give them the courage they needed to go forth and die with our Lord if necessary. But instead, they chose their comfortable lives and worldly status above the truth, and they decided that Jesus needed to die.One beautiful truth to reflect upon within this context is that God uses all things for His glory and for the salvation of those who believe. With this meeting of the Sanhedrin, these men began to plot the death of Jesus. Eventually they used deceit, manipulation, intimidation and fear to accomplish their goal. But even though from a worldly perspective these misguided religious leaders “won,” from a divine perspective, God used their evil to bring about the greatest good the world had ever known. Through their malice, Jesus' passion and death gave way to the new life of the Resurrection. Reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use all things for our good. Be it in the midst of corruption, persecution, discord, sin, illness or any other evil in life, when we turn to God in faith and surrender, He is able to transform all things and bring forth an abundance of good fruit through them if we only let Him and trust in faith. Prayerfully surrender over to God, today, any of the above concerns that have affected you, and allow yourself to believe the simple truth that nothing can keep you from the glorious fulfillment of the will of God. All things can help toward the salvation of your soul and end in God's eternal glory. My glorious Lord, You were loved by many but also hated by some. Those with power and authority could not see beyond their worldly ambitions, so they began to plot against You. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to see every act of evil inflicted upon me as an opportunity for You to bring forth good. You are glorious, dear Lord. May You be glorified in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image via Brooklyn MuseumSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

https://youtu.be/snPosSHZR_s Audio: Play the audio class Download: Download this MP3 Topics: Morning Prayers Follow-Along Text: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּבַשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ אֶת רַחֲמָיו מֵעַל בֶּן יְחִידוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, כֵּן יִכְבְּשׁוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ אֶת כַּעַסְךָ מֵעָלֵֽינוּ, וְיָגֹֽלּוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ עַל מִדּוֹתֶֽיךָ.וְתִתְנַהֵג עִמָּֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ בְּמִדַּת הַחֶֽסֶד וּבְמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים, וְתִכָּנֵס לָֽנוּ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין,וּבְטוּבְךָ הַגָּדוֹל יָשׁוּב חֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ מֵעַמְּךָ וּמֵעִירְךָ וּמֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִנַּחֲלָתֶֽךָ,וְקַיֶּם לָֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר שֶׁהִבְטַחְתָּֽנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ, עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּֽךָ מִפִּי כְבוֹדֶֽךָ כָּאָמוּר:וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם אֶזְכֹּר וְהָאָֽרֶץ אֶזְכֹּר:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶֽרֶץ אֹיְבֵיהֶם, לֹא מְאַסְתִּים וְלֹא גְעַלְתִּים לְכַלֹּתָם,לְהָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם, כִּי אֲנִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיהֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְזָכַרְתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית רִאשֹׁנִים,אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵֽאתִי אֹתָם מֵאֶֽרֶץ מִצְרַֽיִם לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם, לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, אֲנִי יְיָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְשָׁב יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶֽךָ,וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ שָֽׁמָּה:אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָֽיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶֽךָ:וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶל הָאָֽרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶֽיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: יְיָ חָנֵּֽנוּ, לְךָ קִוִּֽינוּ, הֱיֵה זְרֹעָם לַבְּקָרִים, אַף יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְעֵת צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקֹב, וּמִמֶּֽנָּה יִוָּשֵֽׁעַ:וְנֶאֱמַר: בְּכָל צָרָתָם לוֹ צָר, וּמַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו הוֹשִׁיעָם,בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ וּבְחֶמְלָתוֹ הוּא גְאָלָם, וַיְנַטְּלֵם וַיְנַשְּׂאֵם כָּל יְמֵי עוֹלָם:וְנֶאֱמַר: מִי אֵל כָּמֽוֹךָ נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעֹבֵר עַל פֶּֽשַׁע, לִשְׁאֵרִית נַחֲלָתוֹ,לֹא הֶחֱזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ, כִּי חָפֵץ חֶֽסֶד הוּא:יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵֽנוּ, יִכְבֹּשׁ עֲוֹנֹתֵֽינוּ,וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצֻלוֹת יָם כָּל חַטֹּאתָם:תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב, חֶֽסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּֽעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵֽינוּ מִֽימֵי קֶֽדֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי, וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי,עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן עַל מִזְבְּחִי, כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל הָעַמִּים:Master of the world: Just as Avraham our father suppressed his mercy for his only son in order to do Your will wholeheartedly, so too, may Your mercy suppress Your wrath from [being vented] upon us.May Your mercy outweigh Your other attributes.May You deal with us, God our Lord, with the attribute of kindness and of mercy, and deal with us more leniently than the letter of the law.In Your great goodness, may Your fierce anger turn away from Your people, from Your city, from Your land, and from Your heritage.Fulfill for us, God, our Lord, the promise that You made in Your Torah through Moshe Your servant, as it is said:3“I will remember My covenant with Yaakov and indeed My covenant with Yitzchak, and I will indeed remember My covenant with Avraham, and I will remember the land.”And it is said: Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not abhor them nor spurn them so as to destroy them and annul My covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.And it is said: I will remember in their favor the covenant with their ancestors, whom I took out of the land of Egypt, before the eyes of the nations, to be their God; I am the Lord.And it is said: The Lord your God will return your exiles and have compassion upon you, and will again gather you from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.Even if your dispersed ones will be at the ends of the heavens, God, your Lord, will gather you from there and take you from there.God, your Lord,

https://youtu.be/suii_QNCXrA Audio: Play the audio class Download: Download this MP3 Topics: Morning Prayers Follow-Along Text: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּבַשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ אֶת רַחֲמָיו מֵעַל בֶּן יְחִידוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, כֵּן יִכְבְּשׁוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ אֶת כַּעַסְךָ מֵעָלֵֽינוּ, וְיָגֹֽלּוּ רַחֲמֶֽיךָ עַל מִדּוֹתֶֽיךָ.וְתִתְנַהֵג עִמָּֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ בְּמִדַּת הַחֶֽסֶד וּבְמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים, וְתִכָּנֵס לָֽנוּ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין,וּבְטוּבְךָ הַגָּדוֹל יָשׁוּב חֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ מֵעַמְּךָ וּמֵעִירְךָ וּמֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִנַּחֲלָתֶֽךָ,וְקַיֶּם לָֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר שֶׁהִבְטַחְתָּֽנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ, עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּֽךָ מִפִּי כְבוֹדֶֽךָ כָּאָמוּר:וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק, וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם אֶזְכֹּר וְהָאָֽרֶץ אֶזְכֹּר:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶֽרֶץ אֹיְבֵיהֶם, לֹא מְאַסְתִּים וְלֹא גְעַלְתִּים לְכַלֹּתָם,לְהָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם, כִּי אֲנִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיהֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְזָכַרְתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית רִאשֹׁנִים,אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵֽאתִי אֹתָם מֵאֶֽרֶץ מִצְרַֽיִם לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם, לִהְיוֹת לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, אֲנִי יְיָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְשָׁב יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶֽךָ,וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ שָֽׁמָּה:אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָֽיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶֽךָ:וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶל הָאָֽרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶֽיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ:וְנֶאֱמַר: יְיָ חָנֵּֽנוּ, לְךָ קִוִּֽינוּ, הֱיֵה זְרֹעָם לַבְּקָרִים, אַף יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ בְּעֵת צָרָה:וְנֶאֱמַר: וְעֵת צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקֹב, וּמִמֶּֽנָּה יִוָּשֵֽׁעַ:וְנֶאֱמַר: בְּכָל צָרָתָם לוֹ צָר, וּמַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו הוֹשִׁיעָם,בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ וּבְחֶמְלָתוֹ הוּא גְאָלָם, וַיְנַטְּלֵם וַיְנַשְּׂאֵם כָּל יְמֵי עוֹלָם:וְנֶאֱמַר: מִי אֵל כָּמֽוֹךָ נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעֹבֵר עַל פֶּֽשַׁע, לִשְׁאֵרִית נַחֲלָתוֹ,לֹא הֶחֱזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ, כִּי חָפֵץ חֶֽסֶד הוּא:יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵֽנוּ, יִכְבֹּשׁ עֲוֹנֹתֵֽינוּ,וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצֻלוֹת יָם כָּל חַטֹּאתָם:תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב, חֶֽסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּֽעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵֽינוּ מִֽימֵי קֶֽדֶם:וְנֶאֱמַר: וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי, וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי,עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן עַל מִזְבְּחִי, כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל הָעַמִּים:Master of the world: Just as Avraham our father suppressed his mercy for his only son in order to do Your will wholeheartedly, so too, may Your mercy suppress Your wrath from [being vented] upon us.May Your mercy outweigh Your other attributes.May You deal with us, God our Lord, with the attribute of kindness and of mercy, and deal with us more leniently than the letter of the law.In Your great goodness, may Your fierce anger turn away from Your people, from Your city, from Your land, and from Your heritage.Fulfill for us, God, our Lord, the promise that You made in Your Torah through Moshe Your servant, as it is said:3“I will remember My covenant with Yaakov and indeed My covenant with Yitzchak, and I will indeed remember My covenant with Avraham, and I will remember the land.”And it is said: Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not abhor them nor spurn them so as to destroy them and annul My covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.And it is said: I will remember in their favor the covenant with their ancestors, whom I took out of the land of Egypt, before the eyes of the nations, to be their God; I am the Lord.And it is said: The Lord your God will return your exiles and have compassion upon you, and will again gather you from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.Even if your dispersed ones will be at the ends of the heavens, God, your Lord, will gather you from there and take you from there.God, your Lord,

