"What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul..."
Mt.10:27,28
Jesus continues instructing His twelve disciples in preparation for their missionary work. These instructions apply to all believers. Spreading the Good News is part of what we do as followers of Jesus.
Jesus implies here that we first hear from Him in privacy, in the quiet of our daily prayer times. If I don't have these intimate, personal times with Jesus, how can I have anything to to proclaim from the housetops? My daily prayer time is not just a pious thing to do, it's essential if I want to be in-tune with what Jesus is saying to me. It's essential if I want to declare Him before men.
Lord Jesus. I rededicate my morning prayer time to You. Whisper to me Lord that I may then proclaim from the house-tops.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Sheep among Wolves
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.
Mt.10:16
Jesus is commissioning the twelve disciples before their first missionary trip. He promises them persecution, hardship, arrest and floggings. There was no payback promised in this life but certainly the promise of an eternal reward.
The "conditions of employment" haven't changed. If am preaching an authentic Gospel I will be persecuted. That is the nature of the battle against the Prince of the World we Christians are engaged in. It follows that if my life seems a little comfortable and uneventful I must ask myself, am I preaching the Gospel?
Lord Jesus, You tell me "do not be afraid ", but it is a fearful thing to stand up for You in my world. Send me Your Spirit so I may have the courage to be an authentic witness for You.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Mt.10:16
Jesus is commissioning the twelve disciples before their first missionary trip. He promises them persecution, hardship, arrest and floggings. There was no payback promised in this life but certainly the promise of an eternal reward.
The "conditions of employment" haven't changed. If am preaching an authentic Gospel I will be persecuted. That is the nature of the battle against the Prince of the World we Christians are engaged in. It follows that if my life seems a little comfortable and uneventful I must ask myself, am I preaching the Gospel?
Lord Jesus, You tell me "do not be afraid ", but it is a fearful thing to stand up for You in my world. Send me Your Spirit so I may have the courage to be an authentic witness for You.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Noisy Process
Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his retainers, and he exclaimed, ‘Let everyone leave me.’ No one therefore was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.
Gen.45:1,2
Joseph has finally revealed his true identity to his brothers who have come to Egypt begging for grain. The emotion of the reunion is too great for Joseph to hide, his weeping being heard throughout his palace.
I love the story of Joseph in Genesis. It's a story of jealousy, treachery, forgiveness and finally redemption. It's such a human story and yet the divine plan of God is worked perfectly through it. The above verses from Genesis portray the pain and agony Joseph had to work through before he could forgive his brothers.
We're not told what period of time passed from when Joseph first saw his brothers to when he revealed himself to them. The brothers traveled to and from Canna a least two times so it could have been years. Joseph had to process his pain and anger from the treachery of his brothers selling him into slavery. When he did forgive, it was a loud and noisy process. "What's that noise? Is the governor unwell? No, it's just the sound of a man forgiving".
Forgiveness is a part of mankind's story of salvation as played out by Joseph and his brothers. It's a part of my story of salvation today. Who do I still need to forgive...?
Lord Jesus, You know my heart and You know the ones who against I still hold a grudge. Help me Lord to let go and forgive all offenses small or great, even it becomes a noisy process.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Gen.45:1,2
Joseph has finally revealed his true identity to his brothers who have come to Egypt begging for grain. The emotion of the reunion is too great for Joseph to hide, his weeping being heard throughout his palace.
I love the story of Joseph in Genesis. It's a story of jealousy, treachery, forgiveness and finally redemption. It's such a human story and yet the divine plan of God is worked perfectly through it. The above verses from Genesis portray the pain and agony Joseph had to work through before he could forgive his brothers.
We're not told what period of time passed from when Joseph first saw his brothers to when he revealed himself to them. The brothers traveled to and from Canna a least two times so it could have been years. Joseph had to process his pain and anger from the treachery of his brothers selling him into slavery. When he did forgive, it was a loud and noisy process. "What's that noise? Is the governor unwell? No, it's just the sound of a man forgiving".
Forgiveness is a part of mankind's story of salvation as played out by Joseph and his brothers. It's a part of my story of salvation today. Who do I still need to forgive...?
Lord Jesus, You know my heart and You know the ones who against I still hold a grudge. Help me Lord to let go and forgive all offenses small or great, even it becomes a noisy process.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Rich Harvest
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Mt.9:37,38
Jesus continues through the countryside teaching, preaching, healing and delivering. As much as He ministered, more people came to Him seeking His transforming touch.
If we were to measure Jesus' success by His getting on top of the job at hand, He never got there. He would heal two and four more sick would step forward. He would feed five thousand and another seven thousand hungry would clamor after Him. Despite this pressure Jesus saw this great need as a "rich harvest". The people's needs moved Him with compassion.
