NOVEMBER 02 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

NOVEMBER 02  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, I come with a thankful heart for Your Faithfulness for Your Promises are ALWAYS kept, Your Love is ALWAYS pure! There is no Name like the Name of Jesus, my God who became flesh and dwelt among us, my Savior who died a cruel death to set me free from my sin! There is no other God but Thee, nor any other Joy but Thine, no Peace but Yours. O LORD, my God, I am not worthy, but us being “worthy” is not what Your Love is about — You Loved the unlovable and the unworthy, yea even the sinner and even those that had You Crucified on the Cross! Teach me Lord, to Love as You Love, may Your Grace fill this bodily temple that I may worship You in Spirit and in Truth!   AMEN

NOVEMBER 02  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus had previously Taught on several occasions that He must suffer at the hands of men in order to “fulfill prophecy” and each Lesson contains the Single Truth that God is the “FATHER” and that all “prophecy” is about the “SON OF GOD” doing the “Will of the Father”. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are ONE, it is a “Mystery of God” but then if we could understand God then we would be smarter than God Himself and therefore God would not be God because there would be someone else that had Understanding of Supreme Knowledge (and ‘knowledge is power”)!?!?!  BEFORE the Creation, there was The Plan of God and the Holy Bible is that Plan laid out from “the beginning” to the “end of the age” when the Son of God returns to get His Bride (the church) and “old things will pass away and all things will be made new” in honor of the Great Wedding of the Son of God! Therefore, it makes perfect sense that during the Passover Week that sees the Fulfillment of Prophecy about the Messiah, God’s Chosen One, the Root of David, God’s Only Begotten Son in Obedience to the Will of the Father will accept His Role as the Passover Lamb to provide the world Deliverance from our bondage to sin! Once the prophecy of the Passover Lamb is fulfilled, “THEN” the next Divine Event on God’s Prophetic Calendar is the “end of the age” which John wrote about in his vision of the end of the age when John in the Spirit saw the great battles and then the great victory of God (see Revelation 19:1-6) that was celebrated with the “Marriage Feast of the Lamb” — “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7) The Parable of the Ten Virgins then makes more sense when we realize that the “Ten Virgins” are actually “bridesmaids” that are helping the “bride” prepare for her betrothal to the “Bridegroom” — this is all summarized very well in a commentary in the Scofield Study Bible (pg. 1741) titled, “Bride of Christ, Summary” which reads: “The Marriage of the Lamb (literally “the marriage supper of the Lamb”) is the consummation of the marriage of Christ and the Church as His bride. The figure is according to the oriental pattern of marriage, covering three stages: (1) the betrothal, legally binding when the individual members of the body of Christ are saved; (2) the coming of the Bridegroom for His bride at the rapture of the Church; and (3) the marriage supper of the Lamb, occurring in connection with the second coming of Christ to establish His millennial kingdom. The Lamb’s wife is to be contrasted with the harlot of 17:1; and she is also to be distinguished from Israel, the unfaithful wife of the LORD (Jehovah) in historic times, who is to be restored in the millennium (Is. 54:1-10; Hos. 2:1-17)” Therefore we must view the Ten Virgins as “servants” of the “Bride” to get her ready for the “marriage” which is to be consummated at the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” — the Holy Bible is the story of “a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son” (Matthew 22:2) and how all the “wedding guests” are to prepare for the Great Marriage Feast in Heaven when Christ brings His Bride “Home”!!! Have you checked to make sure you have plenty of oil in your lamp???

NOVEMBER 01 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

NOVEMBER 01  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer   

JESUS, Lord You have proven Yourself Faithful in leading me when I am not sure exactly which direction to take — You Lord through the Holy Spirit “correct” my course if I start to stray from the “Safe and Narrow Way”. Lord Your watchfulness is a testimony to the Great Sacrifice You made on the cross for me over 2000 years ago and now You are still watching and caring for me as I live my day-to-day life “in the world” but Your Grace prevents me from being “of the world”. I must praise You for awaking me this morning with a solution to a major problem for the “work task” you have given me and it just made me remember King David writing “Your rod and your staff they comfort me” and I do take comfort in knowing that Your Presence is with me for David had just written a Psalm: “I will fear no evil for You are with me”!!! Thank You Lord that I, a sinner born over 2000 years after You died on the “Cross”, can still in this day and age get “comfort” from the “Cross” on which You, the Son of God endured the “Ultimate Discomfort” which paid the penalty for my sin!       AMEN

