A Covenant of Forgiveness

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Living as God's People

Hebrews 10:11-18

The Message

 ^11-18Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:

   This new plan I'm making with Israel
      isn't going to be written on paper,
      isn't going to be chiseled in stone;
   This time "I'm writing out the plan in them,
      carving it on the lining of their hearts."
He concludes,
   I'll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.
Once sins are taken care of for good, there's no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.

For Reflection
God decided that He would continue His covenant with Israel.  This time, however, rather than treating his people as a unit, He would extend the covenant to each on an individual basis.  The Christ event extended His covenant to all.  God resides in all of us.  Ask and He shall reveal Himself.  Listen tor his whispers.


Pray
that you will hear the whispers from God who resides in you.  Give thanks for his grace and forgiveness.  Remember to Him those things that He has done for you.

The Strength of My Heart

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Living as God's People

Psalm 73:10-26

The Message

 ^6-10 Pretentious with arrogance,
      they wear the latest fashions in violence,
   Pampered and overfed,
      decked out in silk bows of silliness.
   They jeer, using words to kill;
      they bully their way with words.
   They're full of hot air,
      loudmouths disturbing the peace.
   People actually listen to them—can you believe it?
      Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.

 ^11-14 What's going on here? Is God out to lunch?
      Nobody's tending the store.
   The wicked get by with everything;
      they have it made, piling up riches.
   I've been stupid to play by the rules;
      what has it gotten me?
   A long run of bad luck, that's what—
      a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.

 ^15-20 If I'd have given in and talked like this,
      I would have betrayed your dear children.
   Still, when I tried to figure it out,
      all I got was a splitting headache . . .
   Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
      Then I saw the whole picture:
   The slippery road you've put them on,
      with a final crash in a ditch of delusions.
   In the blink of an eye, disaster!
      A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare!
   We wake up and rub our eyes....Nothing.
      There's nothing to them. And there never was.

 ^21-24 When I was beleaguered and bitter,
      totally consumed by envy,
   I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox
      in your very presence.
   I'm still in your presence,
      but you've taken my hand.
   You wisely and tenderly lead me,
      and then you bless me.

 ^25-28 You're all I want in heaven!
      You're all I want on earth!
   When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
      God is rock-firm and faithful.
   Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
      Deserters, they'll never be heard from again.
   But I'm in the very presence of God—
      oh, how refreshing it is!
   I've made Lord God my home.
      God, I'm telling the world what you do!

For Reflection
That the unGodly reap reward upon reward is a matter of perception.  What is rewarding about the fickle adoration of a crowd that hoots hooray one minute and hisses and boos the next?  What is rewarding about those who reap praise for their social position from those who away from their presence reticule them?  What is rewarding about those who wield coercive power and are plotted against?

In the sanctuary of God one sees clearly.  Living as God's people is living in contradiction to the material world.  Responding to the Spirit is the true reward.

Pray
that you reject the worldly.  Pray that you will continuously embrace the Spirit.  Pray for steadfast obedience to the Lord.  Pray that you will become an example of God's will for human kind.

Be Mercyful

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Living as God's People

Luke 6:32-36

The Message

 ^31-34"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
 ^35-36"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

For Reflection
The righteous do nothing with the expectation of a return.  The righteous give because it is the right response to God's love.  If one expects a return on his investment of good works he is not doing good works.  To expect a return means that one thinks that he or she is responsible for or the cause of another's reward.  Only God is responsible and the source of transformation.  We are merely the vessels of his grace.   Do good and expect nothing.  Live a satisfying life in the hollow of God's hand.

Pray
that God will work His grace through you.  Pray that you will grow into grace.  Pray to find the joy inherent in good work.  Pray for the satisfaction of knowing Jesus walks by your side.

