Matthew 26:30-35

Matthew 26:30-35
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's only 6 verses, but fascinating in everything that happens.  Jesus predicts the disciples will all fall away, but Peter is bold enough to say that everyone else will, but he will not.  There is a pride here, as well as a stubbornness and an unwillingness to admit his weakness.  Peter can't fathom himself failing, even though Jesus knows that he will and tells him directly.  Peter then leads the remaining disciples into this false bravado -- Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.
  What is astounding here is not that Jesus knows that we will fail, but that he loves us ahead of time.  He warns us that we will fail, and yet he dies for us anyway.  That's what is so important -- Jesus knows our weakness ahead of time, and yet he still ascends the cross and absorbs our sin and our sorrow and our shame to redeem us, despite knowing that we'll falter and fail and deny him. 
  You are imperfect, yet you are perfectly loved.  Hold that close, so that when you fail you don't give up, but rather remember that God knows you will fail and offers redemption in Christ regardless.

Matthew 26:26-29

Matthew 26:26-29 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  When you sit down and eat Thanksgiving leftovers, you do so with the memory of the great meal and the community that was formed around the table.  At the same time, you're probably already looking forward to the next Thanksgiving meal. 
  Communion is the same.  It's a memory of the meal that Jesus had, a reminder of what he did for us on the cross.  We stop and give thanks for the blood that was poured out, for the sacrifice that was made, for the community that forms around his body.
  And it's a foretaste of what is to come.  We remember, and we anticipate Jesus gathering us to himself in the last days.  Our sins are forgiven, and we look forward to joining with the saints of the church around the throne of the lamb and singing 'Holy, Holy, Holy'!  Our food sustains us for today, and it points us forward to the day when Christ alone will sustain the community of believers in the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 26:17-25

Matthew 26:17-25 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Ever been at a dinner table where things got very quiet all of a sudden?  I can imagine that happening here.  Everyone is eating dinner, and all of a sudden Jesus starts talking about betrayal.  These disciples have been together for years, living together as a community, and then they learn that one of them will betray their leader, their Messiah.
  This is a reminder that we rarely know people as well as we think we do.  This happens everywhere, even in the church.  People keep secrets, families keep secrets, churches keep secrets.  As I mentioned, it's vital to find community, but it's also important to set an example by not burying your secrets.  When you're having a terrible day, don't hide it -- trust the church, your friends, to help you carry that burden.  Don't put up a false front and pretend to be someone you are not.  We are one body of believers, and we are invested in one another to help move us all forward.  Everyone in church is dealing with something -- make your churches a safe place for people to be open and honest.  Take the time to listen, to truly listen, to one another, rather than rushing by to get to wherever you need to be.  Put down the electronic devices and be present, and may God work through that presence.

Matthew 26:14-16

Matthew 26:14-16 
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Go ahead, pick your scandal of 2018. It seems as though countless powerful people have fallen from grace, some toppled by the courageous women who come forward and face their abusers, while others have fallen as the depth of their hubris has finally been revealed. 
  Sadly, if you went back to them in their earlier years, when they were first starting out, most of them would never imagine that such a thing could happen to them.  Sure, they understood that they'd be tempted, but they probably suspected that their ideals and values would help them navigate the ethical minefields they would face.  Few could have predicted what the future would look like.
  I'm sure Judas didn't start to follow Jesus with the thought that he would betray him one day.  It was an idea that grew in him like a weed, until one day it took over and destroyed his life.
  So how do we avoid a similar fate?  Community, community, community.  Find someone who knows you well,  and I mean really well -- is there someone in your life (not a spouse, in my opinion) to whom you are completely accountable, to whom you're willing to share your weaknesses and temptations, who will be in prayer for you and who you trust completely?  Find that person -- and set up a pattern of mutual confession, where you can be honest about what you're celebrating and struggling with, and you can grow together.
  The biggest things we struggle with thrive in the darkness. Like secrets, they grow and grow in power the fewer people know about them.  Expose them to the light.

