Scripture Verses that Caught My attention today: Ezekiel 12:1-3 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear; 3 for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, mortal, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight; you shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.
Observation: Sometimes we are not wise enough to take note of our situation.
Application: This morning on the radio it was noted that a long-time Texas prison warden had retired and that he had presided over the executions of a great number of inmates. Somehow that story led to a discussion among the show’s hosts about what they might like, if they were on death row, for their own last meal.
Today’s lesson from Ezekiel has a similar theme. If you had to leave where you live now, with only what you could carry on your back, what would you take with you? This is what Ezekiel means by an “exile’s baggage.”
Interestingly, just yesterday I started reading a book by Jim Collins entiled, “How the Mighty Fall.” It’s basically an analysis of why some purportedly great companies eventually die. He notes that often times the pride and hubris (I’ll admit that I had to look this word up in the dictionary cause I didn’t know for sure what it meant.) of the leaders ultimately leads to the fall.
It appears to me that these kinds of leaders are very similar to the type of people that God, through Ezekiel, is referring too when he says that they have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Rebellion, of course, takes many forms. And sometimes it’s even necessary. But the rebellion described in Ezekiel has at its root a whole bunch of hubris: an extreme arrogance that includes being out of touch with reality and an overestimating of one's own competence. Thankfully it’s a condition that God, sooner or later, can work through a number of channels to readily fix, sometimes with an exile's baggage.
Prayer: Dear Lord, keep us from having so much pride in ourselves or our organizations or what we sometimes mistakenly think of as our churches or even our political parties that we somehow lose our grounding in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings today included: Ezekiel 12-14 and Revelation 5)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
What Kind of Praise Does God Want?
Scripture Verse that Caught my attention today: Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
Observation: Our Lord and God is worthy, we are not.
Application: I’ll admit that, at one level, the vision in Revelation 4:8-11 seems a bit much. It’s hard to imagine an absolutely eternal refrain of praise to God and bowing to God, etc. One would think that even God would get weary of such praise. It reminds me of popular speakers who, while thankful for the various standing ovations, nevertheless eventually invite the assembly to be seated so that the speakers can say whatever they came there to say. Even praise gets a little old after a while. We can only process so much of it. After a while it can get to be too much.
Or there’s this fitness book called “body for life.” It’s a decent book to be sure. Definitely worth a look. But at one point the author suggests that, while doing resistance training the person should repeat “I’m building my body for life” with each rep. My son, who also liked the book, thought that was rather cheesy. I’d have to agree. The mantra might be a good motivator once in a while. But to do it rep after rep, day after day would, for me at least, get old fast.
I don’t know if God ever really gets weary of praise or not. But I do know that when Jesus was praised he had a tendency to either deflect it or challenge the depth/sincerity of the praise to begin with. He was able to realize that some praise was deceitful (like when the Pharisees would try to test Jesus or when Jesus betrayed him). Other praise was self-serving (like when the disciples were asking for the seats on the right and left of Jesus or when they wanted to rain down fire on some folks). When people praised Jesus by saying that they would follow him wherever he would go, he reminded them that "foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." One of the few times he accepted praise was when he was on the cross. To the best of our knowledge Jesus did not object to the sign placed above his head indicating that he was the King of the Jews.
Verse 4:11 of Revelation says that God is worthy because God created all things. Most of us who are Christian would agree with that insight. But later in Revelation the reason for God’s worthiness will be because of the “Lamb who was slain.” For me that is the more powerful, tangible, and lasting witness. And if the “Lamb who was slain” someday desires my continuous praise in the heavenly court…well…it will be time well spent! While on earth, however, I suspect that the Lord might prefer our praise to be mostly in the form of loving service, though perhaps coupled with a weekly standing ovation in worship!
Prayer: Dear Lord, help our praise to be sincere and our service as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings today included: Ezekiel 8-11, Revelation 4)
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
Observation: Our Lord and God is worthy, we are not.