The Way of Righteousness

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Living as God's People

Isaiah 26:7-11

The Message

 ^7-10The path of right-living people is level.
   The Leveler evens the road for the right-living.
We're in no hurry, God. We're content to linger
   in the path sign-posted with your decisions.
Who you are and what you've done
   are all we'll ever want.
Through the night my soul longs for you.
   Deep from within me my spirit reaches out to you.
When your decisions are on public display,
   everyone learns how to live right.
If the wicked are shown grace,
   they don't seem to get it.
In the land of right living, they persist in wrong living,
   blind to the splendor of God.
 ^11-15You hold your hand up high, God,
   but they don't see it.
Open their eyes to what you do,
   to see your zealous love for your people.
Shame them. Light a fire under them.
   Get the attention of these enemies of yours.
God, order a peaceful and whole life for us
   because everything we've done, you've done for us.
O God, our God, we've had other masters rule us,
   but you're the only Master we've ever known.
The dead don't talk,
   ghosts don't walk,
Because you've said, "Enough—that's all for you,"
   and wiped them off the books.
But the living you make larger than life.
   The more life you give, the more glory you display,
   and stretch the borders to accommodate more living!

For Reflection
Halloween is upon us;  ghosts, goblins and ghouls.  There will be lot of horror movies on TV and in the theaters.  We enjoy fright.

Have you noticed, though, most of the horror films, (especially the B ones) are filled with empty terrorists.  They suffer miserably from their un-Godly afflictions.  Their empty soul-less forms are subjects of pity.  Could it be that in all the fantasy of horror films there is a kernel of truth.  The wicked are empty smoke and the righteous always triumph -- cowboys and indians all over again.

God stretches the borders of His kingdom to accommodate the growing number of the living.  He transforms the wicked and restores their souls.

Pray
thank God for the restoring power of his grace. Pray for those who worship smoke.  Pray that you will live exemplary lives that flash "EXIT" in a smokey room.

Comfort for All

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Living as God's People

Psalm 37:10-17

The Message

 ^10-11 Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;
      you'll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!
   Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,
      relishing a huge bonanza.

 ^12-13 Bad guys have it in for the good guys,
      obsessed with doing them in.
   But God isn't losing any sleep; to him
      they're a joke with no punch line.

 ^14-15 Bullies brandish their swords,
      pull back on their bows with a flourish.
   They're out to beat up on the harmless,
      or mug that nice man out walking his dog.
   A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—
      slapstick figures in a moral circus.

 ^16-17 Less is more and more is less.
      One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,
   For the wicked are moral weaklings
      but the righteous are God-strong.

For Reflection
Me thinks that there are at least three kinds of wicked in this world.  Those whose innocence is proved by their ignorance, ie. the hapless,  those who for selfishness, fear, jealousy, or envy calculate intentional acts of lawlessness, and the truly evil--the demons.  The first two seem to me to be correctable or redeemed in human courts.  The latter are in God's jurisdiction.

Of whom does Isiah speak?  Perhaps he addresses them all.  At times we forget that judgment is God's.  The conflict between good and evil is God's fight.  In the grand scheme of things, it seems, our role is to hold confidence in the Lord, maintain righteous lives and not be seduced by the terror of the wicked and the evil.  Humans may lose battles, but, God will win the war.

We face the world in red clown noses and possess the God-centered strength and confidence to carry that burden.

Pray
for the hapless and the selfish that they may find their salvation in the Lord.  Pray for confidence in the victorious Kingdom of God.

A Lowly Spirit

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Living as God's People

Proverbs 16:16-20

The Message

 ¹⁶ Get wisdom—it's worth more than money;
   choose insight over income every time.

 ¹⁷ The road of right living bypasses evil;
   watch your step and save your life.

 ¹⁸ First pride, then the crash—
   the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

 ¹⁹ It's better to live humbly among the poor
   than to live it up among the rich and famous.

 ²⁰ It pays to take life seriously;
   things work out when you trust in God.

For Reflection
What does it mean to live as God's People?  To me it means to live a life filled with happiness, joy and hope.  It means looking forward to tomorrow even though tomorrow may bring challenges.  I means living with the confidence that whatever life throws at me, God will make it good.  It means the capacity to suffer sad times wrapped in the comforting cloak of Gods grace.  It means living in the sanctuary of the hollow of God's hand.  It means that no matter what I do, forgiveness and acceptance is waiting for me in the fellowship of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pray
thank God for His never ending grace.  Pray that you will forsake self for a God-centered life.  Pray for humility.  Pray that you reject pride.  Pray for the confidence in God's promise.

