Contrasting Responses

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

Acts 13:44-49 The Message (MS
44-45 When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God. Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.
46-47 But Paul and Barnabas didn’t back down. Standing their ground they said, “It was required that God’s Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you’ve made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we’re on our way through it, following orders, doing what God commanded when he said,
I’ve set you up
    as light to all nations.
You’ll proclaim salvation
    to the four winds and seven seas!”
48-49 When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God—they honored God’s Word by receiving that life. And this Message of salvation spread like wildfire all through the region.

For Reflection

Those Gentiles who stood outside the gate believed deeply in God.  As outsiders, rejected by the religion which both attracted them and deny their entry, they understood the meaning of salvation in a way the Jews could not.  They were prepared to hear Paul's message. The Gentiles put their trust in God. The Jews put their trust in their religion.  Where do you place your trust, in your perception of your religion or in the way of Christ? 

Pray

Pray that you will trust in the living God.  Pray that you will witness to the power of the Holy Spirit and let your faith guide your action.
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Your Faith Saved You

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

Luke 7:44-50 The Message 

Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”

Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.”
That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!”
He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

For Reflection

As an act of ostentatious patronage, the Pharisees invited Christ into their house.Thinking that it was honor enough for a carpenter's son, they offered none of the usual hospitality.

She was a scandalous, notorious sinner who was deeply in debt. The Rabbi was also in debt but believed that because of his piety, God should be in debt to him!

She worshiped at Christ's feet, indicating her profound faith in Him. Her sin was forgiven and forgotten. Christ blessed her with salvation, a promise to abide with her forever. She left and rested in the blessings of Christ.

Pray

Pray so that you, as the woman, will accept the pardon of your sin.  Pray that you remember that you are a sinner and receive others who are also sinners with Christian hospitality and grace.
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A Blessing Promised to All Peoples

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

Acts 3:22-26The Message

 19-23 “Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.’
24-26 “All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God’s covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: ‘By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways.”

For Reflection

Baptized by water and the blood of Christ we are reborn into salvation. Not new just in belief, but a changed person who is free to behave in the manner of Christ. In our word and action, we are prophets of hope. Our human legacy is to bless all whose paths intersect with ours.  As we live our extraordinary God-centered lives, we will, with God's help, change the world one person at a time.  This opportunity is God's gift to us.

Pray

Pray that you will live an extraordinary life guided by the Holy Spirit. Denounce your fear and pledge your life to the glory and honor of God.

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Take Refuge in the Lord

Faith in Action

The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ

Faith in Jesus

Psalm 118:1-9 Amplified Bible

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Saving Goodness.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let those who [reverently] fear the Lord, say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can [mere] man do to me?
The Lord is on my side, He is among those who help me;
Therefore I will look [in triumph] on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.

For Reflection

It is good that in giving thanks to the Lord we remember God's sovereignty. Our faith is measured by our trust in God. Because of Christ, there is no fear (literal or figurative) in death.  Only living confronts our fears. Take comfort and rest in the Lord. He is the source of your strength to overcome all fear. In Christ, you are free to live as God has intended you to live, compassionately, lovingly, and fearlessly. What God has intended, no person can put asunder.

Pray

Give thanks to the living God who comforts you and protects your soul.

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Benediction

Remembering the Covenant

Jude 1: 25 The Message 

24-25 And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes.

For Reflection

Remember your God Story.  Stand tall, washed in the presence of God.

Pray

Pray that you will respond to Jude's call for humble and fruitful participation in the Kingdom of God.

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Participating in Spiritual Worship

Remembering the Covenant

Romans 12:1-2, 6-8 The Message

Place Your Life Before God

12 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.
6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

For Reflection

A Christian life is a life lived as a prayer. It is a life that is centered by the Holy Spirit.  It is a life of humble service in ways that honor God and advance God's Kingdom.  It is a life lived unselfishly. It is an ordinary life lived extraordinarily!

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise for God who has made you in God's image, a creative being, entrusted with the well being of God's creation.  Pray so that you can be a humble collaborator in God's will for humankind.

