2225AFC062422 – Eyes on the Prize
Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
Luke 9:62 – 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Today we wrap up the “Invisible Series” I’ve alluded to a few times. It turns out this series is actually called “Living The Christian Life.” Now this is by no means an exhaustive list of strategies for living as a Christian, nonetheless, there is some value in understanding the package-deal we make when we surrender to God just as his Son surrendered. Jesus’ Father told him about his plan that he should “suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” We know he told his Disciples these words from his Father at least three times. This Sunday we will hear how Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. (See Luke 9:51 and also HERE) The idiom used here for “resolutely is “he set his face toward Jerusalem.” Here are the parts and a brief summary of the main points –
|
Christian Life Series Titles |
Index |
Date |
Main point |
| 1 |
Follow the leader |
2217 |
4/29/2022 |
“FOLLOW ME.” I, you, we – together – must go where HE goes because he’s The Leader. WE REPENT, BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, AND FOLLOW HIM. 1, 2, 3 – EASY AS CAN BE. |
| 2 |
Read the instructions |
2218 |
5/6/2022 |
Truth will prevail, Love will endure, Virtue will remain unblemished for all who read the instructions, then trust and obey! |
| 3 |
Do the right thing |
2219 |
5/13/2022 |
God is Infinitely Just which allows him to be Infinitely Merciful because he has Perfect Integrity. His Mercy endures forever – for those who trust in his ways. |
| 4 |
Give God the Glory |
2220 |
5/20/2022 |
Christ willingly entered into his sacrifice. If we follow him, we have to go where he goes. Who will be next to willingly sacrifice her/his own will to the Will of the Father? I got subpoenaed. Did you? We can go and Give God the Glory! |
| 5 |
Daily Complete Offering |
2221 |
5/27/2022 |
“Lord, I offer me as an offering to you every day. Thank you for offering Jesus as an offering for me. With all my Love – Amen.” All you need is Love, and God offers that in abundance! |
| 6 |
Call upon the Name of the Lord |
2222 |
6/3/2022 |
Call in the Holy Spirit! “Come Holy Spirit” is all it takes to get started on a friendship so vast and beautiful that we’d be foolish to ignore it. |
| 7 |
Wholly Holy, Lord! |
2223 |
6/10/2022 |
We have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who Love and cherish us – one-by-one – since the dawn of Creation which was brought about with Wisdom! That makes me want to sing Bless the Lord O my Soul (↔ Music Link). |
| 8 |
Shattering Evil |
2224 |
6/17/2022 |
Evil cannot overcome our Divine Fellowship if we shatter evil everywhere and every time we find it. We must “hunger and thirst for righteousness” above all else. That’s God’s APP and we gotta stick to it |
| 9 |
Eyes on the Prize |
2225 |
6/24/2022 |
Don’t look back if you don’t want to go back. Satan will do everything he can to distract us. “Confront the Devil and he will flee.” Eyes on the Prize! |
I’d like to share two little stories with you from the Todd Travelogue. The first took place 6-7 years ago at Mass. Our Parochial Vicar, Fr. Rex Rilveria, started his homily by asking, “How many of you want to go to Heaven?” Scores of people raised their hands. “Very good,’ he said, “most of us want to get there! How many of you are ready to leave NOW?” Can you guess who was the onliest guy in the entire assembly to raise a hand high? The second story happened somewhere around 1989. Our son, Timothy, was invited to a “music camp” in Logan Utah. One afternoon I was thinking about some difficulties at my workplace and decided to take a walk to ponder my choices. As I approached one storefront, I saw a scrolling-lights sign that read DON’T LOOK BACK. That really shook me, because that’s exactly what I was doing! Then the sign changed and read UNLESS YOU WANT TO. Wow, that was certainly something to think about. I barely had time to file that idea away when the sign changed again and read GO BACK. DON’T LOOK BACK UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO BACK. I knew I did not want to go back to the mess I was analyzing. I knew I wanted to start heading in a new direction and make new kinds of progress. I never would have thought that a scrolling-lights sign would spell out prophecy!
