The Inescapable God
God Reveals
John 3:31-36 (The Message)
31-33"The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God. The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heavenborn is in a league of his own. He sets out the evidence of what he saw and heard in heaven. No one wants to deal with these facts. But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the truth.
34-36"The One that God sent speaks God's words. And don't think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces. The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts. That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn't see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that."
For Reflection
In the ages before Christ, what ever truths were known were known through oral argument and revelations of prophets. Few people had direct encounters with God. The Christ event meant that the truth was indeed knowable. Not just a cloudy glimpse, but rather an undeniable sign, a revelation of the nature of God, His relationship to human kind and His intentions for us. What do you think is the ultimate truth revealed through the life of Christ? How does that influence you?
Praise God for the gift of his Son. Ask God to guide you in your search for the truth in Jesus Christ. Pray that the truth of the scriptures will guide your daily actions.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
God of the Living
The Inescapable God
God Reveals
Luke 20:34-40 (The Message)
34-38Jesus said, "Marriage is a major preoccupation here, but not there. Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage nor, of course, with death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. Even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, 'God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!' God isn't the God of dead men, but of the living. To him all are alive."
39-40Some of the religion scholars said, "Teacher, that's a great answer!" For a while, anyway, no one dared put questions to him.
For Reflection
I suppose all of us are concerned about life after death. Death, in my opinion, is just continuation of life. Christ died so that we might be free from the fear of death-- free to live the life He intends for us to live, in service to Him. Some use these kinds of unanswerable questions as road blocks to understanding the truth of God's love and intentions for his people and to discredit the messengers of truth.
.
It is difficult if not impossible to see beyond our experience. We tend to see God and define his intentions from a mortal perspective that is difficult to escape. Spend some time this week thinking about how you see God and His intentions for human kind. How much of your concepts are based in your own learned cultural expectations? For example, what is revealed in God's command to love your neighbor as you love yourself? How is that challenged in today's society?
Pray for the wisdom to seek the truth of God's intentions. Pray that you will be open to accept the revelation of God's message. Pray for the willingness to explore the emerging truths incrementally revealed in each experience with God.
God Reveals
Luke 20:34-40 (The Message)
34-38Jesus said, "Marriage is a major preoccupation here, but not there. Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage nor, of course, with death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. Even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, 'God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!' God isn't the God of dead men, but of the living. To him all are alive."
39-40Some of the religion scholars said, "Teacher, that's a great answer!" For a while, anyway, no one dared put questions to him.
For Reflection
I suppose all of us are concerned about life after death. Death, in my opinion, is just continuation of life. Christ died so that we might be free from the fear of death-- free to live the life He intends for us to live, in service to Him. Some use these kinds of unanswerable questions as road blocks to understanding the truth of God's love and intentions for his people and to discredit the messengers of truth.
.
It is difficult if not impossible to see beyond our experience. We tend to see God and define his intentions from a mortal perspective that is difficult to escape. Spend some time this week thinking about how you see God and His intentions for human kind. How much of your concepts are based in your own learned cultural expectations? For example, what is revealed in God's command to love your neighbor as you love yourself? How is that challenged in today's society?
Pray for the wisdom to seek the truth of God's intentions. Pray that you will be open to accept the revelation of God's message. Pray for the willingness to explore the emerging truths incrementally revealed in each experience with God.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Upheld by God
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Acts 28:16-25 (The Message)
14-16And then we came to Rome. Friends in Rome heard we were on the way and came out to meet us. One group got as far as Appian Court; another group met us at Three Taverns—emotion-packed meetings, as you can well imagine. Paul, brimming over with praise, led us in prayers of thanksgiving. When we actually entered Rome, they let Paul live in his own private quarters with a soldier who had been assigned to guard him.
17-20Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders together for a meeting at his house. He said, "The Jews in Jerusalem arrested me on trumped-up charges, and I was taken into custody by the Romans. I assure you that I did absolutely nothing against Jewish laws or Jewish customs. After the Romans investigated the charges and found there was nothing to them, they wanted to set me free, but the Jews objected so fiercely that I was forced to appeal to Caesar. I did this not to accuse them of any wrongdoing or to get our people in trouble with Rome. We've had enough trouble through the years that way. I did it for Israel. I asked you to come and listen to me today to make it clear that I'm on Israel's side, not against her. I'm a hostage here for hope, not doom."