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The Sign of the Spirit

Remembering the Covenant

Jude 17-19 The Message

17-19 But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: “In the last days there will be people who don’t take these things seriously anymore. They’ll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts.” These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit!

For Reflection

We are in the "Last Days." Our churches have been split, not because the believers are frivolous, but because they are fearful and threatened by the fluid secular society. We are experiencing an inability to identify the truth in the massive amount of information from all sources. The swinging balance of political power in an increasingly diverse population places enormous pressure on our ability and willingness to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

We Christians should be the sign of the Spirit.  It is we who should become a sanctuary of truth, the resting place for those weary of retribution and injustice. In Christ, we discover freedom from the seductions of our human condition.  In Christ, we find strength in hope and an unreasonable trust in God.

Pray

Pray to face the world with courage and confidence in the Holy Spirit.

Keeping the Faith Entrusted to You

Remembering the Covenant

Jude 4 The Message

Fight with All You Have in You

3-4 Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.

For Reflection

In this world, our faith in God is challenged.  Christians face enormous pressure to conform to the societies in which they live. As in Jude's time, there are artful and wicked men and women who have pretended to be religious teachers, but whose doctrines tend to sap the foundations of Christianity.  These false teachers deny fundamental Christian beliefs and profess to be holy when in fact they exploit our fears so that we will abandon our confidence in the power of God in favor of self-determination and self-righteousness.

We are to be humble, kind, generous, receptive, and nonjudgmental toward all people. As Paul put it, "Therefore do not let what is a good thing for you [because of your freedom to choose] be spoken of as evil [by someone else]; for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [what one likes], but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:15 -17 AMP)

Pray

Pray so that you become confident in the power of God to make all things work for good.  Pray for the courage to guard the bedrock of love, grace, and justice that is the foundation of Christian righteousness.

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Christ, Our Creator, Savior, Peacemaker

Remembering the Covenant

Colossians 1:9-20 The Message 

9-12 Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.
13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

Christ Holds It All Together

15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

For Reflection

Our salvation is not an end to be achieved.  Preferably, it is a starting point for a journey into spiritual maturity.  As we learn more and more about how God works, we understand more fully how we should work.  
We look to Christ to see God.  We see in Jesus the persons we were intended to be. Do we dare strive to emulate Christ?  Can we achieve the spiritual maturity Jesus has shown us? We can only if we dedicate ourselves to the task, pray, study the scriptures, meet in the fellowship of other believers, and face the inevitable growth of our faith, fearlessly.  The beliefs we had as children were not the beliefs we had in early adulthood and will not be the beliefs we will have.  As we grow into Grace, we become closer to the archetypal Grace in Christ.   

Pray

Pray for the wisdom and the courage to grow into the human God has intended. Pray for the courage to embrace your changes in belief and work as you mature as an authentic Christian.
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Mediator of the New Covenant

Hebrews 9:11-15 The Message

Pointing to the Realities of Heaven

11-15 But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven’s “tent”—the true Holy Place—once and for all. He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all. If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out. Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.

For Reflection

The voluntary death and resurrection of Christ gave humankind a new beginning. This selfless act establishes a personal and internal covenant with God. We have seen God in Christ and we have not perished but gained everlasting life. No amount of good works can save one who has already been saved from selfish endeavors by the blood sacrifice of Christ.

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving to God who loved you so intensely that God sacrificed God's son to absolve your sinfulness. Pray so that you will act upon the love of God humbly and in God's service.

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Everlasting Single Sacrifice for Sin

Mediator of the New Covenant

Hebrews 10:11-18 The Message 

11-18 Every 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

Know this. Believe this. Trust this. Act on this.

Your sins and iniquities are remembered no more. God is not an accountant in the sin office. There is no more offering to pardon sin. You can quit your feelings of guilt.  Christ's sacrifice has removed your guilt. You are free to choose not to sin. Guilt is not a stumbling block to a right relationship with God.

