Month: April 2021

God’s Goodness

Hello friends – just checking in.  Lately I’ve been thinking about God’s goodness toward us. Our Heavenly Father is SO GOOD, it’s a broad subject, but let’s look at just a few verses in His Word:

10For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13And you will seek Me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity. ~ Jeremiah 29: 12-14

The LORD was instructing His prophet, Jeremiah, to encourage the disobedient people of Israel by revealing His plan to limit their captivity in Babylon to seventy years.  At the end of that judgement period, He promised to forgive their pride, and restore their inheritance and covenant with Him (Jeremiah 12: 14-17).   

  • Thoughts of peace and not of evil – God’s plan is to restore people to their previous status of enjoying a personal relationship with Him forever.  Adam and Eve experienced this during their time in the garden called Eden before their fall from grace. Yet God always thinks kindly toward mankind and wants only good for each person. 
  • Call upon Him – Our God is a gentleman.  He has gifts, knowledge, and much to share if we ask.  2” Thus says the LORD … 3’Call upon Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” ~ Jeremiah 33: 3
    • Isn’t that the desire of most people?  Don’t most of us aspire to become greater and learn more about lofty things?  Isn’t God offering unimaginable rewards to those who seek Him?
  • Then go to Him!  Seek after Him with your whole heart.  He promises that we will find Him.  I believe that happens through accepting God’s Son, Jesus, Who sacrificed Himself for our sins so that we can find our way to God, repent, and obtain forgiveness.  Paul exhorts us to “Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” ~II Corinthians 13: 11
    • This verse is short but deep.  Do you notice that our LORD is the God of peace and love?  He comforts us and helps us to achieve wholeness.  That’s REAL GOODNESS!  God is good all the time, but His nature is only shared with us when? – when we agree to come together and co-exist in peaceful harmony.  That would exclude wars, lawlessness, human trafficking, and a host of other global human disgraces.  Of course, our sinful nature does not condone peace.  But with God … He promised to send a Redeemer to Earth that would rescue men from sin.  After many centuries His Son, Jesus, arrived on Earth and was rejected by God’s people.  Nevertheless, Jesus (who never sinned – as He was God in the flesh) allowed Himself to be crucified in our place which changed everything for those willing to accept eternal life.  Following Jesus changes our hearts from darkness to light.  We are reborn into a new life filled with the Holy Spirit, Who guides us on how to live a more acceptable life in the eyes of God.  Whatever sin has a grip on us, the incorruptible power of Jesus can break the chains of guilt and shame; setting us free to live as God intended from the beginning of Creation. 
    • If you are undecided about whether Jesus is real or have any questions regarding how a person can know where he or she will spend eternity, pleased take care of that today.  Shoot me an email at importantstuff.live@gmail.com and I will be happy to share my Jesus with you.  Here is a link to my blog page about salvation in Jesus also.
  • Through prayer, has God provided for you when hope was lost?  Has he rescued you from a dangerous circumstance?  Reconciled a broken relationship?  Or blessed you with a family that loves you dearly?  If so, you have surely experienced the goodness of God.  Every day we can praise God for His goodness toward us.  So, let’s do that right now … Thank You, LORD, for loving us and showing us nothing but your goodness.  We worship You right now for using Your awesome power to bear us up even when we don’t deserve Your mercy.  Instead of casting us out, You invite us in!  We believe in Jesus because of Your mercy, which is greater than all our sin.  HALLELUJAH!! REJOICE!! Blessed be the LORD!!! Blessed be the name of Jesus!!  Amen.
  • Does God hear us?    Does He keep His promises?  Absolutely He does, according to the verses above and in many other passages of scripture:  Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” ~ Exodus 33:19

Many would say that we are living in the latter days.  I hope so. Maranatha! Maranatha! Come soon, Lord Jesus:

They shall fear (be in awe of) the LORD and His goodness in the latter days. ~ Hosea 3:5b

Friends, let us not war against God’s Spirit as we see the world do.  Galatians chapter 5 describes what it looks like to walk in the Spirit.  It looks like love.  It feels like kindness, gentleness, and comfort to the soul.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. ~ Galatians 5:22-26

That’s not just for Valentine’s Day, folks!  It says we are to LIVE that way every day!