NOVEMBER 01  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is Teaching the Parable of the Ten Virgins so that we might be encouraged to be prepared when He Returns at the “end of the age” for “At that time” (Matthew 25:1) of His Return as the “bridegroom” He will call us to join in the celebration of this “marriage made in heaven”. Jesus has used the analogy of the bride and the bridegroom several times as well as previously describing “heaven” as being “like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son” (Matthew 22:2) and all along Jesus has been referring to God Almighty as Heavenly Father and repeatedly demonstrated that Jesus Himself IS the Son of God. When Jesus, whom John the Baptist called “the Lamb of God”, was baptized and the Holy Spirit was observed descending upon Jesus, that eyewitnesses recorded hearing God speak from heaven saying, “This is My Son in whom I AM well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) therefore it is easy to see that at the end of the age that JESUS IS RETURNING to get His “Bride” and there is going to be a great wedding feast. The fact that Jesus is Teaching the Parable of the Ten Virgins at the Passover Feast in Jerusalem and is Teaching that He will be killed by men but will be Raised the 3rd Day by God Himself, we can easily surmise that Jesus is the “Passover Lamb”! Then in John’s vision of heaven at the end of the age we read of “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb” in Revelation 19:6-9 which ties “marriage” and the “Passover Lamb” to the “Son of God” who the “mighty angel” revealed that the “Lamb” is Jesus the “Son of David”  when the angel asked John in his vision of heaven “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals(?)” and we read that John “wept for no one was worthy” but then an elder approached John and exclaimed “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to loose its seven seals” and then John looked and there “stood a Lamb as though it had been slain…and the [Lamb] came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” (Revelation 5:2-7) Jesus also has declared God His Father as the “King” in the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 (Key verse: Matthew 22:2) and then the first miracle that Jesus performed was at the Wedding Feast at Cana where Jesus started His earthly Ministry was when Jesus turned water into wine and His mother declared to the “servants” at the wedding feast, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) There are many other instances that tie “weddings”, the “bridegroom”, the “bride”, “servants”, the “king of heaven” and the “Lamb” to Jesus and His Return at the end of the age therefore adding validity to what Jesus Taught during His Last Week before the Passover!!! Once again Jesus is giving us some very important details as He paints the picture of the Parable of the Ten Virgins “who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Let us listen to the words of wisdom spoken by Mary, the mother of Jesus as she proclaims to all that would be “faithful and wise servants” — [This is my Son Jesus] “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) Taking Mary’s advice would certainly help us to be prepared when the “Jesus the Bridegroom” comes back for “His Bride”!!!

OCTOBER 31 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

OCTOBER 31  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer   

JESUS, this day is just another day until my thoughts turn to You. Only by putting my every HOPE on You can I begin my days, Lord take my Praise as an offering, grant it be acceptable to Your ears and may my soul forever wake each morning with the Name of Jesus ever before me. Lord, hedge me from the evil one that I may grow strong and learn to use Your Armor to protect me until the Glorious Day of the LORD when we will be caught up to Your Side! Lord forgive me when I fail to be a good witness to Your Glory in my life and I pray that my life will be lived as a True and Good Witness to my Redeemer. May all my words be from Your Holy Spirit and that when people see me they will see only Your Grace and Your Love!   AMEN

