Participants:
Series Code: CW
Program Code: CW000057S
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00:00 (gentle music)
00:03 - Welcome, everyone. 00:05 We're excited to share some country wisdom with you. 00:07 - King Solomon had a thing or two to say 00:09 about the path to wisdom. 00:11 In Proverbs 4 he wrote, 00:13 "Let your eyes look directly forward 00:16 and your gaze be straight before you. 00:19 Keep straight the path of your feet 00:21 and all your ways will be sure." 00:23 - Join us now for Country Wisdom. 00:25 (gentle music) 00:33 (reflective music) 00:40 Janice, I'm so excited. 00:42 It's been over a year. 00:43 You've been bugging me for at least a year 00:45 about doing some spiritual episode- 00:47 - About having a cohost. - With Truman. 00:48 And so I can't wait to see 00:49 how you tie this into spirituality. 00:51 - Okay, this is Truman, you've met him. 00:54 I hope he doesn't have too many foxtails on here. 00:57 Truman is the love of my life. 00:59 - I wouldn't have known. 01:00 - Don't tell Steve. 01:02 Actually, I think Steve already knows. 01:04 He's a long-haired Dachshund and he is just the mellowest, 01:09 sweetest dog and he adores me, 01:12 which is part of my attraction to him. 01:14 It's hard not to like someone who is so in love with you. 01:17 - There you go. 01:18 - But, you know, I was thinking, 01:19 "I think dogs, in the Bible, 01:23 they get the short end of the stick." 01:26 Like, can you think of any verses anywhere where a dog 01:29 is mentioned and it's not pejorative? 01:34 - Yeah, I was thinking of the Syrophoenician woman. 01:35 Jesus says, "You're a dog." 01:37 - Right. 01:38 - That wasn't a good sense, yeah. 01:38 - That's always it. 01:39 They didn't have them as pets. 01:42 I think they were just, 01:43 they didn't know what they were missing 01:45 because I think about Truman 01:47 and so often I find myself thinking, 01:51 "You know, I really need to be more like my dog." 01:54 You know that saying, 01:55 "Try to be the person that your dog thinks you is, you are." 01:59 - You is. 01:59 (both laughing) 02:00 I'll buy that. 02:02 - Well, I'm talking for him. 02:03 - Okay. 02:05 - And it's true, but I look at him 02:08 and he's got some qualities that every Christian, 02:12 every person needs to have. 02:14 For one thing, when he wakes up in the morning, 02:18 you don't have to wonder what mood Truman is going to be in. 02:21 He's happy. 02:22 It's like I wake up and he's going, 02:23 "Oh boy, it's another day with you." 02:26 And we go downstairs and I get ready to feed the dogs. 02:29 In fact, Steve and I make jokes about it and Steve will say, 02:33 "Truman, I wonder what you're having 02:35 for breakfast this morning. 02:37 Oh my goodness, it's dog food." 02:41 And now, he isn't even our only one, he was just the first. 02:44 We have a whole little herd of these guys at home. 02:47 - You're actually an addict when it comes to Dachshunds. 02:50 - Kind of, yeah, I think so, I think, the long-haired. 02:54 I'm specific on my Dachshunds. 02:57 But we have this whole little herd that's waiting to be fed. 03:00 And they pretty much all have the same attitude. 03:02 Like, "Can you believe they're giving us dog food again? 03:05 This is just the best morning ever." 03:09 - I think of the children of Israel with manna. 03:12 They could have learned a real lesson from Truman. 03:14 - Right, they should have been more like their dogs. 03:16 Well, their dogs if they'd had long-haired Dachshunds. 03:22 Here they were being given literally food from heaven 03:27 and after a while, it was, "Manana again? 03:30 Didn't we just have that yesterday?" 03:32 The complaining, the moaning about what they didn't have, 03:38 and I'm like that. 03:39 He is perfectly content with whatever I give him, 03:42 thankful, grateful, attitude of gratitude all day long. 03:47 He also is loyal. 03:50 Like the whole time we've been sitting here, 03:52 he hasn't run off. 03:54 He's going, "I'm fine, I'm here with Mom." 03:57 Now, if he saw a squirrel, it- 03:59 - It might be a different story. 04:00 - It might change. 04:03 He lives to protect me from squirrels. 