Trees and Pizza-- Matthew 13

Jesus told the disciples another story: "God's utopia is like a mustard seed, a tiny seed compared to most other seeds. But a man took that insignificant thing and planted it in his land and he let it grow. And when it grew up fully, it became a sturdy tree so strong that the birds rested in the branches. Even so, you, my disciples, are insignificant and the least. But when the Father and the Spirit are done with you, you shall be strong enough that the nations of heaven will rest comfortably within you."

"God's utopia is like a small pinch of yeast which a woman carefully places into four gallons of pizza dough. Then she mixes it all together so that the yeast cannot be seen anymore, yet it has permeated the whole of the flour, so that it has all been transformed."

Releasing Others From Judgment

Jesus’ Life

Matthew 4:23-24
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

Wherever Jesus went, he healed and cast out demons. But he did not do this by the knowledge or power of human beings. Instead he depended on the Father, speaking by his authority over the spirit world, delivering people from their ailments caused by the spirit world. Some followed him because of his teaching, but most people followed Jesus because they wanted him to perform a miracle and to show his authority. But Jesus did not do the work because he wanted to give a show. Rather, he had real compassion on the people who came to him and wanted to see them be delivered (Matthew 14:14; Luke 7:12-16)

Mark 2:1-12
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk '?

The illnesses that Jesus cured were seen as caused by spirits who were given opportunity to judge people because of their sins. When people came to be healed, they were looking for mercy from the One who allowed them to be judged because of their sin, or the sin of their community. Here, a group of people are going to Jesus with one of their friends, asking for forgiveness for all of them, although only one was punished. Jesus gave them forgiveness—telling the man that he was acceptable to the Lord. As a sign of that acceptance, he commanded the spirit world to release the man from his infirmity.

Luke 13:10-17
There was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness."

This woman had a back pain, but it was clear that this was an infirmity caused by Satan as a judgement. Jesus insisted that the woman be healed immediately because she had suffered long enough under Satan’ judgment. So Jesus commanded the spirit world to release her from judgement and so she knew that she was acceptable before the Lord.

Matthew 12:28-29
"If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house."

Jesus said, that if a slave is to be delivered, the master of the slave must first be bound and placed under the authority of the one delivering the slave. Jesus came to deliver people from slavery of sin and Satan. But Jesus first has to bind the master of the person—the one who is controlling them through judgement from the spirit world. Jesus releases people from the judgement and gives them an opportunity to be a slave of God.

Our Lives

Luke 10:19-20
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

The authority over the spirit world that Jesus had, he passes on to others. And so the followers of Jesus are to use that authority to set people free from the bondages of evil spirits. However, Jesus said, we are not to be impressed with ourselves because we are able to do that. Rather, we are to rejoice that it indicates that God has accepted us and will receive us into his kingdom.

Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

In being able to control spirits, there are many sicknesses and even deaths that we can reverse. We have to be aware and listen to the Spirit to determine when we are to do this.

Mark 16:15-18
"These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Every believer has some authority over the spirit world, granted to them by their Lord Jesus. Signs will follow every believer that they are people who are powerful in the Spirit world.

Ephesians 6:10-12
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Our task is not to battle against other people, as if we were warriors on the earth. Rather, we are to be fighting for people’s lives in the spirit realm. We are to battle against spiritual forces, which, in some ways, are more powerful and dangerous than anything we have on earth.


Examples

• After receiving the Spirit, Peter met many opportunities to heal and to release people from spiritual judgement. He taught about Jesus, but he also healed a paralytic, he raised a woman from the dead, and healed many others by the authority given to him by Jesus.

• Paul also healed many and cast out many demons. He wrote that a sign of a true apostle is “miracles.” He was deeply concerned about others but he primarily used his authority granted to him by Jesus to build up the kingdom of God.


Living It Out

• Look for how people are bound by Satan. Most everyone has at least one area of bondage, more often than not many more. But don’t assume that you know what their bondage is—sometimes one sin pattern is covering up a deeper bondage and sometimes it is difficult to see at all. Everyone, before they come to the Lord, is bound by Satan and sin and that bondage is displayed. If one says that they have never needed to be delivered from anything, then it probably means that they still need to be delivered from something.

• When you speak the gospel, pray for others. Speaking the gospel and prayer go hand in hand. To speak a message of deliverance means to pray for deliverance and to see God’s kingdom at work in our lives.

• Speak by the authority given to us by Jesus. We need to remember that we ourselves do not have the authority necessary to command the spirit world to do anything. Only Jesus gives us the power to do this and so we must use that power only for the sake of Jesus’ kingdom and for love of others, even as Jesus’ commanded.