21-22They said, "Nobody wrote warning us about you. And no one has shown up saying anything bad about you. But we would like very much to hear more. The only thing we know about this Christian sect is that nobody seems to have anything good to say about it."
23They agreed on a time. When the day arrived, they came back to his home with a number of their friends. Paul talked to them all day, from morning to evening, explaining everything involved in the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them all about Jesus by pointing out what Moses and the prophets had written about him.
24-27Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: "I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet:
Go to this people and tell them this:
"You're going to listen with your ears,
but you won't hear a word;
You're going to stare with your eyes,
but you won't see a thing.
These people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won't have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won't have to look,
so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them."
Acts 28:28-31
28"You've had your chance. The non-Jewish outsiders are next on the list. And believe me, they're going to receive it with open arms!"
30-31Paul lived for two years in his rented house. He welcomed everyone who came to visit. He urgently presented all matters of the kingdom of God. He explained everything about Jesus Christ. His door was always open.
For Reflection
What joy it must have been for Paul to receive the gifts that God delivered not only through Paul's friends, but also through those who saw the truth in Paul's teaching. To see the fruits of one's labor for Christ is a rare and wonderful gift.
Paul also saw those who blocked acceptance. Rather than argue his case with the bickering unbelievers, Paul welcomed all who would listen. Paul became the vessel of God's grace.
How do you face discouraging outcomes? Are you compelled to argue until blue in the face? To what extent can you dismiss failure and enter into the next event with God centered confidence, grace, and courage?
Pray for the encouragement of fellow believers and God's gentle guiding hand. Pray that each person that you meet will see in you, as others saw in Paul, the inescapable truth of God living in you. Pray that you live your life in a way that encourages other's to join you to live in the hollow of God's hand.
in Today's World
Acts 28:16-25 (The Message)
14-16And then we came to Rome. Friends in Rome heard we were on the way and came out to meet us. One group got as far as Appian Court; another group met us at Three Taverns—emotion-packed meetings, as you can well imagine. Paul, brimming over with praise, led us in prayers of thanksgiving. When we actually entered Rome, they let Paul live in his own private quarters with a soldier who had been assigned to guard him.
17-20Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders together for a meeting at his house. He said, "The Jews in Jerusalem arrested me on trumped-up charges, and I was taken into custody by the Romans. I assure you that I did absolutely nothing against Jewish laws or Jewish customs. After the Romans investigated the charges and found there was nothing to them, they wanted to set me free, but the Jews objected so fiercely that I was forced to appeal to Caesar. I did this not to accuse them of any wrongdoing or to get our people in trouble with Rome. We've had enough trouble through the years that way. I did it for Israel. I asked you to come and listen to me today to make it clear that I'm on Israel's side, not against her. I'm a hostage here for hope, not doom."
21-22They said, "Nobody wrote warning us about you. And no one has shown up saying anything bad about you. But we would like very much to hear more. The only thing we know about this Christian sect is that nobody seems to have anything good to say about it."
23They agreed on a time. When the day arrived, they came back to his home with a number of their friends. Paul talked to them all day, from morning to evening, explaining everything involved in the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them all about Jesus by pointing out what Moses and the prophets had written about him.
24-27Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: "I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet:
Go to this people and tell them this:
"You're going to listen with your ears,
but you won't hear a word;
You're going to stare with your eyes,
but you won't see a thing.
These people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won't have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won't have to look,
so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them."
Acts 28:28-31
28"You've had your chance. The non-Jewish outsiders are next on the list. And believe me, they're going to receive it with open arms!"
30-31Paul lived for two years in his rented house. He welcomed everyone who came to visit. He urgently presented all matters of the kingdom of God. He explained everything about Jesus Christ. His door was always open.
For Reflection
What joy it must have been for Paul to receive the gifts that God delivered not only through Paul's friends, but also through those who saw the truth in Paul's teaching. To see the fruits of one's labor for Christ is a rare and wonderful gift.
Paul also saw those who blocked acceptance. Rather than argue his case with the bickering unbelievers, Paul welcomed all who would listen. Paul became the vessel of God's grace.
