Bury

These troublemakers all around me— let them drown in their own verbal poison. Let God pile hellfire on them, let him bury them alive in crevasses! These loudmouths— don't let them be taken seriously; These savages— let the Devil hunt them down!

Get up, God! Are you going to sleep all day? Wake up! Don't you care what happens to us? Why do you bury your face in the pillow? Why pretend things are just fine with us? And here we are—flat on our faces in the dirt, held down with a boot on our necks. Get up and come to our rescue. If you love us so much, Help us!

But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

[ The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl ] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid [buried] it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Some skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.

Psalm 140:9 Psalm 44:23 Luke 9:60 Matthew 13:44 1 Corinthians 15:35

A church can become a graveyard if its members bury their gifts.

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Feeds

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

Oxen and donkeys know who owns and feeds them, but my people won't ever learn."

No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.

I am his, and he is mine, as he feeds his sheep among the lilies.

[ Jesus Feeds Four Thousand ] About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”

This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Matthew 6:26 Isaiah 1:3 Ephesians 5:29 Song of Solomon 6:3 Mark 8:1 John 6:58

When you taste God’s goodness, His praise will be on your lips.

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Hours

I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy; I smack my lips. It's time to shout praises! If I'm sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because you've always stood up for me, I'm free to run and play. I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.

In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: "Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth have God's salvation hospitality extended to them. "Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!"

By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, "Father, I place my life in your hands!" Then he breathed his last.

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.

You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Psalm 63:5 Luke 7:21 Luke 23:44 John 11:9 Ephesians 5:8 Ephesians 6:10

It’s not the hours you put in that count, but what you put in the hours.

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Laugh

The LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age?

But let me run loose and free, celebrating God's great work, Every bone in my body laughing, singing, "God, there's no one like you.

I'm thanking you, God, from a full heart, I'm writing the book on your wonders. I'm whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I'm singing your song, High God.

It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned Zion's exiles. We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations— "God was wonderful to them!" God was wonderful to us; we are one happy people.

Likewise I, God, will comfort Zion, comfort all her mounds of ruins. I'll transform her dead ground into Eden, her moonscape into the garden of God, A place filled with exuberance and laughter, thankful voices and melodic songs.

After a lifetime in the dark, the blind will see. The castoffs of society will be laughing and dancing in God, the down-and-outs shouting praise to The Holy of Israel.

Genesis 18:13 Psalm 35:9 Psalm 9:1 Psalm 126:1 Isaiah 51:1 Isaiah 29:17

He who laughs last laughs best!

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The word

These wise teachers will fall into the trap of their own foolishness, for they have rejected the word of the Lord. Are they so wise after all?

For I the LORD will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it,”

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!

"'So get to work, Zerubbabel!'—God is speaking. "'Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!' "'Get to work, all you people!'—God is speaking. "'Yes, get to work! For I am with you.' The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking! 'Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I'm living and breathing among you right now. Don't be timid. Don't hold back.'

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Jeremiah 8:9 Ezekiel 12:25 Ezekiel 33:7 Ezekiel 37:4 Haggai 2:4 Zechariah 4:6

When God gives an assignment, it comes with His enablement.

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