Down an Unfamiliar Road

In a few days, we will begin an exciting new study in the New Testament. I received a number of replies on what books you would be interested in. Thank you for your replies.

But my decision was made when one day my precious wife said in a prayerful manner, “O Lord, inspire my husband as he shares Romans with his students.” It was already on my mind, and I have been working diligently on Romans and wanted to make sure I was far enough along so that once we started we wouldn’t have to stop while I caught up.

I will be creating a new group on Facebook that you will be invited to join. This way I’ll be certain that those who go through the intensive study are involved because they want to be.

I’ll let you know very soon where to sign up. It is free. All you need to join is a desire to study God’s word at a deeper level than ever before. God bless you and inspire you as you consider whether or not you want to be part of this exciting class.

Dr. Robert R Seyda

I’VE MADE MY CHOICE

“The difficulty in life is the choice.”¹ These are the words spoken in a conversation between two characters named Jasper Dean, an alderman of a corporation, and his niece Miss Millicent Fell, in a play written by George Augustus Moore, Irish novelist, poet, and short-story writer (1852-1933).

We know that every decision we make in life has consequences, and we end up living with whatever those consequences are. Not only that but for every choice we make, there are other choices we did not make and often become miserable because we didn’t choose something else. Life is all about choices; those that you make and those you choose not to make. This often leads to what is called, “Choice or Decision Fatigue.”

No doubt you’ve seen people eagerly entering a shopping mall or department store with a bounce in their step, but coming out weary with shopping bags dragging close to the ground. It’s not that they are so physically tired but worn out from choice fatigue. As Jim Solloish, a Wall Street Journal writer, said in one of his pieces: “Plaid or stripes? Flats or heels? Tall or grande? Latte or drip? Soy milk? Almond milk? Rice milk? Before you’ve taken your first sip of coffee, the decisions have started. By some estimates, the average American adult makes 35,000 decisions a day. No wonder you’re tired. Soul-weary. Sucked dry.”

As most of us have discovered, our brain gets tired of having to struggle with one fatiguing activity after another, and the most difficult one is making choices. Various studies show that as people make more decisions, their subsequent decisions are rushed or they don’t decide at all. Studies have shown that at polling places people are very alert and decisive when making choices at the top of the ballot, but by the time they get to the bottom they pick what looks right. A survey was done on parole board decisions and found that more paroles were given during the first hours of the process than in the last hours. It has also been found that choices made at the beginning of the day are often more practical and useful than those made at the end of the day.

Therefore, while Moore said that the choices in life are difficult, he followed that by saying, “… and all the wonder of life is in the choice.” That is certainly true in choosing what we study, the career choice we make, the person we choose to marry, the IRA we choose to invest in, etc. So when it comes to making important choices, make them a priority, don’t put the important ones at the end of the day, and don’t be afraid to take advice from someone who was successful in making the same choice. But there is another factor, and that is when our choices involve our family and our faith. That’s when we must decide what’s good for them, not ourselves. You can ask yourself, “Will my family be happy with what I’m about to do?” and “Will my God be pleased with the choice I’m about to make?” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

YOU MAY BE ONE OF THE CHOSEN

I read this story by a lady named Sharon from New York, I’m sure you will enjoy it and I pray that it will motivate you to increase your spiritual strength and faith.

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel alone, lost, darkness all around and thought God had forgotten you existed? We all experience times like these. I will never forget my own a few years ago while in South Africa visiting my parents. My ten-day vacation was coming to an end and I expected to be home in the States within the three days. Unfortunately, the staff of the airline I was to travel on went on strike, resulting in no flights coming to or leaving South Africa.

Initially, I was not concerned. Surely, I thought, this will resolve itself within the next three days. But no, the demands of the strikers were not met. It went on for weeks. Panic set in because I needed to get back to the States as work and family were waiting for me. I prayed and prayed, begging God to intervene in the strike so that I could fly home. Daily I called the airlines, but nothing changed.

Finally, after two long weeks of striking, a few flights left South Africa. But by this time there was such a backlog of passengers camped out at the airport that it would be weeks longer before I would be able to leave. Still, I could not wait any longer. I had to get home. I presented my problem to the Lord once more. And, in faith, took action on my request to Him.

My parents took me to the airport, which was a good two-hour drive. Not knowing what to expect when I got there, I planned to join those sleeping on the floor hoping to get a flight out. We arrived at the airport and it brought my stomach to my throat. The sight of the throngs was more than I could bear. That’s when my mom said, “Let’s just turn around and return home.” My dad, on the other hand, is one of those old-time believers in God’s amazing work in the worst of situations said, “I think she should just step out in faith and see what happens.”