"May You be adored, O merciful God of ours, O All-powerful Lord and Creator. In deepest humility, we give You praise, Plunging ourselves into the ocean of Your Godhead." St. Faustina writes. Listen in as Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, reads from this modern spiritual classic. To order a copy of the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, visit  ShopMercy.org. Support our Ministries here. 

Monday, 13 January 2025   For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21   “For where your treasure, it is, there also your heart, it will be” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of amassing treasures in heaven, noting that earthly treasures can be stolen or eaten up. With that remembered, He next says, “For where your treasure, it is, there also your heart, it will be.”   This is a link right back to the book of Joshua and the story Achan. He was fixated on earthly treasure, and that is where his heart was. It cost him everything –   “And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.' 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, ‘Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.' So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.” Joshua 7: 20-26   On the other hand David had great wealth, but it did not possess him. Instead, he was a man of faith, and his heart was set on the Lord. The few times he is noted as having failed the Lord, it also notes that his heart was contrite, and he mourned over his blunders. David's treasure, above all else, was the Lord, and that is where his heart also was –   “Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: ‘My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God. 2 Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. 3 Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: 4 three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; 5 the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?'” 1 Chronicles 29:1-5   Life application: There is nothing wrong with possessing wealth or protecting that wealth for the future. In fact, Proverbs says –   “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” Proverbs 13:22   One cannot save up for his children's children if he doesn't possess wealth to some degree. The point of the Bible's words concerning this matter is essentially, “Are you master over wealth, or is your wealth master over you.”   Be wise concerning earning and saving, but also let your heart be directed to the Lord above all else.   Heavenly Father, help us to be responsible with the blessings You have bestowed upon us. If we squander what we have, it shows that our priorities were not directed toward You in the first place. Instead, we carelessly handled Your blessing upon us. At the same time, may we never let our possessions possess us. May You always be our hearts' desire. Amen.  

Your Nightly Prayer

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." 3 John 1:2 Your health is your wealth when there is complete harmony with your body, mind, and spirit. Because our well-being is intricately linked to our daily habits. By cultivating healthy routines, we empower ourselves to transcend the limitations that life often imposes on us. Remember, a tree deeply rooted in rich soil; just as it flourishes with care, our well-being thrives when we nurture healthy habits.  Adopting healthy habits doesn't happen overnight; it requires patience and commitment. The process begins with small changes—perhaps choosing nutritious foods or dedicating time each day to physical activity. The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?” Caring for our bodies leads us toward a renewed mindset and a more vibrant existence. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." The impact of these positive shifts extends beyond physical health—they elevate our mental state as well. Engaging in exercise releases endorphins that uplift our spirits and improve our overall mood. Nurturing both body and mind fosters resilience against life's challenges, whether through meditation, journaling, or spending time in nature. As we embrace the journey of developing healthy habits, let us also support one another in this endeavor. Galatians 6:2 instructs us to carry each other's burdens, fostering community around shared goals can keep motivation high. Let today be the first step towards enriching your life—body, mind, and spirit—and remember that every small effort counts toward transforming your health into true wealth! 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Prayer for the Day! With a heart full of faith in God's omnipresent love, I lift you in prayer today. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that You open the gates of divine well-being for this beloved individual. May You guide them along paths of righteousness and health. Let every step they take be blessed with Your healing power, and may their body mirror the strength and vitality that comes from abiding in You. Lord, grant them resilience against any ailment or discomfort, as You promise us in Exodus 15:26 — I am the LORD who heals you. In Jesus' name. Amen. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-divineo/support