Let’s finish today with an admonition from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians, 5:13-15:

13For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

I seldom hear verse 15 cited, but God’s Word is true – every word.  Now bless you all and thank you for following Importantstuff.Live!

Listen to this podcast episode on Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Radio Public, & Pocket Casts ….

Photo of the Month | April 2021

11But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them, that all who love Your name may be filled with joy. 12For You bless the godly, O LORD; You surround them with your shield of love. ~Psalm 5:11-12

Happy Spring everyone! Celebrate and shout for joy to the LORD!

And THANK YOU for being so special to God that He sent His only Begotten Son to earth to save us from our sins.

HALLELUJAH! What a SAVIOR! Thank You LORD, for Your Grace and Love!!

Listen to this podcast episode on Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Radio Public, & Pocket Casts ….

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Normal Daily Wage

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.”

~Matthew 20:1

Now the payment for a full day’s work during the time of Jesus in the Greek was a denarius.  The original value of a denarius was about the same as a U.S. penny today.  It was a silver coin used by the Greeks and Romans for about 400 years.  Due to inflation its value changed quite a bit and by the time it fell out of use it was equal to about two dollars U.S. today.   

What could one buy with a denarius?  If I am not mistaken, roughly 10 asses.  A Roman soldier’s annual wage one or two hundred years after Christ could have been a denarius (10 asses); while a Roman officer’s annual wage may have equaled 2400 denarius (24,000 asses!). 

So how does all that relate to Jesus’ Parable of the Vineyard Workers, as our topic is commonly referenced?  Hop down to verses 12 & 16 for Jesus’ answer to protestors of His reward system for workers:

12 ’Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

16“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

The scorching heat reminds me of those workers who harvest the fields of lost souls which Jesus commanded us and of persecution of His followers down through the centuries.  Yet Jesus died for all.  His gift of salvation is equal to all who believe; whether rich or poor; slave or free; regardless of our accomplishments, gender, race, or AGE.  My understanding is that a person who accepts Jesus as a youngster and walks closely with our LORD for an entire lifetime of diligent dedication to sharing His Gospel with others, will be rewarded the same as a person who comes to Jesus later in life – or even at the end of life.  Yes, this parable is talking about Jesus comparing His followers’ rewards to His money – that He can spend as He pleases.  He mentions it as a demonstration of His kindness to all who will come to Him.

Isn’t that a lot to grasp? There’s more …

And jealousy!  Jesus warns against it – in favor of kindness.

Then on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus takes His disciples aside and privately reveals that He will soon face betrayal and false accusations by religious leaders who will sentence Him to death. He will be tortured and crucified by the Romans (Matt. 20:17-18). But Glory to God! He will arise from the grave on the third day. What a powerful victory! But sadly, their recorded reactions are basic questions of who will benefit the most when Jesus rules the Heavenly Kingdom of God. Personal status and reward are foremost in their minds. Nothing is recorded here pertaining to reactions of sorrow or grief about the coming sufferings of their LORD on the part of the disciples.

This Resurrection (Easter) Week may we seek empowerment by the Holy Spirit; to walk as Jesus did by encouraging both the lost folks and faltering believers alike.  Receiving a spiritual normal daily wage as reward from our Savior in the future age to come binds us.  It doesn’t separate us.  It defines us.  It marks us as His; for what He suffered for us in order that we might inherit life everlasting. Our works are in His keeping as we trust His promise:

13‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14Take your money [reward] and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you.’ 

~Matthew 20:13-14

The message of Jesus never changes. He leaves the 99 sheep to go look for that one lost little lamb. Is that you today? We experience many trials in life, but know that He is always there when we place our trust in Him.  We do not walk alone after we commit our life to Jesus. Get this taken care of now, friend! Eternity is long and time is short. Click here for God’s Plan of Salvation and my prayers go with you on your journey to discover just how generous our Landowner Jesus is with His Normal Daily Wage …

God bless you all, and Thank You for following Importantstuff.Live!

Listen to this podcast episode on Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Radio Public, & Pocket Casts ….