“…You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” ~ Matthew 18:32-33 REFERENCE: Matthew 18:23-35 This parable will test all your relationships. It is the story of a servant who owed his master a huge sum of money (Greek: uncountable sum), and when he could not pay it back, his master forgave him because he asked him to. This same servant met a fellow servant who owed him a hundred pence, and although the guy begged his forgiveness and patience, he...
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind…” ~ Matthew 13:47 REFERENCE: Matthew 13:47-51 Jesus used this parable to teach that the gospel net will always bring different people into the church, some with a heart for God, and others, just there to serve their purpose. The world is the sea in which the net is cast, and when the fisherman (preacher) draws it back into the boat, it drags in the good and the bad. Jesus taught that at the end of all things, God, through His...
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and…goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” ~ Matthew 13:44 REFERENCE: Matthew 13:44-46 Precious treasures are not easy to come by – diamonds are buried in rocks, crude oil is in the depth of the earth, and so is gold. They often have to be mined or extracted and passed through laborious processes before they can be of benefit. Pieces of diamond jewelry are also not sold in just any shop, and where you find them, they are in secured displays or...
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” ~ Matthew 13:33 REFERENCE: Matthew 13:33 Leaven is a substance, typically yeast, used in dough (baking flour mixed with water or milk) to make it rise. A unique characteristic of leaven is its ability to affect the particles of any substance it comes in contact with and changes it to its nature. When leaven is introduced into a lump of dough (irrespective of its size and nature), the dough behaves contrary to its nature and becomes larger as the leaven...
“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.” – Matthew 13:29 REFERENCE: MATTHEW 13:24-30 This parable is one of Jesus’ most powerful. The lessons therein are many, but I will focus on ‘prudence.’ Prudence is the ability to manage circumstances with care and thoughtfulness. It is being careful to consider all possible dangers or consequences in a situation. The man in this parable planted good seed (wheat) in his field, and while men slept (became careless and relaxed), his enemy came and sowed tares (some stubborn weed). The wheat, as...
Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed…" – Mark 4:30&31 REFERENCE: MARK 4:30-32 Jesus was a great storyteller, and He told many parables. He used them to teach revolutionary and potent truths that still speak today. A parable is a story told to illustrate some doctrine or moral point, and Jesus told fascinating ones to describe how the kingdom of God functions. A picture speaks louder than a thousand words, and parables are words in picture form. We will be looking...
“Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” – Matthew 22:9 REFERENCE: MATTHEW 22:1-10 God’s heart for His kingdom on earth is that it grows. Any right-thinking entrepreneur starts a venture with the mindset of growth. The desire to grow is God’s nature in us; that is how He ‘wired’ us. After his creation, God commanded man to multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. The King in the parable was not satisfied with a half-filled wedding hall. So, he sent his servants to the streets to bring as many as they found. Why?...
“…and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” – 1 Peter 3:7b REFERENCE: 1 PETER 3:7-12 Peter here admonishes husbands to be careful and thoughtful of the needs of their wives while honoring them as the weaker sex and partners in receiving God’s blessings. When husbands withhold this honor from their wives, their prayers are sabotaged. This is a roadblock to answers in prayers. Hence, not handling relationships well can become a roadblock to prayers. Let us see more roadblocks that truncate our supplications: o Domestic Discord: If your marriage is not...
“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me…” – Daniel 10:13a REFERENCE: DANIEL 10:12-14 An angel told Daniel that God had heard his prayer and answered; however, the manifestation was delayed until Angel Michael intervened. This validates God’s word that we are not fighting against humans (flesh and blood), but against spiritual beings, evil rulers of the unseen world, and wicked spirits in the spirit world. This results in: Discouraging Delays: Delay to answered prayers is a usual ploy employed by satan to wear...
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? - Psalm 22:1 REFERENCE: PSALMS 22:1-5 David cried out to God. It seemed God was far away and not answering his prayers; He appeared out of reach and inaccessible. You may have realized that your prayers do not always get the desired results. Often God responds, and at other times, heaven seems silent, and your prayers do not prevail. Times like this have discouraged people who have given up on praying or on God....