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”  Luke 14:25–26After this startling opening line from our Lord, Jesus concludes today's Gospel by saying, “In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” Thus, at first read it appears that we are called to not only renounce all we possess but also to hate those within our own family. But is this truly what our Lord means? Let's begin with the idea of “hating” those within our family and even our own life.Obviously the word “hate” in this Gospel passage is not the same as the sin of hate and anger. In commenting on this passage, one Church Father explains that there are some cases when the best way to love another is through a form of hate. That is, if another were to act as an obstacle to God, working to deter us from the will of our Lord, then our “hatred” for the actions they do must be firmly expressed. But this is love. A refusal to turn from God, by rejecting another's disordered actions, is a way of sharing the Gospel with them. Let's take an extreme example.Imagine that you lived at a time and circumstance where being a Christian was a crime. You were arrested and commanded to publicly renounce your faith. Instead, you renounced that command with every strength of your soul. In this case, you exercise a form of holy “hate” for the persecution the person is imposing upon you. But that is also an act of love toward them as you fully reject their action by renouncing their command.Or consider also how you hate even your “own life.” Let's say that you fall into serious sin, over and over. The appropriate response is not only to repent but also to have a form of holy hatred for the habit into which you have fallen. This is a true hatred for yourself in the sense that it is a hatred for that which you have become by your sin. But this holy hatred has the ultimate goal of passionately overcoming your sin and is therefore a true act of love for yourself.The concluding line of today's Gospel mentioned above calls us to renounce all of our possessions. In other words, we must renounce anything that we are attached to in a way that is contrary to the will of God. Of course, in God's providence most people (except those who take a vow of poverty) are invited by God to have various possessions so as to meet the material needs of life. But even in this case, we must “renounce” all that we possess, meaning, we must not allow ourselves to become attached to anything other than God. But this is freedom in the truest sense. Even if you have many things, it must be understood that those things do not make you happy. Only God and His will can fulfill you. Nothing else. Thus, we must learn to live as if God and God alone suffices. And if it is God's will that you obtain a house, car, computer, television and other modern conveniences, then so be it. But true “renunciation” of all of these possessions simply means that if at any time you were to lose them, then this would be fine. Therein is perfect detachment. The loss of something material would not deter you in any way from loving and serving God and His holy will. Reflect, today, upon these radical words of Jesus. Try to hear them in the way our Lord meant them. Work to be detached from everything that is contrary to the will of God and everything that becomes an obstacle to God in your life. In the end, possessing God alone is more than you could ever hope for. And only if you fully possess our merciful God will you be able to love yourself and others with the pure heart and love of Jesus our Lord. My demanding Lord, You call us all to a life of radical holiness. You desire that I come to love You above all with all my heart. Please give me the grace and wisdom I need to renounce all that is an obstacle to my love and service of You. May You and You alone be glorified in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Christ Preaching by Rembrandt, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Lord Jesus taught us to pray these words, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is our heartfelt prayer. May You be honored in this nation with godly leaders, with humble people, with obedient followers of Jesus the Messiah. May Your kingdom come in power in each of our lives that we may do Your will on earth even as it is done in heaven. And may this nation experience a spiritual rebirth, a renewal that comes through the Holy Spirit of the Living God. We pray this in the strong name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44Today's Gospel presents us with two very short and similar parables. In the first, quoted above, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “treasure.” In the second parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “pearl of great price.” Though these parables are very similar to each other, there are also subtle differences worth pondering. It appears that the treasure mentioned in the first parable is discovered almost by accident. The person simply “finds” it. This is in contrast to the second parable, in that the merchant who finds the pearl of great price did so after “searching” for it. We often encounter the Treasure of the Gospel without even looking for it. We do so any time God intervenes in our lives without us seeking His intervention. For example, if someone were to offer an act of charity to you without you seeking it out, this is God giving you a treasure of His Kingdom. Or if someone shares with you their faith, or an inspiration they received, this is indeed a treasure given to you by God. The problem is that many times when we are given these treasures of the Gospel, we do not always see them as treasures. Imagine, for example, if the person in this parable were to stumble upon the treasure in the field and fail to open it out of indifference. They see it from a distance, have a bit of curiosity about what is in the box, but they are not energetic enough to actually open the box and look inside. In that case, the person would have no reason to go and sell all that they have so as to buy the field in which the treasure is found.One clear message that this first parable reveals is that we must be attentive to the countless treasures of God's graces given to us each and every day. God is so prolific in offering us grace, that we truly do stumble upon His grace all the time. Thus, having eyes to perceive His actions and ears to Hear His Voice is essential.A second message clearly given in both of these parables is that once we discover the graces God gives us every day, we must foster within ourselves a desire for those graces that is so strong that we are willing to do anything necessary to obtain them. The discovery is made through the gift of faith, but the discovery by faith must then be followed with a zeal that drives our will to conform to that discovery.Reflect, today, upon two things. First, have you discovered the treasures God has given to you? If you hesitate in answering this, then it's most likely the case that there is much you have yet to discover. Secondly, as you do discover the riches that come with the gift of faith, then have you allowed that which God has spoken to you to consume you to such a point that you are willing to sell all you have, meaning, do whatever it takes to further accept all God wants to bestow? Resolutely determine to go forth on this holy search and you will find that the riches of grace that you obtain are of infinite value.My Lord of all riches, You bestow upon me and upon all Your children countless graces every day. The treasures of Your mercy are of infinite value. Please open my eyes so that I can see and my ears so that I can hear so as to discover all that You wish to bestow. May You and the riches of Your Kingdom become the one and only, all-consuming focus of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Parable of the Hidden Treasure By Gerrit Dou or Rembrandt, via Wikimedia Commons

Sunday, 28 July 2024   “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21   “And she will bring forth a son, and you will call His name JESUS. For He will save His people from their sins” (CG).   Joseph was just told that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit. The messenger continues, saying, “And she will bring forth a Son.”   The words not only demonstrate the presence of God in the process, but more, they also reveal the directive hand of God. The Child will not merely be opening Mary's womb, but the Lord is directing what type of child will be born, a Son. Understanding that, it next says, “and you will call His name JESUS.”   The words of this verse are similar to what was said to Mary –   “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” Luke 1:31   Mary was told this, and even if she then told it to Joseph, it is still right that the messenger would repeat it to him now. His words confirm the words of Mary, or they establish the matter for Joseph if she had not yet told him. Either way, he is informed what will come to pass concerning the Child, and he is told what the Child's name will be.   This is not a unique event in Scripture. The names of Isaac and Ishmael were given before they were born. Josiah's name was prophesied before he was born. Also, the name of Cyrus, King of Persia, was stated in a prophecy before he was born. In the New Testament, John the Baptist had his name designated before he was born.   Though the name of Samson was not given before he was born, details concerning him were described. Such events as this show that God is in control of the redemptive narrative, and He intervenes at key points to continue having history unfold according to a set plan.   The name Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua. It is a shortened form of Yehoshua, Joshua. Whereas Yehoshua means The Lord is Salvation, Yeshua means Salvation, or He Will Save, coming from the verb yasha, to deliver or save. Joshua anticipated the coming of Christ through his name.   In the coming of Christ, the type is fulfilled: the Lord, Yehovah, is Salvation. Therefore, the messenger provides the reason for the selection of the name, saying, “For He will save His people from their sins.”   Thus, as happens so often in Scripture, a pun is formed, “You shall call His name Salvation, for He will save His people from their sins.”   The implication of the messenger's word is that Christ has a group of people that will be saved. It is also implied that some will not be saved because they are “not His people.” What is also explicit is that people have sin from which they must be saved. Without this process, they remain in a state of condemnation. Jesus has come to correct this in His people.   Life application: It is not uncommon for people to argue over the name of Jesus. Some argue that His name is originally a different Hebrew name than Yeshua, deriving their opinion from one Old Testament passage or another. However, it is most commonly accepted that His name is either Yehoshua or Yeshua.   As He is the Lord, Yehovah, in human flesh, it makes less sense to call him The Lord is Salvation (Yehoshua). Rather, He is the Lord who is Salvation (Yeshua). However, fighting over this is not necessary.   Another way people argue over Jesus' name is to insist that we should use the Hebrew name only because that is His “real” name. As Jesus isn't the way a Hebrew would speak, it is somehow bad to them that we would say “Jesus.”   This dismisses the fact that the vast majority of people don't pronounce any biblical name as it actually is. Some are so far from the Hebrew that when the Hebrew is heard, we don't even know who is being referred to. To say we must pronounce Jesus' Hebrew name would necessitate that we do so with all biblical names. It is unreasonable to hold to this view.   Languages were developed by God. They continue to change as time passes. As they do, we accommodate to the general use of names within a language. The name Yeshua is transliterated into the Greek as Iésous (ee ay soos). If God wanted us to say Yeshua today, He wouldn't have had the New Testament given to us in Greek.   From Iésous, the English language developed through the Germanic languages. Iésous eventually became Jesus (Yesous). Germans don't have the hard J (think of Johannes Kepler). The name then moved to the English people as Jesus with a hard J. Within English, this same name is actually pronounced quite differently depending on where you are. If you go to a southern church in the U.S., it sounds like Jayzuz. And so forth.   There are YT videos that give the name of Jesus in many languages throughout the world. Different people groups will pronounce the name differently. But in the end, our Jesus is the Christ of the nations as well as the Messiah of Israel. However you pronounce His name, do it with respect. He is our Lord. He is our JESUS.   Lord God, we stand in awe of what You have done. You have come to us in the Person of Jesus our Savior. May You be eternally praised for Your goodness to the sons of Adam for redeeming us unto Yourself. All hail the name of Jesus. Amen.  

