SEPTEMBER INSIGHTS 25 - 30

We continue with our meditations through the end of September.   Notice the “Think about it” section.  I place a picture of a place you might be or an item you might use during your time of meditation.  Find a place that you can sit quietly for a few minutes as you meditate on God’s Word.

9-25  2 Kings 6:1-23; Psalm 119:97-120; 1 Corinthiens 5:9—6:11; Matthew 5:38-48

Matthew 5:45 “He causes His sun to shine on evil and good and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.  Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Wouldn’t it seem reasonable that, if I give my entire devotion to living a Christ-centered life, I would not endure the same pain and trauma that non-believers experience?   Perhaps early in our Christian walk we thought that the Lord would embrace us with a magic cloak that would hide us from the onslaught of evil around us.

Yet, here it says in scripture that the rain or sun falls on all of us . . . good, bad, indifferent.  In fact, I know several people who want nothing to do with the Christian faith yet are kind, giving and truly live a charmed life.  

The Gospel continues, “Be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect.”    There is no way we can be ‘perfect.’  Yet, what if we translate ‘perfect’ as “continue walking in the perfect light of the Father, keep walking in the path of His Son, keep on keeping on . . .  whether slogging through knee-high mud or romping across a grassy meadow with unabashed joy.  

 BE Perfect . . .  is a continuous, active verb.  It means, no matter what happens in our lives, keep going, keep calling on the Lord for help or with praise-filled words.

We all have good and bad days but our perseverance, our diligence in seeking the Lord’s provision, the Lord’s best, the ‘perfection’ of Christ, sets us apart from those who simply zoom through each day, rain or shine, with no acknowledgement of God.

Think about it: Do you slog through some days and 

wonder why?  

Do you react to a life-challenge with dread or do you call upon the Lord for help?  Perhaps we can ask God, each day, to help us continue to grow into His perfection, not ours.  

Each morning when you awake, rain or shine, ask the Lord to lead you into a ‘perfect’ place even if pain is involved.  Sometimes pain and suffering toughens us up for those times when we truly need to be strong.  God’s grace embraces us wherever we are and ever-so-slowly leads us into His Perfect Presence. 

No need to work at being perfect as our humanness expects.  

Let God’s Perfect Presence envelope you daily, like He is giving you a very long hug.

Allow the Lord to embrace you. 

Simply BE.  

See what happens.

9-26  2 Kings 9:1-16; Psalm 146,147,85,86; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; Matt. 6:1-6, 16-18

1 Corinthiens 6:13 The body is not for immorality but for the Lord and the Lord is for the body.  :14 The Lord will also raise us up through His power.  

:18 Every other sin is outside the body except immorality, the sin against our own body.  :19 Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and you are not your own.  :20 You were bought with a price so glorify God in your body.

Isn’t it interesting that moral challenges have existed well before this passage was written.  God gave us emotions, feelings, the need to love and be loved and so much more.  Our challenge is to direct emotions according to God’s will.  

Decades ago, when I was a new Christian, I was single.  I’d been very much a part of the secular world until then.   When these verses were brought to my attention I was dumb struck.   I thought, “If God calls me to be celibate for the rest of my life I can do so . . .  because God will be with me, wrapping His grace around me and directing my path.”    

One lovely woman saw that I was older than most singles with no marriage on the horizon. She said to me, “You must have the gift of celibacy.”  Immediately I shot back, “ I do have the gift of celibacy . . .  until I wed the man whom God picks for me . . . and not one second more.”   I believe she thought I was called into a celibacy for the rest of my life.  In my heart I knew better.

If we are ‘called’ into celibacy because we are single or because God called us into a life of celibacy for any reason, then God is right there for us, giving us all the love, grace and direction we need for that period of time . . .  or forever.  

It was ten years before I met my prince charming (who is still my handsome prince after 30+ years of marriage),

    Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit which have been joined together forever by the holy sacrament of marriage.  At that time our bodies were consecrated to the Lord as one, and became ‘one’, spiritually, emotionally and physically.   We both give thanks that we were able to trust the Lord completely during that period of celibacy God mandated before marriage so that we could build a deep trust with one another, with God’s help, within our marriage.   