Application: I’ll admit that, at one level, the vision in Revelation 4:8-11 seems a bit much. It’s hard to imagine an absolutely eternal refrain of praise to God and bowing to God, etc. One would think that even God would get weary of such praise. It reminds me of popular speakers who, while thankful for the various standing ovations, nevertheless eventually invite the assembly to be seated so that the speakers can say whatever they came there to say. Even praise gets a little old after a while. We can only process so much of it. After a while it can get to be too much.
Or there’s this fitness book called “body for life.” It’s a decent book to be sure. Definitely worth a look. But at one point the author suggests that, while doing resistance training the person should repeat “I’m building my body for life” with each rep. My son, who also liked the book, thought that was rather cheesy. I’d have to agree. The mantra might be a good motivator once in a while. But to do it rep after rep, day after day would, for me at least, get old fast.
I don’t know if God ever really gets weary of praise or not. But I do know that when Jesus was praised he had a tendency to either deflect it or challenge the depth/sincerity of the praise to begin with. He was able to realize that some praise was deceitful (like when the Pharisees would try to test Jesus or when Jesus betrayed him). Other praise was self-serving (like when the disciples were asking for the seats on the right and left of Jesus or when they wanted to rain down fire on some folks). When people praised Jesus by saying that they would follow him wherever he would go, he reminded them that "foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." One of the few times he accepted praise was when he was on the cross. To the best of our knowledge Jesus did not object to the sign placed above his head indicating that he was the King of the Jews.
Verse 4:11 of Revelation says that God is worthy because God created all things. Most of us who are Christian would agree with that insight. But later in Revelation the reason for God’s worthiness will be because of the “Lamb who was slain.” For me that is the more powerful, tangible, and lasting witness. And if the “Lamb who was slain” someday desires my continuous praise in the heavenly court…well…it will be time well spent! While on earth, however, I suspect that the Lord might prefer our praise to be mostly in the form of loving service, though perhaps coupled with a weekly standing ovation in worship!
Prayer: Dear Lord, help our praise to be sincere and our service as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings today included: Ezekiel 8-11, Revelation 4)
Saturday, August 28, 2010
A Walk on The Wild Side
Scripture Verses that Caught my attention Today: Ezekiel 1:11-12 such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 Each moved straight ahead; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.
Observation: interesting imagery
Application: Nothing real deep comes to mind this morning, but I am reminded of a sight I saw last week on the way to church, something most of us have probably seen at one time or another. It was a huge group/flock of birds that flew in these incredible patterns as a group, almost as if they were one. The pattern would stretch and condense and twist and turn but it was just beautifully flowing in all of its movements.
I know this will sound strange, but I so much wanted to be able to interview one of those birds, to ask, “how do you all do that? How do you all know when to lean this way and that? Do you all get together and practice? Is there a leader? Is it purely for art form, which in and of itself would be enough, or is there some other purpose for the movement as well? Etc.”
Part of me wishes the people of God would be more like that. Part of me wonders if that might be what it will be like in heaven. And it certainly bears at least a passing resemblance to the vision that Ezekiel sees in the passage above in regard to the heavenly beings.
But then again, birds don’t fly in such alignments all the time. It’s a relatively rare occurrence. Most of the time they are busy with the day to day tasks of getting food, building nests, mating, flying and, if they have a moment, sitting alone on electric lines just gazing at the world in front of them. When they do the latter, they no doubt see car upon car traveling in relatively straight lines in one direction and then, later, back in the other. I wonder if they’d like to interview one of the drivers, asking, “why do you all do that? Do you practice? Is there a leader? Is it purely an art form, which in and of itself would be enough, or is there some other purpose for the movement as well? Etc?”
Interesting creatures, aren’t we all? From the sounds of Ezekiel, there are yet more creatures of God that most of us have yet to meet.