• Don’t overstep your authority. If you do not have the authority to command spirits, don’t. If you attempt to command spirits that have not judged anyone unjustly, then they do not need to listen to you. Take care, as well, not do disrespect any spiritual authority.

• Be alert! Take care in attacking the spirits to realize that you will be attacked as well. Be aware of these attacks and do not allow them to overwhelm you. Cry out to the Lord for deliverance.

Jesus' Relationship With the Father

A translation of John 14

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going. How are we able to know the way?"

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you had known me you also will know the Father. And from now you will know him and have seen Him."

Phillip said to him, "Lord show us the Father and we are content."

Jesus said to him, "I am so much time with you and you have not known me, Phillip? He who knows me knows the Father. How do you say, 'show us the Father?' Don't you believe that I am in the Fater and the father is in me? The word which I say to you I do not speak for myself, but the Father who is abiding in me does His works. Believe in me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or else believe through these works."

Thomas responded, “Lord, don’t you see? We DON’T know where you are going? So how can you say we know the way you are going when we don’t know the destination?”

Jesus said, mysteriously, “I am the way, Thomas. I am the way to Father God, the road you must take. I am also the truth about Father God. I am also the life that Father God gives. So without me, no one can obtain Father God. But you will know Him from this point on because you have seen him already.”

Phillip, confused, said, “So are you going to show us the Father now? Do that and all our prayers will be answered.”

Jesus replied, “Phillip, you’ve been with me for so long but you still don’t have any clue who I am? If you have experienced me, then you have experienced the Father.” Jesus sighs. “I can’t believe you just asked me to show you the Father. Don’t you understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father? I am speaking to you, but I’m not speaking my own words, but the Fathers’. I do miracles, but it is not me doing them, but the Father. If you believe nothing else, believe me when I say that I am living in the Father and the Father is living in me. Or, at the very least, believe that it is true because of the miracles the Father did through me.”

Judas said to him, not the Iscariot, "Lord, what happened that you are going to make known Yourself to us and not to the world?"

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves me my word he will keep and my Father loves him and to him we will come and make a dwelling with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you all things and remind you all that I said to you."

Judas (not the betrayer) then said to him, “Lord, why is it that you are giving us the experience of knowing you, but you aren’t revealing yourself to the nation of Judea?”

Jesus responded, “Because we have love and they do not. If anyone loves me, he will not only hear my word but treasure it and do it. The obedient one who loves me the Father also loves. That is the one whom the Father and I chose to come to and to be roommates with. If anyone chooses to ignore what I say, he doesn’t love me or the Father—because what I say isn’t mine, but the Father’s. Since the Father appointed me to the task to speak, it is His words I speak. So I speak the Father’s words to you and not to them while I am here. But even though I am leaving, the Father will send you the Assistant—otherwise known as the Holy Spirit. The Father will deliver Him to you with my authority. He will inform you of all you need to know and will bring to your mind every word I said.”

"You Will Always Have The Poor With You"

While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her.

But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me."
(Mar 14:3-7 NAS)

"Here is a clear case of Jesus fatalistically acknowledging the perpetual existence of the poor and showing the priority of worship over social concern-- or does He?

Interestingly, Jesus quotes directly from Deuteronomy 15, the chapter containing Jubilee and sabbatical instructions. Earlier in the passage God tells the Hebrew people that if they obey Him there will be no poor in their land. But He does on to say that if they harden their hearts there will be poor. As long as greed and selfishness continue the poor will be among them. Does this justify a callous looking the other way which neglects the poor?

Just the opposite. "For the poor will never cease out of your hand to your brother, therefore I command you, you shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land." (Deut. 15:11). In light of His continual plea on behalf of the plight of the poor, it's hardly conceivable that in this one verse Jesus is contradicting the bulk of His teaching by telling us to tighten our pocketbooks since after all the poor will always be around and there's not much we can do about it. Rather, He is saying that since greed and ambition will continue to govern the lives of people and their social systems, there will always be poor. They are a natural product of greedy systems. The observation of the fact does not justify it perpetuation. In light of this reality, how much more do we need ot care and give and be sure that we are not part of structures and organizations which trample the poor!"
-The Upside Down Kingdom, Donald B. Kraybill

Speaking The Gospel

Jesus’ life
Mark 6:1-5
And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.

