In my quest to learn more about God, I am finding more and more texts that I want to come back and study. I need to start a list! Right now I am trying to adhere to the reading schedule rather than diving into cross references and jumping ahead.

Today’s challenging verse

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to who the Son wills to reveal Him.
Matthew 11:27

There are several jewels in this verse. Jesus is given all things by His Father. I’m not sure exactly what “all things” entails but I am sure it is huge. Power. Wisdom. Knowledge. Strength.

I have heard a lot of people say that God the Father and God the Son are almost polar opposites. That Christ is loving, gentle, kind. God the Father is harsh, judgmental, easily angered. And yet, here we see that everything Jesus possesses was given to Him by His Father. Can an unloving God give His Son such gifts?

There is another verse where Jesus says “if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” I believe part of Jesus’ purpose on this earth is to show people what the Father is really like. To overcome people’s perceptions of an overly harsh, judgmental, and angry God.

“…and the one to who the Son wills to reveal Him.” How do we know God the Father? By Christ revealing Him. Yesterday I briefly talked about what God’s will is. One aspect of Christ’s will is to reveal the Father. I love that thought. Jesus reveals His Father.

Father, thank You for sending Christ to this earth to witness about You. Please help me to better understand You, to come to know you more. Thank you for being such a wonderful God. Amen.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on this text?

This is a really hard text for me but it’s a topic I need to continue studying.

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
Matthew 10:29

My Bible has a footnote that says that a copper coin, the cost of two sparrows, is only 1/16 of a day’s wage. Their value is so low and yet God knows everything that happens in their lives. netBible has a footnote on this verse that says the sparrow does not fall “to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father.” It goes on to show that the Greek word for apart means “without one’s will or intervention.”

This text shows that God cares about the little things. Everything happens with God’s knowledge and consent. Does that mean God causes the bad things? I don’t believe so. God allows the bad things in my life but He is by my side the entire time. God doesn’t prevent the hard things; in fact, sometimes He sends us to deal with hard things (see verse 16). But even when we fall, when we struggle, God knows about it. He doesn’t leave us to deal with it alone.

Lord, thank You for sharing hard truths with me. Please open my heart so that I can accept them. Facing difficulties is hard and I often shy away from them. But You are in control and I know You are always with me. Thank you! Amen.

I am blogging through the Gospels. Would you like to join me? You can jump in at any time! Here is this week’s reading schedule.

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
Matthew 9:36

The people were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. It sounds like it could be describing our world today. Jesus looked at the people and was moved with compassion. I love that phrase. “He was moved with compassion.” My God is a God of compassion.

Thank You, Father, for caring for me. Thank You for being compassionate. Thank You for not looking on me when I am weary and scattered and judging my lack of faith. Thank You for having compassion on me instead! Please help me to turn to You when I am tired instead of feeling lost. Amen.

… and yet He still cares about the individual.

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 8:26, 27

If I am with Jesus, I have no need to be afraid. He is powerful, controlling even the winds and the sea. This is the same God that is willing and able to cleanse a Centurion’s servant simply because the Centurion had faith in Him (vs 13).

Today’s reading reminds me of a song I sung as a child.

My God is so great, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do
My God is so great, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do
The mountains are His
The rivers are His
The skies are His handiworks too
My God is so great, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do
Father, help me to remember that You are in control. Thank You for caring about the big stuff and the little stuff! Thank You for displaying Your power and letting me see how big and powerful You are. Please be with me today and help me to be afraid of nothing, as You are here with me. Amen!

I love how I keep finding more and more wonderful characteristics of God. Today’s reading (Matthew 7) had a lot of interesting verses and I keeping finding passages I want to study further.

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Matthew 7:11

God is generous! God is family. In this verse, Jesus is speaking to His disciples and calls God their Father. God is my Father. And He is a gift giver.

Father, thank You for being so good to me, for being my Father. Thank You for giving us the Sabbath, a day to rest and spend with You. Please be with me today. Spend time with me. Teach me. Thank You for the good gifts You give if we just ask. Please help to me to remember that You are good and worthy to be praised. Amen.

Today’s reading was full of little nuggets of truth. There are many verses that I could spend all day contemplating. However, I had to pick just one! As I’m still looking for truth about God, I picked:

S: Scripture

Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

O: Observation

God forgives.

A: Application

Such a simple observation, but something I struggle with. God forgives. We forgive others and God forgives us. There are no grudges, no reminders that we have sinned, just simple forgiveness. This verse doesn’t say I have to earn my forgiveness, that I have to undergo physical torture or mental anguish. It is just a very simple reminder that “your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” My heavenly Father will also forgive me.

P: Prayer

Father, please help me to forgive others. Help me to accept Your forgiveness. Thank You that we don’t have to live in the past but can instead look forward to a future with You. Help me to remember how loving and kind You are instead of being afraid. Thank You for never giving up on me!

Today there was so much packed into the reading. Words of encouragement, the sermon on the mount, further explanation of the Torah. However, during this study of the Gospels, I am trying to focus on what I can learn about God Himself. I hope to discover further insight into some of the questions such as: “Is the God of the Old Testament different than the God of the New?” “Is God the Father more demanding/frightening than God the Son?”

S: Scripture

Matthew 5:2 “Then He opened His mouth and taught them saying:”

O: Observation

God wants us to have wisdom and knowledge. Jesus sat down and personally taught the disciples, explaining the Torah to them.

A: Application

I don’t have the opportunity to talk to Jesus face to face. But I can still read His words in the Gospels. In this chapter, Jesus shares encouragement, further clarification on the law, and instruction on how to be more like the Father. We are not left in the dark.

P: Prayer

Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to this earth. Thank You that I can learn more about You through the words that Christ taught His disciples while He was here. Please help me to listen and learn more about You. Amen.

S: Scripture

Matthew 4:16 “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

O: Observation

I love the line “light has dawned.” These people were given a great opportunity to see Christ. Simply by Him being in the area, the people who were formerly in darkness saw a great light. In their life, light had dawned.

A: Application

I need to focus more on Christ and less on me. The Bible has a great deal to say about me and what I do or don’t do, what I believe or shouldn’t believe. However, the Bible is a revelation about God. HE is the most important part in it.

P: Prayer

Father, thank You for giving me time every morning to read about You. Please help me to focus on You and what I can learn about Your character instead of being selfish and wondering what I can get out of the reading. Thank You for sending Jess to this world, a great light in the darkness. Amen.

S: Scripture

Matthew 2:6 “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.”

O: Observation

Another Old Testament prophecy fulfilled. Jesus would come out of Bethlehem. Another promise for the people. That Ruler will shepherd the people. God’s people. We are His.

A: Application

God cares about the details. He has promised us many things in the Bible. I just need to be more aware. I am God’s. Jesus was sent to shepherd God’s people. I belong to God.

P: Prayer

Thank You Lord, that I belong to You. Thank You for giving me a place to belong. Thank You for caring about the details and showing Me that You are all powerful. Help me to see You better and to follow You.

God is so good!