Prayer: Lord, thanks simply for the variety of creatures that, in one way or another, point us to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture readings today included: Ezekiel 1-3, Revelation 2)
Observation: interesting imagery
Application: Nothing real deep comes to mind this morning, but I am reminded of a sight I saw last week on the way to church, something most of us have probably seen at one time or another. It was a huge group/flock of birds that flew in these incredible patterns as a group, almost as if they were one. The pattern would stretch and condense and twist and turn but it was just beautifully flowing in all of its movements.
I know this will sound strange, but I so much wanted to be able to interview one of those birds, to ask, “how do you all do that? How do you all know when to lean this way and that? Do you all get together and practice? Is there a leader? Is it purely for art form, which in and of itself would be enough, or is there some other purpose for the movement as well? Etc.”
Part of me wishes the people of God would be more like that. Part of me wonders if that might be what it will be like in heaven. And it certainly bears at least a passing resemblance to the vision that Ezekiel sees in the passage above in regard to the heavenly beings.
But then again, birds don’t fly in such alignments all the time. It’s a relatively rare occurrence. Most of the time they are busy with the day to day tasks of getting food, building nests, mating, flying and, if they have a moment, sitting alone on electric lines just gazing at the world in front of them. When they do the latter, they no doubt see car upon car traveling in relatively straight lines in one direction and then, later, back in the other. I wonder if they’d like to interview one of the drivers, asking, “why do you all do that? Do you practice? Is there a leader? Is it purely an art form, which in and of itself would be enough, or is there some other purpose for the movement as well? Etc?”
Interesting creatures, aren’t we all? From the sounds of Ezekiel, there are yet more creatures of God that most of us have yet to meet.
Prayer: Lord, thanks simply for the variety of creatures that, in one way or another, point us to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture readings today included: Ezekiel 1-3, Revelation 2)
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Importance of Identifying with People
Scripture Verse that Caught my attention Today: Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Observation: The writer of Revelation starts from a point of what he has in common with those to whom he writes (I…your brother who share with you in Jesus…”). And what they share are difficulties (persecution), being part of something much bigger (the kingdom), and a mindset that by God’s grace will sustain them through (patient endurance).
Application: Being able to identify with people is huge in ministry. It’s not that we necessarily need be just like the people we serve. If that were the case, pastors would need to personally have every vice (and every talent!) known to humankind. But we do need to recognize in each other a common humanity—all of us have struggles at one level or another; all of us have either a reason for hope or a longing for hope.
John didn’t paint an overly rosy picture for his readers. He acknowledged that things were difficult, reminded them that they were all part of something much bigger, and encouraged them to remain faithful and trusting in light of the one who was and is and is to come.
Nothing fancy, really. Just the sharing of an authentic message from an authentic person touched by an authentic God.
Prayer: Lord, help me always to recognize in another what we have in common through you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture readings today included: Jeremiah 52, Psalm 143 & 144, Revelation 1)
Observation: The writer of Revelation starts from a point of what he has in common with those to whom he writes (I…your brother who share with you in Jesus…”). And what they share are difficulties (persecution), being part of something much bigger (the kingdom), and a mindset that by God’s grace will sustain them through (patient endurance).
Application: Being able to identify with people is huge in ministry. It’s not that we necessarily need be just like the people we serve. If that were the case, pastors would need to personally have every vice (and every talent!) known to humankind. But we do need to recognize in each other a common humanity—all of us have struggles at one level or another; all of us have either a reason for hope or a longing for hope.
John didn’t paint an overly rosy picture for his readers. He acknowledged that things were difficult, reminded them that they were all part of something much bigger, and encouraged them to remain faithful and trusting in light of the one who was and is and is to come.
Nothing fancy, really. Just the sharing of an authentic message from an authentic person touched by an authentic God.
Prayer: Lord, help me always to recognize in another what we have in common through you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture readings today included: Jeremiah 52, Psalm 143 & 144, Revelation 1)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Reflecting on an Age-old Question About the People of God
Scripture Verses that Caught my attention today: 2 John 10-11 Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching; 11 for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.