Jesus taught everywhere, all the time. Jesus taught in appropriate settings, such as the synagogue, if they were available. But if they were not, he taught wherever he could. He taught the people who would listen to him and the people who would not—those who believed and those who did not. Often when people listened to him, they did not accept his authoritative teaching. If that was the case, then his authority over spirits was not seen much, due to their disbelief.

Mark 6:30-34
The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
Jesus taught because he had compassion on the people. The people had no direction, they didn’t know what was right or what was wrong. There had been so many teachings and so many “truths” that he needed to clarify what was right. He did this because he hated to see the people forsake God out of their ignorance.

Mark 1:14-15
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

Jesus taught repentance and the gospel. Jesus taught that everyone had to be ready for the coming kingdom of God which would sweep out all wickedness. Therefore, the people needed to repent and be rid of any wickedness so the Lord would accept them. Also, they needed to believe the good news that Jesus was proclaiming—that he is speaking of the Law of God and the need for humility and prayer for the coming kingdom.

Mark 1:21-28
He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Jesus taught with authority. This doesn’t mean that he taught forcefully or loudly or commandingly. Rather, Jesus taught and those around him obeyed. He taught with the truth, not opinions. He taught as a King would—with a single, firm word, not many options. He taught with power—in that spirits would listen to him. Because of this authority, the people listened to him, for his teaching was proven more effective than the teaching the people were used to.

Mark 4:10-12
"To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE."

Jesus taught in mystery. Because he saw that the people who were following him around had no interest in actually obeying his teaching, he would teach in stories and allegories that only made sense to those who listened carefully to his teaching. The stories repeated the same things his clear teaching taught, but it hid them so only those who understood his teaching could understand the stories. The stories were sometimes used to illustrate, but more often than not, they were used to confuse the listener. If the disciples were confused, they asked him directly what they meant.

Our Lives

Mark 16:15
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

We are to announce the gospel. The same message that Jesus gave, we are also to give, to whomever would listen. And we are to do it everywhere, not excluding everyone, unless they indicate that they do not believe.

Matthew 28:19-20
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..."

We are to make disciples. A disciple is one who sits at a teacher’s feet and memorizes the major teachings of the teacher. But we are not to teach our own ideas and words, as if we are the teacher. Rather, we are to teach the words of Jesus and so grant him the authority. Anyone who comes to follow us is actually a disciple of Jesus, not us.

Matthew 25:14-30; Mark 4:21-23
"For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light."

Jesus gave us his teaching to give to others, not to keep it to ourselves. The work we are to do is to give the gospel, however much we have received. If we only know a little, we should give what we know. If we know a lot, then we will be responsible for that amount. But we cannot hide it, or else we will be punished.

Examples

• Stephen was not established as an evangelist or a teacher—he was a deacon, a server of food. But when an opportunity came to teach the truth of Scripture and Jesus to his enemies, he did not hesitate. And so he died as a proclaimer of the gospel, not as a food server.

• Peter Valdez was a merchant, not a teacher. But when he read the word of Jesus, he realized that if fisherman and tax collectors could be teachers, so could merchants, cobblers, butchers, farmers and other workers. He taught the gospel to all who would hear and sent them out to announce the same to others.

• John Wycliffe was a professor at Oxford. But he realized the truth of the gospel was for everyone, not just his paying students. So he taught the gospel to the poor and sent them out to proclaim the gospel to others.

Living It Out

• Learn the gospel of Jesus—sit at his feet and learn from him. Read the gospels, read Paul, understand the depth of the love of God and his work and then you will be ready to proclaim.

• Announce Jesus’ words, not your own. We are to teach God’s truth, not our own opinions or the opinions of others.

• Tell what you know—don’t guess. If someone asks you a question and you don’t really know, say, “I don’t know.” Only say what Jesus gives you.

• Proclaim the gospel to whoever will listen. If they don’t want to listen, then stop. If they just think your teaching is entertaining, but don’t follow it, then teach in mystery.

• Practice what you teach and teach what you practice. If we speak and don’t live, we are a hypocrite. If we live and don’t speak, we are a mystery. Allow the teaching of Jesus to be consistent in your words and life.

• Don’t make anyone pay for the gospel. Give it away, all the time, in whatever form.