OCTOBER 31  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus again tells us what “heaven shall be likened to” as He Teaches this Parable of the Ten Virgins — maybe some of you asked the same question I did about the connection between “heaven” and “ten virgins”??? Jesus always introduces each Lesson with a statement that really focuses our attention on a particular gem and that statement is always a clue to point us into the direction of God’s Truth and in this case it also points us in the direction of God’s Truth about getting into God’s Kingdom of Heaven! Let us look at the phrases Jesus uses to introduce this parable: “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (Matthew 25:1) It is significant that Jesus started the parable with the word “Then” which many translations use the phrase “At that time” because Jesus has been Teaching His disciples what to look for at the “end of the age” and the sign of His “coming”  (see Matthew 24:3) therefore to establish a proper time frame for the Parable of the Ten Virgins we could paraphrase Matthew 25:1 as “At the time of the Return of Jesus at the end of the age the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to…” which will add more meaning to the parable. When we consider also the “ACTION” words/phrases we understand that Jesus is Teaching us to be “doers” of the word and not just “hearers” because of “ACTION PHRASES” like “who took” and “went out to meet”. At the time that Jesus gave these instructions there was “significance” to what “actions” were being done especially when we consider that it was “ten virgins” and they “took their lamps” and they were going “out to meet the bridegroom”. A quick study of the marriage traditions in Israel at the time Jesus gave this parable is both very interesting and very informative! On the web site: GotQuestions.org a search for the “Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1-13” produced a most informative commentary on “The historical setting…describing a first-century Jewish wedding” … the article quoted D. A. Carson from the Expositor’s Bible Commentary as he describes the setting this way: “Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets — after nightfall — to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house…Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house.” and the article adds: “The torch was either a lamp with a small oil tank and wick or a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it which would require occasional re-soaking to maintain the flame.” When one reads a description of a “first-century Jewish wedding” and then considers Jesus is Teaching this Parable of the Ten Virgins to His disciples who were Jewish and compares the “wedding” to “heaven” then there are many things that come to light as is always the case when the MASTER Teaches us anything. Jesus has used action words to describe what I feel is a “required” response to His “coming” and the obvious response is that if we do not “expect him” and are not prepared with our “lamps” then we will be left in the “darkness” and will not enter into the “festivities” of the “wedding” that is about to take place! Any time you see a wedding in our modern culture that has “ten” bridesmaids attending the bride then you know that there is going to be a big celebration and none of the wedding “festivities” will occur without a lot of “ACTION and PREPARATION” and all those that are not “prepared” to be part of the wedding “action” will have to suffer the “Consequence” of not “expectantly watching” for the “bridegroom”. This is not the first “wedding” Jesus has used to reveal God to us as earlier Jesus taught: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son.” (Matthew 22:2) and Jesus concluded that Lesson with: “So [the king] said to [the unprepared guest at the wedding feast], ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And [the unprepared guest] was speechless. Then the king said to [His] servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast [the unprepared guest] into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 22:12-13)  If Jesus says it once that should be enough, but if Jesus says it more than once we should really pay attention and “be ready” — He certainly has given us plenty of warnings!!!

OCTOBER 30 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

OCTOBER 30  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord You bestow blessings on us everyday but yesterday Lord You made extra special for me as I was able to spend the day in honest labor out in Your creation and as I exclaimed yesterday “Wow, look at my office!” Lord Jesus, I thank You for the health You have restored to me so that I can do the tasks that You have laid before me and You have allowed me to work outside with no walls and nothing to obstruct my view of Your heaven or prevent me from breathing in Your fresh outdoor air! Lord I Thank You for the work You have granted me and trust me to do for the kingdom so I am doing my work “heartily for the Lord and not for men”!    AMEN

OCTOBER 30  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is now Teaching another detail of “being prepared” for His Return and the end of the age and illustrating a critical detail in that although His “coming” is at the “end” of the age, no one knows “when” that time will be except God Himself, therefore Jesus being the Master Teacher is telling us that it is best to “always” to be prepared and “watchful” for His Return. In His initial question Jesus asked “Who then is a faithful and wise servant…” (Matthew 24:45) and now Jesus starts His Parable of the Ten Virgins by saying, “THEN the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to…” (Matthew 25:1) The use of the word “then” has a Message and Lesson in itself for “then” can be any time and is dependent not on a particular day or an exact hour but by an impromptu event ———  and when we think of the word “then” our mind draws a picture of a future event or describes a marker in history when an event occurred — but either way, “then” describes an event that “will” happen or already “has” happened so the Lesson we should draw from Jesus using the word “then” is that in this case of His Second Coming Jesus is saying to “be prepared” BECAUSE His Return “WILL” happen, and it does not matter “When” the event occurs but what matters is that whenever the event does occur that we are prepared “THEN” — Jesus is Teaching that we should prepare for the event “NOW” so that we are ready “THEN”!!! The obvious Truth of God that Jesus is Teaching about being prepared BEFORE the event occurs is that “when” the event does occur that “then” it will BE TOO LATE TO PREPARE! The fact that Jesus uses the word “THEN” and follows it with the phrase “…the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to…” is that if we are not prepared for the “kingdom of heaven” that “when” God says the end of the age has come and “THEN” GOD SENDS His Only Begotten Son BACK to get all those “prepared” for His Return, that “THEN” it will be TOO LATE and the “unprepared” will be left behind!!! Jesus begins His Lesson on “preparedness” with this very important word “THEN” and immediately ties it to the “the kingdom of heaven”, therefore we would be “wise” indeed to be prepared for indeed Jesus is the One that is our “GUIDE” and Jesus is the “LIGHT” that will illuminate our path to the “Narrow Gate” through which we must “Enter” into the “Kingdom of Heaven”!  The fact that Jesus is making it clear that at the “end of the age” that HE WILL RETURN and “THEN” there will be either “rewards” for the “wise ones that are prepared” or “penalties” for the “foolish ones that are unprepared” ——— the “reward” is “heaven” and the “penalty” is that the “unprepared” have condemned themselves to an eternity separated from God. Jesus starts His Lesson with “THEN” because “when” He Returns it will be TOO LATE TO PREPARE and Jesus is reminding us that “NOW” is the ONLY TIME we have to PREPARE — but as always, “being prepared” is a “Choice” each individual MUST make but as always, the “Consequence” has already been “Divinely Determined” —your “Choice” will determine your “Consequence” so “CHOOSE WISELY”!!! ——— DO IT NOW!!!

OCTOBER 29 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

OCTOBER 29  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS -Daily Prayer   

JESUS, who is worthy but You, we are lost sheep in need of a Good Shepherd, we stray from the Way and find ourself lost in darkness and You are the LIGHT. We continually take all our blessings and contemptuously pour them out while crying selfishly for more — truly we are guilty of taking all the Good that You Provide and defile Your Mercy with our disobedience, but You Lord were Obedient unto even death as You took every circumstance in Your Life and Lived a Perfect Life that Glorified the Father, You alone Lord are worthy of our praise, You are worthy  to be followed, Your Way is the Only Way to Truth and Light, and You are Worthy for Your Faithfulness to Forgive us our iniquities and Provide us with the Abundant Life that is only possible because of Your Abundant Grace! Forgive me of all my unworthiness and lead me to know how to  serve others as You have served us!   AMEN

OCTOBER 29  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus uses parables as only the Master Teacher can and we must not read His Parables lightly because Jesus never wastes His Precious Time on earth with frivolous Lessons. The section which contains this Parable of the Ten Virgins contains a wealth of God’s Truth and for us to grow rich in the knowledge of the kingdom we must take possession of the kingdom gems that Jesus is laying before us. This is such an important Lesson that we should take it line-by-line ——— it would not be a waste of time to take it word-by-word ——— because these Words spoken by Jesus and documented in Holy Scriptures in the Gospel according to Matthew are the God-breathed Words intended to reveal God Himself to us!!! Jesus starts this Lesson/Parable by announcing “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (Matthew 25:1) The first word to consider is “Then” for Jesus has just been Teaching about His “coming” and the “end of the age”. Jesus hadpronounced a “blessing” on the “servant whom the master, when he comes, finds [the servant doing the will of the master]!” (Matthew 24:46)  and immediately pronounced a “curse” on the “evil servant” that rejected the Master’s rule and was unprepared for the Master’s Return. (Matthew 24:50-51). Jesus immediately went from the “Blessing” (for the servants being ready for the “Master’s Return”) and the “Curse” (those unprepared for the “Master’s Return”)to this Parable of the Ten Virgins and says “Then” which takes our attention to a detail of “heaven” for Jesus is now Teaching very specifically about His Return and asking pointedly what will be our level of “preparedness” — will we be ready for the Master’s Return and the “melodious joy and rewards” of “heaven” or will we be caught “unprepared” and find ourselves in darkness and left to our own selfishness which will result in our “weeping” and moans of regret for not being ready?!?!?!!? If we are not ready for His Return “Then” we will not hear the music of celebration for those that are prepared! The unprepared will hear the discordant symphony of despair played by the “gnashing of teeth”!!! Jesus, by using the word “Then” makes it clear that He IS “Coming Again” and we should ask ourselves “NOW” are we going to be ready “THEN” ?!?!?!? Jesus is indeed the Master Teacher and He is teaching us to be “ready” for His Return for He will be bringing the blessings of heaven for those who are watching and waiting and for those that are not ready, they will be left to their own selfish desires and will not enter into the “Master’s Celebration” — again, all the “Blessings” and “Curses” of God have been laid out plainly for each individual to make an “informed decision” and we must learn to make our decisions based on what will please the “Master” and not on what we think we can selfishly get away with and “choose” to gratify self instead of “choosing” to stay prepared for the Master’s Return — we know it “Will Happen” we just don’t know “When” — the best “choice” “Then” is to stay prepared for the “rewards of preparedness” are truly “Heavenly”!!!