04:05 - You talk about that. 04:07 I can't help but think of, I heard one time, you know, 04:09 a comedian say, "I put my dog in the trunk of the car 04:12 and my wife in the trunk of the car and I drive a ways 04:14 and when I get there and I open the trunk, 04:16 which one's gonna come kiss me?" 04:18 (both laughing) 04:20 Loyalty right there, you know. 04:21 - Oh, don't ever tell Janine that joke. 04:25 He is loyal and the other quality that he has, 04:30 I work in a school and he's the unofficial school mascot. 04:34 He goes to school with me. 04:36 Now, I told you, we have several others at home. 04:39 They don't get to go to school with me. 04:43 The only time Porter, for instance, 04:45 has ever been to school with me is on a Sunday 04:47 when there's nobody else there. 04:49 If I have the dogs, 04:51 if I have to go in in the evening or on a Sunday, 04:53 nobody's gonna be there, 04:55 I'll put the whole load of 'em in the car. 04:58 We get to the parking lot, before I've even opened the door, 05:03 Porter, for instance, I use him as, you know, 05:05 here's good dog and bad dog, 05:09 I will just be reaching to take my seatbelt off 05:12 and Porter will launch himself. 05:14 You would think those little legs, he couldn't do this. 05:16 Launches himself from the back seat, 05:19 lands on my lap and is like, "Open the door, open the door. 05:23 I've gotta see what's out there." 05:24 And he'll just race off across the soccer field 05:27 or over to a tree or something. 05:30 Truman hops out and he looks at me like, 05:32 "Where are we going?" 05:33 He's just gonna follow me. 05:35 When I take messages to teachers, 05:38 when I'm walking from classroom to classroom, 05:40 I go down the hall, I don't even have to wonder where he is. 05:44 I know if I look down, he's following right behind me. 05:47 - Right there. - Right there. 05:49 The others, not so much. 05:50 Leashes were made for Ruby and Porter and Truman, 05:54 I wouldn't have to use a leash. 05:57 - So really in the demographics of the dog world here 06:01 that you control, it's kinda like Christians. 06:04 Each one's got their little different temperament. 06:06 They're all happy, but each one has a little bit different 06:09 way of following you. 06:11 - Yes, I suppose Porter is more like the disciple Peter. 06:15 I think the Lord had a little harder time keeping Peter 06:18 in line than he did, say, John. 06:20 John was probably always right there with him. 06:23 - Pet first. 06:24 - "Where are we going now, Lord?" 06:24 But I should be more like that 06:27 because I often am not grateful for what God has given me, 06:32 what I have here today. 06:33 I'm thinking about, "Oh, but I need this tomorrow. 06:35 Do you suppose God's really gonna come through with that? 06:38 Does he know I need that?" 06:40 I maybe am just all I can think of is what I don't have, 06:45 rather than what I do. 06:46 - And we tend to be worried about tomorrow's food 06:49 while we're eating today. 06:50 - And let me tell you, I don't follow very well. 06:53 I know that's a shock to you as we've been working together. 06:57 You would never have guessed that I sometimes 06:59 have trouble taking orders. 07:01 (both laughing) 07:02 - I'm not saying the anything, but it is true. 07:05 You know, I capitulate to your great wisdom today 07:09 in wanting to do spirituality with Truman because it's true, 07:13 we need to be more like the Trumans and be happy 07:17 with what we have when we have it. 07:19 - When the Lord said that we need to be little children, 07:24 we understand what he meant by that innocence, that trust, 07:28 and that's Truman. 07:31 He completely trusts where I go. 07:34 He's not constantly saying, 07:35 "Are you sure we're gonna go there? 07:37 I don't wanna go over there. 07:38 Can we go this other way? 07:39 It looks easier." 07:40 He's just wherever I am, he's like this. 07:44 - Truman, thank you for the lesson today, we appreciate it. 07:51 Did you realize that the Bible was written 07:53 by about 40 authors over 1,400 years? 07:57 Can you imagine any human work they could display 07:59 such singleness of thought and beauty? 08:02 Have you ever questioned the authenticity of the Bible? 08:05 Some of our film crew had the wonderful opportunity 08:07 to travel to Israel to an area called Qumran 08:10 where local Bedouins discovered seven scrolls in a cave. 08:13 Later, almost all the scrolls 08:15 of the Old Testament were found. 