ʻŌmea, is there a Prophet speaking to you today? Do you hear in your heart the irresistible affinity for God’s love and is it telling you as we learned in Isaiah 30:21 – 21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”? That word we hear is The Word. When we trust in the Lord, and we do his good will, what a glory he sheds on our way. Listen to the Prophets and we gain all that is Good. Shut them out and we lose that; but, God will still give us Blessings because he Loves us. My dear friends in Christ, let’s all go together to that Heavenly shore, walking closely together (↔ Music Link), arm-in-arm, heart-in-heart, hands holding onto Jesus as he speaks only and all that God gives him to speak. As we walk this lonesome valley, we shall listen and we will know a Prophet walks among us, too, so that we experience no loss. Perhaps Jesus will be gladdened by our stronger Faith! Here is the Apostle Paul’s description:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – 24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified. And there is also this: Colossians 3:1-2 – 1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (emphasis added)
There is a Prize awaiting anyone who can and will resolutely set their face toward Heaven. I mean, that’s where we want to go, right? So how is it we get distracted so often and forget we’re after the Prize and not the praise? We have to focus so that we continually have a fixed frame of reference, a spot on the horizon we use to get our bearings. The horizon is a visual resting point for our eyes. It provides us with context within the landscape. It shows us where we are, in relation to where we could be, and helps us see a path toward that goal. The horizon changes as we make progress toward that fixed goal and we see our surroundings more clearly. We get plenty of help along the way, too. There is that voice that keeps telling us, “This is the way; walk in it.” We have the companionship and fellowship (koinónia) of other believers who are sharing our sojourn in this world on the long stretch of the Road to Home.
That road can be a little wonky if we don’t pay attention! Here’s an example of what I mean. This is the meaning of Jesus’ adage about the plow. If you’re always looking back, you can’t watch the horizon. None of us who drive could get anywhere by watching only 
out the rear-view mirror! The Apostle Paul must have been a bit of an athlete. Here’s what he had to say about getting to the Prize in Hebrews 12:1-2 – 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
That’s a destination based on hope. In our Old Testament reading this week, we have Elijah commissioning Elisha, and part of that story is about Elisha plowing with 12 oxen. I can’t even imagine how that could be done, but I am sure that he knew how to keep his furrows straight. He didn’t know what God would require of him, but he did know that whatever it was, he was ready to go. He destroyed his pathway back by using the wood from the plow to prepare the oxen for his family, and went to live his calling. We have been called. (↔ Click Link) Are we ready to go NOW? Is that where our future will be found? What about the past and what we leave behind? Think about this: Go out into deepest space and build a 12X12X4 wall. Everything on that side of the wall is the Past and beyond your reach. Everything on this side of the wall is the future … and beyond your reach. Don’t look back unless you want to go back. Stand on the top of the wall and look forward with eagerness to everything that will come your way for all of it will be a blessing to you if you accept it as a gift from God who gives you only the Good Gifts which you need so that you will know him better, love him more, and serve him well – all through HIS Eternal Power. If, however, you try to use your own power to bless your own life, your destination could turn out to be uncomfortable at best or even disastrous. This is a mistake we earthlings very often make.
