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Monday, June 30, 2014

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?

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4 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:44 PM

    Growing up my mom's generation and probably those before her - her church did not encourage her to read her bible. Because of that, it wasn't until she was 65 that she started going directly to the source and found out how much God loved her! Sweet truth here, Patsy! And that pruning? I can say now, "Prune me more Father" - because I trust His ways are best! As always, thank you for ministering to me this morning!

    ReplyDelete
  2. WOW Patsy, a very rich heritage of spirit and creativity. Thank you for sharing your wonderful art with us at Word Art Wednesday.
    Many Blessings,
    Carole Robb Bisson

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:23 AM

    Oh, yes, I'm so very grateful that we have been giving the keys -- direct access to God himself through the blood of Jesus. It is the most beautiful thing about Christianity, I believe, that we are invited to come ourselves, ask our questions, commune with our God, and open the doors to the kingdom of heaven. Thank you for linking with Unforced Rhythms.

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://www.catholiclane.com/old-testament-roots-of-peter-and-the-keys/

    ReplyDelete

I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy