Luke 14

²⁵ Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 

      Jesus is not here telling us to HATE if He says we must LOVE right? There is a matter of degree. Have you ever taken a drink of tea but thought you drinking coke? Did it taste awful, even though you like that tea? Or even one soda but another in mind because you grabbed your friends glass?

     In that context you hated that drink you might otherwise like a lot. In comparison to everything and everyone else, God and He alone, must be your first and only love. Your love for others does not come second to your love for Him. It comes through your love for Him. You have no love for others, not true agape love, without loving them through Him. All love outside of His love becomes destructive. Passion turns to lust, protection becomes smothering.


     And as My wife pointed out as we were talking this over just now, SLEEP is NOT first place. If God calls you to pray early in the morning, do you roll over and go back to bed or do you get up and pray? Never say that you are "Not a morning person." All you do is set your mind and body up to decide that you are unavailable to be used of God in the morning.

     Ask yourself this question today:


"What am I allowing to take first place above God in my life?" 


     If you can truly answer: "Nothing." 

Than you are truly blessed. Strive after, aim at, and press toward that goal.

 Darrell G. Wolfe

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Luke 13

¹⁸ Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large^[c] tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

²⁰ And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures^[d] of meal till it was all leavened.”
³³ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

    

     The birds of the air nest in the branches of the tree started by the seed. The Kingdom of God is currently in the hands of the Church. The Church is the Tree of Life for the world in this age and time. The individual in the Kingdom of God is equally required to grow his branch to become a nest for the birds, which are the people of the world seeking refuge.

     The people of the world are seeking ways to get thier needs met. They are turning to a broken financial system, a broken medical and health system, a broken security system, and everything else in this worlds system is broken too. The Church has always and will always have the best answers and best care for people. When the Church isn't doing her part than the world hurts. They turn to "Social Security" which has people too broke to be social and anything but secure. Government homeless programs spend more time filling papers than helping people. They finance poverty and create systems that keep people dependant on the system instead of providing the capacity to become a contributor instead of a taker.

     Unless you run a Church or Program or have the capacity too right now there isn't much you can do about that. However I can do something. I can take steps in my life to make sure that what I do is providing for others. Each of us will do something different, because our callings are unique. I don't have the resources to start a homeless program, yet, but I can write. I will do that here on my personal web journal and on my finance site.

     Do not seek ways to get money in... seek ways to get the Word out!


     From there? Who knows for sure. I will dedicate the rest of my life to creating things that supply the needs of others: Spiritually, Physically, Financially. It starts with staying on course for the two projects I have. Then finish others projects I set aside. Restaurants and libraries and other projects that WE have in our hearts to do will create jobs and fruitfulness for others too.

 Darrell G. Wolfe

Side Note: Three Measures and Three Days... Working the leaven into the dough. Jesus worked the Kingdom of God into the towns as He went on his way to his last moments before the cross. The Kingdom of God works like that. We create leaven and leave behind us a wake. The results will be the fruit of our work. I must be diligent to leave good fruit. 




                    

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Luke 12

³⁵ “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; ³⁶ and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. ³⁷ Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. ³⁸ And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. ³⁹ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and^[d] not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
⁴¹ Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”
⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom histhem their portion of food in due season? ⁴³ Blessed master will make ruler over his household, to give is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸ But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. ⁴⁹ “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰⁵¹ Do But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!



     If you follow the pattern off thousand year watches, and assuming Jesus Died and Rose again bringing in the reign of the Church through the Holy Spirit in 33AD which seems to be a consensus but not unanimous, than the second watch ends about 2033 AD and the third watch begins.

     This in interesting because other signs have been pointing to this being the season but I've never heard this one talked about. We are in the last days, that much is certain. If we are not watching and paying attention and looking for His coming we tend to become overly concerned with life here. There are matters we need to attend to and when we aren't looking for His coming it seems that we have all the time in the world and delay after delay comes along to help us toward inactivity.

     Jesus IS COMING! According to this chapter He is coming READY OR NOT! Those who are ready and watching and active in His Kingdom will receive from Him and those who are not may miss out on some things that could have been theirs.

     We are to be caring for the people of God in whatever way HE has called us to. Your calling in life will always involve others. Right now one of my callings to get The Word out to people is this website. Someone else's calling may be to care for the physically needy through medicine or charity. Other's may be protectors in Law. We are called to keep others in mind serving Him by serving them.

     It's also a warning not to allow worry, also mentioned in this chapter to steal from us. Worry is NEVER acceptable. It is NEVER to be tolerated. But it's more than that. You don't just NOT WORRY. You must also ENGAGE the Word in Faith instead.
    
 Darrell G. Wolfe

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Luke 11

  
⁹ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For EVERYONE who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ If a son asks for bread^[d] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
  
³³ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

     I stand again seeing how I've been ever hearing but not perceiving. Pastor Terri told a story about when she first met Pastor George in college. One comment she made was how easily he accepted the Word. If it was pointed out to him that the Word of God said something he would examine it to find out if it's true. Once he saw it he would reply:

"Well, that's the what the word says. Therefore it's true. How do I need to change because of that?" 

