Treating others with kindness, compassion, and love is important to God. Not looking down on people because they are poor, dirty, less intelligent, etc. But truly reaching out and serving them.
I love the reminder in Matthew 43 also to be loving and generous to everyone we meet. I can’t imagine how miserable the time of the month would be back then!
Hey girls! I’m just wondering, how do we balance this passage with the passage about the virgins yesterday? Where is the line between keeping what we need for ourselves to serve the lord, and giving to others to show God’s love? Curious to see your answers! Thanks!
Good question! I’m not sure these things are mutually exclusive. I think that by serving others we more fully experience God and can worship Him more fully.
Love your point Savannah. On the broader scale, if we intertwine the passages, first and foremost, God always wants us to use wisdom & discernment. That is why he left us His word, the Bible, and a helper, the Holy Spirit. My mom shared this story once about my father, that is, he would give all his money sometimes to a poor person, and when He came home, there was no money to pay the bills…
As we read God’s word, we will want to apply its truths daily! There is an order to anything God does. He doesn’t want us to go madly about. This order is learned, not automatic…at least I don’t think so. For example, if married, God is always number 1, your spouse number 2, if kids in the picture number 3, then everyone else (I think Christian’s first, then everyone else….) so the mission field starts by having a relationship with God first. Then within time, more and more is revealed. But, using the same scenario, you can’t take care of other kids and neglect yours… This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t sacrifice some time, when we can manage. Best way to sum it up is by saying each situation has its season, and each person is gifted differently… Living in the moment is key. And sometimes it is just as simple as greeting someone kindly.
I think that the Virgins with their oil really more represents our Faith. Like the 5 prepared virgins, God wants us to believe and trust in Him. He wants us to be spiritually ready for when he comes back by repenting and living for Him. It’s not that we are then denying the other 5 our oil, but we can not share our Faith with others. I can’t be saved for myself and saved for my sister, she must also believe and live for God. Just like the prepared virgins sent the others to get their own oil, we can encourage and help others to find Jesus, but we can’t believe for them.
Matt v:43 I love that reminder to be generous to those less fortunate or in need of help. A lot of times we don’t want to give our time and serve others. This is a reminder to fellowship with other believers, serve others the way we can and the Lord will take care of us.
Elisa, in relation to women menstrual’s in The Book of Leviticus 15 reminds me of how much suffering and ridicule was faced by the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48) as well as why Rachel was able to get away with stealing her father’s idol in Gen 31 “Rachel had hidden the gods inside her camel’s saddle, and she was sitting on them. Laban looked through the whole tent, but he did not find the gods. And Rachel said to her father, “Father, don’t be angry with me. I am not able to stand up before you. I am having my monthly time of bleeding.” So Laban looked through the camp, but he did not find the gods from his house.” Genesis 31:34-35 ERV)
Reading Levicticus 15 about discharge has saddened my heart. It must have been awful to be charged with “uncleanness”. “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days she shall continue in uncleanness” (verse 25) This reminds me of Mark 5:21 when a girl touched Jesus’s garments and was instantly healed of her discharge and he called her daughter! Wow. Powerful that I serve a savior that heals me and calls me daughter in my uncleanness. Today I want to live in the freedom of being loved, accepted, cherished and adopted. I desire to show God’s goodness to non believers through my joy and gratitude.
When my kids were much younger, there was a song they sang that said “I just want to be a sheep, baa baa baa baa…..”. It talked about not wanting to be a hypocrite, or a Pharisee, or Sadducee, but rather to be one of Jesus’s sheep. Lots of good theology in those songs that we can use as adults.
I found it interesting to read about the sending away of the goat in Leviticus and then again in Matthew as Jesus separates the people the sheep from the goats – and He says to those on the left depart from me – the goat once again is being sent away …
Treating others with kindness, compassion, and love is important to God. Not looking down on people because they are poor, dirty, less intelligent, etc. But truly reaching out and serving them.
I love the reminder in Matthew 43 also to be loving and generous to everyone we meet. I can’t imagine how miserable the time of the month would be back then!
Hey girls! I’m just wondering, how do we balance this passage with the passage about the virgins yesterday? Where is the line between keeping what we need for ourselves to serve the lord, and giving to others to show God’s love? Curious to see your answers! Thanks!
Good question! I’m not sure these things are mutually exclusive. I think that by serving others we more fully experience God and can worship Him more fully.
Love your point Savannah. On the broader scale, if we intertwine the passages, first and foremost, God always wants us to use wisdom & discernment. That is why he left us His word, the Bible, and a helper, the Holy Spirit. My mom shared this story once about my father, that is, he would give all his money sometimes to a poor person, and when He came home, there was no money to pay the bills…
As we read God’s word, we will want to apply its truths daily! There is an order to anything God does. He doesn’t want us to go madly about. This order is learned, not automatic…at least I don’t think so. For example, if married, God is always number 1, your spouse number 2, if kids in the picture number 3, then everyone else (I think Christian’s first, then everyone else….) so the mission field starts by having a relationship with God first. Then within time, more and more is revealed. But, using the same scenario, you can’t take care of other kids and neglect yours… This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t sacrifice some time, when we can manage. Best way to sum it up is by saying each situation has its season, and each person is gifted differently… Living in the moment is key. And sometimes it is just as simple as greeting someone kindly.
I think that the Virgins with their oil really more represents our Faith. Like the 5 prepared virgins, God wants us to believe and trust in Him. He wants us to be spiritually ready for when he comes back by repenting and living for Him. It’s not that we are then denying the other 5 our oil, but we can not share our Faith with others. I can’t be saved for myself and saved for my sister, she must also believe and live for God. Just like the prepared virgins sent the others to get their own oil, we can encourage and help others to find Jesus, but we can’t believe for them.
Great points Ashley!
Matt v:43 I love that reminder to be generous to those less fortunate or in need of help. A lot of times we don’t want to give our time and serve others. This is a reminder to fellowship with other believers, serve others the way we can and the Lord will take care of us.
Elisa, in relation to women menstrual’s in The Book of Leviticus 15 reminds me of how much suffering and ridicule was faced by the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48) as well as why Rachel was able to get away with stealing her father’s idol in Gen 31 “Rachel had hidden the gods inside her camel’s saddle, and she was sitting on them. Laban looked through the whole tent, but he did not find the gods. And Rachel said to her father, “Father, don’t be angry with me. I am not able to stand up before you. I am having my monthly time of bleeding.” So Laban looked through the camp, but he did not find the gods from his house.” Genesis 31:34-35 ERV)
Reading Levicticus 15 about discharge has saddened my heart. It must have been awful to be charged with “uncleanness”. “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days she shall continue in uncleanness” (verse 25) This reminds me of Mark 5:21 when a girl touched Jesus’s garments and was instantly healed of her discharge and he called her daughter! Wow. Powerful that I serve a savior that heals me and calls me daughter in my uncleanness. Today I want to live in the freedom of being loved, accepted, cherished and adopted. I desire to show God’s goodness to non believers through my joy and gratitude.
Amen to that Meaghan!
Meaghan, yes I had the same thoughts.
When my kids were much younger, there was a song they sang that said “I just want to be a sheep, baa baa baa baa…..”. It talked about not wanting to be a hypocrite, or a Pharisee, or Sadducee, but rather to be one of Jesus’s sheep. Lots of good theology in those songs that we can use as adults.
I remember singing this song!!
I found it interesting to read about the sending away of the goat in Leviticus and then again in Matthew as Jesus separates the people the sheep from the goats – and He says to those on the left depart from me – the goat once again is being sent away …
Wow! I didn’t even put those two together!