Matthew 26:6-13

Matthew 26:6-13
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I could make the argument that every dime spent building a church could have gone towards feeding the hungry, and while that's true, that church building is a place to gather and encourage and celebrate and grow -- the community that gathers there may give more to the hungry and be transformed into a community with the hungry due to the faithful teaching that goes on in that place.  But it's probably best not to build a $5 million building when a $2.5 million one will do.
  It's all about choices.  At times, the best choice will be to give something away, while at other times, it may not be.  There may be another path.  A mark of a mature Christian is the ability to weigh all the possible options and hopefully choose the one that brings glory to God and builds up the community, but we can't solve every problem, and we can't have everything -- while God is limitless, we are limited in our time and energy and resources. 
  So let go of your anxiety about making the perfect choice.  Seek to glorify God and recognize that we won't always get it perfectly right.  I've made plenty of choices that didn't work out at all like I thought, and God is still at work in me and us!

Matthew 26:1-5

Matthew 26:1-5 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've spent my life trying to love Jesus.  I read the Gospels with awe -- every page, Jesus is exhibiting love and mercy, healing the sick and giving hope to the hopeless.  Jesus is trying to point every eye, every heart, to God.  But to do so, some hearts need to be shaken loose, so that the cobwebs fall and hearts are awakened to the majesty of God.  Some hearts have become so trapped by false gods and structures of power that Jesus takes radical steps, and they resist.  I'm sure there are parts of me that would resist as well.
  While Jesus did a lot of comforting, he didn't come to comfort those who were resisting him.  It's not a comfortable place, to be far from God and not know it.
  My hope is that we, as the church, might be aware that people react differently to Jesus.  Some have enthusiasm and joy, while others are much more reserved, even threatened by his power.  May we be aware enough to approach each person differently, listening to the story of their journey with humility and love, and praying for the wisdom to help them see how God has been at work in their lives.

Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46 English Standard Version (ESV)

  The question is, what kind of people do we want to be, and what kind of people does God want us to be?  Will we hoard our resources for ourselves, always making sure our every need is met?  Will we participate in the common view of scarcity, always afraid that we have enough, refusing to trust God, our great provider?
  Or will we participate in a theology of abundance, trusting that God will provide and believing that we have been blessed to be a blessing to others.  It's easy to believe that we'll be generous once we have enough.  What we are called to do is be generous now, with whatever we have.  Maybe we will have more later, or maybe not, but when we allow the Holy Spirit to shape our hearts to be generous with the amount we have now, we become a generous people, and then if we have more later, we'll be generous with that.  More money will simply amplify the kind of people we are now. 
  So pray for Holy Spirit vision to see the people around you that need to be served now, and for a heart to be generous to them, recognizing the image of God in each and every person and serving them, motivated by the gratitude for how selflessly God served us, giving us everything so that we might have life.

Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:14-30 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  What if, on your deathbed, you found out that you had ten million dollars in your bank account that you never knew about?  You'd probably be upset and disappointed that you never had a chance to use it.  You certainly wouldn't be expected to be held accountable for not using it if you didn't know about it.
  I think some people read this passage through that light.  They get to the end and worry that they'll not properly use their talents, and they spend all sorts of time and energy trying to determine just what those talents are.  They wonder if they'll waste talents they don't know about, and if Jesus will be upset with them for not using them, even though they're uncertain.
  So what's important here is that the master is very clear with his servants about the money he is giving them.  He doesn't hide it in the hopes that they'll find it while he's gone.  He doesn't give them hints or clues -- he gives it to them directly, and they know about it.
  In the same way, you'll know what your gifts are that you're supposed to use.  You're not going to be scolded for not doing something with an asset you didn't know about-- but we're expected to use the gifts that we have and that have been identified.  Once we know what our gifts are, may we use those fully to glorify God.  Until then, let us be patient and trust that the Master will make clear at the appropriate time what our best gifts are.
 

Matthew 25:1-13

Matthew 25:1-13 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Imagine a trellis -- when you first build it, maybe it looks a little silly, because you have a big trellis built over a little plant, and everyone who sees it wonders if the plant will ever grow big enough to need a trellis.  But later on, when the plant has grown and overwhelmed the trellis, upon which it has relied upon to support the growth, it doesn't look so silly.  In fact, it might well be impossible to build the trellis later -- the plant might be too unwieldy to get the trellis around it!
  The wise virgins in this story are the ones who built the trellis ahead of time.  They thought ahead about what they wanted the end result to look like, and prepared accordingly.  When plans changed and the events took longer than expected, they were prepared, because they had known what they wanted all along. 
  The foolish virgins just assumed everything would work out.  They didn't bother to plan, and they didn't think ahead -- they didn't start by thinking about how they wanted the story to end.  They figured they'd be able to manage along the way, but when the pivotal moment arrived, they didn't have ample resources, and so what they had assumed they wouldn't need became critical.
  Take thirty seconds and think about what you want your legacy at the end of your life to be.  Now determine what the trellis needed is -- and start building it!  What do you want people to say?  If you want to be heavily involved in volunteer work and leave a legacy of selflessness in your retirement, start small now, rather than wait for some miraculous change later.  Invest now in thinking about, planning for and starting to build the things into your life that will shape your life of faith.  They won't just happen later on.

