Wednesday

This  strand of pearls belongs to a co-worker.  She received them as an inheritance from her grandmother.  No idea when or where they were purchased but it was probably on one of her grandmother’s voyages on the Queen Mary !  This tells me these pearls are very old, I can tell you that they are beautiful.  They do not look perfect like the ones you purchase today, they are not completely smooth and the clasp is so beautiful it can be worn at the back of the neck or the front.

What is my point you ask?

“Do no give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.  If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”  Matthew 7:6

I’d like to be in the room to see one of y’all ask my friend if you could throw these into a pig pen, or I’d even settle for you to just ask her if you could have them for yourself !!  The laugh I’d get would be priceless when she either turned you down, or slapped you down.

Jesus used them as an example because both men and women in the listening audience would understand how absurd it would be to throw away pearls.  The majority of the current population on planet Earth does not consider the Word of God precious.  They also don’t consider pearls precious, in fact, natural pearls are extremely rare.  Most pearls are “cultured”, “farmed”, or “imitation”. I did a search and only 1 in 10,000 mollusks create a pearl in the wild, and pearls grow at a rate of 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm per year.  Since the 1930’s humans have been helping mollusks create pearls and divers no longer risk their lives for them (it was mainly slaves who did this in the past).  So, how rare and precious were pearls during Jesus’ day?  I can only imagine.

  This scripture makes me think about how important the Word of God is and how we use it so easily these days.  I’ve often joked that in America we treat Jesus like a “homie, dude, or bro”. Many have lost their lives for the written word of God that we have so easily at our disposal.  I have not even read the Bible from cover to cover !

This is the living word of our Living God

Please read the entire chapter – it covers so much in 29 verses – it will take less than 5 minutes and you’ll be amazed what’s in here.  House on sand, ask seek and knock, wolves in sheep’s clothing, get the beam out of your own eye and even driving out demons !  Power packed full !

Matthew 7 (KJV) 1. Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 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? 4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? 5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. 6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 13. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14. Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 28. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29. For he taught them as [one] having authority, and not as the scribes.