Observation: these verses seem to be inconsistent with Jesus and the early apostolic witness.
Application: It’s an age-old question, really; to what extent are the people of God called to stand apart from the rest of the world and to what extent are they to engage with the rest of the world?
In the Old Testament there were many admonitions for the people of God to stand apart. They weren’t supposed to intermarry with people of other nations, they were, at times, called to completely wipe out other nations to the extent that no-one was to be left, presumably with which to intermingle. And occasionally in the New Testament we’ll find a more exclusive claim as well, such as in the verses above.
But Jesus himself certainly didn’t seem to operate that way. He not only met with the social outcasts that the religious leaders regularly shunned (tax collectors and sinners), he also met with the very people whose heritage was a result of mixed marriages (Samaritans, the religious leaders hated Samaritans. They were considered the traitors, the sell-outs. Hence the Parable of the Good Samaritan would be, to them, an oxymoron—there was no such thing as a GOOD Samaritan!). Later, in the book of Acts, the mission to the Gentiles became of profound importance.
So I read the verses above and I’m struck by he dichotomy. In 1 John we are told that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). But in the verses above there seems to be a fear of sorts in welcoming those who do not believe that Christ came in the flesh. Don’t we have to engage with such folks? In the book of John it says of its testimony, “but these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name (John 20:21). How would folks ever hear of such testimony unless they were welcomed into the community where such lessons are taught?
This week there is a movement of protest within the Lutheran Church. Presumably by the end of the week there will be another Lutheran Church body, a split-off from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) of which I am a part. The new Lutheran Church Body will likely be called the NALC (North American Lutheran Church). At that point the main streams of Lutheranism in the USA will be the ELCA, the LC-MS (Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod), the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church) the LCMC (Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ), and the NALC. The NALC leaders and followers presumably believe that this new church will somehow be more faithful to Scripture and traditional Lutheranism. I wish them well, but I’m not convinced. Like every other denomination and non-denomination on earth, they will have a tendency to be more faithful to some parts of Scripture than to other parts of Scripture. Like the ELCA, and the Baptists, and the Methodists, etc., they will do some picking and choosing. They will no doubt do their best to do it faithfully. But then again, so do we. We do not agree on the results because, well, it really is a complicated question. To what extent are the people of God called to stand apart from the world and to what extent are the people of God called to engage with the world? The answer is actually both. We are called to stand apart from the world but also with the world. How best to do that has always been a subject of lively debate.
Prayer: Lord, I pray that some good work is done in your name through every church body on earth, in spite of our many shortcomings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings today included: Jeremiah 37-39, Psalm 79, 2 John)
Observation: these verses seem to be inconsistent with Jesus and the early apostolic witness.
Application: It’s an age-old question, really; to what extent are the people of God called to stand apart from the rest of the world and to what extent are they to engage with the rest of the world?
In the Old Testament there were many admonitions for the people of God to stand apart. They weren’t supposed to intermarry with people of other nations, they were, at times, called to completely wipe out other nations to the extent that no-one was to be left, presumably with which to intermingle. And occasionally in the New Testament we’ll find a more exclusive claim as well, such as in the verses above.
But Jesus himself certainly didn’t seem to operate that way. He not only met with the social outcasts that the religious leaders regularly shunned (tax collectors and sinners), he also met with the very people whose heritage was a result of mixed marriages (Samaritans, the religious leaders hated Samaritans. They were considered the traitors, the sell-outs. Hence the Parable of the Good Samaritan would be, to them, an oxymoron—there was no such thing as a GOOD Samaritan!). Later, in the book of Acts, the mission to the Gentiles became of profound importance.
So I read the verses above and I’m struck by he dichotomy. In 1 John we are told that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). But in the verses above there seems to be a fear of sorts in welcoming those who do not believe that Christ came in the flesh. Don’t we have to engage with such folks? In the book of John it says of its testimony, “but these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name (John 20:21). How would folks ever hear of such testimony unless they were welcomed into the community where such lessons are taught?