08:18 Go to TalkingDonkeyInternational.org today 08:20 and order offer #108, 08:23 "Ancient Scrolls Discovered in Forgotten Caves." 08:25 It's an amazing little pamphlet and it's yours free today. 08:32 - I felt like Satan was constantly nipping at my heels 08:35 and I just couldn't catch my breath. 08:37 I was grieving. 08:38 I felt scared, confused, anxious, and depressed. 08:43 My life was literally turned upside down and falling apart. 08:47 I didn't know what to do, but I knew who had the answers. 08:51 Can you relate? 08:54 This amazing study guide changed my life. 08:57 Are you ready for a dramatic change in your life? 09:01 This 12-week study guide will guide you 09:03 on your journey of transformation. 09:06 This study is packed with powerful content 09:09 to lead you on an encounter with Jesus. 09:13 Jesus will use this study as a tool 09:15 to change your life as he did mine. 09:19 Order your copy today to experience your transformation. 09:23 Log on to TalkingDonkeyInternational.org. 09:28 - Okay, not to be a stage mom or anything, 09:30 but as we walked over here, did you notice where Truman was? 09:35 - [Jim] Right by your side, yep. 09:37 - He just follows right wherever I'm going. 09:39 It's like, "Okay, we're going here," 09:40 and he just trots along. 09:42 I didn't even have to say, "Truman, come on." 09:45 He just, "Oh, you're moving, that means I'm moving." 09:48 - Yeah, that really is a good example. 09:50 I gotta give it to you. 09:52 It's a good spiritual example. 09:54 I think about the children of Israel. 09:56 You know, Israel, they had no big army, you know, 10:00 relatively small in comparison to many other nations. 10:04 - Compare 'em to Assyria or Egypt 10:06 and people would be betting on Assyria and Egypt. 10:09 - Exactly, exactly. 10:11 As far as size of the nation, wasn't a big nation 10:15 so they really couldn't rule over anybody else. 10:18 Matter of fact, at the time of Jesus, 10:20 they were being ruled over. 10:22 - By Rome. - Yeah. 10:24 - But they had something 10:25 that none of those other nations had. 10:28 Well, they had God. 10:29 - They had God, yeah, exactly, they had God. 10:32 God came down, visited them personally. 10:34 Matter of fact, he gave them, especially through Moses, 10:37 the first five books of the Old Testament 10:39 that laid out all the history of the world, 10:42 the creation, everything, laid it all out in great detail 10:46 and so the people had a great passion 10:48 for what they called Torah, those first five books. 10:51 And so every young boy wanted to become a rabbi 10:55 because the rabbi was the one who taught Torah. 10:58 The rabbi was the one who issued out 11:00 all the understanding of Torah. 11:03 - That was like growing up to be a senator or a congressman 11:05 or President of the United States. 11:07 - Yeah, exactly, and so by about age six, 11:11 they actually had a saying. 11:12 They said, "We'll take this young boy at about age six, 11:15 and we'll stuff him with Torah, just like an ox with feed." 11:20 - Interesting analogy there. 11:22 - Oh yeah, it meant everything to that nation 11:26 to basically get their young people to really know 11:30 and so these young people- 11:32 - So every boy about age six? 11:35 - Every boy from starting about age six, 11:37 they begin to learn Torah, they begin to memorize scripture. 11:42 What a great example for us. 11:45 - Yeah, it would be. 11:47 I remember quite a lot of scripture, 11:49 especially if it was ever put to music. 11:52 You know how, well, okay, 11:53 there are huge chunks of the book of Isaiah 11:56 that I can't read without internally breaking into song 12:00 because those lyrics to Handel's "Messiah," 12:05 that's what comes out and you just never forget it. 12:08 I heard someone say one time 12:09 "That if you want to learn scripture, 12:10 the easiest way is put it to music." 12:12 - Yeah, yeah. 12:15 Some of them we know, you know, there's many songs now 12:17 they put to music today. 12:21 "Sweeter than the Honeycomb," and "Testimony of the Lord." 12:24 I mean, all of these things, it's catchy. 