       Knowing that our bodies are the Temple of the Lord, since we carry the Holy Spirit within us, is a tremendous challenge and responsibility.  We carry the presence of God within us.  Tainting the temple of the Lord with our bodies goes against God’s best for us.  Only repentance, turning away from that sin,  can return us to God’s grace-filled love. 

Think about it:  Are you single and truly desire to live your life for Christ?

 Pray that the Lord help you maintain your body as the Temple of the Lord. 

Spend time communicating  with Jesus in prayer, digesting His Word, and committing to a weekly growth group with other Christians. 

Single or married, we all should commit to a Christian group that loves the same activities.  If there is none, create one.  Be creative with . . .  Saturday biking, Thursday night art class, book group, or bird watching.  End the activity with 15 minutes of sharing time: (1) Joy of the week  (2) challenge of the week. Pray for one another according to what was discussed.   Remind yourselves that “Your body is the temple of the Lord.”

9-27  2 Kings 9:17-37; Psalm 88,91,92; 1 Corinthiens 7:1-9; Matthew 6:7-15

Matthew 6:7  “And when you pray do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do for they think that they will be heard for their many words."

This phrase is nestled into the Sermon on the Mount which is the longest sermon Jesus preached in his ministry [Matthew 5,6,7].   Jesus covers much of the old covenant teachings to remind those gathered before Him to turn their hearts to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Although nearly every word of Jesus’ sermon is food for contemplation,  this small phrase sometimes gets buried in the midst of this volume of wisdom.  

I was struck by the many ways these few words could be received.

Jesus is speaking to a mass of people among whom are plenty of Jews, including Pharisees, as well as gentiles.  Jesus was referring to those pagan gentiles who prayed at the temple repeating long lists of gods.  They never knew which god would help with their prayer so they may have named them all, dozens!

Jesus needed to bring the people back to our One God, who could be called on to answer any and all prayers.

After Jesus chastises those present, He immediately provides words that have such deep meaning that we repeat this “Lord’s Prayer” throughout the generations of Christians.  

Every word or phrase of the Lord’s Prayer draws us deeply into the presence of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, IF we take time to think about what we are praying.  If words do not touch the heart each time we express them, a prayer can become like the meaningless repetitions of the pagans.

There is nothing wrong with repeating memorized prayers often.  It’s how our heart is touched when we express them that matters.    We can sound like those pagan gentiles when rote prayers become words we spin off unconsciously. 

Think about it: When you attend a worship service are there prayers that you know so well that they easily slip through your tongue?   

We mentioned the Lord’s Prayer but what about other words, phrases, prayers or songs that become the core of each service?  

Is your bed-time prayer the same?  

Do you repeat the same prayers or scriptures in your daily quiet time?  What about your prayer at meals?

Most of these prayers are lovely, heart-felt words of thanksgiving to the Lord.  When words come forth slowly so that you can ponder each in our heart as they roll off your tongue, our soul fills with God’s presence and the words become a blessing . . .  the same blessing as the nine beatitudes.     

No matter how often we repeat words to God, pray that your heart catch its meaning and it presses into your soul as it is digested slowly.  

9-28  2 Kings 11:1-20a; Psalm 87,90; 1 Corinthiens 7:10-24; Matt. 6:19-24

Matthew 6:24  Jesus said,”No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the

other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Immediately after this phrase, verse 6:25 says, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; or for your body as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”  

         Too often we do not consider the context of such statements or we do not read far enough to understand the depth of meaning.  In the Sermon on the Mount, [Matthew 5,6,7] Jesus tells the crowd about those who are ‘blessed’ and explaines with parables.  He reminds all that the Law is not to be obliterated but to be used as a ‘measure’ for all of us when we identify sin in our lives.  Jesus then teaches the Lord’s prayer, one of many tools available for us to deepen our relationship with the Lord.  THEN he tells us to let go of whatever is keeping us from total focus on the God.