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving to the living God who pardons your sin and wipes them from memory. Pray that you will follow the path of righteousness that Christ has shown you.

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Praise God for Answered Prayer

Mediator of the New Covenant

Psalm 66:16-20 The Message

16-20 All believers, come here and listen,
    let me tell you what God did for me.
I called out to him with my mouth,
    my tongue shaped the sounds of music.
If I had been cozy with evil,
    the Lord would never have listened.
But he most surely did listen,
    he came on the double when he heard my prayer.
Blessed be God: he didn’t turn a deaf ear,
    he stayed with me, loyal in his love.

For Reflection

What is the beauty in your prayer?

Perhaps it is the implied and sometimes literal thankfulness for the Grace with which God embraces you.  Perhaps it is your implied or literal recognition that it was God's intervention into your life that redeemed your soul, pardoned your guilt, enabled you to overcome sin and find peace and joy.  Perhaps it was that God gave you comfort as you faced the prospect of death.  Or perhaps it was that God gave you the possibility of hope grounded in God's enduring presence. The beauty in your prayer is the unbreakable loving relationship with God.

Pray

Pray in the beauty of a loving relationship with God. Pray when you are sad.  Pray when you are angry. Pray when things look hopeless. Pray when things are right. Pray about everything and rest in the lap of a loving God.

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Covenant Blessings

Mediator of the New Covenant

Matthew 5:1-12 The Message

You’re Blessed

5 1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

For Reflection

There is value in making the familiar Beatitudes unfamiliar. Perhaps in reading this version, we may begin to understand what it means to rest in God. This interpretation allows us to see the connection of our immediate or temporal circumstance and the unexpected result, everlasting righteousness.

Take time with these passages.  Remember the times in your life that prove the statements to be true.

Pray

Pray for the humility that will allow you to rest in the truth that God can and does save you from yourself.
Pray that you will walk humbly hand in hand with with Christ.

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God's Awesome Power

Mediator of the New Covenant

Psalm 66:1-4 The Message 

66 1-4 All together now—applause for God!
    Sing songs to the tune of his glory,
    set glory to the rhythms of his praise.
Say of God, “We’ve never seen anything like him!”
    When your enemies see you in action,
    they slink off like scolded dogs.
The whole earth falls to its knees—
    it worships you, sings to you,
    can’t stop enjoying your name and fame.

For Reflection

We hear it.  But, do we believe it? Do we have the confidence in our belief to act on it fearlessly?

If your answers are "Yes," then you can rest in God.  Expect joy in that rest but, don't expect a lack of conflict in your life.  You still live in this world and turbulence is inevitable. Your faith will give you confidence and courage to face difficult times creatively. Remember, Paul was persecuted and imprisoned but never lost his rest in God. His challenges gave him opportunities to serve.  God will always present you with opportunities to serve.

Pray

Pray for the courage to follow your faith.  Pray so that you will know that you rest in God. Pray so that the Holy Spirit can lead and guide you as you accept the challenges of God's opportunities to serve.

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In Remembrance of Me

Promise of a New Covenant

Luke 22:14-20 The Message

14-16 When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, “You’ve no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It’s the last one I’ll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God.”
17-18 Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, “Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I’ll not drink wine again until the kingdom of God arrives.”
19 Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory.”
20 He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.

For Reflection

During the celebration of the Lord's Supper, we are asked to remember Christ.  This remembrance is not just a reminder of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection. We are not asked to just remember the facts. We are also asked to remember Christ as he enters and directs our lives through the Holy Spirit.  We are asked to remember our God Story and to respond to the extravagant love which God shows us each day.

Pray

Pray prayers of praise and thanksgiving for the love of God that sustains you.  Pray so that you can be reminded of your God Story and be humbled by it.

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Covenant Relationship Restored

Promise of a New Covenant

Hosea 2:16-20 The Message

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.