The Source of Love

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
TRADITION AND LOVE

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
To teach is to love.  To learn is to love the teacher.  God loves us.  God teaches us.  As we learn, God burrows deeper into us and becomes the source of all wisdom.  God-centered wisdom is born in love.
Listen to the whispers of God who resides in you.

Pray
Thank god for the capacity to love.  Pray that love will be you guiding principle of interaction.  Pray that you love God deeply and passionately.  Pray that you will grow in God-centered wisdom.

A Covenant of Love

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
TRADITION AND LOVE

Hosea 2:16-23

The Message (MSG)

 ^16-20 "At that time"—this is God's Message still—
   "you'll address me, 'Dear husband!'
Never again will you address me,
   'My slave-master!'
I'll wash your mouth out with soap,
   get rid of all the dirty false-god names,
   not so much as a whisper of those names again.
At the same time I'll make a peace treaty between you
   and wild animals and birds and reptiles,
And get rid of all weapons of war.
   Think of it! Safe from beasts and bullies!
And then I'll marry you for good—forever!
   I'll marry you true and proper, in love and tenderness.
Yes, I'll marry you and neither leave you nor let you go.
   You'll know me, God, for who I really am.
 ^21-23 "On the very same day, I'll answer"—this is God's Message—
   "I'll answer the sky, sky will answer earth,
Earth will answer grain and wine and olive oil,
   and they'll all answer Jezreel.
I'll plant her in the good earth.
   I'll have mercy on No-Mercy.
I'll say to Nobody, 'You're my dear Somebody,'
   and he'll say 'You're my God!'"

For Reflection
God's people have yet again disappointed Him.   However, God is always ready to offer redemption.  Here He promises a sanctuary like that of a marriage between God and human kind.  Mercy will be the climate.  Everybody will be known to Him as Somebody!  Each of us will know each other as Somebody!  And the Somebodies will know God.

Pray
That you will know each other as somebody who is loved by God.  Pray that you will treat all as children of God.

Consequences of Unfaithfulness

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
TRADITION AND LOVE

Jeremiah 3:1-5

The Message

Your Sex-and-Religion Obsessions

 ¹ God's Message came to me as follows: "If a man's wife
   walks out on him
And marries another man,
   can he take her back as if nothing had happened?
Wouldn't that raise a huge stink
   in the land?
And isn't that what you've done—
   'whored' your way with god after god?
And now you want to come back as if nothing had happened."
   God's Decree. ^2-5"Look around at the hills.
   Where have you not had sex?
You've camped out like hunters stalking deer.
   You've solicited many lover-gods,
Like a streetwalking whore
   chasing after other gods.
And so the rain has stopped.
   No more rain from the skies!
But it doesn't even faze you. Brazen as whores,
   you carry on as if you've done nothing wrong.
Then you have the nerve to call out, 'My father!
   You took care of me when I was a child. Why not now?
Are you going to keep up your anger nonstop?'
   That's your line. Meanwhile you keep sinning nonstop."

For Reflection
Of Americans it has been said that we are obsessed with sex and religion. So what's new?  It seems that this obsession has a long history.  Procreation and a longing for knowing who we are has always been paramount.  We seem to carry a lot of guilt about these obsessions.  The guilt drives us to many destructive actions as we attempt to wash the symptoms of sin from our hands.

We self-destruct when we substitute the ways of the flesh for God-centered lives.  We worship the material world as though it were a god.  That's the sin.  By our own doing we separate ourselves from the God who made us. We blame God for the consequences of our own action.

Pray
That you will worship no other than God.  Pray prayers of thanksgiving for the abiding love and grace of God.

One Flesh

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
TRADITION AND LOVE

Genesis 2:18-24

The Message (MSG)

 ^18-20 God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.
 ^21-22 God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.

    ^23-25 The Man said,
   "Finally! Bone of my bone,
      flesh of my flesh!
   Name her Woman
      for she was made from Man."
      Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.
      The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.