“Wealth” might be a heart-treasure that keeps us from submitting to God’s best for us.  Perhaps the fear of not having enough to live on or the anxiety of trying to be all things to all people or the challenge of giving enough time to every family member or . . . the list is endless.

Jesus says, “STOP, come to Me, I’ll take your anxiety away, I’ll show you how to live a single-minded life totally focused on Me.”

Think about it:  Jesus may ask the impossible.  How could He possibly know our circumstances?  The amazing truth is, God does know our circumstances.  

We are either all in or not.  

We are either willing to live in Christ and through Christ or not.  

Do you trust that God will provide all your needs even if your “wants” may have to take a back burner?  Do you know the difference?

Do you trust your role in life as a disciple of Christ? 

Can you let go of something that might get in the way of spending more time with God?  

List some ‘treasures’ that might deprive you of a deeper relationship with the Lord.  Hours of watching TV or interfacing on social media, shopping, more food than you need, wasted time when basic needs are to be met?  

Let go.  TRUST.  

God knows your challenges.  

Bring them to the Lord in prayer and ask specifically for the Holy Spirit to help with your intercessions.  Ask for help to let go of that which gets in the way of your relationship with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

9-29  16th Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; 
1 Timothy 6:6-19; 
Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31  A rich man and poor Lazarus die at the same time.  The river divides them: the rich man is in hades, Lazarus in heaven.  Neither can cross the river to the other side.  :31 If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”

Jesus was no different than any other Hebrew scholar, Rabbi, intellect writer of the day.  He often used double meanings.  The ‘rich’ man is indeed poor in spirit.  The ‘poor’ man, Lazarus, is indeed rich in his eternal relationship with God.  The ‘rich’ man may have thought he had the good life with no thought of what would happen to his soul until it was too late.  Lazarus, on the other hand, chose to “die to self and live for Christ.”

It’s the same old story.  If we choose to live outside the will of God and not desire to overcome death through the passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, why would we be given the opportunity to change our minds after we die?  
      Jesus takes us into a world unknown to those who live for self.  He reminds us that ‘separation from God’ is  eternal agony.  Covering our sin nature with self-

indulgence, the high life, living for self, eventually fades away.  Sin is always with us.  Yet, the blood Jesus shed on the cross for those who choose to give our lives to Him, covers our sin nature in order to forever keeps us ‘on the other side of the river.’  The Lord will never leave us nor forsake those who, by faith, trust in the God of our salvation.

       Endless stories in scripture speak of turning around, repenting, changing our lives even if it is an instant before we die.  Learning to live for Christ and not for self takes time . . .  on this earth . . . before we join the angels in the heavenly realm . . .before we see our Lord face too face . . .  before we die.

Think about it:  If you die tonight, are you ready to live eternally with the Lord, thy God?  Are you ready to join

those who have gone before you who are now singing with the angels in heaven?  Have you made a commitment to forever live for Christ so that you can drink in the cool springs of His presence?  Talk to the Lord about how you feel about eternal life.  Call on the Holy Spirit to guide you into the arms of Jesus and cling to the life totally focused on eternal life, not death.

9-30  Saint Michael and All Angels celebrated today

Genesis 28:10-17; Psalm 103; Revelation 12:7-12; John 1:47-51

Revelation 12:7-12  Archangel Michael, a messenger of God, fought with the the devil [the fallen angel] and his

demons when they defied God.  Thus, the devil and his fellow fallen angels were thrown out of heaven to earth.  :10 “Now salvation, power,the kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ have come.

:12 Woe to the earth and sea because the devil has come down to you.”

Too often we forget that angels help us through the day and have been used mightily by God.  Michale, the Archangel, fought principalities who defied God so that he could follow through with God’s orders.  Michael means, “Who is like God,”  a foe of the Devil and guardian protector of the Church.  Angels are eternal and do only what God calls them to do.  That means we can call upon God for help at any time and God will send our own guardian angel, or perhaps Michael if the battle is great, to our aid.  Unfortunately, many of us do not even think to ask the Lord when we truly need help.  

There are two other archangels mentioned in

scripture. Gabriel, which means “Power of God” is God’s messenger angel who brought the good news when he announced to Mary, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”  Raphael, which means “God has healed,” is sent by God for healing and companionship.