• When you teach, pray. When God answers the prayer, thank him and give him the glory. If God never answers your prayer, look and see if what you teach or how you live is consistant with Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus' Parables For Religious Politicians

A translation of Matthew 21:23-22:14

Jesus walked into the cathedral area and taught the people outside. In the middle of his teaching, the ruling priests and some members of congress approached and challenged him, "What gives you the right to act this way? You come into our city as if you were the king, and then begin kicking people out of the temple as if you were the high priest—who appointed you to be in charge of our city?" Jesus replied, "I’ll tell you what—answer my question and then I’ll answer yours. When John came offering people membership into God’s nation—was that his own idea, or was he appointed by God?" The rulers turned toward each other, and discussed their answer. "If we say John was appointed by God, he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him, then?’ And if we say that he was acting on his own authority, then the throngs around him will lynch us, for they consider John to be a prophet." So they replied, "We’re not sure about John." Jesus then said, "Then why should I tell you who my authority is? If you won’t commit yourselves, why should I commit myself?"

"So, you wise men, let me ask your judgement of this situation: A man had a garden which needed some tending one day, so he figured he would ask his kids to do it. He goes up to his first kid and says, "Could you please tend the garden?" The kid replies, "No way!" But after thinking about it, the kid changes his mind and works. Disappointed, the father goes to his second kid and asks the same question. This was a polite kid and he said, "Sure, no problem, dad." But, in the end, he neglected to actually do the work. So tell me: which one of these kids did the will of his Father?" The rulers of Jerusalem replied, "The first did." Jesus concluded, "Even so, prostitutes, homosexuals and drug users will be a part of God’s nation before you will. John told everyone freely the way of God—repentance from sins— and you didn’t believe him, but the sinners did. And even after you noted this, you still didn’t repent and believe in John.

"Here’s another event I want you to judge: An entrepreneur—the CEO of a large international corporation— established a successful business. He owned the building, bought the machines to manufacture the product, established security, and set up policies. Then he handed over the running of the business to managers, while working on other businesses. After a few months, he looked at the books and saw his business had made a profit. So he sent a group of messengers to the managers, asking for his share of the profit. The managers laughed, beat up the messengers, and even killed some. The CEO sent an even larger group of messengers, but the results were the same. So the CEO decided to send his son to them, thinking that they would respect the authority of the CEO’s son, and be ashamed of what they had done. But the managers saw the CEO’s son driving up and said to each other: "If we kill the son, we can have a legal right to the business!" So as the son walked in, they threw him out as if he was an intruder and killed him. So answer me, when the Lord of the business comes, what do you think he will do to the managers?" The rulers of Jerusalem said, "He will kill those managers before his eyes and select other managers that will give him his profit."

Jesus glared at the rulers. "Haven’t you read in the Bible, ‘We are amazed to see that the quarry-stone which the builders rejected as inadequate, that is the very stone selected by the Lord to be the mantelpiece.’ Those which you reject will be the very ones the Lord chooses to rule his people. God’s nation—which you have ruled so shabbily—will be given over to a people who accomplish the Lord’s will." After hearing his stories, the ruling priests and Republicans finally understood that he was talking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they were nervous about the crowds, because they considered him God’s spokesman.

Jesus, however, continued speaking to the rulers with another story: "God’s nation is like a president who invited all the most important rulers of the nation to his son’s wedding. He sent messengers, but the rulers didn’t want to come. So he gathered another group of messengers and instructed them, ‘Tell the rulers: "Everything is ready! Prime rib for everyone and champagne is flowing! Come to the wedding."’ The rulers, however, occupied by their own business, had the messengers arrested, insulted and killed. The president was furious and he sent his army to ravage their cities, arrest and execute those rulers. Then he said to the messengers that were left: ‘Those who received invitations to my son’s wedding weren’t worthy to come. Well, then, go out to the cities and towns and invite everyone to enter the wedding feast.’ So the messengers called to everyone they could, whether evil or good. Soon, the reception was filled with guests. As the president mingled, he noted that there was one who did not have the proper clothing. ‘Sir, how did you get in without proper clothing? Weren’t you provided with respectful clothes?’ The man was embarrassed, and he remained silent before the president. The president said to the guards, ‘Put this intruder in handcuffs and throw him out to the joyless existence, where many weep because they could not come in.’ For many are invited, but few are actually welcome."

Fulfilling God's Word

Jesus’ Life

Luke 4:16-21
"Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
When Jesus read Isaiah 61, there was a tension in the text. For most who had read the Scriptures, it was a common feeling and the tension didn’t bother them at all. But for Jesus, he lived with it and it bothered him greatly. The tension he could not ignore is that every time he read the Scriptures, there were promises of God which had not been fulfilled. There were promises of justice, promises of salvation, promises of healing and none of them had been fulfilled. These were words of God which were empty and could not be filled up until they were accomplished. The tension bothered Jesus so much that he would pray for these promises to be fulfilled, but he did not see it happen. Finally, the Father told Jesus that he was the first step to having them fulfilled by being the Son of God. In this way, he could finally say to the people, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled.”