12:27 You remember it, it sinks into your heart 12:29 and so that's what they did too. 12:30 They would memorize scripture 12:31 and they would chant scripture, 12:34 which attached it to just what you're saying. 12:36 - Right, when you're speaking in unison, 12:39 it's a kind of choir. 12:41 It works the same way. 12:42 - Yeah, but now, by about age 10, 12:46 the rabbis would begin looking at who to cut. 12:50 They would see how this young boy was progressing, 12:53 if he really understood the meaning of what he was studying 12:57 and if he really had it together, if the memory was just- 13:01 - Okay, who has it together when you're 10? 13:03 - Well, apparently with discipline, they had it together, 13:07 many of them, not everyone, and that's the key here. 13:11 Now about age 10, they would begin looking 13:13 at the whole field and all the boys 13:15 in the school of the rabbis, and they would say, 13:19 "Young man, I'm sorry, you're good, 13:22 you love God and you have a good heart, 13:23 but you just don't quite make the grade. 13:27 Go home now, get married, raise a family, 13:30 spend time with Mom and Dad, 13:31 start a business and just be a good man." 13:35 - 10-year-old failure. 13:37 - Yeah, exactly, really, that's what it was all about, 13:39 10-year-old failure because that's the way they felt 13:42 because there was nothing higher than becoming a rabbi 13:45 and you fell out of the school of rabbis, basically. 13:49 - It's like having to go home and say, 13:51 "I didn't make it into Harvard. 13:53 I guess I'll just be a plumber." 13:56 That's the way people view things like that. 13:59 - No slide on a plumber today. 14:00 - No, no, because we don't put enough status, 14:02 enough honor on the kinds of professions 14:06 where you use your hands. 14:08 It's not fair, but that's the way society works. 14:12 If I could say, "Oh, my eldest is going to Princeton. 14:16 He was accepted, or to Stanford," 14:19 that carries a lot more status, 14:22 a lot more societal weight than saying, 14:26 "He is gonna be the best mechanic. 14:28 You are gonna want to take your car to him." 14:30 - So exactly what you're just saying, 14:32 that was a slight to the parents too. 14:34 My child fell out of school to the rest of the neighbors. 14:38 Your son- 14:39 - Especially if your neighbor's kid made it. 14:41 - I see your son came home. 14:42 "Oh, yeah, he did." 14:45 And so it was a slight all the way around. 14:48 But then for those who stayed, they continued to study. 14:51 They joined Beth Talmud, the House of Learning, 14:54 and they continued to study until they knew 14:57 all five full books, all of this. 15:00 They knew every bit of that by heart. 15:03 - Oh wow. 15:05 - Then it was time to actually- 15:06 - We don't memorize like that. 15:08 - No. - It used to be common. 15:11 I can remember reading about old preachers 15:14 who could basically preach from the New Testament 15:17 and never have to actually open the Bible. 15:21 My husband is pretty good at that. 15:23 I'm often saying, "Hey, Steve, what is that text that says, 15:26 you know, it's about this?" 15:27 And I can remember a phrase or what it's generally about. 15:30 And he'll go, "Oh, well, yes, 15:31 that's 1 Thessalonians such and such." 15:33 I'm always like, " How do you do that?" 15:34 I'm glad. 15:35 It's easier to ask him than to go and look it up, 15:39 but it's like, "How do you retain that?" 15:41 - When I first became a Christian, 15:42 there was a preacher who was famous 15:45 within his denomination and years later 15:49 I had one of the fellows that used to follow him 15:51 and he would be up on the platform with him 15:53 as he was ready to preach, 15:55 and this old preacher was preaching 15:57 and he had to have really bad eyes. 15:58 He had the bible up here really close to him 16:00 and he's quoting scripture. 16:02 He'd tell the scripture 16:03 and then he'd quote it and he'd read. 16:04 And the friend behind me said, 16:06 "He'd have the Bible upside down sometimes. 16:08 He was so bad he couldn't even see the Bible, 16:10 but he knew every scripture, he was quoting everything." 16:13 - He just wanted people to think that he was reading it, 16:15 so they wouldn't question what he was saying. 