Jesus Is Lord
Victory in Jesus
Spiritual Blessings in Jesus Christ

Luke 1:67-79

The Message

^67-79 Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
    he came and set his people free.
He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,
    and in the very house of David his servant,
Just as he promised long ago
    through the preaching of his holy prophets:
Deliverance from our enemies
    and every hateful hand;
Mercy to our fathers,
    as he remembers to do what he said he’d do,
What he swore to our father Abraham—
    a clean rescue from the enemy camp,
So we can worship him without a care in the world,
    made holy before him as long as we live.
And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,”
    will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
Present the offer of salvation to his people,
    the forgiveness of their sins.
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
    God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,
Shining on those in the darkness,
    those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
    down the path of peace.

For Reflection

The path of peace is within your grasp.  All that is necessary is that you believe.

Pray

that your belief in God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will grow stronger each day.  Pray that you will believe that your sins and the sins of the world are forgiven.  Pray that all people will realize that God offers a new beginning each second; each hour; each day.

Blessed by the Word of Truth

Jesus Is Lord
Victory in Jesus
Spiritual Blessings in Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:3-8

The Message

Working in His Orchard

^3-5 Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings. We can’t quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you! We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians. The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope.

^5-8 The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time. It’s the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you’ve been hungry for more. It’s as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him. He’s the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit.

For Reflection

We often think of prayer as intercessory on behalf of others or for ourselves.  Think for a moment what prayer does for you.  In the act of praying, we indicate our commitment to our faith.  Frequent praying over all things, great and small, reinforces our faith and enables us to see God's hand more clearly.  Offer prayers of thanksgiving often. It is the act of praying that multiplies and strengthens your lines of purpose in the Kingdom of God.

Pray

Pray often.  Pray several times a day just for the little things that go well.  Pray so that you will assign to God all of you blessings.  Pray so that you will be able to see God more clearly at work in your life.

Blessed by God's Revelation

Jesus Is Lord
Victory in Jesus
Spiritual Blessings in Jesus Christ

Daniel 2:17-23

The Message

^17-18 Daniel then went home and told his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on. He asked them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy in solving this mystery so that the four of them wouldn’t be killed along with the whole company of Babylonian wise men.

Dream Interpretation: A Story of Five Kingdoms

^19-23 That night the answer to the mystery was given to Daniel in a vision. Daniel blessed the God of heaven, saying,

“Blessed be the name of God,
    forever and ever.
He knows all, does all:
    He changes the seasons and guides history,
He raises up kings and also brings them down,
    he provides both intelligence and discernment,
He opens up the depths, tells secrets,
    sees in the dark—light spills out of him!
God of all my ancestors, all thanks! all praise!
    You made me wise and strong.
And now you’ve shown us what we asked for.
    You’ve solved the king’s mystery.”

For Reflection

If you think about it, I am sure that you will realize that you, like Daniel, have also had dream visions.  Oh, you may not ascribe these problem solving visions to God, as Daniel did, but you have had the experience of awakening knowing what needed to be done to solve a problem that has been tormenting you.  Scientists ascribe such phenomenon to the natural function of the brain during sleep and note that it is not uncommon.

The science, while it may be a rational explanation and fully supported by neurological data, is not the most important point.  Daniel thanked God for the blessing of the solution.  It was Daniel's faith that led him to interpret the dream and assign its revelation to God.  And so can we, even in this age of science and reason, thank God for the Dream State. 

Pray

that you, convinced that God will help you, will wake to new and God-centered solutions.  Pray that you will always remember to thank God for His revelations however they arrive.  Praise Him because He made you capable of discernment, judgment, and wisdom.

Blessed by God's Gift of Grace

Jesus Is Lord
Victory in Jesus
Spiritual Blessings in Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

The Message

^4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There’s no end to what has happened in you—it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.
^7-9 Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

For Reflection

If God never gives up on you, why, then, would you ever give up on yourself?  the only one that limits your practice of the Way, is you.  Have confidence.  Have trust.  Have courage.  God will go it with you.

Pray

that you will have the confidence to walk the path that God intends for you.  Pray that you will live as though you bask in the grace of God.  Pray that others will see God's grace at word through you.

