A Morning Cup of Tea: The Parable of The Unjust Steward

Good morning! I'm happy to say I have a few minutes before heading out the door to my appointment to write my thoughts on today's lesson. Today we are reading chapter 16 of Luke, verses 1 through 13. This concerns the parable of the unjust steward. The steward  had been accused of wasting his master's goods and the master wasn't going to put up with it anymore. The man was in danger of losing his job. Now, he knew that he wasn't really cut out for strong manual labor and begging just seemed shameful to him.  He knew though, that he had to do something that would make those on the outside friendlier to him in his time of need. So he called the master's creditors to him and made a deal with them. He asked what they owed and he gave them a smaller number to write on the bill. This way the debotrs had less that they owed and the master, although not getting all of his goods back, would at least have a better chance of getting repaid. If that was not enough for the master, the steward would have a chance at getting a similar position elsewhere.
  Jesus said in verse 9,  And I say unto you, Make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into  everlasting habitations.
   Jesus isnt giving us his blessing to go over to the dark side, so to speak. I read the thirteen verses, then I read that verse again. And twice more. Then I called to my husband. We discussed it, and since  the Pharisees are still there hearing Jesus speak, he's saying don't hold yourself so high up in your own mind that you can't possibly be friends with others who may be sinners. We are all sinners. Don't fall into their habits just to be friends with them, but don't think of yourself as better than everyone else simply because you've been forgiven. Although you've heard the word, repented of your sins, confessed that Jesus is Lord and have been baptized and are trying to live a righteous life, you're still human. And you're going to mess up. And those who see that you think you are better than they are and can't associate with them aren't going to be very friendly toward you when you fail. It's so much harder to reach someone when you are way up high on a pedestal of your own making and the rest of the poor sinners are down at your feet.
  Until next time my friends, have a great day.

A Morning Cup of Tea: The Prodigal Son

 Good morning! It's a beautiful, fairly cloudy day here in my area. I must apologize for not posting yesterday. We had an early appointment in another town and because of the lateness of time in getting back to our area, my son J and I spent the rest of the day at my mother's while my husband scurried off to work. It was nearly midnight when we finally came home. I may have to start writing the posts the day before and setting them to publish at the same time, but I need to become more self disciplined in order to do that, I think. I was successful at it for a few days and then my mind began wandering. I could probably do it for other posts but my morning cup of tea posts, I prefer reading  during the morning. It sets the proper tone for the day, I think. I'm more clear headed  in the mornings (most times) and I can usually focus on it without distraction.
   Today we are on chapter fifteen of Luke. The tax collectors and other sinners are gathering closer to Jesus so they can hear what he has to say. The Pharisees of course don't like this because for one, Ugh! How disgraceful to be friendly toward sinners and actually eat with them!  Personally I wonder if part of the problem was they just plain didn't like the fact that others were listening to Jesus when they felt the attention should be on themselves, the Pharisees. After all they did know the law!
  Jesus began to tell them parables about a shepherd who has a hundred sheep. When one goes missing he leaves the others and searches diligently for the one that is lost. And when the sheep is found he calls to his friends asking them to rejoice with him because the one that was lost is now with him and safe again!
 Verse seven of the chapter says I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repenting.
 I love that verse. He loves us all, and there is much joy when we realize we are a sinner and come to repentance. 
  Also is the parable of the woman who has ten silver coins and loses one of them. She will sweep and carefully search the house to find the one that is lost. 
  Jesus then told the parable of the prodigal son. Merriam-Webster defines prodigal this way:

Definition of PRODIGAL

1

: characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure : lavish <a prodigal feast> <prodigal outlays for her clothes>

2

: recklessly spendthrift <the prodigal prince>

 

Ouch! Profuse or wasteful spending. Recklessly spendthrift.  Not wise at all with money.

   But the parable tells us this young man was impatient for his inheritance. He asked his father for his portion now. His father obliges him and a few days later, the young man is off to see the world. He's spending his money right and left, partying, having a grand old time while his older brother is still at the family home working for his father. But soon the money runs out, as it often does when we spend as if there is no tomorrow, and the land he is in begins to face a serious famine. 

  The young man decides to make himself  a servant and he is sent out in the fields to feed and care for the hogs. Big change there! At his father's house he wanted for nothing and had servants to help him with things, and now he was a servant himself. A rather lowly one at that, since he was beginning to look at the pods for the hogs as something possibly good to eat.

