The Family Business

"I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven,"

Jesus tells Peter in Matthew 16:19.

I think we will never know the full reason why,

but I think one of the reasons why

Jesus gave Peter the keys,

was because the scribes and Pharisees

put obstacles and made it so difficult

for ordinary people to follow God!

“Woe to you Scribes, because 

you have taken away the keys of knowledge!"

(Luke 11:52)

Even today it is very difficult for the

ordinary Jew to read their Jewish Bible 

and understand it. I recently read

the writings of Dr. Michael Brown, 

who was converted from a 16 year old

heroin addict. He became a Messianic Jew.

He became so frustrated with the answers the

Rabbis were giving him, that he decided to

learn Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Yiddish,

Aramaic, etc.-- 15 languages in all, 

just to find the truth for himself!

He discovered that rabbinic Judaism

deviated from the Jewish Bible!!!! 

Rabbis were claiming that their faith

was based on oral tradition dating back to Moses. 

And this kept many Jews from 

reading the Jewish bible on their own.

It was sort of like that game where you pass

a message in secret from one person 

to another, only to find that the person at the end,

received an entirely different message!

In Jeremiah 29:13, we read,

"You will seek me and find me 

when you seek me with all your heart."

Praise God, we can read the Bible,

pray for guidance and discernment,

and do not need to go to our leaders

for interpretation of every little phrase in it!!!

 Even today it is very difficult for the

ordinary Jew to read their Jewish Bible 

and understand it. I recently read

the writings of Dr. Michael Brown, 

who was converted from a 16 year old

heroin addict. He became a Messianic Jew.

He became so frustrated with the answers the

Rabbis were giving him, that he decided to

learn Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Yiddish,

Aramaic, etc.-- 15 languages in all, 

just to find the truth for himself!

He discovered that rabbinic Judaism

deviated from the Jewish Bible!!!! 

Rabbis were claiming that their faith

was based on oral tradition dating back to Moses. 

And this kept many Jews from 

reading the Jewish bible on their own.

It was sort of like that game where you pass

a message in secret from one person 

to another, only to find that the person at the end,

received an entirely different message!

In Jeremiah 29:13, we read,

"You will seek me and find me 

when you seek me with all your heart."

Praise God, we can read the Bible,

pray for guidance and discernment,

and do not need to go to our leaders

for interpretation of every little phrase in it!!!

 "I will correct you...." Psalm 50:21

"Yes Lord, correct me!"

It's difficult to find anyone who will

say this wholeheartedly, joyfully,

voluntarily!!!!

Ever since I was young, my prayer was,

"Lord, please treat me gently!"

And He did! My life was wonderful!

No hardship or trials.

But one day, I had a vision.

My one and only vision.

I was before the Blessed Sacrament

during a Singles Retreat.

I was in a beautiful garden with the Lord.

All the plants were blooming,

riotous with color and vibrant with life.

Jesus said, "You know Patsy,

I am the gardener here.

I take care of every one of these plants.

I prune each one of them.

 "I will show you a plant I do not prune."

He led me to a dead, decaying tree 

in the middle of all the beauty.

It was brown, withered. 

"I am sure you do not like to be like this."

In a way, He was asking my permission 

to prune me, to correct me.

Job, one of the most "corrected" of men,

said in Job 5:17, said: 

"Behold, how happy is the man

whom God reproves, 

So do not despise the 

discipline of the Almighty."

The correction of a loving Father

reveals our condition,

redirects our course,

and restores our joy.

We can pray like Jeremiah,

"So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. 

Do not correct me in anger, for I would die."

(Jeremiah 10:24)

 "Did you not know that I must be about

my Father's business?" Jesus answered Mary

after 3 days of looking for Him. 

(Luke 2:41-51)

I have been working in our family business

since I was 11 years old. In our last 'Board Meeting',

my dad said our business was a miracle.

So it is. It was started by my mom,

with no capital, with more common sense

than business sense. And it is being

managed by a family with more creative

inclinations than business savvy.

And it is, by the grace of God,

doing very well!

But there is another business that 

is even more of a miracle.

More than 2000 years ago, 

the Father left the business

to His Son (1 Cor. 15:24-28).

And the Son had to learn everything

in 30 years, and pass it on

to all sorts of ordinary people,

like fishermen and tax collectors!

He invited them to invest,

to commit themselves to

this amazing business plan,

to follow Him and to advertise

the business and spread the Word.

It is a business that will never fail,

never go bankrupt, and you don't

have to be rich or smart or popular

to be a part of it!

It's not easy, but there is a manual

of instructions, a business plan,

to read and follow. 

What is great about this business,

is the promise of success and blessing

if we follow and obey (Dt. 28:1-2)

And if we continue and be faithful,

the retirement plan is out of this world!

Are you in?

Next stops on our Virtual Blog Tour is

Ramona of Create with Joy
and Gina Belle Sismilich of
Bellefrogworks!

Visit them today to read their

answers to 4 questions about their creativity!

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