Keep your eyes on the prize Belovéd. You can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, but you can reach it. You know what lies ahead. So did Jesus. Please read this very short passage in Wisdom 2:17-24. This passage was likely written about 50 or so years before Jesus was born; it is conceivable that he was aware of it. ʻŌmea, I heartily urge you to click on the link provided. It will show you the entire 2nd chapter of the Book of Wisdom. It is a compelling prophecy of the persecution and death of the Messiah. Please do read it, and as you do, think about the Mission of the Christ and the magnitude of his suffering in his Passion. He went that far for us. If we will follow him we will go that far, and beyond, to where he lives – Heaven. Let’s go! We will keep our eyes on the horizon and our ears tuned to that voice behind us. Here’s a little something to help you remember: Proverbs 20:12 – 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye —
the Lord has made them both. Open My Eyes & Open my Eyes That I May See (↔ Music Links)
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
2225AFC062422 – Eyes on the Prize
Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
Luke 9:62 – 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Today we wrap up the “Invisible Series” I’ve alluded to a few times. It turns out this series is actually called “Living The Christian Life.” Now this is by no means an exhaustive list of strategies for living as a Christian, nonetheless, there is some value in understanding the package-deal we make when we surrender to God just as his Son surrendered. Jesus’ Father told him about his plan that he should “suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” We know he told his Disciples these words from his Father at least three times. This Sunday we will hear how Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. (See Luke 9:51 and also HERE) The idiom used here for “resolutely is “he set his face toward Jerusalem.” Here are the parts and a brief summary of the main points –
|
Christian Life Series Titles |
Index |
Date |
Main point |
| 1 |
Follow the leader |
2217 |
4/29/2022 |
“FOLLOW ME.” I, you, we – together – must go where HE goes because he’s The Leader. WE REPENT, BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, AND FOLLOW HIM. 1, 2, 3 – EASY AS CAN BE. |
| 2 |
Read the instructions |
2218 |
5/6/2022 |
Truth will prevail, Love will endure, Virtue will remain unblemished for all who read the instructions, then trust and obey! |
| 3 |
Do the right thing |
2219 |
5/13/2022 |
God is Infinitely Just which allows him to be Infinitely Merciful because he has Perfect Integrity. His Mercy endures forever – for those who trust in his ways. |
| 4 |
Give God the Glory |
2220 |
5/20/2022 |
Christ willingly entered into his sacrifice. If we follow him, we have to go where he goes. Who will be next to willingly sacrifice her/his own will to the Will of the Father? I got subpoenaed. Did you? We can go and Give God the Glory! |
| 5 |
Daily Complete Offering |
2221 |
5/27/2022 |
“Lord, I offer me as an offering to you every day. Thank you for offering Jesus as an offering for me. With all my Love – Amen.” All you need is Love, and God offers that in abundance! |
| 6 |
Call upon the Name of the Lord |
2222 |
6/3/2022 |
Call in the Holy Spirit! “Come Holy Spirit” is all it takes to get started on a friendship so vast and beautiful that we’d be foolish to ignore it. |
| 7 |
Wholly Holy, Lord! |
2223 |
6/10/2022 |
We have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who Love and cherish us – one-by-one – since the dawn of Creation which was brought about with Wisdom! That makes me want to sing Bless the Lord O my Soul (↔ Music Link). |
| 8 |
Shattering Evil |
2224 |
6/17/2022 |
Evil cannot overcome our Divine Fellowship if we shatter evil everywhere and every time we find it. We must “hunger and thirst for righteousness” above all else. That’s God’s APP and we gotta stick to it |
| 9 |
Eyes on the Prize |
2225 |
6/24/2022 |
Don’t look back if you don’t want to go back. Satan will do everything he can to distract us. “Confront the Devil and he will flee.” Eyes on the Prize! |
I’d like to share two little stories with you from the Todd Travelogue. The first took place 6-7 years ago at Mass. Our Parochial Vicar, Fr. Rex Rilveria, started his homily by asking, “How many of you want to go to Heaven?” Scores of people raised their hands. “Very good,’ he said, “most of us want to get there! How many of you are ready to leave NOW?” Can you guess who was the onliest guy in the entire assembly to raise a hand high? The second story happened somewhere around 1989. Our son, Timothy, was invited to a “music camp” in Logan Utah. One afternoon I was thinking about some difficulties at my workplace and decided to take a walk to ponder my choices. As I approached one storefront, I saw a scrolling-lights sign that read DON’T LOOK BACK. That really shook me, because that’s exactly what I was doing! Then the sign changed and read UNLESS YOU WANT TO. Wow, that was certainly something to think about. I barely had time to file that idea away when the sign changed again and read GO BACK. DON’T LOOK BACK UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO BACK. I knew I did not want to go back to the mess I was analyzing. I knew I wanted to start heading in a new direction and make new kinds of progress. I never would have thought that a scrolling-lights sign would spell out prophecy!
