Psalm 20:1-3, 7 (The Message)
"God answer you on the day you crash.
The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm's reach.
Send reinforcements from Holy Hill.
Dispatch from Zion fresh supplies.
Exclaim over your offerings,
Celebrate your sacrifices....
While Psalm 20 is a great reminder of God's constant presence, help, and assurance, I want to focus today on the d365.org weekly theme and PAUSE:
"Little stories. Illustrations. Vignettes. All intended to crack the door to just a little more understanding. Jesus offered alot of these kinds of openings. He still does. Look to see what kind of new light might brighten your understanding this week."
We all know (and love) the stories or parables Jesus told to help the listeners understand his message in terms and situations common to their daily life. The Good Samaritan. The Lost Sheep. The parables never revealed the whole message at once, just a glimpse into the Kingdom, a crack in the door letting the light of God brighten the way.
What doors has God cracked for me today? For us? Are we looking for them or are we looking for stories of sheep and shepherds? Our parables in modern terms will come in openings of smart phones, computers, and technology. We will find glimpses of God's truth on Facebook and Twitter, vignettes of heaven on the news and TV. But we have to be looking with an open heart, ready to see.
Where is God cracking the door of understanding in my life? May I watch for and receive the unloading of God's words and stories to illuminate my path.
Oh Ginger,
ReplyDeleteThis IS the essence of our "Missional" attitude! We all realize that God is always out in front of us, at work in the places and people least expected. God is at work in our neighbors and neighborhood, in us at our places RIGHT NOW!!!!! "What doors has God cracked for me today?"
We are becoming aware of the doors God is opening for us, we are becoming aware of the "light of God". We are becoming aware of the parables (stories) that are all around us. Awareness itself is a doorway, an opening to understanding. With understanding we can then judge for acceptance(evaluate). Awareness, understanding and judgment cultivate discernment. Discernment opens us up to the creative imagination of God, only through God can we imagine a world that for us, right now, is unimaginable. This divine imagination is freeing and is the key and source for our "Missional" experimentation. This experimentation in freedom encourages us to commit to God completely, without reservation. We commit to God in freedom with LOVE.
Yes, "Where is God cracking the door of understanding in my life?"
Jim