  The young man thinks about what he's done with his life. He wants to go home now, but he doesn't feel he deserves to be his father's son anymore. So he decides he will go home and ask to be a servant for his father.

    Like most if not all parents, the father sees his son coming down the road and his heart is filled with joy. He rushes out to meet the son he hasn't seen since he was given his inheritance. The son is truly repentant of his actions, and asks to be made a servant. But his loving father embraces him, calls to his servants to bring the finest robes! Put a ring on his hand! Kill the fatted calf and prepare it! He wanted to feast to celebrate the return of his son.

   Then there's the older brother. He's been the faithful one, the dutiful one. He hasn't gone off squandering money on wine, women and song. He's been working hard for his father and dad hasn't even given him so much as a goat so that he could feast with his friends!  Yet my bratty little brother goes traipsing off pretty as you please and when he comes back he's treated so wonderfully!

   His father explains to him, Son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is now found (verses 31, 31)

  How wonderful that when we come back to our heavenly Father, he will receive us with open arms, rejoicing that the one who was dead is now alive.   God is so good. All the time.

   Before I end this I have a prayer request. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning  (I will try to have tomorrow's morning cup post ready tonight but no promises. It may become an afternoon or evening cup depending). I'm a little concerned over the whole doctor visit but I probably shouldn't be. Will you keep me in prayer for peace and that all goes well? Thank you. Until next time, have a wonderful day. 

 

Confessions of a Disorganized Housewife

Hi there! Oops, you caught me--I'm on Pinterest again. I'm sitting here eating breakfast and browsing that addictive site.  LOL. Actually, I'm checking through some of the pins on my better organized board. I have very little space in this house and I truly need some organizing ideas!  This one from i heart organizing
shows how to organize the freezer. I love the idea of compartmentalizing the foods in plastic baskets and plan to put that into use, especially when I can get a small freezer. I have many plans for extra freezer space. In the meantime though, I have implemented the idea of pouring soups and stock into freezer bags and freezing them flat so they can be stacked upright like vinyl record albums (Did I just date myself there? Please tell me you remember those). They take up less space that way.  
   I heart organizing also has some adorable free printables   to help you schedule your day. Please go check her out! I know I will be reading her blog as I can. I need all the help I can get!
  I know I discussed the freezer a bit but today I'm going to be working mostly in my bedroom. It has become a catchall for everything. I was able to see the top of my vanity in there -a week ago. I need to find it again and put away the laundry. 
  I do have one tip of my own that has nothing to do with kitchens or bedrooms though. My son and I both take meds and vitamins and supplements. When we leave the house its ususally for a good bit of the day depending on what's on the agenda so I bought two pill boxes from the dollar store. That way I wouldn't have to carry a huge load of bottles inside my purse. Well... the single pill box (one row of mini boxes, one for each day of the week) works so much better--almost too good; some of the days are tough to open--than the double sided morning and evening box. The lids to that one opens willy nilly and I've found pills at the bottom of my purse. So not fun.  Needless to say, that pill box has been banished to household use only. 
  To make a long story even longer, if you have a pill organizer that is simply taking up space, it can be used to hold lipsticks that have broken --just mash it up in one of the compartments and use a lip brush to apply. It can also be used in your crafting area to hold tiny embellishments, small punch outs you want to save for later use, or use it as a small artists palette for your young artist or yourself. Most pill boxes have compartments the right size to hold or mix paint for your projects. 
  As much as I would love to sit and browse Pinterest and other sites, time is slipping by on me. Until next time, have a great day!

Oh! If you have a comment or a tip to share, please feel free. I love hearing from you!