How do you face discouraging outcomes? Are you compelled to argue until blue in the face? To what extent can you dismiss failure and enter into the next event with God centered confidence, grace, and courage?
Pray for the encouragement of fellow believers and God's gentle guiding hand. Pray that each person that you meet will see in you, as others saw in Paul, the inescapable truth of God living in you. Pray that you live your life in a way that encourages other's to join you to live in the hollow of God's hand.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
God will Satisfy Every Need
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Philippians 4:15-20 (The Message)
15-17You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I'll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. Not that I'm looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
18-20And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
For Reflection
Will God really take care of your every need? What is the difference between what you want and what you need? Think of a time when God delivered on this promise. How did what you need reconcile you with the circumstances you faced? How did getting what you needed advance your faith and your role in the Kingdom?
Pray to accept the mystery of God's plan for you. Pray that you see the wisdom of God's hand in your life. Pray for the confidence in faith that growing into Grace requires.
in Today's World Philippians 4:15-20 (The Message)
15-17You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I'll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. Not that I'm looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
18-20And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
For Reflection
Will God really take care of your every need? What is the difference between what you want and what you need? Think of a time when God delivered on this promise. How did what you need reconcile you with the circumstances you faced? How did getting what you needed advance your faith and your role in the Kingdom?
Pray to accept the mystery of God's plan for you. Pray that you see the wisdom of God's hand in your life. Pray for the confidence in faith that growing into Grace requires.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Lord is Your Keeper
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Psalm 121 (The Message)
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
3-4 He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.
5-6 God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.
7-8 God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.
For Reflection
It takes strength to face the future, look it in the eye and embrace the opportunities the future represents. It takes strength to face the unknown. In the face of adversity, what gives you confidence to drive forward? To what extent do you rely on yourself? To what extent do you recognize God's guardianship?
Pray for the confidence in God's guardianship. Pray to strengthen your conviction and faith in God's will for you.
in Today's World Psalm 121 (The Message)
A Pilgrim Song
1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
3-4 He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.
5-6 God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.
7-8 God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.
For Reflection
It takes strength to face the future, look it in the eye and embrace the opportunities the future represents. It takes strength to face the unknown. In the face of adversity, what gives you confidence to drive forward? To what extent do you rely on yourself? To what extent do you recognize God's guardianship?
Pray for the confidence in God's guardianship. Pray to strengthen your conviction and faith in God's will for you.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Our Refuge and Strength
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Psalm 46 (The Message)
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.
7 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
breaks all the weapons across his knee.
"Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything."
11 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
For Reflection
God fights for us and His armies protect us. So what do we fear? Where God lives the streets are safe. God lives in you. Where ever you are, God is there too. The streets He leads you to build are lined with flowers and the comforting shade of His trees.
Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise God for refuge in times of trouble. Praise God for strength to follow His way. Praise God for the gift of challenge in his name.
in Today's World Psalm 46 (The Message)
A Song of the Sons of Korah
1-3 God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.
7 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
breaks all the weapons across his knee.
"Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything."
11 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
For Reflection
God fights for us and His armies protect us. So what do we fear? Where God lives the streets are safe. God lives in you. Where ever you are, God is there too. The streets He leads you to build are lined with flowers and the comforting shade of His trees.
Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise God for refuge in times of trouble. Praise God for strength to follow His way. Praise God for the gift of challenge in his name.
Monday, August 23, 2010
An Encouraging Advocate
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Acts 9:23-30 (The Message)
23-25After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket.
26-27Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name.
28-30After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus.
For Reflection
The Christ event lives its incendiary life years beyond Christ's death and resurrection. Even today, Christ's message ignites controversy. Then, as today, the Lord intervenes. He makes the paths straight. He lays low the mountains of opposition. He protects. Think today about how He has protected you in the face of controversy in His name.
Pray for the Lord's protection. Pray for your savior's constant advocacy on your behalf. Pray for confidence in your faith that overrides fear and opposition.
in Today's World
Acts 9:23-30 (The Message)
23-25After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket.
26-27Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name.
28-30After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus.