Are you looking after your energetic state? It's no secret that most of what we desire is “high vibe” - and since like attracts like in order to attract your desires you need to be in a high frequency.  BUT - how can you get there?  Today's episode is a solo pep talk from G about what you can do to nurture your energetic state and raise your frequency.  If you have been currently trying to manifest a desire or are feeling like your sparkle has disappeared then this is the perfect episode for you.  You can purchase the project here. Use the code 'NEXTLEVEL222' to get $222 off for the first 24 hours. (Available to purchase from 7:00am, Monday 27 May) You can find G's book recommendation - the Source by Dr Tara Swart here.  You can listen to the episode on the Law of Attraction here.  You can find out more about RISE the app here.  You can join our Facebook group here.    You can find our Instagram here.   You can shop our courses here.  You can shop our products here.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join host Tewannah Aman for her podcast, "In Christ, I Can!" How many of us struggle with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy? Philippians 4:13 is a verse that many know well,  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But how often do we freeze up? How many times have we not gone through a door? Or we haven't taken advantage of an opportunity? Do I  hear a resounding yes and amen? I can relate. We have had many who have criticized and condemned us, and that has created a fear of rejection and a fear of failure deep within us. Those times when someone made us feel so  insecure and inadequate, telling us things like:   “You aren't good enough. You are a failure. Why even try? You are hopeless and helpless.”  And the list goes on. When we accepted Jesus, we were adopted into His family. We are children of God and daughters of the King. But the tapes that have been playing in our heads don't just disappear. Wouldn't that be nice? We are now on a journey called the process of sanctification. That is when we seek God and His Word to renew our hearts and minds (Romans 12:1, 2). It is allowing His truths to transform us into the image of Christ. Walk with me as I share how God has enabled me to work through and overcome those fearful times that still can come back to haunt me. And let's look at Moses and how he struggled with deep feelings of fear and insecurity.  When God called him, he practically refused.   He tried to  convince God He had chosen the wrong person.  We are in good company. God empowered Moses to deliver the Israelites. Even though he was scared, he went through the door anyway.  He trusted the Lord. And the Holy Spirit kicked in, and that is what He wants to do in each of our lives. He wants to reveal His power in and through us. He wants to heal, redeem, and restore the brokenness from our past.  So that you can be used to achieve great and mighty things for His Kingdom. May You seek Him with your whole heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13). God has chosen you. He has a purpose and plan for your life. How exciting is that?!! Now, go rock the world for Jesus.

So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:47–48Jesus' public ministry had two primary effects upon the people. For many, they were coming to believe in Him and were hanging on His every word. They sought Him out and began to understand that He was the promised Messiah. This was the response of faith. But the reaction of the chief priests and the Pharisees was far more worldly. In the passage above, we see a group of religious leaders who are completely consumed with worldly concerns to the point that these concerns drown out all matters of faith.As the Sanhedrin convened and discussed what they should do, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, spoke up and gave advice that perfectly depicts this worldly vision. He said, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” Caiaphas and many other religious leaders at the time appeared to be far more concerned with their worldly status and power than they were with matters of true faith and eternal salvation. If they were men who deeply loved God and sought only His holy will, then they would have rejoiced that Jesus' ministry was so fruitful in the lives of the people. They would have offered thanks to God, day and night, for the privilege of seeing the prophecies of old about the Messiah come to fruition before their own eyes. They should have had joy and gratitude, and they should have allowed those spiritual blessings to grow within them and give them the courage they needed to go forth and die with our Lord if necessary. But instead, they chose their comfortable lives and worldly status above the truth, and they decided that Jesus needed to die.One beautiful truth to reflect upon within this context is that God uses all things for His glory and for the salvation of those who believe. With this meeting of the Sanhedrin, these men began to plot the death of Jesus. Eventually they used deceit, manipulation, intimidation and fear to accomplish their goal. But even though from a worldly perspective these misguided religious leaders “won,” from a divine perspective, God used their evil to bring about the greatest good the world had ever known. Through their malice, Jesus' passion and death gave way to the new life of the Resurrection.Reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use all things for our good. Be it in the midst of corruption, persecution, discord, sin, illness or any other evil in life, when we turn to God in faith and surrender, He is able to transform all things and bring forth an abundance of good fruit through them if we only let Him and trust in faith. Prayerfully surrender over to God, today, any of the above concerns that have affected you, and allow yourself to believe the simple truth that nothing can keep you from the glorious fulfillment of the will of God. All things can help toward the salvation of your soul and end in God's eternal glory.My glorious Lord, You were loved by many but also hated by some. Those with power and authority could not see beyond their worldly ambitions, so they began to plot against You. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to see every act of evil inflicted upon me as an opportunity for You to bring forth good. You are glorious, dear Lord. May You be glorified in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: The Chief Priests Take Counsel Together By James Tissot, via Brooklyn Museum

"May You be adored, O merciful God of ours, O All-powerful Lord and Creator. In deepest humility, we give You praise, Plunging ourselves into the ocean of Your Godhead." St. Faustina writes. Listen in as Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, reads from this modern spiritual classic. To order a copy of the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, visit  ShopMercy.org. Support our Ministries here. 

Let me ask you a question: How are you feeling this holiday season? A) I'm feeling the Christmas magic! Grateful!  B) I'm sad or lonely or really stressed… If you answered yes, you're in good company. Maybe you're having the best Christmas season you've had in a long time! Or maybe you're coping with grief, illness, financial insecurity, or something else. There's a good chance you're dealing with some mix of all of the above, and that's okay.  The holidays can be complicated, and every Christmas song tries to tell you to “be of good cheer.” I'm here to tell you that you don't have to. And you're not alone. So how do you cope when the holidays are hard? Take a listen, and I'll share some ways I'm shedding expectations this year. (And I sing a little too…)  Prayer: God, we acknowledge who You are, and we are grateful. We praise You for who You are, and we thank You for what You've done. We know You've done so much for us this year, but we also want to come to You and say there's many of us that are struggling this holiday season. May we base our expectations on Your expectations. May we be grateful for the gift that Jesus was in our life and is in our life, and the fact, God, that You sent Your only Son. And if that is the end of our gratitude, may we not feel shame in that being all we can celebrate. May You bring comfort to those who are mourning. May You bring freedom to those that are chained. And may You bring peace to those that are in pain. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. _____ Purchase your copy of my new book, How to Human, HERE:  https://bit.ly/HowtoHumanNotes Let's keep in touch! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear ALL my updates: https://bit.ly/MasFamiliaNotes Interested in advertising with us? Reach out here. _____ INDEED: Need to hire? You need Indeed. Visit indeed.com/HUMANHOPE to start hiring now. HIYA HEALTH: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/HUMANHOPE

Let me ask you a question: How are you feeling this holiday season? A) I'm feeling the Christmas magic! Grateful!  B) I'm sad or lonely or really stressed… If you answered yes, you're in good company. Maybe you're having the best Christmas season you've had in a long time! Or maybe you're coping with grief, illness, financial insecurity, or something else. There's a good chance you're dealing with some mix of all of the above, and that's okay.  The holidays can be complicated, and every Christmas song tries to tell you to “be of good cheer.” I'm here to tell you that you don't have to. And you're not alone. So how do you cope when the holidays are hard? Take a listen, and I'll share some ways I'm shedding expectations this year. (And I sing a little too…)  Prayer: God, we acknowledge who You are, and we are grateful. We praise You for who You are, and we thank You for what You've done. We know You've done so much for us this year, but we also want to come to You and say there's many of us that are struggling this holiday season. May we base our expectations on Your expectations. May we be grateful for the gift that Jesus was in our life and is in our life, and the fact, God, that You sent Your only Son. And if that is the end of our gratitude, may we not feel shame in that being all we can celebrate. May You bring comfort to those who are mourning. May You bring freedom to those that are chained. And may You bring peace to those that are in pain. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. _____ Purchase your copy of my new book, How to Human, HERE:  https://bit.ly/HowtoHumanNotes Let's keep in touch! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear ALL my updates: https://bit.ly/MasFamiliaNotes Interested in advertising with us? Reach out here. _____ INDEED: Need to hire? You need Indeed. Visit indeed.com/HUMANHOPE to start hiring now. HIYA HEALTH: Receive 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/HUMANHOPE

*** IAYAALIS traces the Christmastime roots back to Ancient Egypt  ***What's Up, my fellow Seekers of The Divine!?!In this 20th episode of ✨