16:17 - Well, he just wanted them to know 16:19 he was digging into God's Word, you know, 16:20 this wasn't from him. 16:22 But, so these young men, 16:24 when they would reach about age 14, 15, 16:27 they would ask the rabbi, "Can we continue on with you?" 16:30 Rabbi would never ask them. 16:32 - Why not? 16:33 - Rabbi wouldn't lower themselves to seek. 16:35 - Oh, that would be like begging someone? 16:37 - Yeah, so now the rabbi would question them. 16:41 What's two plus two? 16:42 - That's easy, four. 16:44 - Well, except he wasn't looking for linear thinking 16:47 like you and I would be here in this country. 16:50 He said, you know, they would answer, 16:52 "What's the square root of 16?" 16:54 He was looking for a lot more depth, 16:56 which really is what the scripture is all about too. 16:59 God's word has deep meaning, great meaning. 17:01 He wanted to see if they could handle it. 17:03 - If they were doing more than just memorizing. 17:05 - Exactly, exactly. 17:06 - That they were actually thinking 17:07 about what they'd been reading. 17:08 - Yeah, but the thing is, 17:12 not all of those made the cut either, 17:13 but the ones that did, they would say, 17:15 "Okay, you're accepted. 17:17 You're accepted, come on now and follow me." 17:21 But there's an interesting thing. 17:23 While they had their situation of calling 17:26 and seeking out a few, there's somebody else 17:29 who had a major calling who said, "Follow me." 17:33 Wasn't the rabbis, though. 17:35 (Jim laughing) 17:36 (reflective music) 17:41 Did you realize that the Bible was written 17:43 by about 40 authors over 1,400 years? 17:46 Can you imagine any human work that could display 17:48 such singleness of thought and beauty? 17:51 Have you ever questioned the authenticity of the Bible? 17:54 Some of our film crew had that wonderful opportunity 17:57 to travel to Israel to an area called Qumran 17:59 where local Bedouins discovered seven scrolls in a cave. 18:03 Later, almost all the scrolls 18:05 of the Old Testament were found. 18:07 Go to TalkingDonkeyInternational.org today 18:10 and order offer #108, 18:12 "Ancient Scrolls Discovered in Forgotten Caves." 18:15 It's an amazing little pamphlet and it's yours free today. 18:22 - I felt like Satan was constantly nipping at my heels 18:25 and I just couldn't catch my breath. 18:27 I was grieving. 18:28 I felt scared, confused, anxious, and depressed. 18:33 My life was literally turned upside down and falling apart. 18:37 I didn't know what to do, but I knew who had the answers. 18:41 Can you relate? 18:43 This amazing study guide changed my life. 18:47 Are you ready for a dramatic change in your life? 18:50 This 12-week study guide will guide you 18:53 on your journey of transformation. 18:56 This study is packed with powerful content 18:59 to lead you on an encounter with Jesus. 19:02 Jesus will use this study as a tool 19:05 to change your life as he did mine. 19:08 Order your copy today to experience your transformation. 19:12 Log onto TalkingDonkeInternational.org. 19:18 - You might say there was real juxtaposition in history 19:21 because enter Jesus Christ, the ultimate Rabbi, 19:25 totally different than the other rabbis. 19:27 I mean, you think about it, 19:28 I understand there's over 17,000 volumes 19:32 in the Library of Congress written about Jesus Christ. 19:35 - I can believe it. 19:36 - Yeah, amazing stuff. 19:38 I mean, you think about, well, 19:41 we've been out on the golf course. 19:42 We were doing a different episode on a golf course 19:44 and did you ever hear anybody when they missed a put saying, 19:47 "Oh, Mahatma Gandhi," or, "Oh, George Washington." 19:52 - No, they say the name of the Lord, 19:55 but they're not using it in a very nice way. 19:57 - Yeah, not in the right way. 19:58 - But that's what comes to their mind. 19:59 Everybody knows who he is. 20:01 - But I think about in Matthew, you know, 20:03 Jesus had been teaching, 20:05 overlooking the Sea of Galilee up there 20:08 on that beautiful day with thousands of people, 20:11 been talking to them about what really mattered, 20:14 what was really the important things. 20:16 The rabbis had taught in one way, 20:18 but Jesus was teaching from the heart. 20:20 Jesus was teaching from the Throne of God 20:23 really speaking through him to all the people. 