ʻŌmea, is there a Prophet speaking to you today? Do you hear in your heart the irresistible affinity for God’s love and is it telling you as we learned in Isaiah 30:21 – 21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”? That word we hear is The Word. When we trust in the Lord, and we do his good will, what a glory he sheds on our way. Listen to the Prophets and we gain all that is Good. Shut them out and we lose that; but, God will still give us Blessings because he Loves us. My dear friends in Christ, let’s all go together to that Heavenly shore, walking closely together (↔ Music Link), arm-in-arm, heart-in-heart, hands holding onto Jesus as he speaks only and all that God gives him to speak. As we walk this lonesome valley, we shall listen and we will know a Prophet walks among us, too, so that we experience no loss. Perhaps Jesus will be gladdened by our stronger Faith! Here is the Apostle Paul’s description:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – 24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified. And there is also this: Colossians 3:1-2 – 1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (emphasis added)
There is a Prize awaiting anyone who can and will resolutely set their face toward Heaven. I mean, that’s where we want to go, right? So how is it we get distracted so often and forget we’re after the Prize and not the praise? We have to focus so that we continually have a fixed frame of reference, a spot on the horizon we use to get our bearings. The horizon is a visual resting point for our eyes. It provides us with context within the landscape. It shows us where we are, in relation to where we could be, and helps us see a path toward that goal. The horizon changes as we make progress toward that fixed goal and we see our surroundings more clearly. We get plenty of help along the way, too. There is that voice that keeps telling us, “This is the way; walk in it.” We have the companionship and fellowship (koinónia) of other believers who are sharing our sojourn in this world on the long stretch of the Road to Home.
That road can be a little wonky if we don’t pay attention! Here’s an example of what I mean. This is the meaning of Jesus’ adage about the plow. If you’re always looking back, you can’t watch the horizon. None of us who drive could get anywhere by watching only out the rear-view mirror! The Apostle Paul must have been a bit of an athlete. Here’s what he had to say about getting to the Prize in Hebrews 12:1-2 – 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
That’s a destination based on hope. In our Old Testament reading this week, we have Elijah commissioning Elisha, and part of that story is about Elisha plowing with 12 oxen. I can’t even imagine how that could be done, but I am sure that he knew how to keep his furrows straight. He didn’t know what God would require of him, but he did know that whatever it was, he was ready to go. He destroyed his pathway back by using the wood from the plow to prepare the oxen for his family, and went to live his calling. We have been called. (↔ Click Link) Are we ready to go NOW? Is that where our future will be found? What about the past and what we leave behind? Think about this: Go out into deepest space and build a 12X12X4 wall. Everything on that side of the wall is the Past and beyond your reach. Everything on this side of the wall is the future … and beyond your reach. Don’t look back unless you want to go back. Stand on the top of the wall and look forward with eagerness to everything that will come your way for all of it will be a blessing to you if you accept it as a gift from God who gives you only the Good Gifts which you need so that you will know him better, love him more, and serve him well – all through HIS Eternal Power. If, however, you try to use your own power to bless your own life, your destination could turn out to be uncomfortable at best or even disastrous. This is a mistake we earthlings very often make.
Keep your eyes on the prize Belovéd. You can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, but you can reach it. You know what lies ahead. So did Jesus. Please read this very short passage in Wisdom 2:17-24. This passage was likely written about 50 or so years before Jesus was born; it is conceivable that he was aware of it. ʻŌmea, I heartily urge you to click on the link provided. It will show you the entire 2nd chapter of the Book of Wisdom. It is a compelling prophecy of the persecution and death of the Messiah. Please do read it, and as you do, think about the Mission of the Christ and the magnitude of his suffering in his Passion. He went that far for us. If we will follow him we will go that far, and beyond, to where he lives – Heaven. Let’s go! We will keep our eyes on the horizon and our ears tuned to that voice behind us. Here’s a little something to help you remember: Proverbs 20:12 – 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye —
the Lord has made them both. Open My Eyes & Open my Eyes That I May See (↔ Music Links)
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
About Chick Todd
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