For Reflection
God has given the capacity to be creative and the freedom to act wisely.  He has also given us the capacity to love, even as He loves.  Human kind is not meant to live solitary lives.  We are social beings endowed with the ability to love and hate.  We are all of one flesh.  We are all children of God.  We are all free to love.  We are all free to reject hate.
Pray
for all those who hate.  Pray that they will find the wisdom of love.  Pray that you will reject hate.  Pray that you will do all things in love. 

God Blessed Them

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
TRADITION AND LOVE

Genesis 1:26-31

The Message

 ^26-28 God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them
      reflecting our nature
   So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
      the birds in the air, the cattle,
   And, yes, Earth itself,
      and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
   God created human beings;
      he created them godlike,
   Reflecting God's nature.
      He created them male and female.
   God blessed them:
      "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
   Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
      for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."

 ^29-30 Then God said, "I've given you
      every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
   And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
      given them to you for food.
   To all animals and all birds,
      everything that moves and breathes,
   I give whatever grows out of the ground for food."
      And there it was.

 ³¹ God looked over everything he had made;
      it was so good, so very good!
   It was evening, it was morning—
   Day Six.

For Reflection
God created us in his own image.  Haven't you wondered what that meant; "His own image?"  Could it be that He gave us a portion of his own creativity --not the ability to make something out of nothing, but rather, the ability to recognize the relationships among things and ideas and arrange them in new and novel ways.

He also gave us the freedom to create. We have the freedom to choose. That freedom carries with it a responsibility to act as good stewards of God's creation.  We have the ability to learn and the freedom to choose God-centered wisdom to apply what we have learned.

Pray
prayers of thanksgiving for Gods good gifts.  Pray for the wisdom that a disciplined relationship with God will bring.  Pray that your deepening understanding of scripture in the light of Christ's life and teaching will lead you into righteous living.  Pray that God will help you make good choices.

Everything Has Its Time

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The Message

There's a Right Time for Everything

 ¹ There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

 ^2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,
   A right time to plant and another to reap,
   A right time to kill and another to heal,
   A right time to destroy and another to construct,
   A right time to cry and another to laugh,
   A right time to lament and another to cheer,
   A right time to make love and another to abstain,
   A right time to embrace and another to part,
   A right time to search and another to count your losses,
   A right time to hold on and another to let go,
   A right time to rip out and another to mend,
   A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
   A right time to love and another to hate,
   A right time to wage war and another to make peace. .

For Reflection
All of this happens.  None of this happens at the same time.  Little of this happens when we want it to.  All of it is good, birth and death: crying and laughing alike.  In other words, life happens and it is all good.  Life is full of hope because God is present in all life events.  Lean on Him and laugh with Him.

Pray
that you will embrace all of live, the fortunate and the unfortunate.  Pray that you will be comforted in the knowledge that God makes it all good.

Toiling for the Wind

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

The Message

 ¹⁰ The one who loves money is never satisfied with money,
   Nor the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke.

 ¹¹ The more loot you get, the more looters show up.
   And what fun is that—to be robbed in broad daylight?

 ¹² Hard and honest work earns a good night's sleep,
   Whether supper is beans or steak.
   But a rich man's belly gives him insomnia.

 ^13-17 Here's a piece of bad luck I've seen happen:
   A man hoards far more wealth than is good for him
   And then loses it all in a bad business deal.
   He fathered a child but hasn't a cent left to give him.
   He arrived naked from the womb of his mother;
   He'll leave in the same condition—with nothing.
   This is bad luck, for sure—naked he came, naked he went.
   So what was the point of working for a salary of smoke?
   All for a miserable life spent in the dark?

Make the Most of What God Gives

 ^18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It's useless to brood over how long we might live..

For Reflection
What could possibly be said that is more profound that verses 18-20?  :)

Pray
that you will relax.  Pray that you will take life as it comes.  Pray that you will take care of yourself.  Pray for joy and hope for laughter.  Pray that you will give to God the burden of labor and keep the delight of the work for yourself.

Nothing to be Gained?

radition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

The Message

    I said to myself, "Let's go for it—experiment with pleasure, have a good time!" But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke.