For Reflection
The Christ event lives its incendiary life years beyond Christ's death and resurrection. Even today, Christ's message ignites controversy. Then, as today, the Lord intervenes. He makes the paths straight. He lays low the mountains of opposition. He protects. Think today about how He has protected you in the face of controversy in His name.
Pray for the Lord's protection. Pray for your savior's constant advocacy on your behalf. Pray for confidence in your faith that overrides fear and opposition.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Growing in Joy and Peace
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Philippians 4:2-14 (The Message)
4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
For Reflection
There is nothing God would not do for us. Prayer is the doorway to peace, hope and an active God centered love. Today celebrate God all day. Find contentment in trust.
Offer prayers of thanksgiving. Sing songs of joy. Dump your troubles and worries on the Lord.
in Today's World Philippians 4:2-14 (The Message)
Pray About Everything
2I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn't want his children holding grudges. 3And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you're right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Content Whatever the Circumstances
10-14I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles. .For Reflection
There is nothing God would not do for us. Prayer is the doorway to peace, hope and an active God centered love. Today celebrate God all day. Find contentment in trust.
Offer prayers of thanksgiving. Sing songs of joy. Dump your troubles and worries on the Lord.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Peace Be with You
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Romans 8:1-8 (The Message)
The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.
5-8Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.
For Reflection
If I had a nickle for every time I acted successfully on my own I wouldn't have very many nickels! I think, however, I am richer for failing. God's intention results in a far richer life than I could have accomplished alone. Life on God's terms is so risky, but also so rewarding.
Pray to throw self to the winds. Trust in the Lord. Pray deeply that his will be done through you.
in Today's World Romans 8:1-8 (The Message)
The Solution Is Life on God's Terms
1-2With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. 3-4God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn't deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.
5-8Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.
For Reflection
If I had a nickle for every time I acted successfully on my own I wouldn't have very many nickels! I think, however, I am richer for failing. God's intention results in a far richer life than I could have accomplished alone. Life on God's terms is so risky, but also so rewarding.
Pray to throw self to the winds. Trust in the Lord. Pray deeply that his will be done through you.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Finding Joy and Peace
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Isaiah 55:6-13 (he Message)
6-7Seek God while he's here to be found,
pray to him while he's close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
8-11"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don't go back until they've watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
they'll complete the assignment I gave them.
12-13"So you'll go out in joy,
you'll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
living and lasting evidence of God."
For Reflection
You want evidence of God? Look in the mirror of your past. Look closely. See the evidence of His lavish forgiveness. See how he put you in the right place when you found yourself in the wrong place. See how he lead you into the light. Look to the good.
Rejoice in the presence of the living God. Praise him for the grace which lead you to Hope. Pray that the words he sent complete His assignment in you.
in Today's World Isaiah 55:6-13 (he Message)
6-7Seek God while he's here to be found,
pray to him while he's close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
8-11"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don't go back until they've watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
they'll complete the assignment I gave them.
12-13"So you'll go out in joy,
you'll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
living and lasting evidence of God."
For Reflection
You want evidence of God? Look in the mirror of your past. Look closely. See the evidence of His lavish forgiveness. See how he put you in the right place when you found yourself in the wrong place. See how he lead you into the light. Look to the good.
Rejoice in the presence of the living God. Praise him for the grace which lead you to Hope. Pray that the words he sent complete His assignment in you.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Reap in Shouts of Joy
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Psalm 126 (The Message)
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
"God was wonderful to them!"
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
4-6 And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
For Reflection
Dream-like, too good to be true, beyond belief is the promise of God. Is this what holds some people back? Does unbelievable peace appear too naive? You get what you earn, except with God. We are the example of God's grace. We are the living proof. God centered in our lives is the sign.
Pray that you live a God centered life so well that you are a living testament to God's grace. Pray that God will use you in ways that those in despair with heavy hearts will collect arm loads of blessings.
in Today's World Psalm 126 (The Message)
A Pilgrim Song
1-3 It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned Zion's exiles.We laughed, we sang,
we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
"God was wonderful to them!"
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
4-6 And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
For Reflection
Dream-like, too good to be true, beyond belief is the promise of God. Is this what holds some people back? Does unbelievable peace appear too naive? You get what you earn, except with God. We are the example of God's grace. We are the living proof. God centered in our lives is the sign.