Blessing by God's Forgiveness

Jesus Is Lord
Victory in Jesus
Spiritual Blessings in Jesus Christ

Psalm 32:1-7

The Message

A David Psalm

32 Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—
    you get a fresh start,
    your slate’s wiped clean.

² Count yourself lucky—
    God holds nothing against you
    and you’re holding nothing back from him.

³ When I kept it all inside,
    my bones turned to powder,
    my words became daylong groans.

⁴ The pressure never let up;
    all the juices of my life dried up.

⁵ Then I let it all out;
    I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.”

Suddenly the pressure was gone—
    my guilt dissolved,
    my sin disappeared.

⁶ These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
    when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
    we’ll be on high ground, untouched.

⁷ God’s my island hideaway,
    keeps danger far from the shore,
    throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

For Reflection

In this season of Advent, remember that we celebrate the truth of God's love for us incarnate in our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Christ is the sign of the truth of God's desire to be one with Him. It is the flesh and blood presence of His unconditional love.  The Christ event frees us all.

Pray

that you will always remember the sacrifice God made to convince you of his truth.  Pray that you will never forget that your sins are wiped away by His grace.  Pray for all people that they may know the sanctuary that is our God.

We Would Like to Hear

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Evangelizes in Rome

Acts 28:16-22

The Message

^14-16 And 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.
^17-20 Three 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 h'ostage here for hope, not doom.”
^21-22 They 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.”

For Reflection

In spite of the criticism, in spite of the lies, in spite of the manipulations by conspirators who strike out of self-interest, in spite of those who misinterpret the gospel, there are those who clamor to hear. Are you ready to hear the truth?  Are you ready to tell the truth?  Are you ready to live the truth?

Pray

that you ready to hear and understand the truth that under-girds the gospel.  Pray that you will be be ready to witness to the truth.

The Word is Very Near

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Evangelizes in Rome

Deuteronomy 30:6-14

The Message

^6-7 God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children’s hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live. God, your God, will put all these curses on your enemies who hated you and were out to get you.
^8-9 And you will make a new start, listening obediently to God, keeping all his commandments that I’m commanding you today. God, your God, will outdo himself in making things go well for you: you’ll have babies, get calves, grow crops, and enjoy an all-around good life. Yes, God will start enjoying you again, making things go well for you just as he enjoyed doing it for your ancestors.
¹⁰ But only if you listen obediently to God, your God, and keep the commandments and regulations written in this Book of Revelation. Nothing halfhearted here; you must return to God, your God, totally, heart and soul, holding nothing back.
^11-14 This commandment that I’m commanding you today isn’t too much for you, it’s not out of your reach. It’s not on a high mountain—you don’t have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it’s not across the ocean—you don’t have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!

For Reflection

JUST DO IT!   It is simple.  You can't miss righteousness if you are obedient to God.  It's not easy.  Becoming a new you is always plagued by successes and failures.  But, in attempting obedience you will always be forgiven for error.  God's grace provides a sanctuary for practicing Christan life.

Pray

that you will practice your faith fearlessly.  Pray that you will be obedient to the word and confident in God's grace.

Charged to Teach

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Evangelizes in Rome

Deuteronomy 4:5-14

The Message

^5-6 Pay attention: I’m teaching you the rules and regulations that God commanded me, so that you may live by them in the land you are entering to take up ownership. Keep them. Practice them. You’ll become wise and understanding. When people hear and see what’s going on, they’ll say, “What a great nation! So wise, so understanding! We’ve never seen anything like it.”
^7-8 Yes. What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God, our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us? And what other great nation has rules and regulations as good and fair as this Revelation that I’m setting before you today?
⁹ Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don’t forget anything of what you’ve seen. Don’t let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you’ve seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.
¹⁰ That day when you stood before God, your God, at Horeb, God said to me, “Assemble the people in my presence to listen to my words so that they will learn to fear me in holy fear for as long as they live on the land, and then they will teach these same words to their children.”
^11-13 You gathered. You stood in the shadow of the mountain. The mountain was ablaze with fire, blazing high into the very heart of Heaven. You stood in deep darkness and thick clouds. God spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but you saw nothing—no form, only a voice. He announced his covenant, the Ten Words, by which he commanded you to live. Then he wrote them down on two slabs of stone.
¹⁴ And God commanded me at that time to teach you the rules and regulations that you are to live by in the land which you are crossing over the Jordan to possess.