   What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane!
      My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it?
   With the help of a bottle of wine
      and all the wisdom I could muster,
   I tried my level best
      to penetrate the absurdity of life.
   I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do
      during the years we spend on this earth.

I Never Said No to Myself

 ^4-8 Oh, I did great things: built houses,
      planted vineyards,
      designed gardens and parks
         and planted a variety of fruit trees in them,
      made pools of water
         to irrigate the groves of trees.
   I bought slaves, male and female,
         who had children, giving me even more slaves;
      then I acquired large herds and flocks,
         larger than any before me in Jerusalem.
   I piled up silver and gold,
         loot from kings and kingdoms.
   I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song,
      and—most exquisite of all pleasures—
      voluptuous maidens for my bed. ^9-10 Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What's more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day's work!

I Hate Life

¹¹ Then I took a good look at everything I'd done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.

For Reflection
Make a list of those things which are the most significant in your life.  Of all those things which ones have left you most fulfilled?

Pray
that you will count as the most significant those things which were born from a God-Centered life.  Pray that you will see through the smoky absurdity of life and focus on the truth of Grace.

Nothing New under the Sun?

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

The Message

The Quester

 ¹These are the words of the Quester, David's son and king in Jerusalem ^2-11 Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That's what the Quester says.] There's nothing to anything—it's all smoke.
   What's there to show for a lifetime of work,
      a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone?
   One generation goes its way, the next one arrives,
      but nothing changes—it's business as usual for old planet earth.
   The sun comes up and the sun goes down,
      then does it again, and again—the same old round.
   The wind blows south, the wind blows north.
      Around and around and around it blows,
      blowing this way, then that—the whirling, erratic wind.
   All the rivers flow into the sea,
      but the sea never fills up.
   The rivers keep flowing to the same old place,
      and then start all over and do it again.
   Everything's boring, utterly boring—
      no one can find any meaning in it.
   Boring to the eye,
      boring to the ear.
   What was will be again,
      what happened will happen again.
   There's nothing new on this earth.
      Year after year it's the same old thing.
   Does someone call out, "Hey, this is new"?
      Don't get excited—it's the same old story.
   Nobody remembers what happened yesterday.
      And the things that will happen tomorrow?
   Nobody'll remember them either.
      Don't count on being remembered. .

For Reflection
Well, that should take the wind out of your sails!

I had a frustrating day -- interruption after interruption -- one problem addressed another appeared.  All the rivers flowed from the same place -- Groundhog Day all over again, and again, and again.

Then I remembered "Its not about me!"  It's about the help I was providing.  Things smoothed out.  Frustrations disappeared one challenge at time.

This is not a new revelation, but rather, a remembering of an older one.

Pray
for patience when life happens.  Pray that in times of frustrating circumstances, you will be comforted by God-centered wisdom.  Pray that you remember that you sacrificed the "YOU" for the greater focus on graceful work.

Do Not Forsake Me

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Psalm 71:1-12

The Message

    I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it.
   Do what you do so well:
      get me out of this mess and up on my feet.
   Put your ear to the ground and listen,
      give me space for salvation.
   Be a guest room where I can retreat;
      you said your door was always open!
   You're my salvation—my vast, granite fortress.

 ^4-7 My God, free me from the grip of Wicked,
      from the clutch of Bad and Bully.
   You keep me going when times are tough—
      my bedrock, God, since my childhood.
   I've hung on you from the day of my birth,
      the day you took me from the cradle;
      I'll never run out of praise.
   Many gasp in alarm when they see me,
      but you take me in stride.

 ^8-11 Just as each day brims with your beauty,
      my mouth brims with praise.
   But don't turn me out to pasture when I'm old
      or put me on the shelf when I can't pull my weight.
   My enemies are talking behind my back,
      watching for their chance to knife me.
   The gossip is: "God has abandoned him.
      Pounce on him now; no one will help him."