Pray that you live a God centered life so well that you are a living testament to God's grace. Pray that God will use you in ways that those in despair with heavy hearts will collect arm loads of blessings.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Facing Danger with Peace
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Acts 27:33-44 (The Message)
33-34With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: "This is the fourteenth day we've gone without food. None of us has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something now. You'll need strength for the rescue ahead. You're going to come out of this without even a scratch!"
35-38He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily—276 of us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.
39-41At daybreak, no one recognized the land—but then they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided to try to run the ship up on the beach. They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach. But we didn't make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.
42-44The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.
For Reflection
Paul requested an audience with Caesar. Even though the courts would have freed him, his request caused him to remain a prisoner and to sail to Rome. His imprisonment might have been considered minimum security. He was even permitted to leave the ship in various ports of call. Paul enters these trying times at peace -- a contagious peace. To what extent are you known for your contagious peace?
Pray to know the peace that comes with a deep belief and hope in God. Pray that your peace will become a beacon of hope. Pray for contagious peace.
in Today's World
Acts 27:33-44 (The Message)
33-34With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: "This is the fourteenth day we've gone without food. None of us has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something now. You'll need strength for the rescue ahead. You're going to come out of this without even a scratch!"
35-38He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily—276 of us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.
39-41At daybreak, no one recognized the land—but then they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided to try to run the ship up on the beach. They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach. But we didn't make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.
42-44The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.
For Reflection
Paul requested an audience with Caesar. Even though the courts would have freed him, his request caused him to remain a prisoner and to sail to Rome. His imprisonment might have been considered minimum security. He was even permitted to leave the ship in various ports of call. Paul enters these trying times at peace -- a contagious peace. To what extent are you known for your contagious peace?
Pray to know the peace that comes with a deep belief and hope in God. Pray that your peace will become a beacon of hope. Pray for contagious peace.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Breaking with the Past
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Philippians 3:7-16 (The Message)
7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.
10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
For Reflection
Everybody has got scars. They are the signs of our growth. Not all scars represent mistakes. Some represent achievements. Letting go of failures is obvious, but letting go of achievements, not so easy. Sometimes we learn from mistakes and are inhibited by achievement. Take a look at your scars. How can you escape preoccupation with success and failure and achieve a fresh focus?
Pray to let go of the past and become preoccupied with God's intention for your future. Pray that you will live out your baptism, dying to the old person and living in your transformed God centered self.
in Today's World
Philippians 3:7-16 (The Message)
7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.
10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
Focused on the Goal
12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. 15-16So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.For Reflection
Everybody has got scars. They are the signs of our growth. Not all scars represent mistakes. Some represent achievements. Letting go of failures is obvious, but letting go of achievements, not so easy. Sometimes we learn from mistakes and are inhibited by achievement. Take a look at your scars. How can you escape preoccupation with success and failure and achieve a fresh focus?
Pray to let go of the past and become preoccupied with God's intention for your future. Pray that you will live out your baptism, dying to the old person and living in your transformed God centered self.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Trust with All Your Heart
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Proverbs 3:3-8 (The Message)
3-4 Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.
5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this.
.
For Reflection
The only thing you really own is your reputation. Your reputation is not static. A reputation is fragile and easily distorted. What really matters is that you root your being in God's love and loyalty. Hope for the Lord. That hope will transform and sustain you. Your reputation in God's eyes is all that really matters.
Pray that you"Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people." Pray for sustaining animated hope that leads you to trust in the Lord and gives you confidence.
in Today's World
Proverbs 3:3-8 (The Message)
3-4 Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.
5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this.
.
For Reflection
The only thing you really own is your reputation. Your reputation is not static. A reputation is fragile and easily distorted. What really matters is that you root your being in God's love and loyalty. Hope for the Lord. That hope will transform and sustain you. Your reputation in God's eyes is all that really matters.
Pray that you"Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people." Pray for sustaining animated hope that leads you to trust in the Lord and gives you confidence.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A Place is Prepared for You
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
John 14:1-4 (the Message)
For Reflection
I'm confident that the end of life as we know it is not the end of life. Hope is the major argument in my rhetoric of belief. Trust sustains hope and hope sustains trust. Circular you say. Yes! I hope in the mystery of life where logic cannot lead to all the answers. To what extent can you suspend literalism for a more poetic, metaphoric, existence?
