Mount Rushmore South Dakota
Picture by Jerry Torres
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
I have no idea how long we will be deviating from what we have done in the past, but here we go.
A very quick recap:
Two weeks ago we wrote about “A year of vengeance of the Lord.
But,
Jesus didn’t read these lines, Jesus proclaimed a year ACCEPTABLE to the Lord, and as we discussed that means this year 2026.
Last week we wrote about how this year is a year ACCEPTABLE to the Lord.
This week, I knew for the first time in five years what we are going to write about as early as Friday of last week, which I had never experienced before, and that topic is OUTRAGEOUS LOVE. (Sidenote: for the past ten years since we started writing I finally spelled OUTRAGEOUS right which for me was another indicator this was the topic we would cover this week.)
Three mentions in the Bible that point to OUTRAGEOUS LOVE (and there are many more) are:
The Parable of the man who owned a Vineyard and went out three times to hire laborers, and paid all of them the same wage. (I can’t believe this – I, yes I, had two other readings and my mind is blank, so The Holy Spirit suggested we check today’s readings, and today’s reading was this reading. (See below) The Holy Spirit working in my life.
The Pearl of Great Value
“I am ascending to My Father and Your Father. To My God and your God.” John 30:17
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
he found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Matthew 20: 1-16
The man on the right of Jesus on the cross was certainly in the group that were hired last, and yet he received a full day’s wage, Paradise – Today, (Luke 23:43) not my words, but the words of Jesus on His Cross. OUTRAGEOUS LOVE
The Pearl of Great Value
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Matthew 13:45-46
Jesus is the merchant, you are the pearl, and we know this because He sold everything on His cross to find and buy you. OUTRAGEOUS LOVE.
and,
This I just learned Saturday,
“I am ascending to My Father and Your Father. To My God and your God.” John 30:17
Jesus was abandoned by ten of the Apostles – Judas hung himself, Peter denied Jesus three times, and in Peter’s last denial he used “salty language.” Mark 14:71
And,
After all of this Jesus says to Mary Magdalene “I am ascending to My Father and YOUR Father. To My God and YOUR God.” Caps and underline mine John 30:17 OUTAGEOUS LOVE
In the parable of laborers all the workers were paid the same. In the parable of the pearl Jesus sold everything to get you. And lastly, Early Sunday Morning Jesus rises and he can’t wait to present YOU to His and YOUR Father and His and YOUR God.
There are many more examples but we pray these three will do the trick. And what is the trick? That you start to believe (if you don’t already) that The Triune God is NOTHING like we can image
God IS A GOD OF OUTRAGEOUS LOVE.
Don’t try to figure out God. Just accept God for what THEY ARE and give thanks and Praise that our God wants a RELATIONSHIP with you, and because of this you have the chance to be FANTASTIC in a very unfantastic world.
Prayer:
If you want to grow in Love, Joy, Peace this is a result of growth in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
Sunday Gail and I watched Sixty Minutes, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, and the topic was how miracles are verified. It was filmed 12/18/22 and rebroadcasted 8/26.
There have been over 7,000 miracles at Lourdes but only 72 have been confirmed by the Church.
One of the miracles documented was of Sister Bernadette Moriau who was wheelchair bound with a severe nerve and spinal disorder,
She was HEALED!
She dropped her braces and started living a normal life in 2008 and the church after a rigorous investigation called it a miracle.
Why are we writing about this?
The report lacked JOY!!!
Yes she was happy,
But,
The Joy she had to feel the day she climbed out of the wheel chair, dropped her braces, and started living a new life pain free should have been amazing. I would think she would be dancing with Joy.
But,
Fourteen years later the story was analytical, and this is a problem in our Church. We have turned into the Pharisees, quick to point out where a person has sinned and slow to celebrate God working in our lives.
Because,
God is in your life and mine 24/7, and the moment you really realized that God wants to be active in your life, and you allow God to be active in your life, that’s when your life will take a new turn, and the person you will become will make you want to discard the person you were.
And,
You can start this process by learning and praying the “Nine” every day. Nine words, how hard is that to do? The men we serve in prison that have experienced the Joy from learning the “nine” tell us, “I don’t want to go back to the person I was.”
Picture:
This picture was taken from the road leading up to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
“Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.” – Matthew 20:26
Please keep Snapping!
And if you want the ten calling cards shown above, email me and I will send you my address, send me a STAMPED self-addressed envelope and I will send you ten cards.
The offer for the cards is sadly for American readers only. The Post office won’t accept foreign stamps.
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed.
Send an email to: fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, please do not include people. We have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
Disclaimer:
We decided to share with you that I do use Google AI for spelling, punctuation, and helping me find a Bible verse. BUT we go to the Bible to print out the verse we find. If we do use Google AI it will be noted. I believe in a while this type of disclaimer will be needed on all created works.