20:26 - People recognized that he was not the same 20:28 as the other teachers. 20:29 - Exactly, exactly. 20:31 I have one favorite writer that talks about as we accept 20:34 Christ into our lives, we receive the fragrance of Jesus. 20:40 And think about that, you know, you smell a rose 20:41 and it just permeates everything. 20:43 You bring a rose in- 20:44 - And you know it's a rose. 20:45 You can be blindfolded, and if someone says, 20:47 "Here, sniff this," you know immediately. 20:49 Nothing else smells like that. 20:52 - Exactly. - You can identify it. 20:53 - And so Jesus would come 20:55 and that fragrance just wafted everywhere. 20:57 And the people said in chapter seven, verse 28, 21:00 "And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, 21:02 the people were astonished at his doctrine." 21:06 Why? - Because he was so different. 21:08 - Yeah, exactly, he was so different, taught so differently. 21:11 And such amazing things. 21:13 He had, well, he didn't write any books. 21:16 He didn't lead an army. 21:17 He didn't even have a home, but he was totally different. 21:21 And Ralph Waldo Emerson made an interesting comment. 21:24 - I know which one. 21:26 I may not say it exactly right, 21:28 but he talked about the fact that the name of Jesus 21:32 isn't just written into history, it's plowed into it. 21:38 It was the depth that it is, 21:39 that it would be hard to rewrite history 21:41 and pretend that he had never existed. 21:44 - If people don't believe in Jesus, 21:47 all they need to do is begin looking 21:49 at all the telltale signs that have been left behind 21:52 about Jesus Christ, who is still here. 21:56 I mean, it's so exciting to think about it. 21:58 Now, Jesus, he was called Rabbi 14 times 22:02 in the New Testament, and I believe about 40 times- 22:04 - Rabbi, teacher. - Yeah, 40 times teacher. 22:08 You just didn't give that title out to anybody. 22:11 It just wasn't given out. 22:12 I mean, as we talked about earlier, that was a sacred title, 22:15 you know, that was the leader of the nation for God. 22:18 - Like you don't call just anyone, Dr. So-and-so. 22:20 - Yeah, they just doesn't pass it out in coupons, 22:24 although some people might, but it wasn't the case. 22:27 Now, this Jesus was so different. 22:29 He wasn't, again, like I say, 22:30 like the rabbis who wanted to pontificate in the marketplace 22:34 and say the prayer so everybody could see them. 22:36 No, he walked down to the shore 22:39 and there was a couple of men down there. 22:41 He says, "Hey, come follow me." 22:44 Who were these guys down there? Why? 22:46 These were the young men who were the rejects, 22:48 the 10-year-olds who the rabbi said- 22:50 - They hadn't made it beyond the first cut. 22:52 - Rabbi said, "Go home, marry somebody, integrate, 22:54 work, get a good job, and live a good life." 22:57 Been rejected, but not God. 23:01 God says, "Hey, come, you know, come." 23:03 And we think about Jesus did that to so many people. 23:08 - I get a sports analogy and I don't know why 23:10 because I'm not very sporty, 23:12 but it would be kind of like not making the cut, 23:16 being a bench warmer on your high school basketball team, 23:19 and yet a few years later having the NBA 23:22 coming and recruiting you. 23:24 Who would turn that down? 23:26 - Yeah, that's exactly, you've nailed it. 23:28 That's exactly what it was, is God himself comes down 23:35 as man and humanity and says, "Come, follow me. 23:38 I've got a real plan for your life." 23:40 Would you leave that? 23:43 We say, "Well, they left their nets. 23:44 They left their family, they left everybody." 23:47 I'm kind of thinking- 23:48 - [Janice] They didn't have to think twice. 23:50 - No, and I'm kind of thinking that even though the family 23:51 may have been a little dubious about Jesus 23:53 because the rabbis were putting all kinds of misinformation, 23:58 but they were saying, "Wow, my son got called by the Rabbi." 24:01 You know, you say that to the neighbors. 24:02 - The one that everybody's talking about. 24:04 - Yeah, and one of 'em turns around and says, 24:06 "He's gonna sit up the right hand of God, my son." 24:10 All of these things, and so, 24:12 but Jesus is seeking those that everybody else 24:14 has kind of rejected. 