Pray that you embrace the mystery of God. Pray to trust in the face of the unknown. Pray to act on trust and hope.
in Today's World
John 14:1-4 (the Message)
The Road
1-4 "Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I'm taking."For Reflection
I'm confident that the end of life as we know it is not the end of life. Hope is the major argument in my rhetoric of belief. Trust sustains hope and hope sustains trust. Circular you say. Yes! I hope in the mystery of life where logic cannot lead to all the answers. To what extent can you suspend literalism for a more poetic, metaphoric, existence?
Pray that you embrace the mystery of God. Pray to trust in the face of the unknown. Pray to act on trust and hope.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Trust in the Lord
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Jeremiah 17:7-13 (The Message)
7-8"But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.
9-10"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be."
11Like a cowbird that cheats by laying its eggs
in another bird's nest
Is the person who gets rich by cheating.
When the eggs hatch, the deceit is exposed.
What a fool he'll look like then!
12-13From early on your Sanctuary was set high,
a throne of glory, exalted!
O God, you're the hope of Israel.
All who leave you end up as fools,
Deserters with nothing to show for their lives,
who walk off from God, fountain of living waters—
and wind up dead!
For Reflection
Trust. Fall backwards into God's arms. Close your eyes and leap over the raging torrent of life. Speak comforting words in the face of discomforting experiences. Live your life as a prayer, witnessing God's love and channeling Grace.
Pray for confidence in the Lord. Pray that your trust in the Lord will lead you through all that you face. Pray for trust that leads to superordinate hope.
in Today's World Jeremiah 17:7-13 (The Message)
7-8"But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.
9-10"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be."
11Like a cowbird that cheats by laying its eggs
in another bird's nest
Is the person who gets rich by cheating.
When the eggs hatch, the deceit is exposed.
What a fool he'll look like then!
12-13From early on your Sanctuary was set high,
a throne of glory, exalted!
O God, you're the hope of Israel.
All who leave you end up as fools,
Deserters with nothing to show for their lives,
who walk off from God, fountain of living waters—
and wind up dead!
For Reflection
Trust. Fall backwards into God's arms. Close your eyes and leap over the raging torrent of life. Speak comforting words in the face of discomforting experiences. Live your life as a prayer, witnessing God's love and channeling Grace.
Pray for confidence in the Lord. Pray that your trust in the Lord will lead you through all that you face. Pray for trust that leads to superordinate hope.
Monday, August 9, 2010
God's Love Perfected in Us
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
1 John 4:7-12 (The Message)
For Reflection
How do you define love? We are not talking romance novel love here! Although romantic love is a gift from God, it is only a small portion of the power of God's gift -- the ability to love deeply and in a sustaining way. I love ice cream. But, is that the same as loving one's neighbor as one's self? Love is an action. Think of the times that you did things out of love? How did it give purpose to your life? How did you experience hope. In what way did you embrace sacrifice as a condition of loving?
Pray That you love deeply. Pray that the love you express is rooted in God's love for you. Revel in God's love and pass it on.
in Today's World
1 John 4:7-12 (The Message)
God Is Love
7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!For Reflection
How do you define love? We are not talking romance novel love here! Although romantic love is a gift from God, it is only a small portion of the power of God's gift -- the ability to love deeply and in a sustaining way. I love ice cream. But, is that the same as loving one's neighbor as one's self? Love is an action. Think of the times that you did things out of love? How did it give purpose to your life? How did you experience hope. In what way did you embrace sacrifice as a condition of loving?
Pray That you love deeply. Pray that the love you express is rooted in God's love for you. Revel in God's love and pass it on.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Giving of One's Self
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Philippians 2:1-13 (The Message)
9-11Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
For Reflection
How do you see yourself? To be human is to be aware of one's self. How deeply infused are you in our culture that seems to be more and more entitlement driven? How do you cope with the cultural expectation that defines happiness and fulfillment in terms of self-gratification? Deny cultural expectations and become a slave to God, selfless and obedient until death.