Matthew 5:17-20
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill...Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Jesus looked around him and saw many teachers of God’s word that were claiming to fill up the empty words of God, but they did no such thing. Sure, the Pharisees were good at tithing and keeping the Sabbath in a certain way, but they were not filling up God’s empty words. They were expert on filling up the words of their teachers, but not of God’s Word. They would tithe, but not for the sake of others. They would keep the Sabbath, but in order to judge others, not do mercy to them. Even so, Jesus said, the ones who truly kept the law of Moses would fulfill it by enacting love. And anyone who did not live in this way would not enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 26:51-56
"Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets."
Jesus was in a difficult situation—he was being arrested and would soon be killed. His disciples saw a problem and bravely determined to stand in the way—until Jesus stopped them. He said to the disciples and to the crowds who were arresting him, “I don’t want to end this way. I don’t want to die. But to have the Scriptures be filled—to allow God to be glorified by his Word—that is more important than anything I might have to suffer.” And so Jesus made the choice to not fulfill his own needs so he could fulfill God’s Word.

Luke 24:44
"These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
At the end of all things, Jesus reveals that his whole life was about having the Scriptures be filled up. Every part of the Scripture that hadn’t been fulfilled, he would take care of. Some scriptures he had no control over—that some would kill him, for instance, or that God would heal. But Jesus made sure that he was in the right place at the right time so that they could be fulfilled, if God so desired.

Our Lives

Romans 8:4/Romans 13:8/Galatians 5:14
So that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
The whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
All three of these passages are by Paul and they all say the same thing. We are to fulfill the Scriptures, just like Jesus. We are to see the Scriptures as an empty vessel that needs to be filled by our lives. But the way the Scriptures are fulfilled is by doing what we do for God, but in the context of loving others. Whoever is in need, we are to do our best to help them. Whoever is in trouble, we are to help them. We are to use everything we have, all we are to do good to everyone, without exception. And in this way, we live out the whole law.

Examples:
Peter Valdez (Waldo) was a wealthy merchant in the 12th century. He had a hunger to know about Jesus, and so desired to read the Scriptures. Unfortunately, the Scriptures were only available in Latin in those days, not in the common languages. So he paid a monk to translate the Gospels into a language he understood. When he read the life and the teaching of Jesus, it stunned him. Even though he had listened to sermons all his life, he found that he did not life out Jesus’ life at all—and that it had never been taught to him! Jesus said to “Sell your possessions and give to the poor,” but Peter was a wealthy man, living in luxury! Jesus said to go out and proclaim the gospel, and Peter never knew what the gospel was to proclaim it! After much prayer, Peter decided to give away all of his possessions and to sell his house and to be a poor preacher and to teach others to do the same, all in order to fulfill the Scriptures.

Living It Out:
Know God’s Word—
We cannot fulfill God’s word unless we listen to it. This doesn’t mean listening to teachers, it means reading, memorizing and listening to God’s word itself.

Commit to doing what Jesus said—
Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, the way it is accessible to us and understandable. Thus, do all you can to fulfill Jesus’ word and you will have fulfilled it all.

Put yourself in situations to fulfill God’s Word—
Place yourself in situations that allow you to speak and do God’s word. If it says to serve others, put yourself in a place where you can! If it says to speak God’s word, put yourself in a situation where you can! Do this for every word the Spirit prompts you to obey—if you are in the right situation, you will be able to do it!

In whatever situation, love others—
In all that you do, act in love. Do all that you can to assist others and to help them in their needs. Do all of this in accordance with the Bible, but do it in God’s love. Anyone can pick out principles to live out from God’s word, but only those with God’s help can fulfill the word in love.

Seek to fulfill God’s word more than your life—
Many of us want our lives to be “fulfilling”, but we mean fulfilling to ourselves, not God. If we want to fill God’s word with our lives, we need to set our notions of what our lives should be aside. Only if we do that will we be able to see God’s word accomplished in our lives.

See how the Old Testament was fulfilled in Jesus life, then seek to have it filled in our own!—
Jesus didn’t only look to promises that needed to be fulfilled, he also saw stories in the Bible that needed a new ending. The Israelites came out of Egypt—just like Jesus—but the Israelites were not faithful and Jesus was! David wandered in the wilderness—just like Jesus—but David gave into temptation and Jesus didn’t! And on and on. See how Jesus fulfills these stories and then see how you can live it out yourself.