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:25–26After this startling opening line from our Lord, Jesus concludes today's Gospel by saying, “In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” Thus, at first read it appears that we are called to not only renounce all we possess but also to hate those within our own family. But is this truly what our Lord means? Let's begin with the idea of “hating” those within our family and even our own life.Obviously the word “hate” in this Gospel passage is not the same as the sin of hate and anger. In commenting on this passage, one Church Father explains that there are some cases when the best way to love another is through a form of hate. That is, if another were to act as an obstacle to God, working to deter us from the will of our Lord, then our “hatred” for the actions they do must be firmly expressed. But this is love. A refusal to turn from God, by rejecting another's disordered actions, is a way of sharing the Gospel with them. Let's take an extreme example.Imagine that you lived at a time and circumstance where being a Christian was a crime. You were arrested and commanded to publicly renounce your faith. Instead, you renounced that command with every strength of your soul. In this case, you exercise a form of holy “hate” for the persecution the person is imposing upon you. But that is also an act of love toward them as you fully reject their action by renouncing their command.Or consider also how you hate even your “own life.” Let's say that you fall into serious sin, over and over. The appropriate response is not only to repent but also to have a form of holy hatred for the habit into which you have fallen. This is a true hatred for yourself in the sense that it is a hatred for that which you have become by your sin. But this holy hatred has the ultimate goal of passionately overcoming your sin and is therefore a true act of love for yourself.The concluding line of today's Gospel mentioned above calls us to renounce all of our possessions. In other words, we must renounce anything that we are attached to in a way that is contrary to the will of God. Of course, in God's providence most people (except those who take a vow of poverty) are invited by God to have various possessions so as to meet the material needs of life. But even in this case, we must “renounce” all that we possess, meaning, we must not allow ourselves to become attached to anything other than God. But this is freedom in the truest sense. Even if you have many things, it must be understood that those things do not make you happy. Only God and His will can fulfill you. Nothing else. Thus, we must learn to live as if God and God alone suffices. And if it is God's will that you obtain a house, car, computer, television and other modern conveniences, then so be it. But true “renunciation” of all of these possessions simply means that if at any time you were to lose them, then this would be fine. Therein is perfect detachment. The loss of something material would not deter you in any way from loving and serving God and His holy will. Reflect, today, upon these radical words of Jesus. Try to hear them in the way our Lord meant them. Work to be detached from everything that is contrary to the will of God and everything that becomes an obstacle to God in your life. In the end, possessing God alone is more than you could ever hope for. And only if you fully possess our merciful God will you be able to love yourself and others with the pure heart and love of Jesus our Lord. My demanding Lord, You call us all to a life of radical holiness. You desire that I come to love You above all with all my heart. Please give me the grace and wisdom I need to renounce all that is an obstacle to my love and service of You. May You and You alone be glorified in my life. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

RISE OF THE ENEMY IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! RISE OF THE ENEMY — NOW AVAILABLE! Today is BOOK LAUNCH DAY!  My new devotional book for boys has been launched out into the world, and it is now officially available on Amazon!  I'm super excited!  The book was funded successfully on Kickstarter back in May […]You can find the shownotes for this episode HERE.The post Rise of the Enemy is Available on Amazon! RTC 80 appeared first on Laurie Christine.

The pinnacle of our relationship with God includes being stripped of every other earthly tie so that nothing holds us back from running toward God with great passion and purpose. We must be freed of every attachment in this life so that our one attachment is God and His holy Will. This does not mean we ought to neglect our love for others. This is especially true with family love. Love for those in your family must take on a special focus and become total and irrevocable. However, there is a difference between loving your family with a perfect love and being attached to them in an earthly way. In fact, holy detachment is necessary if you are to love with the Heart of Christ. Loving Jesus as your one desire in life will direct you to Him through others. You will love Christ in your family and in all aspects of your earthly vocation. But your love for all will be a love for Christ when you love Him with this perfect love. When this happens, every other attachment will be transformed into your love of God (See Diary #1365).What do you love in this world? What is it that you are attached to? Think about your greatest earthly loves. Hopefully these loves include family members and others whom God has put in your life. Now examine those loves and ponder whether they are centered in Christ. By loving them are you actually loving God? Or do these earthly loves remain ends in themselves? Reflect upon the goal of making love of God the one and only focus of your life and try to discover how you love God in and through every other person and every aspect of your life.My Lord, I love You and desire to love You above all else and in all else. May You become the one and only goal of my love. As I love You in all Your creatures may I be drawn closer to You and lavish Your perfect mercy upon their lives. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Feeling stuck? May Yeo Silvers provides practical advice, or fast “hacks”, to boost your personal and professional success. Drawing from a recent conversation with a savvy business associate, May shares the 4 big takeaways she learned that can help you shift your results.   First, she emphasizes the critical link between physical health, mental clarity and business success, stressing diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. Second, be cautious about your media intake; avoid negative content and choose sources of information and advice that you've researched and who align with your values. Next, remember that your close circle of friends and business associates matter; your success often mirrors the average success of your five closest associates. Choose them wisely. Lastly, visualize your goals, immersing yourself mentally in where you aim to be. Imagining business and life success before you have it can make it more possible for you to achieve.   This short episode is packed with advice to help you get unstuck and transform your outcomes.   Quotes • "Physical health directly relates to mental health, emotional health, and also your health of your business." (02:46 | May)  • "Your potential for success in life and in business is the average of the five people that you surround yourself with." (10:47 | May)  • "Your current environment, is it a reflection of where you want to go?" (14:52 | May) • “You want to be able to extract yourself from an environment that's not serving you and physically plant yourself in another environment that's going to serve you.” (16:23 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone For more information about our virtual Passion To Profit Workshop on September 13-14 2023: How To Attract Your Ideal Clients & Book Them, click on this link to register: https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023   If you want the FULL EXPERIENCE, for only $37, you get an ADDITIONAL bonus of a pricing video tutorial that teaches you how to price for profit PLUS a pricing calculator with embedded formulas where you can input your numbers and calculate your fees.   Click this link to access your FULL EXPERIENCE for the workshop:  https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023-free-37 Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

In today's episode, we're diving into a surprising topic: how staying active and getting physically fit can actually boost your business success. Host May Yeo Silvers suggests that the way you handle personal challenges can be a sneak peek into how you tackle business obstacles.    May shares a personal story from her past to highlight the concept of mental toughness. She recalls a not-so-great moment in a badminton tournament where she faced a crushing defeat. Despite feeling embarrassed, her passion for the game pushed her to keep going, leading to continuous improvement. This experience became the cornerstone for developing not only physical skills but mental resilience. Participating in sports can be similar to starting a business. There will be times where there are setbacks, but to persevere, you must track and refine your processes along the way.    It's important to learn from your personal achievements and setbacks, using them as building blocks for a strong and confident mindset in entrepreneurship. The key takeaway is to remember the times you've triumphed over challenges and apply that same resilience to your business journey. Quotes • “However you do something in your personal life is how you will show up in your business life." (01:02 | May)  • "You can train your mind to be tough, just like you can train your muscle to be tough. If you can train your body to be tough, you can also train your mind to be tough." (01:58 | May) • "Your mind has different muscles, different levels of personal toughness that you can train." (02:34 | May) • "When I show myself that I can do hard things it will naturally show to the others that they can also do it." (13:21 | May)   Links For more information about our virtual Passion To Profit Workshop on September 13-14 2023: How To Attract Your Ideal Clients & Book Them, click on this link to register:https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023   If you want the FULL EXPERIENCE, for only $37, you get an ADDITIONAL bonus of a pricing video tutorial that teaches you how to price for profit PLUS a pricing calculator with embedded formulas where you can input your numbers and calculate your fees.   Click this link to access your FULL EXPERIENCE for the workshop:  https://workshop.mayyeosilvers.com/optin-passion-to-profit-sept-2023-free-37   Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilversofficial  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Have you really sat down and taken the time to figure out your sales numbers? If not, you are doing yourself a disservice and may even find yourself having to go back to working a corporate job. Today, host May Yeo Silvers shares real life examples as case studies of entrepreneurs who have had to go back to corporate in spite of their business looking like they were doing well.    When business is “good” and you have lots of money coming into your bank account every month, you may make the mistake of thinking you are in the clear and can go ahead and spend that money. However, you might just be making a big mistake! As CEO, it is critical that you take a step back and really get serious about knowing your numbers. Just making sales is not enough if you do not know how many sales you actually need to make in order to afford to pay both your personal bills and your business bills. Also, unlike a corporate job where you make a set amount of money every month, entrepreneurship is trickier. You will likely have some months that are slower where you make much less money or might not have any sales at all. By accounting for this in your calculations, you can determine exactly how many sales you need to be making and how much money you need to have in the bank at all times in order to afford your lifestyle and keep your business afloat even in hard times.    Even if you do not consider yourself a numbers person, it is a crucial component of being a successful CEO. Being great at sales is only one part of the equation. Determining and keeping track of your numbers will help you to make the best decisions for yourself and your business as well as protect you from having to go back to a corporate job.    Quotes • “In running a business, you have to understand what are the must track numbers… all these numbers will determine what you need to do, the next course of action in your business.” (3:53 | May)  • “These four numbers are what's going to save you from not having to go back to corporate.” (5:09 | May) • “You not only need to do the selling, you need to know how much to sell.” (7:39 | May)  • “I should have taken the time to sit down and determine how much money I need in order to live and thrive as a full time CEO for my business.” (9:17 | May) • “When you are in a corporate world, you have a fixed paycheck, so you know how much money is coming in. But when you're in business, you don't know how much money is coming in unless you do your sales projection.” (19:06 | May) • “If you are running a full time business, it is so important to incorporate a line item, which is your salary that you need to pay your personal bills.” (28:50 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm  

Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44Today's Gospel presents us with two very short and similar parables. In the first, quoted above, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “treasure.” In the second parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a “pearl of great price.” Though these parables are very similar to each other, there are also subtle differences worth pondering. It appears that the treasure mentioned in the first parable is discovered almost by accident. The person simply “finds” it. This is in contrast to the second parable, in that the merchant who finds the pearl of great price did so after “searching” for it. We often encounter the Treasure of the Gospel without even looking for it. We do so any time God intervenes in our lives without us seeking His intervention. For example, if someone were to offer an act of charity to you without you seeking it out, this is God giving you a treasure of His Kingdom. Or if someone shares with you their faith, or an inspiration they received, this is indeed a treasure given to you by God. The problem is that many times when we are given these treasures of the Gospel, we do not always see them as treasures. Imagine, for example, if the person in this parable were to stumble upon the treasure in the field and fail to open it out of indifference. They see it from a distance, have a bit of curiosity about what is in the box, but they are not energetic enough to actually open the box and look inside. In that case, the person would have no reason to go and sell all that they have so as to buy the field in which the treasure is found.One clear message that this first parable reveals is that we must be attentive to the countless treasures of God's graces given to us each and every day. God is so prolific in offering us grace, that we truly do stumble upon His grace all the time. Thus, having eyes to perceive His actions and ears to Hear His Voice is essential.A second message clearly given in both of these parables is that once we discover the graces God gives us every day, we must foster within ourselves a desire for those graces that is so strong that we are willing to do anything necessary to obtain them. The discovery is made through the gift of faith, but the discovery by faith must then be followed with a zeal that drives our will to conform to that discovery. Reflect, today, upon two things. First, have you discovered the treasures God has given to you? If you hesitate in answering this, then it's most likely the case that there is much you have yet to discover. Secondly, as you do discover the riches that come with the gift of faith, then have you allowed that which God has spoken to you to consume you to such a point that you are willing to sell all you have, meaning, do whatever it takes to further accept all God wants to bestow? Resolutely determine to go forth on this holy search and you will find that the riches of grace that you obtain are of infinite value. My Lord of all riches, You bestow upon me and upon all Your children countless graces every day. The treasures of Your mercy are of infinite value. Please open my eyes so that I can see and my ears so that I can hear so as to discover all that You wish to bestow. May You and the riches of Your Kingdom become the one and only, all-consuming focus of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Are you really giving your business your all? It's one thing to go through the motions, but it's another to be fully present and put your heart into everything that you do for your business. Today, host May shares the importance of self-awareness and the ability to self audit in order to really be sure you are going all in for your business' success.    In order for your business to grow, you must first grow as a person. Assuming you are a full time CEO, there are around 8 hours available for you to devote to your business each day. How many of those hours do you actually spend on sales generating activities or coming up with creative ideas for your business? If you're being honest with yourself, you will likely find that you are not actually giving all you could be to being a CEO. You are getting your day to day activities done, but maybe your heart is not really in it or your mind is elsewhere. It can be daunting to ask yourself why you are procrastinating certain tasks or why you are struggling to be fully present, but self-awareness is key for accessing a growth mindset.    You owe it to yourself and to your business to give it your all. If you are struggling with really dedicating yourself to taking inspired action rather than just checking off tasks, you first need to have the courage to ask yourself the hard questions and face whatever fears and doubts are standing in the way.    Quotes • “If you want your business to grow, you have got to grow first.” (2:42 | May)  • “How many hours are you taking inspired action? Taking action is not good enough. Taking inspired action is what is going to move the success needle. Taking actions by just checking off, okay, I got to do this, I got to do this, I got to do this. That means your heart is not there. When your heart is not there your people can feel it in terms of your content. You're just a robot reading a script.” (10:50 | May)  • “When you put in your heart, your emotions, in carrying out an action, a sales generating action, delivering a message, communicating your value, your expertise, talking about your brand, connecting with people, those are sales generating activities.” (13:11 | May) • “You can work all day long. But all day long, are you really working? Are you really present? If you are not, you're just doing it for the sake of doing it, then you're not really giving it all.” (16:53 | May) • “Self awareness is key.” (18:22 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Wednesday, 19 July 2023   This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. Acts 18:25   The previous verse introduced Apollos, noting that he was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures and that he had come to Ephesus. Luke next records, “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord.”   The verb being imperfect gives the sense of “He was being instructed.” He didn't just get instructed at a certain point, but his instruction was ongoing in nature. He continued pursuing the knowledge of “the way of the Lord.”   These words are both technical and descriptive. The faith was called “the Way” at this time (Acts 9:2, for example). At the same time, it is technical in the sense that he understood the doctrine of the Lord. Today someone might say, the “religion” of Christ in a comparable sense. Therefore, he knew both what Jesus taught and he knew what was taught concerning the Lord. Next, it says of him, “and being fervent in spirit.”   The word translated as “fervent” is zeó. It is an onomatopoeia. It describes the sound of boiling water. It means to bubble over because it is hot enough to boil. Figuratively, it means showing great zeal or being keenly passionate, as if one is boiling with great interest or desire. It is found only here and in Romans 12:11.    The words “in spirit” surely refer to his spirit, not the Holy Spirit. He was zealous for his doctrine and instruction. The words “spoke” and “teach” are in the imperfect tense and should be rendered as “speaking” and “teaching.” He continuously did these things. One can imagine Apollos simply exuded with his love of telling others about the Lord and explaining the wonderful things He has done. Therefore, it next says that “he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord.”   The Greek word translated as “accurately,” akribós, is described by HELPS Word Studies, saying, “This root (akrib-) refers to gaining exact information with the highest level of accuracy (‘exactness') and is acquired by probing investigation to provide a comprehensive circumspect (precise) view in strict adherence to the facts.”   What this means is that his instruction and his knowledge of the Scriptures had led him to know and understand that Jesus is, in fact, the Christ. And so, this is what he proclaimed. His deficiency in the faith that will next be described was a result of a lack of instruction on doctrinal matters, but not a lack of understanding who Christ is and what role He filled. Why is this important? Why is this being relayed to us? The answer is seen in the final words of the verse, saying, “though he knew only the baptism of John.”   The implication is that Apollos was, at this time, a saved Jew. He was a believer. Because this is so it reveals an important truth. Even though he was saved, he only knew of John's baptism. Therefore, it is sure evidence against those heretics who say that water baptism is a necessary condition for salvation, thus adding works to the simple gospel of Jesus Christ.   Rather, water baptism is an issue of obedience and right doctrine. This is what is being conveyed, and it is fully supported by verse 27 as well as what will occur in Chapter 19. Despite being a descriptive passage, the internal clues about the faith of Apollos still help us to more accurately understand Paul's prescriptive words in the epistles.   Life application: The simple (and only gospel) is belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again. This was in accord with Scripture and it is what we need to know in order to be saved. If we believe that He has done these things, God will accept our faith and impute to us the righteousness of Christ.   Salvation and proper doctrine do not necessarily go hand in hand, except proper doctrine on how to be saved. But for other matters, such as the rapture or how to properly conduct oneself in life as a Christian, one must learn those things. However, they have no bearing on the matter of getting saved or remaining saved.   Water baptism is an external sign of the inward change that has taken place in us. And yet, it is a command of the Lord. As such, to not receive water baptism is disobedience to His command. Thus, to refuse to be water baptized when it is clearly known that Jesus stated to do so will result in a loss of rewards, but it will not affect one's salvation. Get these things right, be saved through belief, and then be baptized as an open profession that you are a saved believer and follower of Jesus.   Lord God, thank You for what You have done in the giving of Jesus. May we be obedient to the faith we profess and adhere to the word that has been given to us after we are saved. Help us to pursue proper doctrine all our days. May You be glorified as we do. Amen.  