     I don't know how many times I've read that HE GIVES... He loved the world so much that HE GAVE... EVERYONE who asks receives. So why aren't more receiving? James tells us that it's because we ask amiss. This means we ask incorrectly and with wrong motive. But right here in the same chapter is another layer on that truth.

     TAKE HEED that the light in you is not darkness, not even a part of dark. What does this mean? There is a lot of layers on this. The part speaking to me is simply this: EVERYTHING God speaks to you IS HIS WORD. His Word is Light. Therefore if you have chosen to ignore ANY part of His Word you have darkened yourself in part.

      If He told you to work on something and you've been delaying, you are part dark. If He told you to stop that habbit, however trivial it seems, and you have put off dealing with that, you are part dark. If He told you ANYTHING or gave you an inner witness toward a change you need and you have not dealt with that directly and head on, than part of you is dark. Sometimes we put off the feeling or sense that it's HIM dealing with us about something so that we don't have to face it. That is ingoring His light and you will be part dark.

     This part darkness will create in you a double mind about things. You want XYZ... dr pepper... whatever, but HE told you to deal with that habbit, than you are part dark ifyou have failed to deal with that.

Always deal with His witness and Word Directly and Immediately. It's not too late. Repent, move on, and deal with it now.


Darrell G. Wolfe




      

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The Martha Syndrome

Luke 10

⁸ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’^[k] feet and heard His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
⁴¹ And Jesus^[l] answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

     So here I find something that seems to pertain to my life. Martha is Distracted by Service. I've gotten so busy being useful as work that I've gotten to putting aside other things that are more important. Work should never be a higher priority than Family or the Callings of God.

• Martha: Distracted with Service

• Mary: Sat and Listened to THE WORD.

     MARY chose the better thing!  To listen to The Word is the BEST thing you can ever do. That includes not just hearing The Word, but actually doing what it says. It's FAR better for me to reserve "Research and Learning" time until I have at LEAST done what He has ASKED me to do. Set times and dates for these activities and follow through. This should help keep things on track.

     As long as I DON'T spend my attention and energy on the things HE has called me to do, they will never happen.

     I may have dreams of owning business and publishing books and websites. But if I don't actually DO things to head toward it, it will never happen. How do I read a story about MARTHA DOING being the bad choice and come to the conclusion I need to DO MORE?

GOOD QUESTION... the answer is...

     I don't. I need to DO LESS of the things that are distracting me and DO MORE of the things of higher priority that HE has asked me to do. THIS is what MARY was doing. She wasn't doing nothing. She was doing something of HIGHER VALUE AND IMPORTANCE!

Darrell G. Wolfe

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PRAYER… HIGHEST VALUE!

Luke 9

There are several interesting things I've seen today.

• Jesus sends his disciples out with no stuff and no money and God supernaturally provides. Then faced with a need that exceeded their experiences they reverted back to relying on Money. "How would we pay for it Jesus? This crowd is too big… we can't afford it…" This is the mindset of the person who has not yet learned to change from God as provider from Money as provider. ANYTIME you find yourself considering the cost of something as a factor in being able to do it… you have a red flag that MONEY not God is the provider or determining factor in your life.
  
  • BUT Darrell… The bible says to count the cost right? Yes. It is so that you can plan, write the vision and make it plain, and most importantly be specific about what you are believing for. NOT so that you can decide IF your going to do it.
    
• Jesus, after a big day full of events… Goes to be alone and pray!
  
• Jesus goes to a mountain to pray, and AS HE WAS PRAYING the Glory came.
  
  • The Glory is reserved for those who seek God in Prayer.
    
  • I always wondered what Jesus would be talking with Moses and Elijah about. Like, "Hey there, how's the last few years in heaven been? Perfect… yeah I know… See ya'll in a few days." Ha Ha. What did they talk about? Mystery solved… it was in the bible the whole time. They talked about his upcoming death that He was about to ACCOMPLISH. It's an odd thing to ACCOMPLISH death. But that is why He came. He came that WE might have LIFE! To do that HE had to be US in death!
    

 

I MUST remember… PRAYER is the best thing I can do. Not writing, art, music, banking, promotions… PRAYER…

 

PRAYER is the most valuable asset I have. It's time I started treating it that way! How much money do people pay for great concert tickets for an entertaining "Super-Star". SO MUCH MORE… should I give what I have to spend time in audience with THE KING in a one on one. THE ruler of the universe DESERVES MY attention, DESIRES MY attention! And He shall have it!

 

Darrell G. Wolfe

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ONE PARABLE....

Luke 8

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³ But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.   ¹⁶ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷ For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸ Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

     This is all ONE parable. Who doesn't have the Word? He who doesn't have GOOD soil so that he can have a rooting take place? He thinks he has the Word... but the soil being a hard path, rocky or full of thorns is choking out the Word and it's being taken from him. Who is responsible for the soil? The one who the soil belongs to.

     LIGHT=WORD

     Who lights the Word into a heart and then puts it under the bed? The one who refuses to till their own soil. The one who allows the Cares to CHOKE the light out. What is revealed? The four soils all look the same from the outside. You are talking to a group of people about the Word and there are all four types of soils present. All of them are smiling and all of them are saying AMEN! But as they walk out... live life and come back... the SOIL TYPE becomes REVEALED in their life.

Darrell AND Flavia Wolfe

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