Matthew 11:2-6 (Please read this selection)
Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Vs. 4-5)
Here's a picture of Emma's new socks! I just finished them last night. This picture is taken on my grandma's old ironing board. It sits up in what I call my "living room" in the upstairs dormer. I have little china doll dishes, a toy iron, Grandma's real old iron, lots of antique shirt collars and various other antique items displayed there. Do you like the little socks? I was really pleased with them. The pattern was from a really old book.
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I hope you took time to read the entire Bible selection that I noted today. I was reading in Matthew this morning when this passage really struck me. I was contemplating and praying about some pretty big things this morning and asking for direction. In this passage I found some interesting encouragement. John was imprisoned and facing death for his righteous stance. I'm sure he was wanting to make sure that he had perceived and discerned the Lord's commission correctly. He sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the promised one. It is surprising that Jesus did not give him a direct "yes" or "no" answer. Did you notice that? Instead Jesus listed the things that were going on in His ministry. He told the disciples to report that back to John.
I understood this to be an encouragement for John to look at the evidence and not just a report of what someone answered. I wonder if we sometimes are waiting for God to give us a sign or a word when we really need to look at the circumstances surrounding a situation. I have studied for years in the Bible and love the topic of "hearing God." I once taught a very extensive series of Sunday school lessons on the subject. One of the ways we hear and discern God's will for decisions is by the circumstances. This is not the only way or always the case, but it is one way that often happens to move us in a certain direction. It's as if Jesus was urging John to see the evidences, the results and let them speak for themselves. Also John was very much in tune with the Holy Spirit in a way that most others of his day were not. His ministry was incredible and unusual for his time. (Matthew 11:11) Jesus knew that there was coming a time for His followers when being led by the Spirit and not His personal physical presence and voice would be the norm. I believe He knew that John could already be trusted to discern the signs of the times and the deity of Jesus by the evidences and the Holy Spirit's prompting. After all John would have known from what Jesus pointed to (healings, etc.,) that this lined up with prophetic scriptures. I am sure John was well-versed in the word.
These are great thoughts to ponder as you think about how you personally make decisions and how you hear from God.
Yesterday I took "A Sturdy Fence" to the publishers! This book is a bit different than the first. The theme is similar, but with much more conflict. It still has the country flavor and simple innocence of "The Fields of May," though. Hooray! In only a short bit of time we should have a finished book to make available to readers! I started the polishing on book 3 last evening. I am feeling really good about all that!
Today is a really pretty day here and I plan to go do some winterizing on my garden before we lose this sunshine. Have a great weekend, Blessings, LORI
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