Job 38:1-7 (Good News Translation)
Then out of the storm the LORD spoke to Job.
Who are you to question my wisdom
with your ignorant, empty words?
Now stand up straight
and answer the questions I ask you.
Were you there when I made the world?
If you know so much, tell me about it.
Who decided how large it would be?
Who stretched the measuring line over it?
Do you know all the answers?
What holds up the pillars that support the earth?
Who laid the cornerstone of the world?
In the dawn of that day the stars sang together,
and the heavenly beings shouted for joy.
We ask so many questions. We question the whys and the hows,
We question the whens and wheres.
We seek in the name of science.
We search in the quest for understanding.
HOW did you make our world?
WHY do people suffer?
WHERE can we find your presence?
WHEN shall my prayer be answered?
You answer...with more questions.
And a demand for
Trust. Faith. Obedience.
Question not.
Believe.
And gather as one
To shout with joy and acclamation
With praise and thanksgiving
To our Creator God.
Our Loving God.
Our Sustaining God.
There, the answers are found.
This week in d365.org, Jeff Light has concentrated on the theme of "Our Place in the Sight of God". Each day he has concluded his reflection with another statement of our role in God's eyes. I would like to recap these statements in one place:
OUR PLACE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD IS TO....
- reflect God’s goodness, honor, and majesty through our faithfulness and trust.
- choose to sit with those who need God’s love and our acceptance.
- bear each other's burdens and welcome everyone to the table
- give our lives as Jesus gave his, serving others first to show God’s grace, love and mercy.
- do for the least of our brothers and sisters, and in so doing, for him.
- be ordinary people doing extraordinary things because of the power and presence of God at work in us.
- join the stars and heavenly beings in shouting for joy.d365.org GO! (Jeff Light)
There is a place for you,
A place where you are always safe.
It is found wherever you are,
Always within sight of the God
Who loves you,
Cares for you,
Seeks the very best for you,
And watches you
All the way home.
FRIDAY, October 26 "Trusting Obedience"
Hebrews 5:7-10 (The Message)
"While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him."
Father, God.
I'm tired of servanthood.
Is there no respite?
Am I making an difference?
In this world of hurt and pain,People suffer.
I suffer.
I question and challenge.
I don't have what it takes.
You ask too much.
I'm just an ordinary person.
Extraordinary is out of my reach.
Obedience is hard.
Trusting even harder.
But....
The Spirit, Your Spirit,
Comes and fills me.
In my doubt I am made strong.
My ordinary is remade for great works
By the extraordinary God dwelling in me.
People suffer.
People question and doubt.
People despair.
Use me, Lord,
To heal.
To encourage.
To serve.
To LOVE.
In your name.
Amen.
THURSDAY, October 25 "Called to the Priesthood"
Hebrews 5:1-4 (The Message)
"Every high priest selected to represent men and women before God and offer sacrifices for their sins should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it’s like from his own experience. But that also means that he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the peoples’. No one elects himself to this honored position. He’s called to it by God, as Aaron was."
Columbine shootings. Having taught at the middle school, I sat in on several 'Rachel's Challenge' programs on treating all with respect and kindness. Rachel was know far and wide for her ability to reach out to all groups within the school and performing countless acts of kindness to others. I think Rachel Scott knew what it meant to be an honored priest, called by God.
We all encounter people everyday who need words of kindness, signs of hope or encouragement. Sometimes these actions seem meaningless to us when we perform them, but to the receiver, they can make all the difference in the world. What gifts have I been given that might help another in some small way? How can I uplift another? The priesthood we have been given is an honored position with responsibility and humility, but it is always a position dedicated to servanthood.
WEDNESDAY, October 24 "Becoming Servants"
Mark 10:41-44 (The Message)
"When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave."
God vision. God sight.
What does God see?
Number One?
Power?
Prestige?
Privilege?
Servants?
God sees Jesus.
Humble.
Servant.
Giving love, grace, mercy.
Honor God.
Live God.
Sacrifice.
Service.
God wants to see Christ
Living in us.
Our journey is nearly ended. By noon today we should be home in Baker City! Home! Back to the comforts and wealth of possessions. May I be able to keep my focus on the service, the sacrifice, and the simple living that honors our place in the sight of God.
TUESDAY, October 23 "God Gifts"
Mark 10:38-40 (Good News Translation)
"Jesus said to them, “You don't know what you are asking for. Can you drink the cup of suffering that I must drink? Can you be baptized in the way I must be baptized?”
“We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup I must drink and be baptized in the way I must be baptized. But I do not have the right to choose who will sit at my right and my left. It is God who will give these places to those for whom he has prepared them.”
With baptism come gifts.Gifts of the Spirit,
Gifts from God.
Gifts to serve.
Gifts to heal and welcome.
Gifts to feed and share.
Not selfish gifts.
Not gifts for power or position.
Gifts of love.
God is in control of the giving.
God is in control.
Our place is to open the gifts,
And use them
As God intends.
MONDAY, October 22 "Seat of Honor"
Mark 10:35-37 (The Message)
"James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”
“What is it? I’ll see what I can do.”
“Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”
Our seat of honor in God's Kingdom will come about when we choose to sit with those who need God's love and help...and our acceptance. Our seat of honor will come when we worry more about whether everyone has a place at the table.
SUNDAY, October 21
d365.org PAUSE! (Jeff Light)
How we see things is a matter of perspective, and we are each limited by the experiences our lives have brought us. We simply cannot be truly objective. But our Maker sees it all, knows every experience, and sees us - each one - with absolute clarity. The result is love and acceptance. Open yourself now to be seen clearly, and to be loved.
Psalm 104: 1-6 (The Message)
O my soul, bless God!
God, my God, how great you are!
beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
covered the mountains with deep waters.
"God, my God,
How great you are!"
Grand Canyon.
Zion. Bryce.
Monuments of your creation over time.
YOUR time.
Testimony to your presence
Eternal. Unending.
So much is changing,
Shifting, moving around us.
You are here,
As always.
The canyons are the big picture
of your power and existence;
The big picture we cannot see
But know includes you.
We are a part of this Creation,
A part of your plan.
Make us a canyon wall.
Strong but changing.
Reflecting your presence
every stage of our life.
God, my God,
How great you are!
No comments:
Post a Comment