For Reflection

In Hosea's time, wives called their husbands "Lord or Master," a title which suggested slavery or an adulterous relationship. God prefers a title which suggests service through affection rather than fear.  Neither does God want his people by the works they speak to fall into idolatry. (This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Watch your mouth!")

Pray

Pray that you will behave in ways that will not dishonor God.  Pray that your response to God is born out of love and not out of fear. Pray that you will seek to know God as God really is.

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Rachel's Children Come Home

Promise of a New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:15-20 The Message

15-17 Again, God’s Message:
“Listen to this! Laments coming out of Ramah,
    wild and bitter weeping.
It’s Rachel weeping for her children,
    Rachel refusing all solace.
Her children are gone,
    gone—long gone into exile.”
But God says, “Stop your incessant weeping,
    hold back your tears.
Collect wages from your grief work.” God’s Decree.
    “They’ll be coming back home!
There’s hope for your children.” God’s Decree.
18-19 “I’ve heard the contrition of Ephraim.
    Yes, I’ve heard it clearly, saying,
‘You trained me well.
    You broke me, a wild yearling horse, to the saddle.
Now put me, trained and obedient, to use.
    You are my God.
After those years of running loose, I repented.
    After you trained me to obedience,
I was ashamed of my past, my wild, unruly past.
    Humiliated, I beat on my chest.
Will I ever live this down?’
20 “Oh! Ephraim is my dear, dear son,
    my child in whom I take pleasure!
Every time I mention his name,
    my heart bursts with longing for him!
Everything in me cries out for him.
    Softly and tenderly I wait for him.” God’s Decree

For Reflection

In God's household, we all will be forgiven. When we fall away from our confidence in God's power to guide us and we forget our God Stories, God will never forsake us.  Our salvation will never be erased.  Having experienced the gift of salvation and then drifted away, we may always accept God's overture for the restoration of our lives.  We can repent and return to God with impunity, without punishment.  As the father received the prodigal son, God will always accept our return with joy and open arms into the Household of God.

Pray

Pray for those who fall seduced by the material world.  Pray that they will realize the consequences of their folly and find their way back into the loving arms of God.

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Israel Celebrates Their Homecoming

Promise of a New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:7-9. The Message 

7 Oh yes, God says so:
“Shout for joy at the top of your lungs for Jacob!
    Announce the good news to the number-one nation!
Raise cheers! Sing praises. Say,
    ‘God has saved his people,
    saved the core of Israel.’
8 “Watch what comes next:
“I’ll bring my people back
    from the north country
And gather them up from the ends of the earth,
    gather those who’ve gone blind
And those who are lame and limping,
    gather pregnant women,
Even the mothers whose birth pangs have started,
    bring them all back, a huge crowd!
9 “Watch them come! They’ll come weeping for joy
    as I take their hands and lead them,
Lead them to fresh flowing brooks,
    lead them along smooth, uncluttered paths.
Yes, it’s because I’m Israel’s Father
    and Ephraim’s my firstborn son!

For Reflection

Israel has been divided, northern tribes and southern tribes.  Israel yearns to be one people as has been prophesized.  Jerimiah pleas for the return of the separated tribes of Israel. This, Jeremiah's dream of the unity of Israel is not just a geographic alliance, or a call for political, social, or economic unification. This is a dream of spiritual unity.  A dream characterized by this people's love of God and obedience to God's will.

As we observe the various disparate forms of contemporary Christianity, should we too be dreaming Jerimiah's dream for the restoration of our call to obedience?

Pray

Pray for the unity of Christian faith.  Pray for the wisdom and the courage to be an authentic Christian.

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God's Love Brings People Together

Promise of a New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:7-9. The Message 

7 Oh yes, God says so:

“Shout for joy at the top of your lungs for Jacob!

    Announce the good news to the number-one nation!

Raise cheers! Sing praises. Say,

    ‘God has saved his people,

    saved the core of Israel.’

8 “Watch what comes next:

“I’ll bring my people back

    from the north country

And gather them up from the ends of the earth,

    gather those who’ve gone blind

And those who are lame and limping,

    gather pregnant women,

Even the mothers whose birth pangs have started,

    bring them all back, a huge crowd!

