Notes to the Lord:Following in Big Things and Small

Scripture Reflection:Matthew 10: 37-42
37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

Lord Jesus-- You want first place in my heart. Family does not come first, they come second. You are the one that should be my first thought in the morning and my last thought before sleeps finds me. The web of relationships that radiate out from my life should be impacted by the relationship that I have with You. Forgive me Lord when relationships become functional and fractured.

38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Lord Jesus--You want first place in my direction. Moving toward You in this life is moving toward the cross...toward a life that is found in You.

Implications generate out from that center. You remind me that control is in Your hands not mine. You nudge me toward the fact that there are more lessons about finding and losing that I will need to learn. Or just the simple fact that I need to keep moving toward You...toward the cross one step at a time..."keep your feet moving, Kurt."

40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

Lord Jesus--You remind me that rewards and receptions are linked. Who are the people who I have received because that have come from you? I can think of the names and the faces...people who have imprinted themselves on my heart and mind. People who have contributed to my spiritual formation. Some by the books they have written...some by the sermons they have preached...some because of the relationships that have been establish over a life time.

Thank you Lord Jesus for those people You have brought into my life. But there is also a promise here...it is amazing to me that as I have received them, I participate in their reward. It is a blessing that I receive now and later on. You continue to call me to receive those You bring into my life...as if they were coming from You. It doesn't always look that way Lord...forgive me when I miss it.

42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Lord Jesus it is encouraging to me that even little things will not be forgotten. In this coming day help me to follow you in the big things and in the small things.