(Day 13) Matthew 13-24

Jesus states from the prophet Isaiah "For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes have closed". Makes me think again about what I put my faith in. Is it that great job, money, things, etc? I believe my heart had grown dull not too long ago. I heard but didn't really hear. I simply went through the motions. Does that make sense? Reading these scriptures has really made me more aware of how much I do have to be thankful for. A home, a wife that loves me, kids that love me, enough to eat, a strong church family, and a God who loves me unconditionally. Could I be happier if I were extremely wealthy? No, not really. But, I could own more stuff! But I wouldn't really be any happier. I guess reading the Bible has helped put things in perspective. Things that once were unimaginable to me, are now not that big of a deal. You see, I had a job that a lot of people would kill for. Great hours, great money, not too much responsibility. But, I was miserable. Could I be worse off than I am now? Absolutely! Do I have it a lot better than lets say 75% of the people in the world? Absolutely! But the bottom line is, would I be happier with more money or material things? Absolutely not...

The Bible states in Matthew 13 v58, And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. This is what I'm talking about. If you have so little faith in your life, how can you expect great things to happen? I truely believe this is why I am happier now than I have been in a very long time. FAITH. If I let all of my worries go and just put my Faith in God, what will happen? It can't be bad! Someone once told me that if you live according to the word and the word turns out to be untrue, what have you lost? Nothing, you've lived a great life. But, if the word turns out to be true, which I believe it is, and you don't live according to it; what are you losing? Everything! Jesus tells us if we simply have faith in God, and live according to the Gospel we are guaranteed ever lasting life. He also tells us hell is real. I can't risk it. The gamble is too great. This brings to mind another quote I heard from a fourth generation Methodist Preacher in Alabama. He told me, "if you live your life like hell, what do you expect when you die?" Like I said, the stakes are just too high.

Another quote from Jesus in Matthew that hit home to me was "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me". This goes back to me going through the motions. As if just going to church every Sunday was enough. It all goes much deeper than that. We can all say that, "yep, I'm a Christian because I attend church every Sunday", but I believe this is what Jesus is talking about. What about our acts? Remember the whole " bearing fruit" thing? I am really going to try and focus on "living" what the gospel tells me, not simply reading it. For the first time in a long time, my eyes are open.