We parked miles away and fought the crowd to the terminal. People were sleeping, standing, camping out in the terminal. None of the lines were moving. I had no idea where to go to even begin to put my name on a waiting list. And then God intervened, as He always does in such circumstances. There I was standing with my huge suitcase, in the middle of the crowd, totally dazed, not knowing where to turn, when one of the airport attendees suddenly reached for me and asked, “Where are you going?” “New York!” I said. He said quickly, “Come with me.” He picked up my suitcase and escorted me right to the front of the line, leaving everyone else yelling and cursing at me. He waited with me at the counter and helped me get on a flight. The flight had one seat open to New York.

After checking in, I went back to find my parents, who were still in shock at what they had just witnessed. My dad, tears running down his face, smiled and hugged me, saying, “Well? Once again, all you had to do was step out in faith, making your requests known to Almighty God and He answered you. But you had to act on your faith. Why do we doubt God?”

Looking back over the whole situation, my faith in God increased tremendously. What happened? Why was I chosen out of the crowd? I will never know why, but I can only say that God took this situation to prove to me that He knows who I am, that He alone can work out the toughest challenges in our lives. He knew I had to get home to fulfill commitments in the church. I asked and He answered.

Sharon finishes her story by saying, “There are times when we have to take God at His word when He says He will make a way in the wilderness when there is no way. We have to physically move forward, taking up our baggage, trusting that He is who He says He is. Was the gentleman in the airport who took me out of the crowd an angel? I don’t think so. He was looking in the crowd for someone to put on the flight. God helped him to pick me. We miss out on so many blessings when we say, ‘The situation is impossible.’ We must come to the realization that our God is a God who transcends the impossible. We need to step out in faith, knowing He hears our cry.”

So let me add this note: Whatever you may need from God today, start by asking. Then start thinking about what you need to do to act on your faith that He has heard you. Don’t do it just to check it off your list of things to do, but do it with the expectation that the answer is on its way. Like Sharon, you will be surprised at what mighty things your Mighty God can do. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

To all my precious readers, we will soon be starting another thrilling journey through God’s Word. I am excited about sharing with you the insights God has shared with me through His Holy Spirit and those that I have researched and found in the writings of great scholars of the Bible.

But I would like to ask you this question: If given a choice, what book in the New Testament would you like to study? Let me know as soon as you can. It would be of great interest to me so that I can be guided in future studies.

I will let you know soon what book in the New Testament I have chosen because my research is almost complete. God bless you, especially because of your dedication to and love for His holy Word.

Dr. Robert R Seyda

Nineteenth Century French writer, director, and actor Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, who became famous by his stage name, Molière, was also well-known for the satire he wrote into the script for characters in his plays. In one play, a character named Cynthie finishes her lines with these words: “Vivre sans aimer n’est pas proprement vivre,” which translated is: “To live without loving is not really to live.”¹

It is apparent that Molière discovered a secret that many people today still have not uncovered, and that is: We were born to love because loving is what living is all about. There should be nothing in life that gives us more satisfaction than when we exercise our will to love someone as a parent, sibling, friend, neighbor, workmate, especially our spouse, or out of compassion. The reason why love must be an act of the will is because just saying it does not make it real. It must be shown, demonstrated, acted out, in some way so that the person it is intended for can see it, believe, it, accept it, and respond to it.

What bothers me today, is how so many people have allowed cell phones, I-Pads, Tablets, etc., to become a box in which they live, move, and have their being. They don’t make eye contact anymore, they walk into light posts, trip into shopping mall fountains, even have serious and deadly automobile accidents because their eyes were not on the road. I’ve even seen people in church looking more at their cell phones than at the praise and worship team or the minister as he preaches.

It would be nothing short of heartbreak if any person would end their day without having shown love to at least one person while they are awake, at work, out and about doing their errands, and going through their day. These acts of love are not so much about the giver as it is about the recipient. My mind staggers at the thought of what this world would be like if it wasn’t for God’s love. But God didn’t just say it, He demonstrated it on the cross. So as Cynthie rightly says in Molière’s play: “To live without loving is not really to live.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Some years ago a lady told this story about her experience as a child. It has a touching lesson that I hope you enjoy. She grew up knowing she was different and hated it. she was born with a cleft palate, and when she started to go to school, her classmates – who constantly teased her – made it clear to her how she looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and hollow and somewhat garbled speech. She couldn’t even blow up a balloon without holding her nose, and when she bent to drink from a fountain, the water spilled out of her nose. When her schoolmates asked, “What happened to your lip?” She’d tell them that when she was a baby she had fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to them that she had suffered an accident than that she was born this way.