Matthew 24:39-51

Matthew 24:39-51 
The Message (MSG)

  I've got so many questions about God's plans for whenever this world wraps up.  I don't understand it, and when I look out into the night sky and see wonders unfolding as far as the eye can see, it would seem as though this planet is too small to matter.  The Hubble telescope recently took an image that has around 15,000 galaxies in it, each one with with maybe 400 billion stars, many of which may have planets orbiting around them.  What am I in the midst of all of this?
  If it wasn't for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it'd be easy for me to give up hope, to think that maybe this is all just too much to believe in the face of all the evidence that seems to say that we're an insignificant blip in the galaxy.  But two thousand years ago, a man told us that we matter to God, that God loves each one of us and wants to spend eternity with us, and that same man walked out of a tomb after having been violently put to death three days beforehand by the Roman empire -- and the Romans were really good at killing people.  They knew what they were doing, but this man, who had predicted his death and resurrection, proved to be too strong for even death to hold him.  This man, this Messiah, the Son of God, has kept every promise that he has ever made, and he's promised to go ahead and create a place for you.
  So in light of how big the galaxy is, maybe I don't need to get stressed out about some of the things that bother me.  Maybe I need to calm down about the little things and let the big thing be the big thing -- to let my mind and heart center around the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life.  So much of what I invest my time and energy in just doesn't matter in the long run -- but how I love God and love others does matter, and so I pray for the wisdom and courage to seek him first and love my neighbor as myself, as challenging and difficult as that is.

Matthew 24:32-39

Matthew 24:32-44 
The Message (MSG)

  Sometimes it takes a flood. 
  God tries to get our attention in a lot of different ways.  God uses events and people in our lives to remind us of his great love and provision for us.  Sometimes these events are small and we notice them, and we realize that we've been neglecting what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.
  Other times, we have a flood in our lives, a deluge of events that overwhelms us, and we realize we don't have the strength to sustain ourselves.  Some people will say that God never gives us more than we can handle, but I don't know that I believe that -- I think sometimes we have way more than we can handle, and only God can lead us through the waters that threaten to drown us. 
  It is my prayer that we don't end up in a flood, but it happens, and when it does, it is my prayer that the church is humble and surrounds those in need with love rather than reprimand, to point to grace and light and love. 

Matthew 24:23-31

Matthew 24:23-31 
The Message (MSG)

  Every once in a while, you'll hear a group predicting the end times.  They'll be loud and vocal, and 100% of the time (so far), they've been wrong.  Other times, you'll hear people wondering if we are in the end times.  There are certainly things happening in the world around us that would seem to point that way, but perhaps that has been true for centuries. 
  Make no mistake -- when Jesus returns in his glory, you won't miss it.  It won't be covered on page 11 of the newspaper, hidden for only the curious to find -- the entire world will see his glory, and will recognize who is the true King of Kings.  There will be no doubt who reigns and who will reign.
  I don't know that we can ever be truly ready for such an event, but we can prepare our hearts and pray for the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives, teaching us and showing us how to live as though Jesus Christ is the only thing that truly matters.  The beautiful thing about the Christian life is that when we life like only Jesus matters, we are taught how to love and treasure and serve one another, because that's how Jesus lived.  When we live like only Jesus matters, we change how we value our things -- we see them as tools to love and to serve, not things to accumulate.  When we live like only Jesus matters, we don't ignore the world, but embrace it as the broken and valuable place that it is.

