A Year of Grace

Matthew 18:15 – “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. ¹⁶ But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

¹⁸ “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.   ¹⁹ “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ²⁰ For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” (NLT)

Have you ever had someone do you wrong?  Of course you have, we all have, and so this passage speaks to everyone.  Jesus tells us to first go to the one who has offended us.  Let us consider what this implies.  It implies that we will not go to our friends and talk about what this person has done. Some Christians even go so far as to share something as a ‘prayer concern’, when in fact it is nothing more that griping and gossiping.

When we consider the Word of God in its entirety, we understand that Jesus is not telling us to go and confront someone with every little thing that they do that bothers us!  The Apostle Paul tells us: Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:13).  Yet, we know that there are some offenses that run so deeply that we cannot simply overlook them.  These are the instances when we must go and discuss the matter with the other person. 

Some time ago, I unintentionally hurt someone’s feelings.  What I did truly hurt them deeply.  I am so glad that this person did not feel inclined to simply go and tell others how insensitive I had been. Instead, this person came to me privately.  Because of the Christian – Christ like – manner in which this person confronted me, I clearly recognized the wrong that I committed, and have been able to correct the wrong.  This is why this advice from Jesus is so vital. It not only has the power to reconcile two people, it gives someone the opportunity to change themselves for the better.

If someone hurts you today, prayerfully consider if it is such an offense that needs to be corrected.  If so, pray first, then go and speak to the offender.  You may discover that your speaking to the offender is the very voice of God speaking to them! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 18:1 – About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”  ² Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. ³ Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. ⁴ So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁵ “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. ⁶ But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.  ⁷ “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. ⁸ So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” (NLT)

Who is the greatest in the kingdom?  I guess the short answer would be – no one who would ask such a question!  Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not based upon the qualities that the world would promote, but rather on humility. To illustrate this humility, Jesus spoke of becoming like a little child.  In the days of Jesus, while children may have been the promise of another worker at some point, children were merely tolerated among most people, at best.  A child had no chance of gaining any status, and those who seek the kingdom must not be seeking status.  Even as in our time, in the days of Jesus children were not looked up to, but rather looked after.  If we seek life in the kingdom, we should never seek to elevate ourselves before others, but rather only seek to elevate the status of the one who looks after us – Jesus Christ.

It’s not in our nature to take on these childlike qualities, and that’s the point.  Our nature must be set aside. To seek life in the kingdom, we lay aside our old self.  Indeed, Paul spoke of dying to the world: “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world” (Colossians 2:20).

The second part of this passage turns from humility, to the dangers of those who would turn a humble one astray. We must understand that Jewish Rabbi’s would often use exaggeration to make a point (after all, did anyone really walk around with a log in their eye?).  Jesus says in verse eight: “So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.”  The point is this – flee the temptations of sin!  Do whatever it takes to avoid temptation. 

These two points – humility and avoiding sin at all costs – takes work!  It takes discipline, and that is why followers of Jesus are called disciples.  Today, let us seek to truly be disciplined disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 17:24 – On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the Temple tax?”  ²⁵ “Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house.  But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?”  ²⁶ “They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied.   “Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! ²⁷ However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.” (NLT) 

At first glance, this passage appears to be about paying taxes, but there is so much more to be gained.  Indeed, the kingdom is to be gained!  (Although I must admit, finding money in a fish to pay taxes would be nice!)  The Temple tax was a bit controversial by the time of Jesus, and it seems that collectors of the Temple tax sought to include Jesus in the controversy.  The Sadducees did not approve of the tax.  Some Jewish men only had to pay it once in their lifetime, while most others paid it yearly, but again, there is much more here than the Temple Tax. 

In verse twenty-five, Jesus asks Peter if kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered, to which Peter answers: “They tax the people they have conquered”.  This might seem confusing to us, for certainly governments have taxed their own people even in ancient times.  In this verse Jesus is giving Peter a choice – would a king rather tax his own people or the people he has conquered.  Peter answers that it is those who have been conquered.  Jesus gives an answer that should be – for all who call Jesus their Savior – an absolutely liberating answer:  “Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free!” 

We get caught up in the matters of tax, while Jesus slips in something prophetic.  When we choose to be citizens of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish, we are free!  The Apostle Paul shares the following on this subject in his letter to the Galatians: “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.  God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.” (Galatians 4:4-7). 

When we choose to live in the kingdom of God, not only are we free, we are heirs of the kingdom!  Today, let us celebrate our freedom from sin and death.  Let us praise God for our adoption! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 17:14 – At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

¹⁷ Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.

¹⁹ Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”   ²⁰ “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (NLT)

In this passage the disciples were unable to cast out a demon.  We should note that Jesus had previously given the disciples the authority to cast out demons (Matthew 10:8), and they had been successful at casting out demons in the past (Luke 10:17).  Now when they were unsuccessful in casting out demons, Jesus tells them that they did not have enough faith.  This passage can teach us much about ministry.