By age of seven, she was convinced that no one outside her own family loved or even liked her for who she was. Then she entered the second grade where the teacher was Mrs. Leonard. She never learned her first name was because everybody called her, Mrs. Leonard. She was plump and pretty with chubby arms and shining brown hair and warm dark eyes that smiled even on rare occasions when her mouth did not. Everyone adored her. But none of the students came to love her more than this little girl did.

It happened for a special reason. The time came for the annual “hearing tests” that were given at the school. She was barely able to hear anything out of one ear, and she dreaded revealing that she had yet another problem that would single her out as being even more odd. So she decided to cheat. She had learned to watch other children, so during the group testing, she raised her hand when they did. But the “whisper test” required a different kind of deception: Each child would go to the door of the classroom, turn sideways, close one ear with a finger, and the teacher would whisper something from her desk, which the child would repeat. Then the same thing was done for the other ear. She had discovered in kindergarten that nobody checked to see how tightly the untested ear was being covered, so she decided she would merely pretend to block her good ear.

The lady then tells what happened next: “As usual, I was last, but all through the testing I wondered what Mrs. Leonard might say to me. I knew from previous years that she whispered things like ‘The sky is blue’ or ‘Do you have new shoes?’ When my turn came, I turned my bad ear toward her, plugged up the other ear solidly with my finger, then gently backed my finger away enough to be able to hear. I waited and then the words that God surely put into her mouth, seven words that changed my life forever came into my ear. Mrs. Leonard, the pretty, fragrant teacher I adored, said softly, ‘I wish you were my little girl’”

Sometimes we feel like this lady when she was young. We are not proud of what we look like as a Christian. We have so many obvious faults that sometimes we’re embarrassed to even admit that we are a believer. We don’t like what others are saying about us, but we know they are only telling the truth and we can’t dispute them. And when we go to worship, during prayer time we wonder what God thinks about us and don’t know if He’s even listening to us when we pray. But like this little girl, we may find out that God has been whispering this to us all along, “I’m glad you’re my little child.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance,” is a popular saying that has been seen on items such as T-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers. This saying has been quoted by various writers since around June 1974. Then, in July 1974, someone credited this saying to comedy writer and speechwriter Robert Orben.

Then in 1978, Derek Bok, the president of Harvard University received credit for coining this phrase. After that, it became known as “Bok’s Law.” However, the lack of earlier evidence to this claim and the lack of a direct denial made by Bok makes it unlikely that Bok had anything to do with originating this saying. Then in 1997, Andy McIntyre was credited for this saying, but that is also unlikely since several people go by that name.

In fact, this aphorism was first cited in 1903 as: “If education is expensive, ignorance is still more costly.” Then, a 1913 newspaper published an editorial titled “The Cost of Education and the Cost of Ignorance,” stating, “Education is ‘expensive’? In a sense, yes. But ignorance is infinitely more expensive.” Furthermore, a 1923 newspaper feature called, “Tom Sims Says” included “Education is expensive, but it isn’t as expensive as ignorance.”¹

There is reason to believe that all of this was taken from an ancient document that had this maxim: “From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.”² But the real factor here is that it is a truism whether it is 100 years old or 1,000 years old. One of my great mentors, Dr. J. Herbert Walker, often said, “Ignorance is expensive,” when he saw a mishap caused by inattention or laziness. One saying that has been very effective in my own life comes from John Maxwell who said: “It’s said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others’ mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from others’ successes.”³ – Dr. Robert R Seyda

WHEN WEAKNESS CAN BE OUR STRENGTH

I read this story about how our biggest weakness can become our biggest strength. There was a 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,” the boy finally asked, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?” The master answered, “This one move I know very well, and this is the only move you’ll ever need to know.”

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the Sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy advanced to the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when Sensei intervened. “No,” Sensei insisted, “Let him continue.” Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used the one move he knew to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and Sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. “Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one arm and one move?” “You won for two reasons,” Sensei answered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.” Since he did not have a left arm, the boy realized that his biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

The same is true of many who utilized their weakness in a positive way for progress instead of in a negative way for pity. Such is the case with Mariusz Kedzierski is a Polish artist from Świdnica. He uses pencil and paper as a medium to create realistic portraits, and calling him amazing is an understatement. His skill makes him amazing in his own right, but when you take into account that he is an armless artist, it elevates his talent to another level!