It is finally time to bust the biggest myth of all when it comes to starting your event planning business. If you've been told that in order to be an event planner you need to purchase your own inventory, listen up, because May is here to explain why this could not be further from the truth. In fact, if you do decide to invest in your own inventory, you could actually be limiting your business growth potential.    While it may seem like less of a hassle or even a way to save money in the long run, owning your own inventory comes with a lot of additional costs than just buying it in the first place. You will have to maintain that inventory, store it somewhere, set it up at the event and break it down afterward. That's a lot of extra work! These are all labor costs and taking up valuable time that you could be spending on growing your business and generating sales. If your goal is to be an event planner, then you do not need to spend your money, time, and energy on physically designing and staging the materials for the event. You're a planner, not a designer! Doing all that extra work on top of your planning duties will quickly cause you to wear down and risk burning out, all while not really benefiting your business in terms of revenue.    Don't let not being able to afford your own inventory stop you from starting your event planning business! The top most successful event planners in the industry do not own or manage their own inventory. You should not have to be responsible for manual labor at your events like setting up and breaking down equipment, because this takes from your time to actually manage the event and generate more sales. The next time someone tells you that you need to own your own inventory in order to be a successful event planner, direct them to May for some much needed myth busting.    Quotes • “It's a widespread belief that you need to purchase inventory in order to start your event planning business.” (1:28-1:41 | May) • “If you want to own inventory, you were probably given this idea that it's so much cheaper to just own it than to rent it from a vendor.” (8:55-9:09 | May) • “You forget the costs of maintaining the inventory, of keeping the inventory, of setting up the inventory. You forget the costs of breaking down the inventory. All those are labor hours.” (9:48-10:08 | May) • “You want to copycat? Find the right cat to copy.” (14:04-14:06 | May)  • “If you are living in a small town and you need this inventory, find a cheaper labor than you that costs less than what you're charging yourself.” (16:50-17:01 | May) • “If you are doing something, that means you're not able to do something else. You also limit your growth. If you are actively involved in the inventory portion, that means you're doing things that's not sales generating.” (18:10-18:24 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

If you are an event planner or designer who wants to build a sustainable business both in terms of profit AND freedom based lifestyle, you CANNOT be personally handling every manual task at each event. Instead, envision yourself as the CEO or boss lady, overseeing a team of talented individuals who specialize in different aspects of your craft. By delegating tasks and trusting others, you can scale your business, cater to multiple events in a day, and avoid limiting your earning potential.   The key here is finding the right balance between honoring your passion and maximizing your income. You deserve to enjoy what you do, but you must also consider the opportunity cost of your time. Charging premium rates for your presence at events is a fair and effective way to ensure you're adequately compensated for your expertise. By openly communicating with clients about the additional fee for your on-site involvement, you can maintain transparency while aligning your income goals. Remember, you don't have to be physically present at every event to provide exceptional service. Instead, selectively choose which events require your direct involvement and charge accordingly, allowing you to play to your strengths, earn a substantial income, and nurture your passion for your craft without sacrificing your financial success.   It's crucial to recognize that your passion for your craft shouldn't come at the expense of your profit margin. Embrace the role of a business owner and delegate tasks to a competent team, but find the right compromise that allows you to maximize your income without compromising your love for your craft. Quotes •  "If you are hearing from other people or seeing how other people are running their business by having to use your talent and your time doing all these manual tasks that you could actually delegate to someone else to do it or hire a vendor to do that, that means you are limiting your earning income." (06:20-06:38 | May) • “You've got to have a good balance of really honoring your passion for your craft and making the money that you want to make.” (09:52-09:59 | May) • "If you wanna make money, start looking at how very successful wealthy people run their business. They are not in the day-to-day operation. They're not in the day-to-day client facing operation. They do more strategy work." (11:19-11:32 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Have you been taught by sales professionals that you should always go into a sale assuming that it is a done deal? While assuming the sales is an important piece of a sales strategy, it is not the complete equation. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers discusses the other 50% of the equation for forming a successful sales strategy.    Building up your confidence is a big part of being successful in sales. You always want to go into a conversation with a potential client with a lot of confidence in yourself and the services you are offering, as well as with an assumption that they will want to work with you. However, if you go into it leaning too heavily into your assumptions, that potential client might feel like they are being forced to say yes to you. Instead, give that person a way out by asking them questions that enable them to explain in their own words why they want to work with you. When people have a chance to articulate their reasoning, they will be much more likely to go through with the sale.   Most people are not inclined to argue against themselves. So, instead of insisting that someone work with you, give them an opportunity to choose to work with you and explain their reasoning in their own words.  Tune into this episode of The Unstoppable Eventrepreneur™ to learn more about why assuming the sales is not always enough.    Quotes • “Assuming the sales is 50% of the equation.” (7:14-7:17 | May)  • “You need to create an opportunity for your potential client to tell you, to articulate it themselves, that you are the person that they want to work with.” (7:59-8:15 | May) • “You want them to explain why they want to work with you. Because when they say out loud the reasons why they want to work with you, they are justifying to themselves and they probably will hear 100% of what they're saying.” (11:44-12:22 | May)  • “You want to be confident in presenting your services and assuming the sales. But then at the later part, you want to be curious by asking them questions, so they don't feel that they are being pushed to have to work with you.” (15:04-15:16 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Are you afraid of being judged or rejected? Do you struggle with imposter syndrome? Knowing strategy and tactics is only a small part of being successful when building a business. You also have to be able to execute that strategy, but that can be hard to do when your ego is getting in the way. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers discusses what she refers to as the four demons you face when building a business and shares her tips for dealing with them.   May explains that the four demons are imposter syndrome, the fear of failure, the fear of rejection and the fear of judgment. All of these fears are tied to the ego and to your pride. With imposter syndrome, it is important to check the source and verify the facts. If someone is calling you a fake, who are they to say that? Unless you are lying about your services, you are not an imposter. When thinking about the fear of failure, judgment, and rejection, these fears are linked to a desire for external validation and come from your ego trying to protect itself. Remind your ego that you are grateful for it keeping you safe all these years, but that it is no longer necessary.    If you focus only on learning strategy and do not put in the work to get past your own ego and imposter syndrome, then you will not be able to implement these strategies effectively. Tune into this episode of The Unstoppable Eventrepreneur™ for a closer look at the four demons and ways to navigate them.    Quotes • “Knowing strategies and tactics are only probably 20% of what you need in your business and the rest of the percentage all depends on how you manage these four demons.” (2:58-3:12 | May) • “Unless you are lying about it, you are not an impostor. You may not know the ins and outs, or you may not be an expert in the subject topic, but that doesn't mean that you're an impostor.” (5:50-6:07 | May) • “You should not need someone's validation to tell you whether you're doing a good job or not.” (6:38-6:44 | May) • “A lot of times what we fear are not real fears. A lot of times it's our pride.” (10:05-10:10 | May)  • “If you have impostor syndrome, if you have a fear of failure, that means you are afraid of being judged.” (13:55-14:03 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Thursday, 25 May 2023   And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. Acts 17:4   A more literal rendering than that of the NKJV needs to be used – “And some of them were persuaded and joined themselves to Paul and to Silas, along with a great multitude of the worshiping Greeks, and not a few of the leading women” (CG).   Paul has been in the synagogue at Thessalonica for three Sabbaths discussing the matter concerning Israel's Messiah. He has just said, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” With that, it now notes, “And some of them were persuaded.”   Some translations say, “believed,” but this is not the word pisteuo found in verses such as John 3:16. Rather, this word, peithó, means to urge or to persuade. It is the root of the word pistis, or faith. They were persuaded, having faith that what they were told was true. Even if the meaning is that they believed, it is based on Paul's teaching and urging. In this, they were persuaded, “and joined themselves to Paul and to Silas.”   It is a word found only here in Scripture, proskléroó. It signifies to assign by lot, to associate with, or to follow as a disciple. The basis of the word is kléroó, to assign by lot. Hence, it is to share common lot with another.   They have accepted the message that Jesus is the Christ and have thrown their lot in with those who proclaim Him. This has been referring to the Jews in the synagogue. However, they are not the only ones who have been so persuaded. It next notes, “along with a great multitude of the worshiping Greeks.”   Calling them “worshiping Greeks,” means that they were proselytes to some degree or another. They had already accepted that the God proclaimed in the Jewish Scriptures was the true God and had worshiped Him as such. However, they have now been convinced, right from those same Scriptures, that Jesus is the fulfillment of them. He, in fact, is the promised Messiah. As a note of the universality of the message, it next says, “and not a few of the leading women.”   These would be influential women who were probably connected with ranking families within the community. They may have been proselytes, or they may have been the wives of some of the proselytes who came and they wanted to identify with their husbands. The main point is that the women were not excluded from this fellowship and these women were influential in their circles. Thus, they would become a means of attracting others as they developed in their own faith.   Of the status of women in Macedonia, the Pulpit Commentary says –   “Popular prejudice, and the verdict of Grecian wisdom in its best age, asserted her natural inferiority. The Athenian law provided that everything which a man might do by the counsel or request of a woman should be null in law. She was little better than a slave. To educate her was to advertise her as a harlot. Her companions were principally children and slaves. In Macedonia, however, monuments were erected to women by public bodies; and records of male proper names are found, in Macedonian inscriptions, formed on the mother's name instead of on the father's. Macedonian women were permitted to hold property, and were treated as mistresses of the house.”   Life application: In 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Paul says to those in the congregation, “...how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” This would obviously be people other than those who were mentioned in Acts 17:4. What can be inferred is that Paul and Silas talked to others throughout the week. Their soul-focus (pun intended) was not just on those at the synagogue, but it extended to pagans as well.   Though it was Paul's practice to teach at the synagogue, it was also his passion to speak about Jesus to anyone at any time. It is a good lesson for us all. Our interactions with others regarding Jesus do not have to be limited to our time at church. Rather, we should be ready and willing to interact with people at all times. When the opportunity arises, let us open our mouths and speak!   Lord God, may we never withhold the precious, saving message of Jesus. Rather, give us the boldness to always tell others about His goodness. May You be glorified in our willingness to share the gospel often and with zeal. Be with us as we do! Amen.  