Pray to live as an obedient servant of God. Pray to be worthy of God's call. Pray that you have the resolve to forsake your self for the call of God. With Jesus as your guide, find yourself in the will of God.
in Today's World
Philippians 2:1-13 (The Message)
He Took on the Status of a Slave
1-4If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. 5-8Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.9-11Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
Rejoicing Together
12-13What I'm getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you've done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I'm separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.For Reflection
How do you see yourself? To be human is to be aware of one's self. How deeply infused are you in our culture that seems to be more and more entitlement driven? How do you cope with the cultural expectation that defines happiness and fulfillment in terms of self-gratification? Deny cultural expectations and become a slave to God, selfless and obedient until death.
Pray to live as an obedient servant of God. Pray to be worthy of God's call. Pray that you have the resolve to forsake your self for the call of God. With Jesus as your guide, find yourself in the will of God.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Poured Out in Sacrifice
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Philippians 2:14-18 (The Message)
14-16Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing.
17-18Even if I am executed here and now, I'll rejoice in being an element in the offering of your faith that you make on Christ's altar, a part of your rejoicing. But turnabout's fair play—you must join me in my rejoicing. Whatever you do, don't feel sorry for me.
For Reflection
Perception is everything. No! Everything is not rosy. But, is a cynical and gloomy view of the world any more realistic that a balanced one? Living in Christ gives one freedom to see the reality of life fearlessly in balanced proportion. Everyone has a bias. Make your bias God centered.
Pray, rejoicing in the Lord. Break the bounds of a worldly view. Pray to see the world through God's eyes. Pray to avoid the corruption of the tyranny of our culture. Carry on fearlessly into the night.
in Today's World
Philippians 2:14-18 (The Message)
14-16Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing.
17-18Even if I am executed here and now, I'll rejoice in being an element in the offering of your faith that you make on Christ's altar, a part of your rejoicing. But turnabout's fair play—you must join me in my rejoicing. Whatever you do, don't feel sorry for me.
For Reflection
Perception is everything. No! Everything is not rosy. But, is a cynical and gloomy view of the world any more realistic that a balanced one? Living in Christ gives one freedom to see the reality of life fearlessly in balanced proportion. Everyone has a bias. Make your bias God centered.
Pray, rejoicing in the Lord. Break the bounds of a worldly view. Pray to see the world through God's eyes. Pray to avoid the corruption of the tyranny of our culture. Carry on fearlessly into the night.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
A Living Sacrifice
Christian Commitment
in Today's World Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)
For Reflection
Flash and Dash -- the popular sign of progress -- do it up big! I suppose I would be foolish to suggest that big events can not result in significant movement toward the Kingdom. However, how many of us will be in the position to initiate big events? Life is lived in moments. How will you be remembered as others pass by? It makes all the difference!
Pray "Fix your attention on God." "Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering"
in Today's World Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)
Place Your Life Before God
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.For Reflection
Flash and Dash -- the popular sign of progress -- do it up big! I suppose I would be foolish to suggest that big events can not result in significant movement toward the Kingdom. However, how many of us will be in the position to initiate big events? Life is lived in moments. How will you be remembered as others pass by? It makes all the difference!
Pray "Fix your attention on God." "Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering"
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A Revealing Conspiracy
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
16-17Paul's nephew, his sister's son, overheard them plotting the ambush. He went immediately to the barracks and told Paul. Paul called over one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the captain. He has something important to tell him."
18The centurion brought him to the captain and said, "The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He said he has something urgent to tell you."
19The captain took him by the arm and led him aside privately. "What is it? What do you have to tell me?"
20-21Paul's nephew said, "The Jews have worked up a plot against Paul. They're going to ask you to bring Paul to the council first thing in the morning on the pretext that they want to investigate the charges against him in more detail. But it's a trick to get him out of your safekeeping so they can murder him. Right now there are more than forty men lying in ambush for him. They've all taken a vow to neither eat nor drink until they've killed him. The ambush is set—all they're waiting for is for you to send him over."
22The captain dismissed the nephew with a warning: "Don't breathe a word of this to a soul."
23-24The captain called up two centurions. "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go immediately to Caesarea. Also seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry. I want them ready to march by nine o'clock tonight. And you'll need a couple of mules for Paul and his gear. We're going to present this man safe and sound to Governor Felix."