For over a year, the Lord has pressed into my heart the great need to call upon the power of His angels.  I picture Michael, the archangel, as the one sent to fight the demons and principalities that are hindering the lives of specific young people I call out by name.  About two dozen nieces, nephews and friends’ children, mostly millennials, are separated from the love of Christ.  In fact, some have never entered a church.   I ask for the power of these fighting angels to ‘hold on’ to these fragile souls with all their might and guide them into the loving presence of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Think about it:  When you pray do you ever ask the Lord to guide the angel assigned to you to help you through the day? The fact is, Michael and all the angels in heaven, are waiting for us to simply ask.  Ask for protection, ask for guidance, ask for discernment, ask for direction.   Do we ask for help when we pray, that God’s power, through His messengers, fight the demons in our lives or our dear

ones’ lives?  

     Make a list of all those you know, especially those who have never had the seeds of salvation planted in their souls.  Keep that list near you always until you’ve memorized every name.  Pray for a few daily.  Picture the majesty and power of God, through Michael the Archangel, protecting, leading and guiding those fragile souls into the arms of Jesus.

If you want to know more about angels, read “Angels” by Billy Graham or “Angels are for Real” by Judith MacNutt.  

That's all for this month.
Hope you are enjoying the journey.

SEPTEMBER INSIGHTS 17 to 24

"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.”   St. Thomas Aquinas

We continue the September ‘lectionary’ readings, selected scriptures enabling us to read through the bible in three years.  Have you noticed intrigue in the Old Covenant stories?

 EnJOY digesting snippets of the daily readings.  If you are new to this blog, look through the August readings for 'pause notes.'

9-17 1 Kings 21:17-29; Psalm 61,62,68; 1 Corinthiens 1:20-31; Matthew 4:12-17

Matt.4:12-17  From the time that John was brought into custody Jesus went to Galilee and began preaching the message that John began :17 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

God reigns.  

God is like a conductor of an orchestra, the maestro of the New Covenant and this is the beginning of a new concert.  

The ministry of John, to ‘prepare the way for the One who is to come,’ is complete.  

John was born with a mission, to introduce the Messiah to the world.  

He knew his ministry was over when Jesus appeared on the scene.  

Once John saw Jesus and baptized Him, John knew he must pass his thousands of followers to Jesus.  John disappeared from the scene when he was arrested and  Jesus picked up where John left off.

With the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus touched lives and healed souls, drawing all back to God through His Son.  

All the Jews had to do is turn back to God.  

John paved the way.  Jesus did the rest.

Think about it: Are you like John, preparing the way for

another soul to receive the presence of God in Christ Jesus?  

Are you paving the way for the Gospel by sharing your time and your Christ-Joy as you linger with another who may be seeking?  

Find one with whom you can enjoy a special activity together: hiking, crafts, sharing a meal or whatever is of mutual interest.  

It’s a perfect way to build trust and guide another into the Christian life.  

Are you ready to share your journey to Christ?  Perhaps a turning point drew you into a deep relationship with Christ?  Can you picture your journey so you can share this with someone at a moment’s notice?  

Think about it now so you’re prepared for that perfect moment when the Lord presents you with the opportunity.

9-18  1 Kings 22:1-28; Psalm 72,119:73-96; 1 Corinthiens 2:1-13; 
Matthew 4:18-25

Psalm 119:73 Your hands made me and fashioned me.  :88 Revive me according to Your loving kindness so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. 
:94 I have sought your precepts.

Psalm 119 pops up often in our daily readings.  

This Psalm chugs through the Hebrew alphabet repeating the same theme with a variety of words: accolades to God, a thankful heart, acknowledging God’s love and mercy.

Then there is the “action” item. 

119:94 “I have sought your precepts,” requires a heart devoted to seeking the most God can give us.  Precepts, words of understanding, affirmations to follow, standards to live by, an all-embracing endeavor.  

Think about it:  Did you try to read all of Psalm 119 in one sitting?  
With this ‘lectionary’ we read very small chunks at a time.  

