Coming to the Still Waters

  Two is a great number walking side by side in the same direction.  Maybe also single file traveling the same path to a share desired destination.  This kind of 2 can become 1 as the Bible says through the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.  Our covenant journey is now in its 39th year and while earthly destinations on God's beautifully created earth are wonderful to see, it is our final destination to be with Him face to face will be the ultimate trek and arrival.   This is a different 2 than what Jesus is speaking of in the Sermon on the Mount.  These 2s are opposites.  You can't serve 2 masters.  There are 2 gates and 2 roads and 2 designations with many more 2s to come.  As the song says, "One way or an another..."  Jesus is winding down His sermon with a final picture for them to ponder about the final destination of their lives. Jesus starts this passage with 3 commands, ask, seek and knock.  But what is the context of this asking, seeking, and kno

  "It's right up here."   One of my grandsons and I headed up a little side trail to get to the top of the falls.  We were getting a little closer to the source.  I feel this way when we study the context of a passage of scripture rather than just a verse that has been quoted over and over and tied to many different situations.  Our first verse of the passage this week is one of them, "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged." (Matthew 7:1, LSB) On its own it sounds like we should never judge anyone else and that if we don't judge anyone else then no one will ever judge us.  Just typing that last sentence you see how unrealistic it is.  But in the context of the passage and more largely the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), Jesus is emphasizing not if we judge but how we judge.  The passage shows us how to judge (how to remove the speck from your brother's eye) and the whole sermon is laying out how not to be like the Pharisees who were judging

  Perspective is always good.  I am sitting at Farview Curve on the Trail Ridge Road looking across the Never Summer Mountain range.  The pointed mountain on the right is Lulu Mountain and traveling down to the left to the saddle before going back up is Thunder Pass.  I can see where I was just a couple days ago.  Many times coming down the trail is actually more beautiful than traveling up.  Traveling up you have your head down and pressing forward.  Traveling down you can have you head up and you are leaning back a bit to maintain balance.  What you couldn't see before or were concentrating too much on taking the your step has come into view.  Is there something in this passage that Jesus wants to come into view as we travel along with Him? Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what they will eat; what they will drink; and what they will wear.  Jesus has them focus on the basics of life.  In school the answer was food, clothing and shelter.  These are the things that you n