OCTOBER 28 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

OCTOBER 28  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, let us this day do nothing but Praise the One that is the Giver of Life and the One that created the day and then fills it with both abundant daily life and daily bread sufficient to cover all our daily needs. Lord Jesus, we know that of our own we can only plant but You Lord make the seed grow, we can only pray for the rain but You can produce living waters to sustain our existence — and if we have no water we perish so let us see the TRUTH that without You there is no life and no hope and without hope, we perish, for our souls which You water with Your Spirit daily cannot exist without Hope and Hope only comes from You, Jesus the Son of God, the Giver of Hope. Lord Jesus, therefore let this life that You have given me and blessed me so abundantly with Hope always have this prayer of Thanksgiving on my lips and in my heart for my Savior and Redeemer from whom all blessings and life itself flows—Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.        AMEN

OCTOBER 28  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus after giving signs of the “end of the age” and His “coming again” to pronounce the verdict of the “Final Judgement” on the world and take His Rightful Place as King of His Creation, Jesus has laid out plainly for all who will open their “spiritual eyes” what is expected of each individual prior to that “Final Judgement”. Jesus announces both the “rewards” for those who are “faithful and wise” in their “service” to the MASTER and the “penalty” that awaits those that reject God and insist that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are “fairy tales”. The Truth of God is that God has been rejected by seekers of self and they therefore follow the selfish “doctrines of men” that have defiled the Commands of God and promote “self gratification” over “serving others”! Jesus goes into detail of the reward of “the kingdom of heaven” when He again uses a parable to describe what “heaven shall be likened to” and this time Jesus uses “ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (Matthew 25:1) My first thought when I read this verse was to ask, “What does being a virgin have to do with heaven?” — this “question” on my part was “of the world” and my spiritual understanding was blinded to the Truth of God that Jesus  reveals to us through the “Parable of the Ten Virgins”. Jesus had just been discussing being a “faithful and wise servant” and my secular mind related more to being “made ruler of [my] household” and missed the fact that the True Master of all households that places whomever He chooses to be “rulers” over each household and once a “ruler” is placed in a ruling position by the “master”, then the “master” places additional responsibilities on the “ruler” to provide for those under his “rule” — when being a “ruler” is viewed as having “responsibility to provide for others” then it is understood that even “rulers” are “servants” therefore we learn a Truth of God that there is only ONE MASTER and everyone else either falls into one of two types of servants: Servant Type 1 — a servant that is “faithful and wise” and does that which is required by the MASTER is “ready” at all times for the Master’s Return  — or Servant Type 2 - is an “evil servant” that takes advantage of the Master being gone and the “evil servant” does not do that which the Master requires of their position, regardless if the Master is present or not, and the Master makes it clear that He will Return and hold everyone accountable for their “reasonable service”. Thinking like an “evil servant” therefore would make one “unfaithful and unwise”. Jesus is using the Parable of the Ten Virgins (also known as the Parable of the Wise and Unwise Virgins) to confirm an earlier Truth of God when He said about Servant Type 1: “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find [the “faithful and wise servant” providing for others]” (Matthew 24:46) and then about Servant Type 2: “the master of that [“evil  servant”] will come on a day when [the “evil servant”] is not looking for [the master] at an hour that [the “evil servant”] is not aware of, and [the master] will cut [the “evil servant”] in two and appoint [the “evil servant”] his portion with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:50-51) Jesus is using the Parable of the Ten Virgins then to tie together all the Truths of God that Jesus has been demonstrating His whole earthly life and now is Masterfully Teaching with His Last Week before becoming the “Lamb of God” as the culmination of the Passover Week. Jesus cleansed the temple, cursed a fig tree and pronounced seven times, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” and now Jesus is describing to His disciples what the sign of the end times and His “coming” again will be like as Jesus warns that “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” and that we should “watch therefore” ——— the Parable of the Ten Virgins ties all this together making it obvious that the main point of this Parable is not about being a “virgin” but about being “wise” and being “ready and prepared” for the Master’s Return!!!