It’s better that way.  

Seek, find, embrace, chew on God’s Word.

It takes time, doesn’t it.

It’s like taking daily vitamins.  

We don’t feel any change when digesting a little pill but after awhile we know our bodies remain strong because of our daily dose.  

In the same way, Psalm 119 or other pieces of scripture, when digested a little at a time, bring soul-healing when munched regularly. 

 How is your daily dose helping you? 

9-19 1 Kings 22:29-45; Psalm 71,74; 1 Corinthiens 2:14—3:15; 
Matthew 5:1-10
1 Corinthiens 3:6-:8  “I planted, Apollos watered but God caused the growth.  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.  Now he who plants and he

who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  :9 for we [Paul and Apollos] are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

       Paul was not only a prolific missionary but he took time to linger in places where he knew people needed help maturing in the Christian faith.  Sometimes he spent up to two years in one place in order to build leaders who desired a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.  These leaders, like Apollos, would then continue Paul’s work in a specific place while Paul moved on.  

     Timothy is another example of one who grew in the faith from a seedling to a strong tree that could withstand stormy times.  Timothy was young, open, eager and ready to roll with Paul.  Yet, he knew he was to linger in one place at a time in order to ‘make disciples’, leaders, those who could teach others.  

    Paul was gifted at preaching and teaching.  Yet, only a handful were eager to ‘die to self and live for Christ’ by taking the necessary time and energy to grow in Christ.  As usual, there were plenty of new seedlings but few who could ‘water’ others through teaching, discipleship.

It is no different today except that there are no longer throngs of people eager to hear the Gospel.  Many who hear, are perfectly content to simply attend church.  It takes daily time with the Lord to grow, live a faith-filled life, and be willing to ‘die to self and live for Christ.’

Think about it:  Are you one who needs to be encouraged

to ‘chew’ on the Word of God?   Or do you have a ravenous hunger to know more?  Are you open to being led by one who can teach you how to grow into a deeper relationship with Christ Jesus?   

Are you considered a mature plant, a leader, by others . . .  one who is eager to lead another into the grassy meadows of our faith journey?  

If you are interested in walking into God’s presence more deeply do you know where to seek help doing so?  Have you asked the Holy Spirit, who was called into you at baptism, to guide you?   

Lots of questions?  

Seek another to help you find the answers that God has placed on your heart.

9-20 2 Kings 1:2-7; Psalm 69, 73; 1 Corinthiens 3:16-23; Matthew 5:11-16

1 Corinthiens 3:16 “Do you know you are a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?  :17 . . .  the Temple of God is holy so you are holy.  :23 And you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.”

There were many parts to the Temple in Jesus’ day.  A Jew could actually live in the temple undetected with ample provision if clever enough.  Only the priests could enter the Holy Place where they placed the daily bread and wine.  The oil kept the 7-armed lamps lit and incense burned constantly to remind the priests of God’s presence behind the curtain, the Holy of Holies.

When the Holy Spirit was called into us through Baptism, God’s presence entered our soul, where the presence of God presides . . .  if we let Him.  

We can be baptized and the Holy Spirit can enter into us but we must make the choice to allow the Presence of God within us to reign over our lives. 

 Easier said than done, isn’t it.  

We can say ‘yes’ to Jesus but there is so much more to our life in Christ.

We, as God’s creation, are as precious to God as the Hebrew’s Holy Temple in Jerusalem.  Only when we call upon the Holy Spirit within us to help us glorify God in all we say and do, does His Holy Presence come alive within us.  Too often, other concerns or interests suck the holiness from us only because we do not take the time to nurture our souls with Holy acts: prayer, worship, digesting God’s Word.

Think about it:

Simply by saying the Lord’s prayer each day we remind our soul that our Father in heaven takes priority over our lives.  “Our Father, who art in Heaven HALLOWED by thy Name! . . . Give us this day, give us our daily bread.  Forgive us our trespasses so we are able to forgive those who trespass against us. . . . keep us from being overtaken by evil or that which does not glorify You. . . .”