First, it should teach us not to get into the rut of doing ministry the same way all of the time.  The disciples had been successful in casting out demons in the past, and now they were most likely going about their ministry duties in pretty much the same way, expecting pretty much the same results.  Every situation, like every person, is different.  The methods for success that we may have had in ministry a year ago, or even a month ago, may not work today.  We need to address every opportunity for ministry as a unique opportunity.  Even if our ministry is greeting people at the door of the church, our next time of service may be completely different than the past.  We should enter into every time of service and ministry with prayer, asking for the presence of the Holy Spirit, never taking for granted that our time of service will be the same old thing.

Next, this passage teaches us that no matter what success we may have had, we need to go to Jesus when we are confronted with a challenge.  I find it interesting that while the father of the demon possessed man went to the disciples first, when they were unsuccessful it was the father that went to Jesus – and all the while the disciples seemed to have waited in the background. It was the disciples’ ministry to cast out demons, when they were unsuccessful they should have gone straight to Jesus.

This is not to say that we should not point people in the right direction when we are unable to help them, but when we have a ministry task we should be quick to go to Jesus in prayer.  Not going to Jesus while we are engaging in ministry shows that our faith is in ourselves, and not in Jesus.  When our faith is in ourselves, we have set ourselves up for failure. 

Today, let us not only be people of faith, but people whose faith is in Jesus! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 16:13 – When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  ¹⁴ “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”  ¹⁵ Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. ¹⁸ Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (NLT)

In this passage Jesus and his disciples have come to Caesarea Philippi. Not only was this a predominantly Gentile area, its inhabitants practiced many of the world’s religions.  Caesarea Philippi was also a center for the worship of the pagan god Pan, the god of nature.  Against this backdrop Jesus asks his first question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Jesus certainly knew what people were saying, but he was setting up the disciples for the most important question we can ever be asked, “But who do you say I am?”  We may know what others say about Jesus.  Like Jesus and the disciples, we have probably heard people say a number of things about Jesus.  Some good things, some not so good.  Ultimately, we must answer for ourselves, and we do!  Whether we verbalize it or not, each and every day we say who we believe Jesus to be.  We say it not only by the way that we speak, more importantly we say it by our actions.  How we live our lives will tell the truth more than any words of confession we can say.  Are we living life as if Jesus really is the Son of the living God?  Are we living life as if Jesus really is our Lord?  This is a question we must ask ourselves, and often. 

Today, let us live like Jesus is Lord of our life.  Let us live in a way in which our actions speak loud and clear! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 16:1 – One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

² He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; ³ red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times! ⁴ Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

⁵ Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶ “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”   ⁷ At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. ⁸ Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? ⁹ Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? ¹⁰ Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? ¹¹ Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”

¹² Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (NLT)

Before Jesus walked the earth, the people of Israel spent a lot of time trying to make God happy.  They spent even more time worrying about whether or not they had sinned and made God angry.  After Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead, his message was called Good News.  It was called Good News for a reason!

In this passage, the religious leaders are asking Jesus for a sign.  He tells them the only sign that he will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah – coming back after three days in the tomb.  Jesus then warns the disciples about the yeast of the religious leaders.  Verse twelve tells us that the disciples finally came to understand that Jesus was speaking of their deceptive teachings.  Friends, there are still religious leaders who preach and teach deception! 

I believe that the most common deceptive teaching is the teaching that we somehow have to earn our way into heaven.  We cannot!  Heaven is a free gift.  Paul tells us in Romans 6:23 that the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.  He then tells us in Ephesians: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT).

It’s called Good News for a reason!  It’s called Good News because God’s love and mercy is not something we earn, it’s something we receive.  We are told in Romans 11:6 that God’s grace is free and undeserved.  We do not have to live life in fear of God’s wrath.

Today, rejoice, celebrate, and praise God for God’s free and undeserved grace!  That, my friends, is truly Good News! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 15:1 – Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, ² “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

³ Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? ⁴ For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ ⁶ In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

⁸ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
⁹ Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

¹⁰ Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. ¹¹ It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”   ¹² Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”   ¹³ Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, ¹⁴ so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”   ¹⁶ “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. ¹⁷ “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. ¹⁸ But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. ¹⁹ For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. ²⁰ These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” (NLT)

Today’s passage deals with the subject of legalism.  Legalism is following the letter of the law without regard to the spirit of the law.  The Pharisees and teachers of the law were only concerned with the letter of the law and were ignoring the spirit of the law.  I don’t think that Jesus would counsel us to never wash our hands!  This is not the point of this passage. 

While cleanliness is important, what is even more important is what comes forth from us. Cleanliness can be compared to the letter of the law. Cleanliness is important.  Cleanliness keeps us healthy.  In our modern world, we know that cleanliness keeps us from spreading germs.  What comes forth from us can be compared to the spirit of the law.  What comes forth from us is the goal of the law.  The law was given to keep us right with God – AND to keep us right with others.  When we focus on being right with God without regard to being right with others, we have ignored the spirit of the law.

In the past, I have written of Sabbath laws in this blog.  Sabbath laws help us maintain a healthy relationship with God, but when our efforts to keep the Sabbath laws prohibit us from being compassionate to the human need around us, we have lost the spirit of the law.  We cannot be right with God when we are not right with others.

