I'm talking about Ruth, Boundaries, and caring for kids and elderly parents today. I'm dipping a heavy toe back into podcasting, because...

why not?

Anyway, nothing in my podcast should be considered advice of any kind. I'm not that smart, I'm not a leader, and I don't get paid to help people. So, USE YOUR OWN BRAIN.

Momma loves ya honey!

Today's Scripture Readings:

• Genesis 5-6
• Psalm 3
• Matthew 5

*Genesis 5-6: Scripture lays out the lineage or "generations" of Adam, all the way to Noah and his 3 sons. The headline is "Increasing Corruption on Earth", but we don't see one "simple" explanation for God to wipe the earth clear of all life. WE can only look up those few vague reasons found in Genesis 6:1-13. Regardless, God saw Noah as a righteous man so He gave Noah instructions for building the ark what animals to bring, and how to survive the impending flood. Noah obeyed.

*Psalm 3: David the Psalmist is pretty scared here, running from his own son, Absalom and crying out to God. Essentially, this would be a great Psalm for anyone who needs to have a conversation with God about their fear.

*Matthew 5: So after Jesus was tempted and ministered to by the angels, He began His ministry by gathering disciples and healing everyone while sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Then, Jesus went up no the mountain and sat down and the disciples came. He taught them, giving them what the Christians call, "The Sermon on the Mount". The first things He talked about were The Beatitudes (or blessings). Jesus described situations that people may endure and the blessings that go with those situations. Then Jesus talked about how He wasn't there to get rid of the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. Jesus' Gospel of the Kingdom does not replace (or take away) the Old Testament Law & Prophets (Torah/Pentateuch and The Prophets), rather, Jesus's life, ministry, and teachings fulfill all that was said, and Jesus atoned for our sins on the cross, so in that one act, Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament Sacrifice Rituals as well. Jesus goes through 6 topics that were discussed in the Old Testament and basically says, "Here's what you think you know about this, and now this is what I have to say about it."

Those are my pearls right there... I think I have it all figured out, but I really don't.

Stay in the Word and be blessed!

🤍Mama Rich🤍

The Scriptures for today are: Genesis 3-4, Psalm 2, and Matthew 3-4.

Genesis 3-4 The Fall (or The Original Sin). In Genesis chapter 3 & 4, we are given the basic outline of how all sin plays out in our lives. First, someone gets tempted and sins. Next, we bring someone else into the sin. Then, we realize we've sinned, so we hide since human nature is to preserve self. God knows, though and He is good and merciful so, He tries to give us a chance to confess to Him. He always wants to be in relationship with us. We can either confess and repent and make that move toward restoration of our relationship with God, or we can lie and avoid Him. What we can't do is fix it. That's Jesus' job; He paid our price. But, we can talk to God and choose to stay close to Him through our willingness to repent. We see it again and again. Eve was disobedient. Adam was too. He also did not follow god's natural order and followed his wife instead. Cain was jealous. He murdered his brother because of God's favor. After the sin comes the consequence. God handed out the consequences and still does. Naturally, there are a variety of consequences, but God uses them to preserve His plan and that can work out for our good too. It (consequences) can produce righteous character traits in us if we let them. 

Psalm 2: This Psalm sounds quite a bit like our world today. The nations are raging, people are plotting, earthly rulers are putting themselves into positions of power and counseling each other in secret places. But while those things are cause for concern, God is still on the throne.  God gives instruction to anyone in charge: be wise, be warned, and tremble with fear -and rejoice in that. Because if you take refuge in Jesus, you will be blessed. But if you don't have fear of the Lord, you will perish. Just like those perishable foods, you'll rot and turn into compost!

Matthew 3-4: Chapter 3 gives a glimpse of John The Baptist, who encourages people to repent, which means to literally change one's mind. Our mind causes us to sin and that sin separates us from God. Repentance is turning away from our own thoughts, ideas, and attitudes, and aligning with Him. What does repentance look like? A conversation with God about what we're doing. Confessing what we did, owning our own part in the separation, let Him know we trust the complete and finished work of Jesus to be the full payment of our sin and accept God's consequences. We can thank Him for His mercy, grace, and loving hands that we know everything comes from; and then we can turn away from whatever it was that we got sucked into and we turn towards the safety He alone can provide. 

Jesus was deliberately taken to the wilderness to be tempted. Now that's my big reveal. It was planned that Jesus our perfect Messiah would be taken away and be tempted by the devil. 

Temptation: #1 if you are who you say you are. Maybe it was stated as a challenge to Jesus' humanity, like, "Hey, aren't you STARVING???  Jesus resisted. 

Temptation #2 Up on the highest point of the city now Satan is challenging Jesus ability to fly. Nah, not really. Again, Satan knows the Word of God and was using that Word to tempt Jesus. Still. Jesus resisted. 

Temptation #3 Up to the mountains to see as far as they eye could see. Satan then tells Jesus (who is fully man and fully God by the way) that he will give Him all of it if He will just worship him. Jesus knows that NONE of that belongs to Satan. It isn't his to give away!

Chapter 4 ends with Jesus walking around gathering friends; Simon Peter and Andrew were the first, then James and John - the sons of Zebedee came along too. When Jesus called, they dropped their nets, left their boat, (and their father) and followed Jesus. Jesus healed every disease and every affliction among the people and great crowds followed Him. 

Jesus did all that healing as he taught in their synagogues and proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom.
(See Matthew 26:13)