We could continue: “Thank you, Lord, for sacrificing Your Son, our eternal sacrifice, so that our sin is covered by His blood.  Thank you for planting the Holy Spirit within me to direct my path each day, O Lord.”

It’s our choice to make . . . daily.  We can either be the glorious temple God created us to be, empowered by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or we can remain an empty shell, desolate, like a pile of stones without purpose.  

It’s our choice. 

Daily . . .  hourly . . .  every millisecond.

All we need to do daily is affirm to the Lord [and ourselves] that we, indeed, can be the gleaming temple of God in Christ. . . a light that shines so brightly that we draw others into God’s Presence.

9-21  Celebration of the life of Matthew, the Apostle

Proverbs 3:1-6; Psalm 119:33-40; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Matthew 9:9-13

Matthew 9   Jesus saw Matthew sitting at a tax collection point and called him to “Follow Me.” Matthew followed and later joined Jesus as He was reclining at table with other tax collectors and sinners.  The Pharisees asked why this [riff-raff] were dining with a Rabbi such as Jesus.  9:12  Jesus said,”It is not those who are healthy who need a physician but those who are sick.  9:13 . . .  I did not come to call the righteous but those who are sick.”

Why do we celebrate the lives of specific Christian individuals?   

God chose all of us to use our gifts and talents to further the Gospel message but there are exceptional people who made a huge impact on the world as they suffered for their faith.   It is important to celebrate the lives of those who helped to shape our Christian doctrine.  

Matthew’s words about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ may be the first scriptures read by those who begin reading the Bible.  Matthew is one of the first to witness Jesus’ life as he spent nearly three years with Him and taught for over fifteen years after Christ's death.  

Throughout scripture Jesus says that those who have sinned deeply and understand their forgiveness from God, love God deeply, give back to God judiciously, and are

willing to sacrifice more of themselves than those who have sinned little.

Matthew overcharged when he collected taxes from the Jews to enhance the Roman coffers.   He exploited those who could barely pay and had zero compassion for many Jews who were so severely taxed that they lost their homes. 

Jesus may have used Matthew as an example of one who truly repented, turned his life around, made amends for his sin and lived an exemplary life once he understood his sin.  According to tradition, Matthew the Apostle brought the Gospel to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finished his preaching in Ethiopia where he was martyred.

Think about it:

Where were you when Jesus grabbed you and give you such a big hug that you hugged Him back?  Were you simply a Christian because you were baptized in a

Christian church?  Were you indeed living a life in sin when the Lord impressed you with a need to change your life?

My dear friend of 92 once told me that he asks each individual he sees, “Are you a Crockpot Christian or a Microwave Christian?”   Crockpot Christians are those who have known Jesus from a very early age but never could pinpoint when Christ became Lord.   Their relationship with Christ ‘simmered’ over many years and they eventually realized their deep love for Our Lord.

The Microwave Christians, on the other hand, know they are sinners and, when the Gospel of God’s love and grace is understood, they are instantly on board.  They know exactly what day their lives turned around and eventually mature into a solid life in Christ.

Did you have a Crockpot or Microwave conversion to Christ?

Or, are you still on the back burner trying to decide if you wish to enter into His kingdom and turn your life around?

Can you share the story of your transition into Christianity?

 It’s good to be ready to share a bit of your story [in three minutes or less] when the Lord nudges your heart to share with someone who is seeking.

9-22  15th Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is

faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” 

This story touches all of us.   All the success and treasure we have belongs to God.  Therefore, we are simply managers of the ‘estate’ given to us to enjoy.  Of course we work hard to provide the best we can for our family but God is more interested in our ‘attitude of gratitude’ than our wealth.  

By committing our lives to Christ, we have committed everything, all we have and all we have become, to the Lord.  If we mismanage our lives, our assets, we dishonor God.  

If we can further the Gospel by sharing our story, our hospitality, our gifts and talents, we are being faithful to God’s calling for us . . . in whatever capacity that might be.

Think about it:  

We have been given a treasure from our faith in Christ Jesus: Our salvation and eternal life with God. 

I’ve often thought of what I’d like for an epitaph. 