This week there is a movement of protest within the Lutheran Church. Presumably by the end of the week there will be another Lutheran Church body, a split-off from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) of which I am a part. The new Lutheran Church Body will likely be called the NALC (North American Lutheran Church). At that point the main streams of Lutheranism in the USA will be the ELCA, the LC-MS (Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod), the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church) the LCMC (Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ), and the NALC. The NALC leaders and followers presumably believe that this new church will somehow be more faithful to Scripture and traditional Lutheranism. I wish them well, but I’m not convinced. Like every other denomination and non-denomination on earth, they will have a tendency to be more faithful to some parts of Scripture than to other parts of Scripture. Like the ELCA, and the Baptists, and the Methodists, etc., they will do some picking and choosing. They will no doubt do their best to do it faithfully. But then again, so do we. We do not agree on the results because, well, it really is a complicated question. To what extent are the people of God called to stand apart from the world and to what extent are the people of God called to engage with the world? The answer is actually both. We are called to stand apart from the world but also with the world. How best to do that has always been a subject of lively debate.
Prayer: Lord, I pray that some good work is done in your name through every church body on earth, in spite of our many shortcomings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings today included: Jeremiah 37-39, Psalm 79, 2 John)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
It's not a question of if, but of when.
Scripture Verse that caught my attention today: Psalm 74:10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
Observation: this verse is more than a lament. Beneath it there is little if any real question of ‘if’ but only of ‘when.’
Application: On a side note, every day when I open up my word processing file in which my journal entries are typed, the date of the first entry pops up. I’ve journalled for years, but I began a new file upon beginning the call to the church I now serve. That date was August 25, 2005. So today will complete five years of service in this context. It also amounts to 319 pages of scriptural journal entries with ½ inch margins all around. Tomorrow I will start a new file.
Now, back to today’s reflection. It seems to me that the one difference between despair and optimism is whether or not one feels like there will ever be resolution. By ‘ever’ I mean ‘ever,’ meaning that even beyond one’s own lifetime counts if need-be. People of despair see no hope, ever. Optimistic people believe that there will eventually be some form of resolution, though they are hopefully realistic to know that the resolution desired may or may not come during their life-time and may or may not come at great cost and quite possibly after suffering and even death.
It occurs to me that some of the deceased folks that we consider great today never lived to see the ultimate affect of their work. A conservative talk-radio host is currently peddling the idea that we need another George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Well, in the first place I strongly suspect that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln each had some undesirable traits that have conveniently been forgotten over time. They were human, after all; no more or less a sinners than any one of us. But in the second place, there are no doubt George Washington/Abraham Lincoln-type people all around today. We just don’t recognize them because great people are often not recognized as such at the time. In fact, sometimes they are vilified at the time and not recognized as great until years later. So many people were upset at Lincoln that the country literally went to war over it. That’s why they say it takes at least 50 years to know for sure how the affects of any president and administration actually pan out.
Far greater, however, than any one president in any one nation of the world is the one the Scriptures refer to as God. This is the One who makes covenants with the sun and moon and delivered a whole people out of bondage in Egypt even before sending Jesus into the world to, as Paul says, set the world free from it’s bondage to sin and decay and obtain the freedom of the Glory of God. It’s not a question of if. It’s merely a question of when.
Prayer: Lord, there are times when I wish that your plans would unfold a little faster and a little more clearly. But that’s not my call to make. Help me to simply rest secure in the present and let you handle the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture readings today included: Jeremiah 33-34, Psalm 74 and 1 John 5)
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
Observation: this verse is more than a lament. Beneath it there is little if any real question of ‘if’ but only of ‘when.’
Application: On a side note, every day when I open up my word processing file in which my journal entries are typed, the date of the first entry pops up. I’ve journalled for years, but I began a new file upon beginning the call to the church I now serve. That date was August 25, 2005. So today will complete five years of service in this context. It also amounts to 319 pages of scriptural journal entries with ½ inch margins all around. Tomorrow I will start a new file.
