A Walk with Matthew

By Keith Sellen

A Walk with Matthew is a poetic journey through the Gospel of Matthew, written through the lens of a believer who, like every believer, has been grafted into an extraordinary family. The author begins with the Gospel writer’s thesis—that those (however ordinary or unlikely) who believe in Jesus are grafted into the family of the King—and reveals through poetry how the life and teachings of Jesus transform us as they did Matthew and the other disciples.

The book grew out of the author’s desire for a more genuine, intimate, meaningful, and joyful relationship with Jesus and to become more useful to Jesus in His ministry. The strategy was to go back to the basics. In this case, it was the Gospel of Matthew. The book is an interpretation of the Gospel that grew out of the author’s own relationship with Jesus and his challenges living out that relationship in his family, community, and public service.

It is the author’s hope that this book will motivate the reader to engage the Gospel message, reflect on the text and meaning of the scripture, understand all the good that the Gospel presents, pursue the transformation of being grafted into Jesus’ pedigree, grow more confident in eternal life, and be joyfully content in this life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512755480

Keith Sellen

Keith Sellen is an attorney who lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Keith is a retired army judge advocate and a graduate of West Point. He grew up on a dairy farm in Northeastern Wisconsin. At an early age, he came to faith in Jesus, who has been a source of inspiration and encouragement throughout Keith’s career of public service. Keith is married to his childhood sweetheart, Debbie. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 Keith Sellen.

Author photo: Raquel Torres-Arzola, photographer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5549-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5550-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5548-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016914581

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/27/2016

Contents

Pedigree

When God Shows Up

God with Us

Wisdom to Worship

Folly not to Worship

Ironic to See Who Worshipped

The Wise Man’s Gift

Onward, Christian Soldier

Repentance

Beloved Leader

Confidence

Down from the Mountain

Then Jesus Comes

Fishers of Men

What Would Jesus Do

Disciples Come

Counterintuitive Attitude

Salt

Let Your Light Shine

The House Finch

Say What?

Take Heed

Our Father

The Prayer He Taught Me to Pray

Thy Will be Done

To Err is Human

To Forgive Divine

Anxiety

One Judge

One Worthy

One Good

Oneness

One Gait

One Fruit

One Task

Our Leprous Sin

Our Saving Faith

Symbiosis

Sincerity

Duplicity

Stridence

The Mustard Seed

The Mustard Pot

The Mustard Root

The Mustard Branch

Mustard Leaves

The Mustard Farmer’s Son

My Faith in Him

His Faith in Me

Bob

My Peace

Dancing with Wolves

The Beast in Me

Stigmata

Oh, Quiet Voice

Lovely Dove

Oh! Little Bird

Fulcrum

Of

From Only Jesus

The Vice of Christ

Walk Blessed

Great by Faith

The Sweet Savage

Advoidum Ad Hominem

Warning

The Father’s Smile

Jesus, Lord of Earth

Jesus, Lord of Religion

Jesus, Lord of Good

Jesus, Lord of Justice

Jesus, Lord of Me

Jesus, Lord

Loyalty

Obstinacy

Holy Oomph!

Special Delivery

Decomposition

Jesus Sits

Jesus Shows

Jesus Sows

Jesus Hopes

Jesus Invests

Jesus Sells

Jesus Sorts

Jesus Calls

The Non-Assignment

The Tough Assignment

Mission Impossible

How Much More

Mission Call

I Think

The Housekeeper

The Smallest Crumb

Enlightenment

Convicted

Discernment

Roles

When God Makes no Sense

When I Make no Sense

Window on a New World

A Near Life Experience

A Here Life Experience

A Rebuke

A Greater Vision

A Freer Spirit

Grandbabies

The Irony of Greatness

The Choice

Anvil

Ingrate (Un-great)

If

The Moral Choice

Parent’s Wedding Prayer

Debbie

The Hugging Trees

Transcendent Grace

Papa

Walk with Me

Who Can be Saved

Jesus’ Gracious Reward

Heart Attuned

Discontent

Malcontent

Drink and Be Baptized

Righteously Blind

King Jesus

The Office

Legacy

A Faith Tree

To Be, or not to Be

Work the Vineyard

A Happy Farmer

Missing the Kingdom

Three Stones

Contrasted Faiths

This is My Father’s World

The Invitation

The Inspection

Whose Image

Why We are so Sad

God of Life

Why Love

Lord of Perspective

My Dialogue

The Trade

My Martyrdom

The Missionary

No, not One

No, not Yet

No, Not Done

Now and Then

Not My Words! Not This Generation!

Remain

It Happens Every Day

The Indispensable Ingredient

The Secret of Success

Our Stock in Trade

Finding God

Our Holy Function

My Olivet Response

One Way

Alabaster Box

Adore Him

Crisis Moments

Be a Better Leader

Face to Face

Eye to Eye

I Am the Lamb

Sheep Astray

Break Chains and Fix Links

My Certain Hope

Destroy and Rebuild

The Great Why

Like Peter

Glory in a Tent

God’s Glory and Grace

My Bid for My Soul

How Jesus Prayed

The Universal Question

Cleanse Me

Serendipitous Simon

My Passion

When Jesus Died

What the Soldiers Saw

Love Strong

The Error of My Ways

Oops!