Matthew 24:15-22

Matthew 24:15-22 
The Message (MSG)

  I once listened to a sermon that was asking what would go into your backpack -- in terms of thinking that if you had to flee your house, what would be the 3-5 things you would grab before running off.  When I see pictures of refugees with their world on their shoulders, I wonder how much time they had and what I would take if I was in their position.  It's hard to fathom the reality they face. 
  Here, Jesus is warning us about our priorities.  He's telling the disciples that they'll likely have to run for their lives at some point -- there won't be time to return to the house.  All they will be lucky to escape with will be their lives.
  He's also teaching us about priorities.  We get caught up in things, and they start to own a little piece of us.  They claim us, and we can have a hard time remembering what really matters.  So Jesus offers a little reminder -- the only things that truly count can't really be counted.  The relationships we have, our grace that is given to us by Christ, these are what matter.  Even if we have to live the rest of our lives without any material possessions, if we're at peace and surrounded by grace, all is well. 
  With that peace, we can trust fully in God.  Though we may not know what the future holds, we can have confidence that even if we lose everything, we still have the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, and nothing can separate us from the love of God!!a

Matthew 24:9-14

Matthew 24:9-14 
The Message (MSG)

  If you've ever been in a tough situation, you've probably heard someone tell you that things will only get better.  Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that things will always get immediately better.  Sometimes, they get worse first, and we wonder if there is any hope.
  Jesus is telling the disciples that things may get tough for the church.  Then, when things are rough, they may actually get worse.  Not only will everyone hate the church and persecute them, but then some preachers will come forward and will be lying and deceive people.  Evil will spread all around, and every time things get bad, someone will wonder if they've reached the bottom, and then they might just get worse.
  Jesus, however, assures the faithful to endure.  Like a loving parent promising their child dessert if they'll finish the vegetables on their plate, Jesus knows that the good will eventually triumph over evil.  There is no doubt over who will win -- just as God has kept every promise, God will assuredly be victorious in the end of days, and whoever endures will join in this triumph.
  Jesus never promises that it will be easy.  But he does promise that the faithful will be saved, and that God is in control.

Matthew 24:1-8

Matthew 24:1-8 
The Message (MSG)

  Jesus spends a lot of time teaching the disciples about the end times.  There were a lot of questions about it then, and there are a lot of questions about it now, 2,000 years later.  Everyone wants to know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen, and what it's going to be like.  Jesus teaches the disciples, giving them a big picture overview, but the details are a bit fuzzy.  He's emphasizing to them that the big worldly things, the structures and empires that seem to hold so much power, aren't going to be standing in those end times.  Those aren't what will last. 
  Jesus is pointing towards a future which is oriented around the God who exists outside of time and space.  That God, the one who loves us enough to enter into our world in the person of Jesus Christ so that we might experience salvation and have the door opened into eternity, is the one who will still be reigning in power after this world concludes.  That is the God who loves us, who reigns in power for us, who prays for us.  Jesus invites us into a trusting and loving relationship where maybe we don't know all the details of exactly how things go, but because we deeply trust the one who is in charge, we can rest secure in what God has in store for us.

Matthew 23:37-39

Matthew 23:37-39 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  So Caleb, age 6, is afraid of storms.  When there's lightning and thunder raging outside, he's shaking in his bed, afraid of what rattles the windows and darkens the sky.  It doesn't matter what we might say -- his fear is paralyzing, and he doesn't hear our assurances of safety.  We've promised him countless times that all will be well, but his fear keeps him from hearing.
  In the same way, Jesus comes to gather us to himself.  He wants to gather us to himself, to demonstrate how God is a loving mother, wanting to protect us, to gather us in, but we so often resist.  Our hearts are racing as our fears and anxieties distract us from the gracious and calming word of God.  We listen to everything else, and in the tumult and chaos of everyday life, we stop listening to the Word of God.
  So take a deep breath.  Calm yourself, and calm your spirit.  God wants to gather you, to love you, to bring peace to your troubled soul.  All is well. 

Matthew 23:29-36

Matthew 23:29-36 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  How good of a person do you feel like you are? 
  If you're like me, you probably feel pretty good about yourself.  Now, I certainly have my weaknesses, and there's plenty of fault in my background, but overall, I'm doing alright.  I follow almost all of the laws, minus a few traffic laws that I'm not very fond of.  I pay my taxes and am generally pretty nice to everyone.  I work hard and am honest, and I'm a faithful spouse and an acceptable parent.  When I read the newspapers and see some stories about people who have made different choices than I have, I feel pretty good about myself.
  Without Jesus Christ, I'd still be destined for hell.

