Being Relevant

Matthew 9:14-17

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

There is a time and purpose for everything. We should be aware of our situations everythime we make a decision to do or say something.

A dear dear friend once pointed out that the Christians that minister the most to him are those that are relevant in their christianity. And that got me thinking, how erlevant I'm I? are there times when I am mourning at a wedding reception in the presence of the bridegroom, are there times that I patch up old wineskins with new ones or unshrunk cloth on an old garment?

How many times are our actions and words counteractive to the growth of the kingdom of God, How are we irrelevant in our Christianity that we fail to draw souls to Christ and instead push them away, How many times are we so busy doing things that we think are right and in essence preaching to the choir and not those that need to know Christ the most!?

Lord, Help me to be relevant in every situation you place me. 

Minding My Own Business

Matthew 9:9-13

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A group of friends and I were having an interesting conversation and right when the jazz got really juicy, as we swapped stories and laughed at each other and got a little shocked too.... we realized something of a trend.... the best stories always started with, "There I was minding my own business" And there and then we knew it was going to be a really juicy one.... and laughed about how the best stories always started with us minding our own business.

I read this and the first thing that came to my mind was.... there Matthew was......minding his own business..... and there and then.... I knew I was in for a juicy one... :)

I thought about all the things I go about doing in my own little world... minding my own business.... and Jesus walking up to me and asking me to follow him..... would I? Can I?
                                                           
I took comfort in the fact that Matthew was not perfect, neither he nor Jesus nor the people he interacted with him daily thought he was..... they did not even think he was worth Jesus' attention..... But Jesus did.


I took comfort in the fact that Jesus loves and cares about me in all my imperfection....even when I am too busy minding my own business..... An in that, I will derive my strength to get up and Follow Him!

And in that moment.....while I am busy minding my own business.... it will mark the beginning of a really juicy story..... and with the best companion ever!