For Reflection

How do you teach?  Perhaps that is the wrong question.  Rather than focusing on how we communicate the good news and fretting over each action and word, we should first be reminded about how people learn.  Ask your self, how do I learn?  

More often than not it is a process of trial and error.  We learn from others mostly by observation.  We judge the competence, trustworthiness and fairness of others. It is then we decide whom we want to be like and what to avoid. Then we experience successes or failure in practice.

So then why is it so surprising that many people turn away from organized religion when the practitioners seem to behave in ways that seem inconsistent with the teachings of Christ?  It is not a matter of doctrine.  Rather, it is a matter of acting in ways that are consistent with Christian hospitality, grace and love. 

 

Pray

that those who observe you will see God in your attitudes and behavior.  Pray that you discipline your works and actors.  Pray that you will live a live consistent with the love and grace God has shown you.

I Told You So!

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Ministers in Malta

Deuteronomy 1:41-46

The Message

⁴¹ You spoke up, “We’ve sinned against God. We’ll go up and fight, following all the orders that God, our God, has commanded.” You took your weapons and dressed for battle—you thought it would be so easy going into those hills!
⁴² But God told me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t do it; don’t go up to fight—I’m not with you in this. Your enemies will waste you.’”
^43-46 I told you but you wouldn’t listen. You rebelled at the plain word of God. You threw out your chests and strutted into the hills. And those Amorites, who had lived in those hills all their lives, swarmed all over you like a hive of bees, chasing you from Seir all the way to Hormah, a stinging defeat. You came back and wept in the presence of God, but he didn’t pay a bit of attention to you; God didn’t give you the time of day. You stayed there in Kadesh a long time, about as long as you had stayed there earlier.

For Reflection

We humans are so full of puffery!  We think we are so strong, so invincible.  We bolster decisions which appeal to us and demonize other alternatives.  "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead," is our motto. As Carl Sandburg put it in Four Preludes to Playthings of the Wind,  "We are the greatest city, the greatest nation, nothing like us ever was."

Yeah, that's us.  When will we learn to listen? When will we push our bloated chests aside and act in humility, as authentic children of God?  Being a child of God, doesn't mean we are better than others.  It means we are just as bad, but loved anyway.  Let us learn to respond to God's love, listen to His word, and trust in His judgment.

Pray

that you will disregard your tendency for self-reliance and adopt God-reliance.  Pray for the courage and will to trust in God's promise and to be come obedient to His will.

Will They Listen to Me?

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Ministers in Malta

Exodus 6:6-13

The Message

^2-6 God continued speaking to Moses, reassuring him, “I am God. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as The Strong God, but by my name God (I-Am-Present) I was not known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the country in which they lived as sojourners. But now I’ve heard the groanings of the Israelites whom the Egyptians continue to enslave and I’ve remembered my covenant. Therefore tell the Israelites:
^6-8 “I am God. I will bring you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I will rescue you from slavery. I will redeem you, intervening with great acts of judgment. I’ll take you as my own people and I’ll be God to you. You’ll know that I am God, your God who brings you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I’ll bring you into the land that I promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and give it to you as your own country. I AM God.”
⁹ But when Moses delivered this message to the Israelites, they didn’t even hear him—they were that beaten down in spirit by the harsh slave conditions.
^10-11 Then God said to Moses, “Go and speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he will release the Israelites from his land.”
¹² Moses answered God, “Look—the Israelites won’t even listen to me. How do you expect Pharaoh to? And besides, I stutter.”
¹³ But God again laid out the facts to Moses and Aaron regarding the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he again commanded them to lead the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

For Reflection

The Israelites were so demoralized that they couldn't hear the good news of God's rescue.   Not even their esteemed leader, Moses, could cut through the despair.  But, God, put His plan into operation.  The reaction of His people did not dissuade Him from offering His grace.