 ^12-16 God, don't just watch from the sidelines.
      Come on! Run to my side!
   My accusers—make them lose face.
      Those out to get me—make them look
   Like idiots, while I stretch out, reaching for you,
      and daily add praise to praise.
   I'll write the book on your righteousness,
      talk up your salvation the livelong day,
      never run out of good things to write or say.
   I come in the power of the Lord God,
.

For Reflection
Do you run for dear life to God?  Read the psalm carefully.  Note the confidence that the psalmist places in God.  Note the recognition the psalmist has of the wonder of God.  Notice the awe with which the psalmist speaks.  There is not doubt what he anticipates to result from his prayer.  How are you doing?

Pray
Paraphrase these verses in a personal prayer.

Wisdom with Words

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 10:12-20

The Message

 ^12-13 The words of a wise person are gracious.
   The talk of a fool self-destructs—
   He starts out talking nonsense
   And ends up spouting insanity and evil.

 ¹⁴ Fools talk way too much,
   Chattering stuff they know nothing about.

 ¹⁵ A decent day's work so fatigues fools
   That they can't find their way back to town.
 ^16-17 Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup,
   And whose princes party all night.
   Lucky the land whose king is mature,
   Where the princes behave themselves
   And don't drink themselves silly.
 ¹⁸ A shiftless man lives in a tumbledown shack;
   A lazy woman ends up with a leaky roof.

 ¹⁹ Laughter and bread go together,
   And wine gives sparkle to life—
   But it's money that makes the world go around.

 ²⁰ Don't bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath,
   And don't abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home.
   Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around.
   Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.

.

For Reflection
Watch your mouth!

We are known by how we act, what we say, and what others say about us.  We can control the first two.  By doing so we give little fodder for accusation.  Perhaps one of the best things that can be said of us is that we were never known to speak ill of anyone.

Pray
that you love yourself so much that you refuse to speak ill of others. Pray that the temptation to be valued by others does not lead you to ill-considered criticism of another's action.  Pray that you can displace defensive thoughts and words with ones that support a God-centered life.

Wisdom and Success

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 10:5-11

The Message

 ^5-7 Here's a piece of bad business I've seen on this earth, An error that can be blamed on whoever is in charge:
   Immaturity is given a place of prominence,
   While maturity is made to take a backseat.
   I've seen unproven upstarts riding in style,
   While experienced veterans are put out to pasture.
 ⁸ Caution: The trap you set might catch you.
   Warning: Your accomplice in crime might double-cross you.
 ⁹ Safety first: Quarrying stones is dangerous.
   Be alert: Felling trees is hazardous.
 ¹⁰ Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work;
   Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle.
 ¹¹ If the snake bites before it's been charmed,
   What's the point in then sending for the charmer?

.

For Reflection
Life happens!  Sometimes it is good and sometimes not. When something untoward happens, one will most likely look for someone to blame.  He or she may also manipulate the situation for revenge.  The message here is to hold your head when you think you have been wronged act with prudence. Retaliation serves neither the one wronged or the one who has wronged another.  End the spiral of revenge by offering peace and forgiveness.  Doing otherwise will provoke escalating conflict.

Pray
that you will love those who have wronged you.  Pray that they will see God's hand in yours.  Pray that you will work for peace, not revenge.  Pray that you will trust in God to restore you.

Consider the Work of God

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

The Message

Don't Take Anything for Granted

 ¹ A good reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date.

 ² You learn more at a funeral than at a feast—
   After all, that's where we'll end up. We might discover
      something from it.

 ³ Crying is better than laughing.
   It blotches the face but it scours the heart.

 ⁴ Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving.
   Fools waste their lives in fun and games.

 ⁵ You'll get more from the rebuke of a sage
   Than from the song and dance of fools.

 ⁶ The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs
   Under the cooking pot. And like smoke.

 ⁷ Brutality stupefies even the wise
   And destroys the strongest heart.

 ⁸ Endings are better than beginnings.
   Sticking to it is better than standing out.

 ⁹ Don't be quick to fly off the handle.
   Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.

 ¹⁰ Don't always be asking, "Where are the good old days?"
   Wise folks don't ask questions like that.

 ^11-12 Wisdom is better when it's paired with money,
   Especially if you get both while you're still living.
   Double protection: wisdom and wealth!
   Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes its owner.