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

In finishing this 28th Chapter we have completed our study of Matthew’s Gospel. In this last portion, we find the disciples were sadly gone into hiding after Jesus’ crucifixion while two prominent Jews, who were secret believers in Jesus as the waited Messiah, gave Him a proper burial. Then several women, who had been constant helpers in Jesus’ ministry, were not ashamed of being followers of this prophet of Galilee, and on Sunday morning boldly went to the tomb to where He had been laid on Friday evening, to pay their respects.

As Matthew tells it, while they were on their way, the ground began to shake as an angel of the Lord arrived just in time to roll back the stone so they could see that their Lord was no longer there. The Roman sentries guarding the tomb panicked because the angel’s arrival was like a bolt of lightning, so they ran off. By the time the women arrived, the angel was sitting on the rolled-away stone.

As the women approached, the angel told them not to be afraid because he knew they were there to see Jesus who was crucified. That Jesus was no longer in the tomb because He was alive. The angel even invited them to look inside the tomb to make sure the Messiah was no longer there. After the women saw that the tomb was empty, then the angel told them to hurry back to the city and tell the disciples the good news that the Master had risen from the dead. The angel also told them to tell the disciples that Jesus would meet them back in Galilee just as He had promised.

The women were quick to obey the angel’s command. And although they were breathless because of their encounter with an angel, they took off for the city to tell the disciples what they had just seen and heard. But as they hurried away, they were suddenly confronted by an unusual looking man standing in their path who warmly greeted them. There was something about the way He spoke that immediately convinced them that this was their risen Savior. So they ran toward Him, fell on their knees, touched His feet with their foreheads as a sign of reverence and worship.

However, Jesus had another reason for this encounter. He could see both the fright and amazement in their eyes, so He told them not to be afraid. Then He confirmed what the angel had said, and asked them to go tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee at a place where they had often gathered before. The women did not hesitate, they started running immediately toward Jerusalem with the exciting good news.

But they were not the only group hurrying rapidly toward the city. Some of the Roman sentries who were guarding the tomb had recovered from their frightening encounter with the angel, and they were also on their way with an urgent message. While the women were intent on finding the disciples, the sentries were equally intent on finding the chief priests with their urgent message. We have been told that when the women told the disciples about Jesus being alive, they were skeptical thinking the women were having hallucinations. Oddly enough, when the sentries told the chief priests about Jesus being alive, they believed it and immediately concocted a story about how Jesus’ disciples had come in the middle of the night and stole His body. Then, to cover up their lie they paid the sentries to tell this story to their Roman commander.

There was a law all Roman soldiers who were given charge of prisoners knew about, that if any one of their prisoners escaped from custody they then would then suffer the consequences intended for that prisoner. But the chief priests knew that these Roman officers could be bribed just as easily as these guards were. On that assurance, the sentries hurried off to tell their false story. By the time Matthew’s gospel was published, this story was still going around among the Jews and Romans.

The disciples recovered from their doubt about Jesus’ resurrection and went back Galilee to the place Jesus was supposed to meet them. And sure enough, He showed up just as He said He would. When some of them saw him, in their amazement they ran to Him and did as the women had done. They fell on their knees and touched His feet with their forehead. Yet, Matthew says, others still had their doubts. But Jesus didn’t let this stand in His way. He had a message for them.

Jesus told them without no uncertainty, now that He had risen from the tomb, that His Father had given Him authority over everything in heaven and on earth. So by that authority, He was sending them out into the world to make disciples of all who believe. And as a sign of their confessed faith, He told them to baptize them with the approval of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then to instruct them on everything they had heard Him teach. But He also told them that He was not sending them out alone, that He would be with them every step of the way until God’s plan of salvation was carried out.

This is where Matthew’s account ends, but we know from others that Jesus told them to first go back to Jerusalem and way until the Holy Spirit would arrive to empower them, comfort them, and guide them on their way to winning the world to Christ. Then after 40 days being with them, He suddenly was taken up into heaven so that He could take His place at God’s right hand as their mediator. And that is where He is to this very day, awaiting His Father’s signal that it is time to go back and gather all those who believed in Him, whether they are dead or alive, and bring them back to the place that He has been preparing for them to live for eternity.

So, none of us were there to experience His first coming, but we will all be there for His second coming. And in the words of a song written by a young man named Jim Hill, who was studying to be a professional opera singer. But after his conversion, he joined a gospel quartet. Then, not too long afterward, his wife’s mother became gravely ill. He went to the hospital to visit her, and on the way home these words came flooding into his mind:

There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There’ll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

God bless all of you for your dedication and love for the Bible. I pray that the seed that has been sown in your hearts and minds during this journey through Matthew will be anointed by the Holy Spirit and help you grow stronger and wise in being the Christian God wants you to be. – Dr. Robert R Seyda