For Reflection
The captain rescued Paul. In a letter sent with Paul, the captain said, "It turned out to be a squabble turned vicious over some of their religious differences, but nothing remotely criminal." God used the civil system to thwart the plot to kill Paul even though the Roman officials were not believers. Biblical writers found it easy to assign human acts and circumstances to God's plan. We in our contemporary society are more reluctant to make such assignations.
Suspend reason for a moment. What current event(s) would you point to as a sign of God's intervention in human affairs? What evidence would you need to establish the truth of his presence? How did God encourage movement toward the establishment of His Kingdom on Earth?
Pray for insight into God's will.
in Today's World
Acts 23:12-24 (The Message)
12-15Next day the Jews worked up a plot against Paul. They took a solemn oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. Over forty of them ritually bound themselves to this murder pact and presented themselves to the high priests and religious leaders. "We've bound ourselves by a solemn oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. But we need your help. Send a request from the council to the captain to bring Paul back so that you can investigate the charges in more detail. We'll do the rest. Before he gets anywhere near you, we'll have killed him. You won't be involved."16-17Paul's nephew, his sister's son, overheard them plotting the ambush. He went immediately to the barracks and told Paul. Paul called over one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the captain. He has something important to tell him."
18The centurion brought him to the captain and said, "The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He said he has something urgent to tell you."
19The captain took him by the arm and led him aside privately. "What is it? What do you have to tell me?"
20-21Paul's nephew said, "The Jews have worked up a plot against Paul. They're going to ask you to bring Paul to the council first thing in the morning on the pretext that they want to investigate the charges against him in more detail. But it's a trick to get him out of your safekeeping so they can murder him. Right now there are more than forty men lying in ambush for him. They've all taken a vow to neither eat nor drink until they've killed him. The ambush is set—all they're waiting for is for you to send him over."
22The captain dismissed the nephew with a warning: "Don't breathe a word of this to a soul."
23-24The captain called up two centurions. "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go immediately to Caesarea. Also seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry. I want them ready to march by nine o'clock tonight. And you'll need a couple of mules for Paul and his gear. We're going to present this man safe and sound to Governor Felix."
For Reflection
The captain rescued Paul. In a letter sent with Paul, the captain said, "It turned out to be a squabble turned vicious over some of their religious differences, but nothing remotely criminal." God used the civil system to thwart the plot to kill Paul even though the Roman officials were not believers. Biblical writers found it easy to assign human acts and circumstances to God's plan. We in our contemporary society are more reluctant to make such assignations.
Suspend reason for a moment. What current event(s) would you point to as a sign of God's intervention in human affairs? What evidence would you need to establish the truth of his presence? How did God encourage movement toward the establishment of His Kingdom on Earth?
Pray for insight into God's will.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Paul's call to Service
Christian Commitment
in Today's World
21"What do you want?" Jesus asked.
She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand."
22Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?"
They said, "Sure, why not?"
23Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that."
24-28When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."
For Reflection
Of all the gall! Stage door mother!
Living a Christian life is one of paradox. Great is small, leading is serving, and a sinner becomes a saint! What does it mean to give away your life in exchange for the many who are held hostage? Who in today's world are held hostage? Who or what holds them hostage? What holds you hostage?
Pray that you become one with Christ. Pray that you become a worthy vessel for the delivery of God's grace. Pray that you find joy in the small commonplace acts of kindness, peace and reconciliation. Celebrate the little things.
in Today's World
Matthew 20:20-28 (The Message)
20It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.21"What do you want?" Jesus asked.
She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand."
22Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?"
They said, "Sure, why not?"
23Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that."
24-28When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."
For Reflection
Of all the gall! Stage door mother!
Living a Christian life is one of paradox. Great is small, leading is serving, and a sinner becomes a saint! What does it mean to give away your life in exchange for the many who are held hostage? Who in today's world are held hostage? Who or what holds them hostage? What holds you hostage?
Pray that you become one with Christ. Pray that you become a worthy vessel for the delivery of God's grace. Pray that you find joy in the small commonplace acts of kindness, peace and reconciliation. Celebrate the little things.
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