A Morning Cup of Tea: Count the Cost

 Good morning! I hope you are having a good start to your day. I'm cuddled up in a quilt, surrounded by some of my cats and listening to my son in the other room. His joy touches me no end. 
  Before we continue with the verses that will end chapter 14 of Luke, I feel I must apologize and clarify a point I made in yesterday's Cup of Tea post concerning excuses for missing worship. I am sorry if I offended anyone with the way I worded it. I did not attend services yesterday. I was home with my son. My husband had to work a twelve hour shift yesterday and because his weekend morning shift lasts from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM and we have one car, that keeps me at home one Sunday a month. We live about 52 miles from my husband's work and (don't quote me on this, my husband is asleep and I haven't paid much attention to mileage when it comes to distance to the church building) are about 45 I'm guessing miles from the building -- in the opposite direction.  At any rate, the mileage alone would prohibit me from taking my husband to work so that we could attend services and I don't feel comfortable asking someone from the church to drive out of their way to come get J and me.  To some, including myself, those are excuses. But it's also fact. If we lived closer to the church, which we would love to do, we would be that much further from my husband's work. If we moved closer to my husband's work (which we are looking into) it would most likely take us away from a congregation we dearly love. There are some fine congregations in the area where my husband works, don't get me wrong. But I hesitate because not everyone "gets" my son. He is comfortable with the church members here and they love him as well. They talk to him directly, not through my husband or myself, and have since day one. Our church has been such a blessing to us.  My husband has been looking into finding work closer to home so we can stay in the area and possibly move closer to the church, and I pray that he does. But I also have to realize that this is not in God's plan. In the meantime, I'm doing the best I can to do what is right. 

  I am sorry. I meant to apologize, clarify and move on but there is my life in a nutshell. If you're still with me, thank you.  I'll take a deep breath and move on to today's lesson. Yesterday Jesus reminded the Pharisees that if the ox is in the ditch on the Sabbath you arent going to leave the poor animal until the next day. Same with us on the first day of the week. Sometimes there is an ox in the ditch and you have to take care of it. If you are a single mother and the child is sick, of course you're going to miss service. But if you are married and the child or the husband is sick, why miss both services? Surely one can stay home while the other cares for the sick child, then switch for the evening service. 
  Today Jesus reminds his followers , which includes us , to count the cost of what we are doing. In verses 26 and 27 of chapter 14, Jesus told us that if we do not hate our father or mother or other family members we cannot be his disciple. Or if we will not bear our cross and follow him, we cannot be his disciple.  Does this mean we cannot love our family members? No. It means that we shouldn't love them so much that we cannot give them up. Missionaries leave their families (minus their wife and kids if they have them and it's possible for them to go as well) to go to sometimes dangerous places in the world to teach others about God.  It is not an easy life.  And sometimes, in becoming a Christian, we may be forced to choose between our Christian family and the family we grew up with. This is all part of counting the cost. 
  We each have to deal with the situations in our lives. Hopefully we don't deal with them alone. We should be able to talk to our brothers and sisters in Christ and they should pray with us. We should encourage one another, and help one another as best we can. 
   I've talked your ear off enough for one post. If you have any comments, good or bad, please feel free. I would enjoy hearing from you and maybe we can learn together. Until next time, have a wonderful day! :)

A Morning Cup of Tea: The Parable of the Feast

Good morning! Being the first day of the week many of you are probably at worship at the time of this writing. I usually try to have it written earlier but I over slept. Today I am home. My husband is working. 
   Today's lesson is Luke 14:1 - 25.  Jesus has been invited to dinner at the home of the ruler of the Pharisees. A man with dropsy was there. Dropsy is what we know as edema, or swelling, usually the legs and such, oftentimes due to congestive heart failure. Although no one said anything about it being the Sabbath, Jesus obviously knew what they were thinking because he reminded them that if an ox was in the ditch they would pull it out, no matter the day of the week. 
 Jesus then began to talk with them about not automatically sitting in places of honor at gatherings, but to sit in a lesser place. That way their host can choose to ask  them to move up to a better place instead of asking them to give up their seat to someone of more importance. Those who try to exalt themselves usually find themselves humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted (v 11).
  Then he spoke to them about not inviting friends or family to feasts, who can and will repay with invitations to dinner, but to invite the poor and others who cannot repay. 
  Jesus told them a parable of a man who decided to have a great feast. He invited all his friends. One by one, they all sent their regrets. One said he had just married so he could not come. One just bought a piece of land and needed to go see it. One bought 5 yoke of oxen and needed to test them. Lame excuses indeed!
  When the master heard these excuses he was angry. He sent his servant out to the streets and told him to bring in the poor and the lame and the maimed and the blind. The servant did so and reported to the master there was still room at the feast. The master sent him even further out, to the highways and the hedges to bring people to the feast. 
   This one made me think, how often do we make excuses not to go to worship or to do what God wants us to do, such as visiting the sick, or simply writing a note to someone in need of encouragement?   I can't go because little Johnny is sick. I can't do it because I don't feel good. We all know the excuses. Some may be legitimate reasons but sometimes its because we just plain don't feel like it.
  Also, I think there is a parallel between the feast and our command to go and teach. Many of our friends and loved ones may give excuse as to why they cannot come to worship with us, or why they can't do a bible study with you. We are to move on to others whom we don't know, and teach them. We should continue further outward to bring others in. 
  What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear your comments and questions. If I don't know the answer right away I can surely find the answer. Until next time, have a great Lord's day.