Nothing has changed.  Expect God to deliver unconventional and unconditional love.  All is not lost even if you think you have disappointed Him.  Even if you feel you do not deserve His love, by His grace he will deliver you from despair.

Pray

that all people will recognize God's unconditional love.  Pray that they will cast of the bindings of self pity and self loathing.  Pray that they will see themselves as they really are, a beloved child of God.

Do Good to All

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Ministers in Malta

2 Timothy 2:20-26

The Message

^20-21 In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.

^22-26 Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

For Reflection

Sometimes you get to serve fine wine.  Sometimes you get to carry the weight of garbage.  In all those extremes and in between, you serve God.  Faith, love and peace carry you into all opportunities for witness as a gentle listener and beacon for salvation.

Salvation is not yours to give, only God's.  God will in His own time call his people to sanctuary.  But, only you can provide an example of righteousness.  In that be fully committed.

Pray

that you will run from self-indulgence.  Pray that you will mature in righteousness, avoid senseless argument, be loving and encourage peace.  Ask God to help you listen and be patient.

Ready for every Good Work

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Ministers in Malta

Romans 12:9-13

The Message

^9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

^11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

For Reflection

Study scripture.  Discuss the faith with the faithful,  Pray deeply and often, Listen to the words of God.  Practice discipleship.

Pray

Confess your weakness as disciples in Christ.  Pray that you will find in the scriptures the keys to righteous living.  Pray that you will grow into grace and face hardships with confidence trust and hope in God's plan for you.

Extend Hospitality to Strangers

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Ministers in Malta

Romans 12:9-13

The Message

^9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

^11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

For Reflection

We're not talkin' hotels here.  Christian hospitality comes from the deepest part of our faith.  It requires that we treat each other as equals. It requires that we preserve each other's dignity even at the cost of our own.  It means we put self-sacrifice ahead of self-preservation.  We are charged by our faith to be the sanctuary in each other's lives.

Pray

deeply and often for humility.  Pray for the courage and conviction that will propel you into Christian relationships with all with whom you come in contact.

God's Judgement of the Privileged

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Ministers in Malta

Ezekiel 34:17-24

The Message (MSG)

^17-19 “‘And as for you, my dear flock, I’m stepping in and judging between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. Aren’t you satisfied to feed in good pasture without taking over the whole place? Can’t you be satisfied to drink from the clear stream without muddying the water with your feet? Why do the rest of my sheep have to make do with grass that’s trampled down and water that’s been muddied?
^20-22 “‘Therefore, God, the Master, says: I myself am stepping in and making things right between the plump sheep and the skinny sheep. Because you forced your way with shoulder and rump and butted at all the weaker animals with your horns till you scattered them all over the hills, I’ll come in and save my dear flock, no longer let them be pushed around. I’ll step in and set things right between one sheep and another.
^23-24 “‘I’ll appoint one shepherd over them all: my servant David. He’ll feed them. He’ll be their shepherd. And I, God, will be their God. My servant David will be their prince. I, God, have spoken.

For Reflection

What and how much do you really need and why do you think you need it?  What difference does it make if there is a chasm between the haves and the have nots?  God says there is plenty here,  no need for greed and selfishness to dominate you.  God takes the side of justice and fairness.  He protects the bullied and those who are left in the waters muddied by the insensitive or the greedy. He asks you to join him in leveling the playing field.  How are you doing?

Pray

that you will champion the down trodden.  Pray that you will be instrumental helping others emerge from untoward circumstances.  Pray that the world's disadvantaged will be comforted and realize the promise of God's peace.

The Failure to Minister

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Ministers in Malta

Ezekiel 34:1-6

The Message

When the Sheep Get Scattered

34 ^1-6 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherd-leaders of Israel. Yes, prophesy! Tell those shepherds, ‘God, the Master, says: Doom to you shepherds of Israel, feeding your own mouths! Aren’t shepherds supposed to feed sheep? You drink the milk, you make clothes from the wool, you roast the lambs, but you don’t feed the sheep. You don’t build up the weak ones, don’t heal the sick, don’t doctor the injured, don’t go after the strays, don’t look for the lost. You bully and badger them. And now they’re scattered every which way because there was no shepherd—scattered and easy pickings for wolves and coyotes. Scattered—my sheep!—exposed and vulnerable across mountains and hills. My sheep scattered all over the world, and no one out looking for them!