OCTOBER 27 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45)

OCTOBER 27  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#31 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Praise to the One that Suffered and was Sacrificed for my sin, O Great Mystery that God would become a Baby and live a Perfect Life, without spot or blemish, and then to LOVE the unloveable enough to Offer that Sinless Life and Shed God’s Innocent Blood for the Redemption of the guilty and shameful. We deserve death as the “just rewards” for our iniquities but because of the LOVE OF GOD, the LAMB OF GOD was Slain and through GOD’S SACRIFICIAL GIFT OF GRACE we can be clothed not in our shame but in the Blood-Bought Robes of Righteousness of Jesus Christ. Lord I slip daily into the sin of self and daily I pray for Mercy and Grace for there is nothing I can do to cover my sin but Repentance — so Lord, create in me a clean and Repentant heart anew with each new dawning of another day You have blessed me with.   AMEN

OCTOBER 27  THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus gave His disciples “signs” of the end of the age and His “coming” again because they had asked Him specifically for “signs” but Jesus being God went the extra mile and not only gave them a list of “signs” but He also focused them on the main problem and how to correct it as Jesus asked another simple question with Profoundly Divine Meaning — — what other kind of “meaning” could be in the Divine Knowledge of the Son of the Living God except Profoundly Divine? Jesus tells us to “be ready” because “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44) and then immediately Jesus gives us directions how to be prepared for His Return “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?”  (Matthew 24:45) which will be when God decides that mankind has drifted to far from the Grace and Mercy of a Just and Loving God  and have rejected God and His Commandments which carries with that “Chosen Action” a “Divinely Predetermined Consequence” that God is Faithful and Just to Execute, which is always after an extended period of time where God has issued warnings and provided the opportunity of “Repentance” to all that would Return-to-God. God has been patient with this “age” even though mankind, and especially the modern church, has drifted back into the darkness of self-gratification and are once again following the “doctrines of men” and rejecting the Moral Standards established by God through His Commands. Jesus says that we should give up our self-established “thrones” and instead of “striving for “superiority” over others with our “personal doctrines” that we should “seek to serve” others for the “kingdom’s sake”! For indeed God has made us “rulers” but we must never forget that GOD IS THE MASTER and that He will provide for us if we produce fruit for His Master Plan, which is to bring as many as we can into the Presence of God. Jesus makes it clear that “faithful and wise servants” will be “rewarded” but that “evil servants” will receive “judgement and penalty” but nowhere is there an “option” to “not serve”!!! All our lives are built around family, from our birth until our death, life itself is in the control of the “Life Giver” and that is God Almighty, and God has established how we are to live and because He is a Fair and Just God, He makes it clear what His Expectations are for our lives and gives us clear directions to follow to avoid getting “lost” on our way to His Eternal Kingdom in Heaven. God reveals to each individual what must be done to find the Only Entrance to His Kingdom, and God reveals to each individual the “Consequence” of choosing not to accept God’s Gift of Grace and insist on remaining in the darkness and lostness of self where there is no LIGHT. God makes it simple and has made the LIGHT the GATE and reveals to each individual that to find our “Way” to the Kingdom of God, we must simply “follow the LIGHT” which has been given SUPREME POWER over darkness! To free the Hebrew slaves from their bondage in Egypt God brought on 10 plagues, then God established the Passover to begin on the 10th day of their 1st month, God then took them into the wilderness and gave them 10 Commandments to help them on their way to the Promised Land and now that Jesus is describing the “end of the age” and the beginning of our lives in the Promised Land, Jesus tells us what to expect when we get there as Jesus gives us the “parable of the Ten virgins” to describe what “the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to” (Matthew 25:1a) For many, being a “servant” is very difficult to imagine, but for even more it is a form of “blindness” to “understanding” or to “seeing” the Lesson in considering “tens virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (Matthew 25:1b) But let me encourage you, God has gone through great lengths to get you to “see” and to “understand” why we should desire to use our freedom of “Choice” to “spend our eternity in His kingdom” and here is God in the flesh, about to be sacrificed for our sins, who is giving us yet another Lesson on what the “kingdom of heaven” is like and if we refuse to listen then we are well on our way to refusing “heaven”, but just like we have to “serve” someone or something in living life on earth, we will have to spend our eternity in the place we “Choose” — the Good News is that you can “Choose” to enter Heaven but the Bad News is that if you don’t “Choose” to go to “Heaven” then by “default” you have “Chosen” to spend eternity in “Hell” — and more than once Jesus has Taught us about the “Joys of Heaven” but each time Jesus talks about “hell” He uses the phrase “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” — just something to think about while you read the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” !!!