  That's one of the hardest things for people to wrap their minds around.  On our own, we're not good enough for Heaven.  We never will be.  We may be generally good, but we're not perfect, and our hearts are a mixed bag of emotions and motivations, some pure and good while others are selfish and greedy and vicious.  Going to church on Sunday and being generally nice and giving some money to good causes isn't enough -- we are all tainted by sin, broken beyond our own repair, destined for destruction on our own.  The scribes and Pharisees couldn't grasp this -- they thought that their actions and their sacrifices and their own righteousness was enough.  It isn't.  And if theirs isn't, ours isn't. 

  What is the hardest thing for us to accept?
  The central truth of the Gospel -- that you don't have to do anything to change your eternal destination.  Christ has done it for you, because he loves you more than you can possibly understand.  Sin's power over you is broken, and because of God's great love for you, he rescued you from sin and death and destined you for heaven, for life, for salvation.  That's the good news.  Whatever had to be done, Jesus Christ did it for you, because he knew you couldn't do it on your own.  It's like when I reach up to a cupboard and get a plate down for my son -- I know that he can't do it on his own, so I proactively do it for him, because I love him and provide for him.  It's like that, only fifty billion times better. 

  God loves you.  No matter what.

Matthew 23:23-28

Matthew 23:23-28 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've been in restaurants that look really nice on the outside but have terrible food.  I don't go back.
  I've driven cars that look fancy from the outside but don't drive well and feel cheap on the inside.  I wouldn't buy one.
  I've been around people who seem very nice but will actually do anything at all to get ahead -- I don't stay around them, if I can help it.
  Jesus warns the scribes and Pharisees -- don't be the type of people who dress up and act religious, but have no integrity and will lie, cheat and steal just to make an extra buck.  Don't act like you care for people but then turn around and trample over them if they become an obstacle.  Don't talk about your values and then fail to live up to them. 
  Far too often, outsiders find the church to be a place of hypocrisy, where people act nicely and look nice but have empty hearts and callous tongues.  This turns them off, for one bad experience might drive someone away from the church forever.  You don't have to be perfect -- everyone in the church has their own issues.  Just be honest.  Let's join together and confess that we're all struggling with something, and we all depend on the grace and love of Jesus Christ to get us through the day.  I've got problems, but I'll own them.  I'll even share them!  Don't pretend to be perfect.  Acknowledge that we are perfect only through the blood of Jesus Christ, and that we are working every day to let the Holy Spirit mend and shape us into the people God is calling us to be, but we'll never be perfect this side of heaven.

Matthew 23:13-22

Matthew 23:13-22 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  If you were talking a city tour and the guide told you that he wasn't certain of the way, would you follow him?  Or what if you were about to enter the jungle and the leader of the venture turned and told you that she'd never been there before, but she was fairly certain she knew the general direction of the path -- would you follow?
  When it comes to faith, be wary of those who tell you with certainty that they know everything.  Instead, follow those who confess that they know only imperfectly, that they have seen but only in part, that they are sinful and broken but are still striving. 
  Leadership starts with humility -- it's rooted in a confession that the leaders of the modern church are not perfect, but rather are praying for the wisdom to follow, even if they don't fully understand.  Our modern church leaders are imperfect and broken, because they are human.  We're all the same -- serving a perfect Lord with imperfect hearts, burdened with sin and clinging to the forgiveness we find in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-12 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  On Saturday, I rode 47.2 miles (I signed up for 45, wasn't aware of the extra 2.2 they tacked on at the end!) to help fund cancer research.  The money raised funds new and cutting-edge research, all in the hope that we'll find a cure (or cures) for this dreaded disease.  Pelotonia is a great event -- there are people throughout the event that stand at the end of their driveways and cheer the riders on, thanking them for their efforts.  There is food and drink at the beginning and end and at rest stops along the way.  We had a blast.  Pelotonia is planned to help everyone remember what the event is about, to remember the purpose.  It's not about the individuals, it's about the greater cause.
  That's what church is supposed to be about as well.  It's not about just the people in the pews or the pastor preaching a great sermon or the soloist who sings beautifully.  It's not about a great building or the perfect children's ministry.  It's ultimately focused on God, and it's about gathering a bunch of broken and sinful people and joining our voices and efforts and hearts towards God. 
  If we forget that, and we start to think it's all about me, then we stray away from how it's supposed to work.  That's what the Pharisees were doing -- they were enjoying the benefits, forgetting the real purpose.  They thought it was all about them and their comfort.  They had lost Christ by spending all their time focusing on the self.
  May we pray for the humility to keep Christ in the center.  Each of us joins a greater effort, a greater kingdom, and we strive together to give glory to God.

