The Knowledge of Much©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way©

There was a gal who knew a bit more much

Of knowledge acquired, but inasmuch,

Had not dared to share

For the fear of care

Would sound as if she didn’t know that much.

The Knowledge of Much©

I am attempting again to read the Bible in a year.  On track as of this February blog.  Believing I can do it! God is faithful.  I am enlisting His help to be faithful too. I love when He opens up new revelations in His word from passages we have read many times. It also helps to read different translations of the same passages. I have always been a die-hard King James fan but my daughter gave me an NASB, the New American Standard Bible as a Christmas gift in 2022.  It is a red-letter bible with super large print. Two of my favorite things even though I still need reading glasses to see the words.  It took me a while to appreciate this translation and decided to use it to read through the Bible this year.  I still refer to other translations for comparison and other perspectives on the same passages.

The reading for February 2^nd was Matthew 25, titled THE JUDGEMENT.  The latter part of the chapter is the judgment on nations.  Jesus is sitting on His Glorious Throne and is called King. HE separates the sheep and the goats.  The sheep to the right and the goats to the left.  Sheep nations have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, given drink to the thirsty, and visited those in prison. Goat nations have not done so.  Early on in my Christian walk these passages were always referred to on a personal level as the word nations was overlooked. But the scripture is clear it is nations that are separated. This is one of the reasons the leader of a nation can bring cursing or blessing upon his or her people as a whole. Now when I read this chapter I can see it from the perspective of the heart of a nation and the heart of a person living in the nation,  God is merciful. He sees our hearts. The King makes this statement, “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat: I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” (Matthew 25:31-36)

Something caught my eye, literally it was the word something, I could not recall reading it in the KJV. I immediately had to look it up in the KJV.   It wasn’t there.  This simple word had just taken on a whole new meaning. I struggled to write all the monthly journals I intended to have done by 2022. This project began in 2020. Truth be told I am only in April and due to some restructuring Jan-March will need editing. I also planned to do short podcasts for each journal.  I would begin and then this nagging thought would arise. I don’t know enough to be qualified to speak on this subject. Within minutes of being self-conscious my mind and focus would shut down. They need something, something more than what I can give.  Oh, the devil is a liar and a loser.  A forever loser as Pastor Tim Sheets says.

We all know that saying, something is better than nothing. That is what I sensed The King was speaking to me.  Something.  Some thing. The King didn’t say, “You prepared a 12-course meal for me. You gave me wine, water, juice, coffee, tea, and milk all at once.”  No, you gave me something. Some thing.  And it hit me.  Every time I share a blog or write another page for the journal I am giving something, some thing.  Some word of truth, knowledge of HIM, His mercy, His grace, His love, His daring to care for us without fear.  Oh, He has given me “much  somethings.”  All He is asking me is to do is share something, some thing.  A huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  I was bent over by the weight of perfectionism.  It is a standard I put on myself out of the fear that cares what others will think what I share.  The King sees every time we give the something as though we give it to Him.  If it pleases Him what does it matter what another may think?

If I dare to share out of fear I may indeed hold back all the King has dared to share with me. When I let go of fear, which can be pride, that my sharing with writing has to be perfect in my sight, not His, then I can trust whatever words He gives me is the something, some thing, someone needs. Thank You, King Jesus.

The Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46 NASB1995

³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³ and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶ naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸ And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not ^[e]take care of You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you to the extent (inasmuch KJV) that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Pray this prayer with me.

Dear King Jesus,

We are Your sheep. Release us from fear to care to dare to care.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

 Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

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