Matthew 11:16-19 I have piped and ye have not danced

"16 ¶But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."

It seems human nature to want others to do things our way, and be offended if they won't. Christ was not willing to play the games others imposed on him. So they found fault with him. Even when his style and John the Baptist's styles were different, people could not receive either because they could not manipulate them. But the gospel message is that God sets the rules and our game should be to change ourselves to fit His plan and His rules. When we take that perspective, we can humbly learn from Christ and the Prophets instead of being offended by them.

Simple Gifts

I'm thinking of the miracle of feeding the 5000 in relation to giving charity

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I don’t know what proportion of the food provided was shared out of back-packs or miraculously made, but breaking the food up into small pieces made any additional giving equal, anonymous, and accessible. Giving fragments of food is nothing to boast about. There was no large lump sum that needed explaining. Everyone could give shreds.

If all charity was given in 20 dollar bills, there would be no need to have plaques on the wall naming donors. Giving could be perceived as something that everybody does rather than something that the wealthy do. Then we could be blessed together by experiencing giving: each person feeling the abundance rather than the scarcity of his or her own situation. And we would be one step closer to bringing to earth the generosity of heaven.

Matthew 10:34 Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' "

These versus illustrate of the harsher truths of God's kingdom and how not everyone will open their heart to the word.  Some are full of prejudice, hate and pride and these hearts resist Christ's offer of peace. His message will divide people, families and nations. This is hard for me to comprehend, a God of love offering peace but...it will cause strife. I think this is due to the ego, something we need in order to survive this world but also it gets in the way of humility. Through our giving of will to our higher power we find humility and with this peace. Christ is the ultimate goal, to be like him in grace and love and heart. We will not reach this goal, but what a great aspiration for our lives. I've noticed that through reading and practicing the teachings, following the commandments and loving like Christ, I have had more peace in my life than when "I was in control." Our family can be a family of believers. I hope to give this open heartedness to my sons so one day they can also exist in this light of lights, this peace, Christ's love.

Matthew 9:12-13 I will have mercy and not sacrifice

"12  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

• Christ does not desire to have us suffer any more than is necessary to teach us what we must learn. He knows that Justice requires great sacrifice, greater than we can pay. He is willing and able to cover that cost for us, and allow us only that sacrifice and suffering that is necessary for us to learn and within our ability to endure.

Do I desire suffering from others, or do I desire to remove suffering? What level of compassion have I developed? Am I willing to suffer to remove excess suffering from others?

Matthew 7:3 The Mote and the Beam

"3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"

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It seems to be human nature to want to correct others while ignoring our own failings. Before we correct others, we should evaluate ourselves. If we are in the spirit of criticism, we are neglecting the two great commandments to love God and others (Mark 12) and without that Charity we are nothing (1 Cor 13). It's no surprise then that Christ condemns our nitpicking others and challenges us to remove the beam from our own eye. When we have developed pure charity and the ability to love others as Christ did, we will have wisdom from above to assist them in their weaknesses. I think this is one of the great lessons of life and is crucial in parenting. 

Herod and Me

I am thinking about Herod: for some reason I can sympathize with him. Not that I am blood-thirsty enough to demand the lives of a community’s children, but I can see my defensiveness with his. Sometimes goodness is painfully disruptive. Christ warned Nicodemus about how light both guides the path forward and reveals the faults of those walking in the light, upsetting the social strata of believers like the presence of a new king threatened Herod’s social paradigm. God, please help me to cast aside my defensiveness of the way that I live and work and plan for the future and instead be pliable in Your hands: ready to be tied in a knot if that is how You desire to shape me. Help me to embrace the disruptive nature of goodness with a full repentant (ready to change) heart.

Matthew 6 - If Thine Eye Be Single, Thy Whole Body Shall be Full of Light

A major theme in this chapter is motives. We should not serve, pray, fast, to be seen of men, but in these devotions we should have our eye on our Father's will. We should trust him to care for us, rather than worrying excessively about our material needs, and seek first to do His will and lay up treasure in heaven. Then our eye will be single, we will be full of light (wisdom and guidance and assistance from the Holy Ghost) and all things will be added to us.