Sunday May 3rd 2026
Jacob’s Ladder’ is a weekly Sunday Blog post that shares
the work of a text in preparation; blog history is at dreliatjacobsladder.blogpost.com
This is a Fellowship of the
Spirit. It is not a church construct; it involves neither mission, fund
raising, nor religious participation. God desires our participation in all of
life, and not via misleading ‘gospel’ notions proposed by corporate and cultural
sources. Jacob’s Ladder pursues Christian growth as human growth. It works to
complete social holiness by fulfilling personal holiness in our lives. As God
wills community for all, Jacob’s Ladder forges ahead!
Today we begin my take – from an old, experienced, caring, former Methodist Minister, preacher, academic, public health professional, and
these days just a simple but wise Christian, on what Jesus says that is most
important to us now. He said a lot to the people then. The order changes when
it comes to us. The weight, the opportunity, and the challenge remain the same.
1.Matt 6:24-34; Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and its
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Please read the
section.
Jesus is not talking about living in solitude away from the
world; this is very much a ‘be in the world but not OF the world’ verse! It
challenges us to see how our identity is formed and where our loyalties lie. We
must see the differences that define and we must choose to call the shots. We
can do this. It is up to us. Do not follow the falseness of those who proclaim
a prosperity Gospel, or a Christian nationalism, for such things do not exist
in God’s Kingdom. In the name of God, church and religion, much that is ungodly
occurs. Be wary of talk. Those who speak thusly are of their father, and they
will act accordingly. The consequences speak for themselves. Worldliness
disguised as following Jesus. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. The good shepherd
speaks differently, walks differently. Doesn’t dress up as a businessman, nor
as a spiritual leader in priestly garb. It is only the action and the deeds
that we must watch and look for, nothing more.
Jesus’ words are a warning advice – do not be like those who
love to be worldly, lost in worldly possessions and pleasures, decorating the
body and dressing up, as though all that counts is youthfulness and appearance.
Fashion is fine but find what suits you and work with that. Never mind the
trends. The body is a vessel that we use for a time. Seek that which is eternal
and lay hold of it now. Why are some folk waiting for a rapture when the Lord
walks with us now? Why wait??!! His presence and power is available for all. NOW.
But if we do not seek it we shall be much the poorer for not doing so. That
choice is ours.
2.Luke 17:20-21; The Kingdom is within you. Again, to
leading questions of signs and wonders regarding when the Kingdom will come,
Jesus says but it is already here and folk are entering it! Why not do so? It
is within you! In the midst of yu. But the questioners had in mind a Kingdom
bringing material benefits! Why? As Jesus daid, my Kingdom is not of this
earth!!! Prepare, learn… to go beyond…!
It is not found in wealth nor possessions, but when you go
through prayer into a spiritual relationship – a relationship of the spirit
with Spirit - the spirit of God Almighty, that is, and wander around in the
mind of Christ, the Lord will teach you many things, and you will learn how you can do what you need to do and
find the power you need to overcome all things! And to do this you must put the
Lord first and the Kingdom first. It’s the relationship that enables; once
again, I am the vine, you are the branches. Bear fruit! And you will, if you
stay connected!
3. Matt 13:45ff; The Kingdom is the pearl of great price.
Remember the merchant who went seeking, found a pearl of great price, sold
everything he had so he could buy it. It was more than the sum total of all of
his possessions! He was able to see the value of it, compare the value of it
against the value of all else he had, and he made the right choice. He put
aside his worldliness and bought the pearl. Give up worldliness, and gain the
Kingdom, and with it power and its peace. Otherwise, they will escape you.
Nothing wrong with $ and having money. Keep it in balance. Much is expected
from those who have more than others. When you leave you take nothing with you.
Better still to enter the Kingdom now and have that Kingdom perspective apply
to all that you encounter and practice!
4. Matt 7:6ff the saying starts with dogs before it gets to
swine! And do not cast pearls before swine…; do not conflate that which is
godly with that which is worldly and allow that it’s a matter of opinion. It is
always a matter of experience, against an opinion but it never needs to be
shared nor confrontational. It just needs to be clearly different. You do not
have to argue with anyone who disagrees, nor even try to persuade them to your
point of view, They must learn for themselves. Live your practice, it speaks
for itself. Keep to that which you practice and smile at the rest and walk
away. Let those who wish to cavort with swine do so. They have made their
choice. I got nothin’ against pigs, but I sure as heck am not going to wallow
in the mud and say it feels great, given that I can stay cool and mud free.
5. Matt 7:7-12; So, whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets! And this same teaching is found in Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism! God works through all possibilities that are open to Him!
Taken together, these 5 references are key references to me, because they form a framework within which we find Jesus saying very specific things to us that have been re-interpreted by folk to say what they wish the text to say. God's judgment comes on such use. It is one of my burdens to make these things clear. No complicated terms of discourse, theological or academic, no culltural concepts or perspectives. Just the simple word of God that speaks to each of us. The English language is very clear, always. It's just that we keep distorting it per ou intentions and motivations. So as we enter the Gospels we will work to discover for ourselves what Jesus says to us, and not what others have said that Jesus says. It can be done, but only with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is an individual wor. I can only set the stage a lilttle.
But all of Jesus’ words are chosen for his context; the
parables, the sayings, the analogies. Everything is repeated, but in different
form, at different times, to a different audience. And everything is
inter-related. And each repetition for us can be applied like the sharpening of
the facets of a diamond. With each face that is polished, we gain insight, and
with each insight comes the ability to discern choice and then the biggie – the
exercise of God given will, to choose freely, and ther spiritual power of God
growing in us! We have to decide and our
choices decide what happens to all of us!
One of the most important aspects of the day is the judgment
that we must exercise, or not exercise. It
seems difficult, but not so when you look at it from the perspective of
holiness.
Judgment in personal holiness speaks to personal
relationships and what we owe to whom. None of us are perfect. The closer we
are, the more forgiving, the more supportive we are called to be. It begins
with family and moves outwards in circles of inter-relationships. Forgiveness,
for example, is a pearl. Yet in and through all of this, there is always an
accountability requiring that we cannot take advantage of those close to us, in
any way, shape or form. Nor should we allow them to take advantage of us! And
when we judge a thing to be in error, we must speak about this in order to
protect the relationship from withering. Difficult thought it may be, it must
be done, and it prepares us for the greater societal task.
And that one comes when we encounter leadership that is
lacking in its ability to plan effectively and care for the people whom it
purports to lead. Poor leadership is rife today. Bad in some places, totally
disgusting in others. Good places on earth are hard to find, and by the time you
get there, it may have changed! Corporations have totaled their control of
consumers, from pharmaceuticals to the mass media, and we can easily find
ourselves adrift in a sea of misinformation which easily becomes intentional
disinformation, and is often supported by false information, trying to pass
itself off as genuine information. We have to make risky choices all of the
time, and constantly do our own fact finding to balance what presents itself to
us – some by choice per what we choose to read, and others by AI and algorithm!
The wisdom of discernment is what we all must practice. Stay well. stay wise,
in the Lord Jesus. May his peace be always upon you. Love, G.