A Morning Cup of Tea: Journeying Toward Jerusalem Teaching

Good morning! I hope you had a great day yesterday and are enjoying the beginning of today. I was blessed to spend most of the day with family. It's always good to see my loved ones and I wish I could see all of them more often.
  From what I understand, Jesus is traveling toward Jerusalem here in chapter 13 of Luke. Many things are going on in this chapter. The first few verses Jesus and others are discussing some deaths of Galileans, caused by Pilate.  I'm afraid I don't know much of the history of that time but I do know that Rome had a firm hold on the area and the people were living under Roman rule.  Common belief was that great suffering was the result of sinful living. 
  Jesus addressed this belief when he asked if the people who died there were more sinful than others, (v 2) and also of the ones who died in Siloam when a tower fell (v 4). In each case Jesus said they were not worse sinners than anyone else. However, he used these examples to warn those who listened that if they did not repent, they too would die.  These words are for us as well. He did not mean the death that all of us will someday face, but the final death --separation for eternity from God. 
   Jesus tells us that some will be turned away even though they (we) have done good works in his name.  There is a pattern for us to follow. If we do not follow it to the best of our ability then we will be lost. Jesus knows that we are not perfect and we will make mistakes. But he also knows our hearts. If we continually read his word then we know how we are supposed to live. It's when we try to do things our way, or see one or two verses and decide that this is all we need to do then continue on living as the rest of the world lives that we err.
  Continuing on. Jesus always taught  in the temple on the Sabbath. On this particular instance Luke tells us that there was a woman present who had had an infirmity for eighteen years and could not raise herself up ( v10).  Jesus saw her and cured her, saying Woman you are loosed from your infirmity. The leader of the synagogue was not at all happy that Jesus did this. After all, it was the Sabbath and no one works on the Sabbath! Jesus asked if there was anyone there who would not take an ox or a donkey from his stall and lead it to food and water on the Sabbath. Satan had hold of this woman for 18 years, was it not proper to loose her from her bonds, no matter the day of the week?
  What is the kingdom of heaven like? It is like a mustard seed which was planted and grows into a large tree, and many birds can rest there.
  He then tells us to strive to enter through the narrow gate (v24 - 30). Many will try but few will enter.  He was telling them and us to be careful.  
  He was warned during this time to get out of town because Herod wanted to kill him. Jesus knew that his life was in danger, and his time here on earth was growing short. He was not afraid of Herod, he would continue driving out devils and teaching  and healing along the way till he died but on the third day his body would be perfected. Yet he did move along because he knew that what had to be done would be in Jerusalem.
 

A Morning Cup of Tea: Luke 13: New Beginning

Good morning! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and enjoyed the beginning of the new year with the church as I did. How wonderful indeed to have the year begin on the first day of the week!
    For anyone who reads this blog regularly I must first apologize. I havent written since before Christmas. I've spent the time with family, and cleaning, and stretching my wings a little in other areas. I even wrote a few pages of fiction. But I confess, other than worship and bible study with the church, I've neglected my own personal bible study.  It is so easy to let the busyness of life get in the way of our spiritual life. I've missed it. I felt the prodding, urging me to get back to where I belong. And then I lost my bible. I've looked almost everywhere in the house where I think it might be, but I still haven't found it.  I even used that as an excuse. Can't write the Morning Cup of Tea, bible is missing. Still that inner voice was saying to me, there's the other bible in the car. 
   This morning I was awakened in part by my son who wanted my spot in bed. I thought I would lie there and relax, try to get a little more shut eye, but my brain was already off and running. I got dressed, fed the cats and went out to the car to fetch the bible.
  Those of you who have read the short chapter already are probably thinking, Jesus speaks of repentance and heals a woman of her infirmity on the Sabbath, and alludes to his death. Where is she getting a new beginning from?
  The new beginning is the new year. I've asked God for forgiveness for neglecting my study, and I'm asking you for forgiveness as well.  I hope you will join me in bible reading each day. Tomorrow we will discuss Luke 13. I've read it this morning but I want to read it again a few more times before talking about it. I'd love to hear your comments today and tomorrow, or anytime for that matter.  In the meantime, have a wonderful day.