Author Archives: Larry

YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

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Given the volatile state of affairs across the nation, I want to remind those in the Church of something that Jesus taught the disciples.

In Matthew chapter five, We have recorded for us what we know as the sermon on the mount.  Matthew records this message beginning with what we call the beatitudes.  Jesus highlights a few types of people that are blessed.  He mentions the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and those who are falsely persecuted.  In the progression that Matthew gives us, Jesus, then makes a couple statements that are beneficial for us to hear.

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men

– Matthew 5:13 (NASB)

Jesus began by describing the character qualities that invite God’s blessings.  The inference to the disciples is that they should strive to be those kinds of people.  As they became these kinds of people, they would have the best opportunity to affect change in the culture around them.  Jesus wanted them to take these admirable qualities and saturate the culture around them.  Continue reading →

THE WEIGHT OF RESPONSIBLITY | THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

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Last week we looked at The Parable of the Ten Virgins.  That parable and the one we are looking at today was told in the midst of a discussion concerning the return of Jesus Christ.  The disciples specifically asked him the following question, “Tell us, when this will happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”

Just as Jesus begins telling the first parable, He gives this response, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Jesus simple answer was, I do not know.

He then began to share a couple of parables to discuss what He considered to be more important than knowing the time of His coming.  In the first parable, Jesus communicated the importance of being ready.  Given that no one knows the day and time that Jesus will return, we should live each day as if today is that day.  We should be ready at all times.  If we do not, we will surely be caught off guard one day.

He then shares the following parable to help us understand that we are expected to do more than sit back and relax.

The Parable of the Talents

14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

– Matthew 25:14-30 (NASB)

Continue reading →

BE READY | THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

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Context

Prior to telling this parable Jesus was discussing his eventual return. We refer to this as the second coming of Christ.  It was important that the disciples began to understand that His death on the cross would not be the end. This was a reality that they would not begin to grasp until He would appear to them after His resurrection.

Jesus offered a a nugget of truth about His return before He moved into the parables He had chosen to tell.  It is important that we do not miss this.

This conversation began when the disciples approached Him and asked, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”  In response to that question Jesus says that He does not know when this will happen.  Not even the angels are wise to such information.  The only one that knows is the Father.

This says to us that our wait could be another ten years, or it could be another two thousand years.  This is important because Jesus uses this information to lead into a parable where a group of women are waiting for the return of a bridegroom with an unspecified time of return.

Jesus also told a short story about a servant that was caught off guard.  A servant was put in charge of his master’s household.  Then a comparison is drawn between the consequences for a faithful servant and an unfaithful servant.  The unfaithful servant is said to have done evil things and kept vile company, because he believed his master would not return for a long time.  Jesus explains that the master will return on a day he is not expected and at an unknown hour.

Jesus then begins telling the following story.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent [or wise]. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

– Matthew 25:1-13 (NASB)

Continue reading →

PRAYING FOR YOUR PASTOR | VOLUME 1

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Many do not understand it, but the burden of leadership is always a heavy one.  Therefore, there is no greater gift that any parishioner can give their pastor than the gift of prayer.  If you have wondered how to pray for your pastor let us share with you a few ideas.

Pray that he will:

Put God First

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment.

– Matthew 22:36-38

Your pastor is just like you.  He has a plethora of things that push against his priorities every single day.  He will be tempted to give into many of those competing agendas.

Pray specifically that your pastor will nurture his relationship with his Heavenly Father.  That it will be a relationship filled with intimacy and consistency.  That he will work to know the heart of God and he will strive to be transparent in the presence of God.  Seeking to confess and repent of his sins and seeking wise counsel to be a better man. Continue reading →

AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS

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Not all the links we provide are affiliate links.  We are always recommending resources that we believe will be helpful to others.  Our goal is to point people to products and services that will help them walk closer to Christ and live a better life whether we get paid or not.

What We Do Matters

We believe that what we do makes a difference in the Christian community.  We have had pastors use our devotional series as teaching tools, we have had small groups and Sunday school classes use our material as discussion guides, and we have many individuals that draw inspiration and are challenged to walk closer to God because of the free resources we make available through our site.

We make these resources available because we believe in the gospel message.  We believe that  the truth of Scripture has the power to change lives.  We have dedicated our lives to preaching the gospel and now we have the opportunity to make that message available to a wider audience and reach even more people via the internet.

Unseen Costs

What we do here comes with a price tag.  We pay an annual fee to maintain rights to use our domain name, we pay a monthly fee to host our site on the internet, we have costs associated with designing our site, and costs for the tools we need to run our site smoothly.

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We also have investments in computers, smartphones, and tablets that allow us to be mobile and work on our projects no matter where we are.  In addition to that, we have many hours of labor invested in the resources we have created and made available on this site.

How You Can Help

You can help us by doing what you already do.  By shopping.  By developing an affiliate partnership with individuals and businesses, we are basically hosting an online retail store.  This is no different than shopping at a retail store in your neighborhood.  Every local retail store is a middle man for products and services,  whereby they make a profit from what they sell.  Our affiliate partnerships work the same way.  Our website becomes our virtual retail space.

Click here, for a better explanation of an affiliate program.

These affiliate programs help us offset the cost of running this site and helps to guarantee we can continue to write and provide content well into the future.

Thank You

We are blessed to have so many people involved in what we do here at Finding Wonder and we are blessed to be able to do what we do.  It truly is an amazing time in history to be able to reach so many people with the gospel message.  Thank you for being a part of our journey and thank you for partnering with us.  Without you, none of this would be possible.

Larry Westfall & Tom Wise