 ¹³ Take a good look at God's work.
   Who could simplify and reduce Creation's curves and angles
   To a plain straight line?

 ¹⁴ On a good day, enjoy yourself;
   On a bad day, examine your conscience.
   God arranges for both kinds of days
   So that we won't take anything for granted. .

For Reflection
When it is all said and done, the only thing you possess that is truly valuable is your reputation.  How are you known?

Pray
that you live a life consistent with your faith.  Pray that your are known by your God-centered wisdom.  Pray that you are known foremost as a person of God.

Two Are Better Than One

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 4:4-12

The Message

 ⁴ Then I observed all the work and ambition motivated by envy. What a waste! Smoke. And spitting into the wind.

 ⁵ The fool sits back and takes it easy,
   His sloth is slow suicide.

 ⁶ One handful of peaceful repose
   Is better than two fistfuls of worried work—
   More spitting into the wind.

Why Am I Working Like a Dog?

 ^7-8 I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to nothingness: a solitary person, completely alone—no children, no family, no friends—yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, "Why am I working like a dog, never having any fun? And who cares?" More smoke. A bad business.

 ^9-10 It's better to have a partner than go it alone.
   Share the work, share the wealth.
   And if one falls down, the other helps,
   But if there's no one to help, tough!

 ¹¹ Two in a bed warm each other.
   Alone, you shiver all night.

 ¹² By yourself you're unprotected.
   With a friend you can face the worst.
   Can you round up a third?
   A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped. .

For Reflection
One would think that to be the envy of others would be a desirable thing, especially if the envy is the result of virtuous living and business dealing.   The paradox is that those who are envied because of the results of their virtuous hard labor are sometimes resented, especially by those who are jealous of their success or those who have been less virtuous and unsuccessful. Such envy and jealousy may lead to misguided objectives.  If one is striving to be like another out of envy his or her motives are ill advised.  Referred to as "smoke" and "spitting into the wind," envy results in empty living.

Working obsessively results in isolation.  One who is isolated from the comforts and reassurance of companions leads a lonely life -- "more smoke."

Life in the hollow of God's hand is a life full of healthy relationships and quiet wisdom that allows one to escape the clamor in the noise of daily living. How do you escape the noise of daily living that is not measured in decibels?

Pray
that envy does not capture you.  Pray that you live a comfortable life, content to live in the way of the Lord.

Hope in God's Steadfast Love

Tradition and Wisdom
Teaching and Learning:
Superiority of Wisdom

Psalm 33:13-22

The Message

 ^13-15 From high in the skies God looks around,
      he sees all Adam's brood.
   From where he sits
      he overlooks all us earth-dwellers.
   He has shaped each person in turn;
      now he watches everything we do.

 ^16-17 No king succeeds with a big army alone,
      no warrior wins by brute strength.
   Horsepower is not the answer;
      no one gets by on muscle alone.

 ^18-19 Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him,
      the ones who are looking for his love.
   He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
      in lean times he keeps body and soul together.

 ^20-22 We're depending on God;
      he's everything we need.
   What's more, our hearts brim with joy
      since we've taken for our own his holy name.
   Love us, God, with all you've got—
      that's what we're depending on.
.

For Reflection
When I was a kid, I frequently went to the movies on Friday nights.  I saw a lot or serial westerns.  I remember how all of us who were in the movie house would whoop and holler approvals when the heroine was rescued and the bad guys thwarted. 

Some times we forget that like in those early films, we too can experience the joy and thanksgiving of being rescued.  Unexpected rescue is not just for the movies.  In real life unexpected rescue, often at the last minute, is not only possible, but for some, who have the wisdom to see God in action, rescue is commonplace.  Those who depend on God are never without rescue.  We just need to believe in Him and ask. Hope for rescue.

Pray
that you continue to fear God --  that you trust in His awesome power,  wonder at his gift of grace, respect his holy position and follow in obedience with eyes wide open.  Pray that you trust in God for all things.  Pray that your will look for rescue in the hollow of God's caressing hand.