24:16 He's kind of putting it down, you know, and I wanna- 24:18 - He sees something else in people. 24:21 Someone that you might walk past, Jesus might say, 24:24 "There's a real jewel, I'm not walking past that. 24:27 I'm picking that one out." 24:29 - Exactly, he came for all the jewels 24:31 and how many are jewels? 24:33 - All of 'em in his eyes. 24:35 - All of 'em. - Everybody wants to be one. 24:37 - There's the key, yeah, 24:38 everybody who wants to be a jewel can be 24:41 because he will empower when he calls. 24:44 He says, "I'll give you the power. 24:46 I'll give you the strength. 24:47 I'll give you the knowledge 24:49 so you can memorize Torah if you need to." 24:51 All of these, "I will be with you 24:53 and we can do it together." 24:55 I mean, think about that. 24:56 Would you want to follow Jesus? 24:58 - Yeah, I probably would've dropped my nets and gone, 25:00 "I'm not passing that opportunity up." 25:02 - Yeah, the tax collector, Matthew, same thing. 25:05 - He walked away from more than just his nets. 25:08 - Piles of money, we don't know how much, 25:09 but it was a lot of money. 25:10 Now, I would've maybe said, "Well, Lord, let me just." 25:13 - Scoop up a little with me. 25:14 - "We can use that on the trip, you know. 25:16 We can gather a little bit up here, you know." 25:18 But no, he left it all. 25:21 Zacchaeus, called Zacchaeus out of a tree. 25:22 Zacchaeus said, "Yeah, Lord, I'll leave it all. 25:25 Matter of fact, I'll give back to those that I defrauded." 25:28 - Yeah, what, four times as much? 25:29 - Yeah, he's said, "I'll take care of it." 25:31 - He did more than just make good on it. 25:34 He said, "If I've cheated you $100, I'll give you 400 back." 25:39 - Yeah, that's the real thing. 25:40 When the true Rabbi Jesus calls you, answer. 25:45 Time you answer. 25:49 - After the Sermon on the Mount, 25:52 everybody was asking themselves, "Who is this?" 25:55 He was so different. 25:56 He spoke with such authority. 25:58 They were all wanting to know, "Where'd he come from? 26:00 Who is it?" 26:01 And we have that same choice today. 26:04 We have to ask ourselves, "Who do we think Jesus is? 26:07 And what choices might he be asking us to make?" 26:12 - You know, it's interesting in those choices. 26:13 I've got a little prayer, actually, 26:15 that was written about the time of Jesus, 26:18 and it was written with the idea in mind of, 26:20 you know, the young people that followed the rabbi, 26:24 it sounds funny, but they would even follow them 26:26 into the restroom because they may say a word, 26:29 they may say something to God that they wanted 26:31 to make certain they grabbed ahold of. 26:33 - They didn't wanna miss a word. 26:34 - Didn't wanna miss a word. 26:35 And the rabbis, the one thing, 26:37 the good thing the rabbis did, 26:38 they would take some honey and they'd put it on the tongue 26:41 of the young person while they're reciting the scripture 26:43 so they associate it with sweetness. 26:46 You know, the sweetness of God is amazing. 26:49 And this prayer says, 26:50 "May you follow your rabbi so closely 26:53 that his sandals kick up the dust." 26:55 You are so close to him that the dust covers you. 26:59 That's got to be getting close to Jesus. 27:01 "May you never be out of his sight. 27:03 May you never be someplace 27:04 where you can't hear him speak to you. 27:07 May you fall so deeply in love with him that nothing, 27:09 no trial, no problem, no heartache, 27:11 will ever separate you from his side." 27:14 - We have a choice to make. 27:16 We have that same choice. 27:18 Will you follow? 27:20 How closely will you follow 27:22 so that Jesus is never out of your sight? 27:25 And to do that, you have to fall in love with Jesus. 27:28 You have to listen to his call. 27:30 Be willing to drop everything and make sure 27:33 that the dust from his sandals is getting on you. 27:36 - Just as Rabbi Jesus called the disciples, 27:39 so he's calling you today. 27:40 Please, answer him right now. 27:42 Choose Jesus. 27:43 Rabbi Jesus is the answer to everything. 27:47 Thank you for watching. 27:48 Join us again for another exciting Country Wisdom. 27:50 - See you next time. 27:52 (gentle music) |
Revised 2022-11-16