For Reflection

This message is clear.  No obscure metaphors here.  Our task is to prophesy with our voices and actions.  Feed the Holy message to all those within ear shot.  Use your talents to spread the good news.  The consequence of inaction on your part is the spiritual decline of us all.  

Isn't that interesting.  Spiritual decline in Ezekiel's day seems no different from spiritual decline being recorded in polls today.  Who's fault is that?  Yours and mine.  Stop complaining about your minister,  your music, your leaders, your services and start now to serve the Lord's Kingdom.

Pray

that you will respond tho the grace God has shown you by stepping up and using your talents to serve Him.

Keep Up Your Courage

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:21-32

The Message

^21-22 With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.
^23-26 “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some island or other.”
^27-29 On the fourteenth night, adrift somewhere on the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors sensed that we were approaching land. Sounding, they measured a depth of 120 feet, and shortly after that ninety feet. Afraid that we were about to run aground, they threw out four anchors and prayed for daylight.
^30-32 Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let down the lifeboat, pretending they were going to set out more anchors from the bow. Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, “If these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going down.” So the soldiers cut the lines to the lifeboat and let it drift off.

For Reflection

Conviction, courage, and trust. That's what Paul had in plenty.  These three characteristics are the core of faith.  When in the face of danger, threat or failure do you have conviction, courage and trust, equal to Paul's?  Faith and hope in a loving God will always result in strength to overcome all obstacles.

Pray

for the conviction courage and trust that Paul exemplifies.  Pray for unbending hope.

A Fierce Storm Dashes Hope

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:13-20

The Message

^13-15 When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing. But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.
^16-17 We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails. But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. We only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.
^18-20 Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.

For Reflection

In those days travel was dangerous; to travel the seas in small boats especially so.  And so it is with life.  Life happens in calm warm comforting winds and in harsh cold gales.  Often life tosses us like a cork. Having Christ at our side comforting and guiding us we rarely lose hope. 

Pray

that you will trust in God to guide you through life's storms.  Pray for the comfort only He can give.  Pray that others will know the confidence faith in God brings.

Eager to Proclaim the Gospel

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Sails for Rome

Romans 1:13-17

The Message

^13-15 Please don’t misinterpret my failure to visit you, friends. You have no idea how many times I’ve made plans for Rome. I’ve been determined to get some personal enjoyment out of God’s work among you, as I have in so many other non-Jewish towns and communities. But something has always come up and prevented it. Everyone I meet—it matters little whether they’re mannered or rude, smart or simple—deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation. And that’s why I can’t wait to get to you in Rome, preaching this wonderful good news of God.
^16-17 It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”

For Reflection

Do you wake in the morning with praise and thanksgiving for God's offer of righteousness through his grace?  I think Paul did.  I think I can hear him filled with the spirit of God eager to fulfill God's will for him arising with prayers of praise and thanksgiving eager to meet the day's challenges full of the confidence and trust the Holy Spirit provided.

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving each morning.  Thank God for his presence in your life

Encouraged by Each Other's Faith

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Sails for Rome

Romans 1:8-12

The Message

^8-12 I thank God through Jesus for every one of you. That’s first. People everywhere keep telling me about your lives of faith, and every time I hear them, I thank him. And God, whom I so love to worship and serve by spreading the good news of his Son—the Message!—knows that every time I think of you in my prayers, which is practically all the time, I ask him to clear the way for me to come and see you. The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God’s gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don’t think I’m not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you.

For Reflection

Our faith, outside of the context of fellowship of the faithful, is anemic.  Paul recognized the strength he got from listening to faith stories and participating in the faith journeys of others.  Interacting with others in the faith can be exasperating at times.  Just ask Paul.  The formal church can be frustrating as well.  Just ask Luther.  But, faith inside the fellowship of believers can be supportive, instructive and full of opportunities to grow in Grace. 

Pray

for the fellowship of believers.  Pray that you will be challenged, by your participation, in ways that will lead you to grow toward the person God intends you to be.