 I would love to be worthy of the words,“I did my best.” 

Some days it’s an uphill battle.  

We can ask ourselves throughout the day if we have ‘done our best’ for the Lord’s sake.  For instance, at the grocery store can we say, “I did my best” by purchasing only healthy foods and not wasting our hard earned money on items we know are not good for our bodies?  Do we honor God when we deal with traffic snarls or a snarling personality? 

 Our thoughts, words, deeds and decisions are all important to our Lord.

  At the end of the day wouldn’t it be a joy to say, “I did my best?”

9-23  2 Kings 5:1-19; Psalm 80, 77; 1 Corinthiens 4:8-21; Matthew 5:21-26

2 Kings 5  Naaman was a valiant warrior for the king of Aram but he was also a leper.  5:10 Elisha sent a messenger to tell Naaman to “Wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh will be restored to you and you shall be clean.”  

Naaman was outraged and left but his servant reminded him that this simple task will heal.  5:14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.”  

Leprosy was often a word used for any skin disease that was thought to be contagious.  Naaman may have contracted a skin disease recently in his high-power career.  We know from this passage that he was use to giving orders, not receiving them, much less from someone he did not know.  Naaman was not a Jew so did not follow their covenant but he did want to be healed.  Elisha’s solution, given to him by God, was so simple that Naaman thought it foolish.  His servant, who was Jewish and who sought out Elisha, knew better.  Only because there was a scant hope of healing did Naaman choose to humble himself by dipping seven times in the Jordan river.  Indeed, he was healed.

Think about it:  What if you had an ailment that sent you to the fringes of community when you’d been a central figure?  The sense of sudden ostracism when we are separated from community can be devastating.  Yet, this is not the whole point to the story.  It’s the rejection of the solution to heal the malady that is the problem.  Ask yourself if you seek prayer when you know you need it.  Do you seek spiritual, physical or emotional healing if there is an opportunity to do so?

Our churches have many resources from lay leaders, healing prayer ministry, clergy or classes that bring healing to our soul.  If you are not already involved in a ‘healing’ ministry, from Bible study to healing prayer, ask yourself why.  Humbling ourselves before the Lord daily is the only way we can heal our mind, body and soul.

9-24 2 Kings 5:19-27; Psalm 78; 1 Corinthiens 5:1-8; Matthew 5:27-37    

1 Corinthiens 5:6  “Do you know a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?  5:7 Christ our Passover has been sacrificed [for us]  5:8 Therefore let us

celebrate the feast, not with old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

     Unleavened bread is symbolic of the Passover when there was no time to wait for the daily bread to rise.  That’s why dedicated Jews cleanse their homes of leavening, yeast products, before the annual Passover.  

Each Sunday, at Holy Communion, we Christians celebrate the Passover feast in remembrance of Christ, our Living Bread.   “Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed” . . .  for us!  Christ is the new passover, the unleavened bread, “without malice or wickedness but with sincerity and Truth.”    

Just as the Hebrew people sacrificed a lamb and placed its blood on their doorways the night the Angel of death passed over them [so that their first born male child and animals did not die]  so, also, God sacrificed His Son, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  

Christ died once, for all.  Yet His redemptive ‘action’ continues, to this day, to redeem souls.   Even though Christ died once, we New Covenant people,  Christians, celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection as often as possible.  Some eat the ‘consecrated unleavened Bread’ at daily worship, others weekly and others not as often.

Christ’s presence continues to be with us if we choose to say, “yes” to Christ, always.

Digesting His presence daily, weekly, monthly or whenever possible, reminds us that the power of God in Christ, with the Holy Spirit, never becomes less, never withers, never ceases in us but becomes more real to us.  

Think about it:  No matter what denomination in which you celebrate the life of Christ, it is important to consider all the ways you can ‘digest’ God’s presence through His Son within the community of your church family.  

Seek the many ways your church community presents the Word of God to you so that we can retain your steadfast faith in Christ.  Celebrate the presence of Christ daily by chewing on the blessings, the benefits, the best parts of each day.  For the next week, daily record three ways Christ, our Passover, has blessed you through your church community.