Category: David’s Posts

I’m going through Matthew in my devotions right now, and I am really enjoying just watching Jesus’ life unfold on the pages. God speaks to me a lot through my daily devotions (and He’ll speak to you to – get your Bible out and start reading it daily… eventually you’ll start hearing Him!). Here’s a verse I read earlier this week:

“…but go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice.’
for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
– Jesus, Matthew 9:13

Now, is that cool or what? Here’s the situation: Jesus is having just a normal day, ministering to people, calling them to repentance, etc. He asks one guy, not just to repent, but to begin following him. That man was Matthew. Matthew wasn’t just any ol’ Joe off of the street – he was a tax collector. I’m sure we all understand not liking taxes, but, for the Jews of that day, tax was a symbol of Roman aggression, repression, and rule. In other words, though Matthew may even have been well known, nobody would’ve liked him except his other tax collector friends.

Jesus called that man to follow him.

“…and he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus
was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and
sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.”
Matthew 9:9b-10

When Matthew got saved and started following Jesus, he invited Jesus and His disciples to come over for dinner. Naturally, Matthew’s friends came over, too, like they usually did. This really upset the Pharisees. Jesus was a rabbi. Rabbis aren’t supposed to eat with tax collectors. However, instead of dealing with the issue biblically and going directly to Jesus (apparently they hadn’t read Matthew 18), they ask His disciples what was going on.

“…they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax
collectors and sinners?”
Matthew 9:11b

Jesus’ answer to them is so appropriate, so amazing… His words ring true to this day in a way that we as “church people” need to hear them more than ever. He tells them, “…It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Ye-ah! You tell ’em, Jesus!… Wait, that applies to me, too! How often have I lacked compassion for the people around me? How often have I not wanted to sit next to a person just because they were new in church? Jesus makes an excellent point – the church is not for churchy people! The church is not a place for people to build their own “religious culture” around and not let anyone else in! The church is a place for people who have offended God to come and find that He loves them, wants to forgive them, and will give them the power to stop doing those things that offend Him so badly!

Whew… *breathing heavily*

My rant is over. 😀

This verse has really caused me to pause and think, “Do I show enough compassion? Do I even understand what that word really, really means?”

I don’t think compassion is just about giving “less than $1 a day” to some charity so that orphans on the other side of the world can eat and get a good education. Do not get me wrong – we should do that.  It’s just that I think we sometimes satisfy our consciences with those things thinking “my job is done with compassion – I wrote a check.” Yes, God calls us to love Him with our money, but that is because He wants us to love Him with our whole selves.

Thanks for reading.

Wow… I was just updating and importing everything from our old blog (“MissionL’vivUkraine”), and I got to saw posts from almost 4 years ago. I see how much I’ve changed, how much I used to worry about coming to Ukraine, etc. It really, really does make a difference when you know the end of the story. I had no idea I’d be living in my own apartment, with my Ukrainian wife, speaking fluent Ukrainian, and planning on moving on to another ministry in 3 1/2 years. Things that were SUCH a struggle back then are so easy now, and I’ve forgotten what it was like back then.

I guess I really am growing…

Do you ever look back and think like that? That’s one of the things that I love about having a journal. In addition to our blog, I’ve been keeping a journal for the past couple of years, and the transition there is even more drastic, because I record those deep prayers, those inner thoughts that I don’t want to show anyone but Jesus.

I think blogging is a great practice for anyone because of that, but I think journaling is SO much more beneficial. If you have an old journal that’s not full yet, fill it up! Write a little every day. Pray through your pen. I LOVE communing with God by journaling every day. It’s so refreshing, and I find God speaking to me SO often through that.

Another thing that does is it helps you to see what you’re thinking. Once you express something in words outside of your mind, it can give you a totally different perspective on what you want to say to that person, or if this person really meant to offend you, etc.

Looking back helps me to go forward.

Katya and I are finally ready to announce that our ministry here in L’viv is coming to a close. Before we go to our next thing, we really want to come back to the States and visit all of you guys. Please be praying for us through this exciting and challenging time. It’s hard for us to leave the church that we helped start. We’ve been with these people from the beginning, and we feel like a family, but we know that God is moving us on.

Katya and I would LOVE to be there before Christmas, but that does not give us much time to save up for tickets or get the documents for Katya’s visa. We have been working on that for the last few months, so please pray for that continuing process.

There are some things we will need while we are in America: a car to drive, a place to stay, short-term employment (for Katya and myself), etc. If you would be able to help us with some of these things or know someone who can, please just respond to this e-mail. Looking forward to singing Christmas carols with you all!

Thank you all VERY much for praying with us!
– David and Katya Snead

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Katya and I are going on our first vacation together (aside from our honeymoon) next week, but it’s also going to be a time for us to be alone and seek God. Please be praying for us to have a very relaxed time. We’ll be going to one of the port cities here in Ukraine, and we’re hoping the weather will be warm enough for us to go swimming on the beach. We’ve been feeling like we needed to get away for a while and spend some time as a couple relaxing and reconnecting with God and each other.

Thanks a lot, everyone!