9 “Watch them come! They’ll come weeping for joy

    as I take their hands and lead them,

Lead them to fresh flowing brooks,

    lead them along smooth, uncluttered paths.

Yes, it’s because I’m Israel’s Father

    and Ephraim’s my firstborn son!

For Reflection

Israel has been divided, northern tribes and southern tribes.  Israel yearns to be one people as has been prophesized.  Jerimiah pleas for the return of the separated tribes of Israel. This, Jeremiah's dream of the unity of Israel is not just a geographic alliance, or a call for political, social, or economic unification. This is a dream of spiritual unity.  A dream characterized by this people's love of God and obedience to God's will.

As we observe the various disparate forms of contemporary Christianity, should we too be dreaming Jerimiah's dream for the restoration of our call to obedience?

Pray

Pray for the unity of Christian faith.  Pray for the wisdom and the courage to be an authentic Christian.

Forward to a friend

Treating Offerings with Contempt

An Everlasting Covenant

With God

Faithful God, Unfaithful People

1 Samuel 2:12-17 The Message

Samuel Serves God

12-17 Eli’s own sons were a bad lot. They didn’t know God and could not have cared less about the customs of priests among the people. Ordinarily, when someone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant was supposed to come up and, while the meat was boiling, stab a three-pronged fork into the cooking pot. The priest then got whatever came up on the fork. But this is how Eli’s sons treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices to God. Before they had even burned the fat to God, the priest’s servant would interrupt whoever was sacrificing and say, “Hand over some of that meat for the priest to roast. He doesn’t like boiled meat; he likes his rare.” If the man objected, “First let the fat be burned—God’s portion!—then take all you want,” the servant would demand, “No, I want it now. If you won’t give it, I’ll take it.” It was a horrible sin these young servants were committing—and right in the presence of God!—desecrating the holy offerings to God.

For Reflection

Even though they grew up in a God worshiping home, the sons of Eli were hard-hearted.  They used their religious position for selfish gain. They cared not for the sanctity of the priesthood. The depravity of this kind is a mark of the false preacher or teacher.  

Pray

Pray that you will support those who preach and teach for the love of God and Christ.  Pray so that the scriptures will inform your choice of whom to follow.

Called to a Mission of Service

An Everlasting Covenant

With God

Faithful God, Unfaithful People

Philippians 1:8-17 The Message 

7-8 It’s not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way from the time I was thrown in jail, put on trial, and came out of it in one piece. All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!
9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

They Can’t Imprison the Message

12-14 I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.
15-17 It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world. One group is motivated by pure love, knowing that I am here defending the Message, wanting to help. The others, now that I’m out of the picture are merely greedy, hoping to get something out of it for themselves. Their motives are bad. They see me as their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them.

For Reflection

Responding to God's call is sometimes difficult.  Paul writes this letter while imprisoned.  And yet, his message displays regret but no bitterness. Paul sees the good he is doing in the name of Christ, not the bad which has plagued him.  Good and evil, he understands, are relative terms.  That some would judge his imprisonment as an opportunity for selfish gain, Paul sees as their folly which will result in nothing.  Do you see opportunities under challenging circumstances to serve God as Paul has, or do you let the difficulties inhibit you?  

Pray

Pray often and seek to understand the opportunities God places in your path.  In spite of your difficulties, God will make all roads lead to the enhancement of God's kingdom. Praise God!

Called to a Mission of Service

An Everlasting Covenant 

With God

Faithful God, Unfaithful People

Romans 12:9-19 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.
14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

For Reflection

Unfaithfulness is captured in the way we fail to follow through, curse our enemies, avoid empathy, see ourselves more important than others, hanging only with the popular crowd, and seeking vengeance.  To be faithful is to serve God and each other compassionately.

Pray

Pray so that your soul will fill with the compassion of the Holy Spirit.  Pray so that others will see the will of God in you.