Matthew 22:41-46

Matthew 22:41-46 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  David was described as a man after God's own heart.  He was complicated -- at times he had the faith we all dream of, and yet he had a tremendous fall from grace, stumbling over his own selfish and sinful desires, then covering them up to make the matter somehow worse.  He wrote beautiful poetry that expressed the depths of his sin and despair, and yet even in the midst of this, he proclaimed his utmost faith and confidence in God.  He was a giant of the faith. 
  The Bible gives us flawed heroes such as David and Saul and Peter.  They're not perfect, unattainable figures.  They love God, but they don't get everything right.  And yet they all have one thing in common -- they bow before the throne of God, acknowledging that everything depends on God.  David and Saul and Peter and Mary and Ruth -- they all worship God.
  We stubbornly resist, often believing that we can find our own way forward, fooling ourselves into thinking that we know best.  Like the Pharisees, we resist acknowledging where we have been wrong, struggling along by our own light, rather than bowing in humble obedience to the one who lovingly comes to save us.
  Jesus calls us to faithfulness because he knows us completely and wants joy and hope and peace for us.  When we call him Lord, we admit that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and we trust in Jesus to lead us the next step forward, whichever direction that may go.

Matthew 22:24-40

Matthew 22:34-40
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I love the Cincinnati Reds.  I demonstrate this by paying attention to them every single day.  I read the pre-game summaries.  I listen to them on the radio.  I read the box scores and watch the standings (well, I don't watch the standings much anymore.  These days, I know exactly where they'll be!).  During the offseason, I count the days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, and when they do, my heart is filled with hope for the coming year, for spring has truly come.  I invest my money in the team, through buying tickets and merchandise.  My time and attention follow.
  So the question, then, is how do I show my love for God?  How do I show my love for my neighbor?  These are the questions that we need to be asking daily, weekly, annually, to ensure that our lives are pursuing the path we're aspiring to.  We don't get graded based on how we do, and we'll never perfect what it means to love God and neighbor, but we do need to pay attention to how we invest our time, money and energy in loving and serving God and neighbor.  It's easy to take them for granted.
  One thing we talk about at work is the importance of the weekly review.  It's a time to look back on how we did in the previous week and what we would change.  It's the workplace version of St. Ignatius' prayer of Examen, which is meant to be prayed at the end of the day to reflect on how we saw God's presence at work during the day and to pray for God's grace to cover our shortcomings.
  How do you reflect on your spiritual life?  Do you take some time daily, weekly, or perhaps annually to reflect on your spiritual growth and pray for Holy Spirit wisdom to guide your next day/week/year?  It's a wise practice to pause and look back to see what God has done and pray for his wisdom in the coming days.

Matthew 22:23-33

Matthew 22:23-33 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Here comes the Sadducees, convinced they can outsmart God.  They've come up with this convoluted situation that is so complex that they think they know the only way out, and they're proud of themselves for being so clever.  They come before Jesus, certain that he will acknowledge their cleverness and that they'll come out looking brilliant here.
  Jesus, however, doesn't cooperate. 
  When we come before God with pre-formed ideas of exactly what God is going to do, we're putting things in the wrong order.  It's easy to spend a lot of time developing a scenario of what we think will be best -- and then we go tell God exactly how to answer our prayers.  In that case, we're really just telling God how brilliant our ideas are and asking him to agree with us.
  What we forget is that God sees a much bigger picture than we do, and God often has different goals for us. God wants us to grow into the abundant and eternal life that God has in store for us.  God wants us to learn how to be faithful, and God knows what we need better than we do.  Our motives are often a mixed bag of wanting to be faithful but also having our sinful desires mixed in with our wants. 
  So when God hears our prayers and doesn't answer them exactly how we want, it doesn't mean that God isn't listening or doesn't care.  God has a different perspective and is calling you into the life that is truly life, and so we trust in God to care for us and lead us into the places that best shape us for eternal faithfulness.