Dawn of the First Day

Greetings!

Blessed Redundancy

Faith-Seeking Feet

But Some Doubted

Undeterred

In Between

Pedigree

Amen

Letter to the Reader

At age eight, I placed my faith in Jesus. I believed He died and rose from the dead for me. I asked Him to forgive my sin and live in my heart. Before then, I remember feeling the Holy Spirit was speaking to me, drawing me toward an understanding that God loved me and desired a relationship with me. Since, our relationship has been centered in the Bible; and as far back as I can remember, journaling and poetry have played an important role. They clarified what Jesus taught, and guided me as I learned the lessons.

This book arose out of two desires. At the point I began, I felt a deep need for a more genuine, intimate, meaningful, and joyful relationship with Jesus. Also, I wanted to become more useful to Jesus in His ministry. I wanted changes in my life that would make me more pleasing to Jesus, and more useful to Him in my marriage, family, work, community, and church. It was time for me to go back to the basics, in this case reading Matthew. I walked with Matthew as he walked with Jesus.

I appreciate many who have loved me, taught me, encouraged and mentored me. This work is dedicated to one of them, Grandma Irene, who encouraged me to hear God’s voice.

The times I feel closest to God - the most peace and joy, the most intimacy, the most assured of the right way, the most confidence – are the times spent reading the Bible and listening to the Spirit’s teaching. I wish the same experience for you, hoping He who inspires my walk will also inspire yours.

Keith Sellen

2016

Pedigree

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.

- Matthew 1:1

We - no matter who we are, no matter what we have done, and especially we whose lives seem ordinary and uneventful – can become part of an amazing story, grafted into the royal line of a gracious and loving King, groomed and destined to rule with Him in an everlasting kingdom.

Abraham’s and David’s Son,

Promised King and Holy One,

Never walked so grand as He

Possessed of heavenly pedigree.

Interestingly, we see

Grafted in His family tree

Unlikely for the Kingly line

But graced with pedigree divine.

Tamar, who was left alone,

God chose as His very own.

Repenting of her life of sin,

Rahab became grafted in.

Rewarded for her loyalty,

Ruth’s children are royalty.

Poor, widowed Uriah’s wife,

Becomes part of the Line of Life.

And I, despite my pain and sin,

Likewise may be grafted in.

The faith these four display for me

Alight my path to pedigree.

When God Shows Up

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

- Matthew 1:18

God enters our experience in surprising ways. We might see His entrances as problematic or even tragic – Mary and Joseph certainly may have – but with each entrance, God grafts us into His story, and our confidence in Him gives us the perspective to obey and succeed.

As we go along our way

(As Mary plans her wedding day),

The Holy Spirit has a say.

We do not design the plan -

(For Mary, truly, knew no man)

We are found touched by God’s hand,

Children of the Holy Ghost,

Not a thing of which we boast

(Mary was disbelieved by most).

Do our best we think we must

(Joseph’s plan was good and just),

But God commands instead to trust.

Then wisdom comes on Angel wing

(While Joseph is quietly dreaming),

God the right way revealing.

God first tells us not to fear.

(Joseph held his honor dear.)

Have we courage God to hear?

Angel, then, directs our way

(Take Mary and with her stay).

The choice is ours, now, to obey.

The reason helps our hearts believe

(The Child is Holy Ghost conceived).

So encouraged, we proceed.

Vision shows us God’s good end

(Jesus, Savior from all sin),

So we walk astride our Friend.

God with Us

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

- Matthew 1:21

What does it mean that the God of the universe dwells in human flesh? It means:

Mercy more than our guilt,

Grace greater than pride,

Greatness enduring humanity,

His purpose inspires our lives.

Wisdom beyond understanding,

Reverence rather than might,

Revelation exceeding reason,

His beauty becomes our delight.

Reward exceeding sacrifice,

Faith beyond all fear,

Joy despite our suffering,

The Savior is always near.

Hope beyond dark doubts,

Treasure greater than wealth,

Love exceeding emotion,

We find life, peace, and health.

Wisdom to Worship

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

- Matthew 2:1-2

The wise men were led to worship Jesus, not by their culture or religion, not because they were members of the Jewish race. They were intelligent and educated men of science. Science – the honest search for the truth – did not lead them away from Jesus, but to Him.

The wise of the east sought to follow a star.

They studied and searched for years.

They desired to worship the One sent from God,

And His star had just appeared.

The star they had seen appeared in the east.

So far, then, they had trod.

The truth was revealed to them through eastern thought

And brought them to their God.

And as the wise followed the star to its end

Their hearts increased with joy.

Their travel had been worth the danger and toil.

They saw the kingly boy.

First they bowed down. Then they opened their gifts

Of frankincense, myrrh, and gold.

It was natural to give of their best to the