Called to Be an Apostle

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul Sails for Rome

Romans 1:1-7

The Message

1 I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God’s friends.

^2-7 The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets on God’s Son. His descent from David roots him in history; his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master. Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ! And I greet you now with all the generosity of God our Father and our Master Jesus, the Messiah.

For Reflection

To what extent are you an apostle?  Paul's faith was grounded in the scriptures and strengthened by a direct encounter with Christ.  We all have an opportunity to study scripture as Paul did.  Not just to discover doctrine, but rather, to discover stories of faith that anchor hope.  

Not all of us have had a direct encounter with God or Christ and most of us will never have such an experience.  But, we all have had experiences which lead us to Jesus Christ.   We are all justified by our faith.  We all have the power to witness to that faith and bring others to the hope that comes only from confidence and trust in God.

Pray

that you will continue to return to scripture.  Pray that you will see in scripture not only what you have seen, but also, those things which speak anew to you.  Pray that fear will not inhibit your openness to change and growth in the grace our Lord offers.

Paul's Encounter with Christ

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul before King Agrippa

Acts 26:9-18

The Message

^9-11 “I admit that I didn’t always hold to this position. For a time I thought it was my duty to oppose this Jesus of Nazareth with all my might. Backed with the full authority of the high priests, I threw these believers—I had no idea they were God’s people!—into the Jerusalem jail right and left, and whenever it came to a vote, I voted for their execution. I stormed through their meeting places, bullying them into cursing Jesus, a one-man terror obsessed with obliterating these people. And then I started on the towns outside Jerusalem.
^12-14 “One day on my way to Damascus, armed as always with papers from the high priests authorizing my action, right in the middle of the day a blaze of light, light outshining the sun, poured out of the sky on me and my companions. Oh, King, it was so bright! We fell flat on our faces. Then I heard a voice in Hebrew: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me? Why do you insist on going against the grain?’
^15-16 “I said, ‘Who are you, Master?’
“The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I’ve handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you.
^17-18 “‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’

For Reflection

Paul was obviously bright.  He was also well schooled in Greek rhetoric and philosophy.  He was a disciple of Jewish law willing to act on his convictions.  In short, Paul was a powerful enemy, committed to God, but ignorant of the truth in the Christ event.

Having hearing God's call his transformation into a servant of the Truth, was instantaneous.  Paul responded in the only way he could, he believed and became a committed witness to that truth.  Can you also be called a servant of the truth?

Pray

that you will bear witness to the truth signified by God's sacrifice of his son.  Pray that life's confrontations with that truth will become opportunities to grow closer to God.

Paul's Background as a Pharisee

A Living Faith
Who Understands Faith?
Paul before King Agrippa

Acts 26:1-8

The Message

“I Couldn’t Just Walk Away”

26 ^1-3 Agrippa spoke directly to Paul: “Go ahead—tell us about yourself.”

Paul took the stand and told his story. “I can’t think of anyone, King Agrippa, before whom I’d rather be answering all these Jewish accusations than you, knowing how well you are acquainted with Jewish ways and all our family quarrels.
^4-8 “From the time of my youth, my life has been lived among my own people in Jerusalem. Practically every Jew in town who watched me grow up—and if they were willing to stick their necks out they’d tell you in person—knows that I lived as a strict Pharisee, the most demanding branch of our religion. It’s because I believed it and took it seriously, committed myself heart and soul to what God promised my ancestors—the identical hope, mind you, that the twelve tribes have lived for night and day all these centuries—it’s because I have held on to this tested and tried hope that I’m being called on the carpet by the Jews. They should be the ones standing trial here, not me! For the life of me, I can’t see why it’s a criminal offense to believe that God raises the dead.

For Reflection

How often is this scene repeated in our history as well as in our own time?  How often have we made criminals out of those who's beliefs differ from ours  How often have we murdered in the name of a God we did not fully understand or assumed incorrectly that we did? How often have we passed opportunities to understand and draw closer to God by blind defense of half-truths masquerading as whole truths?  How do you avoid this pitfall?

Pray

that you will study the scriptures, engage in free and open discussion unfettered by threat, and pray often.  Pray that you will not be seduced by the easy answers and work to grow into greater maturity, facing change fearlessly and in the council of God.