This is why when the expert in the law asked Jesus what he believed to be the most important law, Jesus answered: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

These two commandments fulfill all of the laws!  Today, let us focus on loving God and loving others.  Let us remember that what comes forth from us (words and actions) speaks of what is inside of us.   

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 14:22 – Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. ²³ After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

²⁴ Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. ²⁵ About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

²⁷ But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”   ²⁸ Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”   ²⁹ “Yes, come,” Jesus said.  So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.   ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

³² When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. (NLT)

This week we continue in Matthew 14.  Remember, Jesus had heard of the death of his friend John.  He then tries to go to a remote place to be alone.  He found a large crowd and spends time healing their sick.  Then, when they became hungry, he challenged the disciples to feed them.  They bring to Jesus what they had, and when Jesus blesses the meager meal, they then have more than enough to feed the multitude. 

So, consider that day from the disciples point of view.  They witness Jesus healing many people.  That’s pretty amazing!  They witness Jesus blessing five loaves of bread and two fish, which then feeds thousands!  That’s even more amazing!  Now in this passage, Jesus sends the disciples back across the lake while he remains behind.  Sometime later, when the disciples were caught in a storm on the lake, Jesus comes walking towards them on the water.  What an amazing day it had been!

Now consider Peter.  He had seen so much that day, and now he sees Jesus walking on the water towards him.  He is not sure of what he is seeing, so he asks Jesus to ask him to walk to Jesus on the water.  Jesus does.  Peter does.  When Peter realizes what it was he said, and what it was he was doing, he starts to sink beneath the waves. 

Have you ever felt like Peter?  We get excited about Jesus.  We get excited about a ministry. We jump in and get involved. Then, we see some wind and waves (criticism, financial obstacles, etc.), and we ask ourselves, “Why did I ever jump into this?”  This happens when we, like Peter, take our eyes off of Jesus.  If we involve ourselves in the ministry of Jesus, we have to maintain focus on Jesus.  If we really want to feed them (last week’s post), then we have to stay focused on the one who calls us to feed others. 

Today, let us not only involve ourselves in the ministry of Jesus, but let us also stay focused on Jesus.  Jesus will see us through! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 14:15 – That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”   ¹⁶ But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”   ¹⁷ “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here,” he said. ¹⁹ Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. ²⁰ They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. ²¹ About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children! (NLT)

Today’s reading picks up where last week’s ended.  Remember, Jesus had just heard of the death of his cousin John, and he had tried to get away to a remote place to be alone.  When he arrived he was met by a large crowd, and we are told that he had compassion for them, and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14).

After some time spent healing the sick, the hour was getting late.  Jesus’ disciples wanted Jesus to send the people to their homes so that they would not have a hungry crowd on their hands!  One of my favorite verses of Scripture is also one that I find tremendously challenging.  In verse sixteen Jesus says: “You feed them.”

In my years as a pastor I have often had people ask me something like, “Pastor, what can the Church do about …”  While I answer as diplomatically as possible, what I want to say is, “You do something!”  This is what Jesus tells us through this passage.  We are the ones to feed the hungry.  We are the ones to clothe the poor.  We are the ones to serve the needs of humanity.  This can certainly feel daunting, and like the disciples in this reading, we often feel inadequate for the task.  Like the disciples, however, we must offer up what we do have to Jesus.  If we have little time, we offer it to Jesus.  If we have little money, we offer it to Jesus.  If we each offer up our meager portions to Jesus, together we can reach the needs of the multitudes! 

Today, let us offer what we have to Jesus.  Let us do this knowing that Jesus will bless our efforts. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 14:1 – When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus, ² he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”

³ For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). ⁴ John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.

⁶ But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, ⁷ so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. ⁸ At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” ⁹ Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. ¹⁰ So John was beheaded in the prison, ¹¹ and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. ¹² Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

¹³ As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. ¹⁴ Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (NLT) 

In this passage, Jesus hears some disturbing news.  His cousin and friend has been murdered. We are told that as soon as Jesus heard this disturbing news, he left for a remote area to be alone.  We should notice how his time away went for him.  As soon as Jesus stepped off the boat he notices a large crowd – and he has compassion on them.

As a pastor, sometimes I can log in some long hours in the course of a week.  At my church we have two Sunday services, plus Sunday evening activities.  By the time Sunday night rolls around, I can be very exhausted!  Yet a pastor I have to be ready to answer any calls from church members in need, even when they come on a Sunday night when I am emotionally and physically exhausted. 

I am, however, not unique. We have all been in similar situations.  Maybe you have received a call from a friend in need at a time that was not good for you.  You may have been exhausted, or you may have had other plans.  The lesson we can take from this passage is that being a compassionate Christian can be challenging at times, but we are called to be like Jesus, therefore we should always be ready to be compassionate.  We do need our down time.  We do need time to recharge, but as those who seek to be like Jesus, we must often lay our desires aside, and willingly serve the needs of others.

Today, let us not let our own agendas keep us from being compassionate to others.  Let us seek to be like Jesus, and serve when the need arises. 

Posted by Ramón Torres