Do you know all of your sales numbers for your business? It is a common mistake for new entrepreneurs to not understand the difference between financial numbers and sales numbers. Without knowing your sales numbers, you cannot turn your passion into profit. In today's episode, host May Yeo Silvers talks about the sales numbers you absolutely must know in your business.   May explains that while exact sales numbers differ for every business owner, they do not differ in the manner in which they are calculated. She gives an example working backward from an income goal of $120,000 and walks through how to arrive at each sales number including calculating conversion rate, number of qualified leads, and how many sales you need to make to reach the desired income. May also explains the 80/20 rule which states that in a room of 100 people, only 20 will actually hear you and maybe 1 or 2 will become a sale. When you can see each sales number tracked, then you have a better understanding of what is required to reach your goals.    Sales numbers are different from financial numbers, but are just as important for running a successful and profitable business. Tune into this episode of The Unstoppable Eventrepreneur™ for a deeper dive into the sales numbers every business owner must know.   Quotes • “There's a big difference between financial numbers and sales numbers.” (1:41-1:45 | May)  • “A lead is someone who knows the services you provide and they want and need the services you provide. They know how much you cost and they're able to pay how much you are charging.” (5:05-5:23 | May) • “The goal here is to work less and make more. So you need to keep testing your price point to see where you are in terms of your conversion rate.” (9:07-9:18 | May) • “You want to be able to track all these numbers to see what your closing rate is. You want to be able to reverse engineer the numbers.” (17:11-17:18 | May)   Links Connect with me at: may@events4anyone.com Website: events4anyone.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilvers  FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:47–48 Jesus' public ministry had two primary effects upon the people. For many, they were coming to believe in Him and were hanging on His every word. They sought Him out and began to understand that He was the promised Messiah. This was the response of faith. But the reaction of the chief priests and the Pharisees was far more worldly. In the passage above, we see a group of religious leaders who are completely consumed with worldly concerns to the point that these concerns drown out all matters of faith.As the Sanhedrin convened and discussed what they should do, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, spoke up and gave advice that perfectly depicts this worldly vision. He said, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” Caiaphas and many other religious leaders at the time appeared to be far more concerned with their worldly status and power than they were with matters of true faith and eternal salvation. If they were men who deeply loved God and sought only His holy will, then they would have rejoiced that Jesus' ministry was so fruitful in the lives of the people. They would have offered thanks to God, day and night, for the privilege of seeing the prophecies of old about the Messiah come to fruition before their own eyes. They should have had joy and gratitude, and they should have allowed those spiritual blessings to grow within them and give them the courage they needed to go forth and die with our Lord if necessary. But instead, they chose their comfortable lives and worldly status above the truth, and they decided that Jesus needed to die.One beautiful truth to reflect upon within this context is that God uses all things for His glory and for the salvation of those who believe. With this meeting of the Sanhedrin, these men began to plot the death of Jesus. Eventually they used deceit, manipulation, intimidation and fear to accomplish their goal. But even though from a worldly perspective these misguided religious leaders “won,” from a divine perspective, God used their evil to bring about the greatest good the world had ever known. Through their malice, Jesus' passion and death gave way to the new life of the Resurrection.Reflect, today, upon the fact that God is able to use all things for our good. Be it in the midst of corruption, persecution, discord, sin, illness or any other evil in life, when we turn to God in faith and surrender, He is able to transform all things and bring forth an abundance of good fruit through them if we only let Him and trust in faith. Prayerfully surrender over to God, today, any of the above concerns that have affected you, and allow yourself to believe the simple truth that nothing can keep you from the glorious fulfillment of the will of God. All things can help toward the salvation of your soul and end in God's eternal glory. My glorious Lord, You were loved by many but also hated by some. Those with power and authority could not see beyond their worldly ambitions, so they began to plot against You. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to see every act of evil inflicted upon me as an opportunity for You to bring forth good. You are glorious, dear Lord. May You be glorified in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

There are many things in life we can become attached to. Sometimes we can even become attached to things that are good. Most often, what we become attached to is our own stubborn will. We want what we want when we want it. One key to authentic holiness is to strive to be detached from everything but God and His holy Will. This requires much “letting go” in our lives and much surrender (See Diary #338).What is it that you are attached to? What comes to mind first? What is it that you would not want to let go of? Even attachment to good things in life is a way of trusting more in creatures than in God. And, in fact, the only way to authentically love another, be it God, family, friends, or anyone else, is to detach from your selfish attachments so that the love of God can flood you and love others through you with His pure and perfect love.Lord, help me to let go of all that is not of You. Help me, especially, to see my sin and to surrender it over to You. Help me to detach even from family in a holy way so that I am free to love them with Your Heart. May You, my Lord, be my one goal and love, and in this love may I discover how to love everyone with Your Heart. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.