Now, back to today’s reflection. It seems to me that the one difference between despair and optimism is whether or not one feels like there will ever be resolution. By ‘ever’ I mean ‘ever,’ meaning that even beyond one’s own lifetime counts if need-be. People of despair see no hope, ever. Optimistic people believe that there will eventually be some form of resolution, though they are hopefully realistic to know that the resolution desired may or may not come during their life-time and may or may not come at great cost and quite possibly after suffering and even death.
It occurs to me that some of the deceased folks that we consider great today never lived to see the ultimate affect of their work. A conservative talk-radio host is currently peddling the idea that we need another George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Well, in the first place I strongly suspect that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln each had some undesirable traits that have conveniently been forgotten over time. They were human, after all; no more or less a sinners than any one of us. But in the second place, there are no doubt George Washington/Abraham Lincoln-type people all around today. We just don’t recognize them because great people are often not recognized as such at the time. In fact, sometimes they are vilified at the time and not recognized as great until years later. So many people were upset at Lincoln that the country literally went to war over it. That’s why they say it takes at least 50 years to know for sure how the affects of any president and administration actually pan out.
Far greater, however, than any one president in any one nation of the world is the one the Scriptures refer to as God. This is the One who makes covenants with the sun and moon and delivered a whole people out of bondage in Egypt even before sending Jesus into the world to, as Paul says, set the world free from it’s bondage to sin and decay and obtain the freedom of the Glory of God. It’s not a question of if. It’s merely a question of when.
Prayer: Lord, there are times when I wish that your plans would unfold a little faster and a little more clearly. But that’s not my call to make. Help me to simply rest secure in the present and let you handle the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture readings today included: Jeremiah 33-34, Psalm 74 and 1 John 5)
Monday, August 23, 2010
Human love, compared to God's love, is like a Fifth Cousin Twice Removed
Scripture Verse that Caught My Attention Today: 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Observation: It’s crucial to remember who loved who first.
Application: One key part of my understanding of God is that God always makes the first move in terms of love and reconciliation and healing. And so the fact that I am loved by God is not because I’m so loveable by my own efforts, but because God simply loves me, period. My own efforts have nothing to do with it. They are simply a form of response, preferably out of a profound sense of thankgiving, but, realistically, often simply because such efforts either make me feel good or provide some other self-serving purpose.
That’s why it’s so crucial to understand God as the original source love. Human love is fleeting. It’s here one day and gone the next. It’s dependability is a nothing but a gamble. It’s built on the chance of a chance, the odds of the odds, a bet on a bet. It’s like a fifth cousin of God twice removed, whatever that means.
Better by far is to simply rely on the one who was and is and is to come. The one who loved us first and loves us still.
Prayer: Lord, let us always simply be thankful for your willingness to consistently love the unloveable, and to respond in kind. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings Today included Jeremiah 31-32 and 1 John 4)
Observation: It’s crucial to remember who loved who first.
Application: One key part of my understanding of God is that God always makes the first move in terms of love and reconciliation and healing. And so the fact that I am loved by God is not because I’m so loveable by my own efforts, but because God simply loves me, period. My own efforts have nothing to do with it. They are simply a form of response, preferably out of a profound sense of thankgiving, but, realistically, often simply because such efforts either make me feel good or provide some other self-serving purpose.
That’s why it’s so crucial to understand God as the original source love. Human love is fleeting. It’s here one day and gone the next. It’s dependability is a nothing but a gamble. It’s built on the chance of a chance, the odds of the odds, a bet on a bet. It’s like a fifth cousin of God twice removed, whatever that means.
Better by far is to simply rely on the one who was and is and is to come. The one who loved us first and loves us still.
Prayer: Lord, let us always simply be thankful for your willingness to consistently love the unloveable, and to respond in kind. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Scripture Readings Today included Jeremiah 31-32 and 1 John 4)
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