I get tired just at the thought of the needs I see in the people of my world. I have to transform my way of seeing needy people from insatiable life-suckers to "harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd" Mt.9:36. How? By allowing myself to be moved with compassion.
Lord Jesus, the harvest remains rich and the workers remain few. I ask You, Lord of the Harvest, to make me a worker.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Mt.9:37,38
Jesus continues through the countryside teaching, preaching, healing and delivering. As much as He ministered, more people came to Him seeking His transforming touch.
If we were to measure Jesus' success by His getting on top of the job at hand, He never got there. He would heal two and four more sick would step forward. He would feed five thousand and another seven thousand hungry would clamor after Him. Despite this pressure Jesus saw this great need as a "rich harvest". The people's needs moved Him with compassion.
I get tired just at the thought of the needs I see in the people of my world. I have to transform my way of seeing needy people from insatiable life-suckers to "harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd" Mt.9:36. How? By allowing myself to be moved with compassion.
Lord Jesus, the harvest remains rich and the workers remain few. I ask You, Lord of the Harvest, to make me a worker.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Possess the Spirit
Your interests are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him...
Rms.8:9
In the Book of Romans, Paul writes to the Believers in Rome to give encouragement and assurance in all that God has freely given them. In today's reading from Romans Chapter 8 Paul focuses on the importance of the Spirit of God in our lives. In fact, without the Holy Spirit we cannot even say we belong to Christ.
The Holy Spirit in many ways is the "forgotten God". He is wheeled out briefly at Pentecost and then safely put away again. Yes, He is mentioned in all the sacramental rites but He's not the personality of God that most people relate to.
Where do I place the Holy Spirit in my faith walk? I think of myself as charismatic but does the Holy Spirit play a role in my daily life as a believer? I think not as much as I should allow Him. If this is so, how much do I really belong to Christ? My physical world creates a spiritual haze. My interests need to focus more on the spiritual. Then, as Paul writes, I will live.
Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me.
Fill me with your power, satisfy my needs.
Only You can make me whole,
give me strength and make me grow.
Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Rms.8:9
In the Book of Romans, Paul writes to the Believers in Rome to give encouragement and assurance in all that God has freely given them. In today's reading from Romans Chapter 8 Paul focuses on the importance of the Spirit of God in our lives. In fact, without the Holy Spirit we cannot even say we belong to Christ.
The Holy Spirit in many ways is the "forgotten God". He is wheeled out briefly at Pentecost and then safely put away again. Yes, He is mentioned in all the sacramental rites but He's not the personality of God that most people relate to.
Where do I place the Holy Spirit in my faith walk? I think of myself as charismatic but does the Holy Spirit play a role in my daily life as a believer? I think not as much as I should allow Him. If this is so, how much do I really belong to Christ? My physical world creates a spiritual haze. My interests need to focus more on the spiritual. Then, as Paul writes, I will live.
Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me.
Fill me with your power, satisfy my needs.
Only You can make me whole,
give me strength and make me grow.
Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Lord of The New
'Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.’
Mt.9:17
John's disciples are trying to understand the new thing Jesus was doing. "Why do you not fast when we and everyone else does?" Jesus explains that you do mix the old and the new, the old cloth with a new patch, the new wine in an old wineskin, or both will be ruined. The new demands new ways of doing things.
Jesus doesn't say throw away the old, He simply says do not mix the two. I find the old comforting and the new challenging in a scary sort of way. It's always easier to stay where I am and not push the boundaries. My wife and I are presently embarking on a new business venture. It involves major changes in our home and in our financial status (read bigger mortgage). It's scary, but it seems right. I am reminded by this scripture that new is OK. That in fact new is good. Scary, yes, but good.
Lord Jesus, You always embraced the new, You embodied the new. You are Lord of the new. Give me the courage to step out, to step up to the new You are always calling me to.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
Mt.9:17
John's disciples are trying to understand the new thing Jesus was doing. "Why do you not fast when we and everyone else does?" Jesus explains that you do mix the old and the new, the old cloth with a new patch, the new wine in an old wineskin, or both will be ruined. The new demands new ways of doing things.
Jesus doesn't say throw away the old, He simply says do not mix the two. I find the old comforting and the new challenging in a scary sort of way. It's always easier to stay where I am and not push the boundaries. My wife and I are presently embarking on a new business venture. It involves major changes in our home and in our financial status (read bigger mortgage). It's scary, but it seems right. I am reminded by this scripture that new is OK. That in fact new is good. Scary, yes, but good.
Lord Jesus, You always embraced the new, You embodied the new. You are Lord of the new. Give me the courage to step out, to step up to the new You are always calling me to.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
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