Your promise gives me life.

From today's reading: Psalm 119: 49-50

49 Remember your word to your servant, because you have given me hope.  50 This is my comfort in my trouble, that your promise gives me life.   

While pondering various worries this morning, I found this to be great comfort and a reminder that, after all, it is all in God's hand.  We think we are handling things well, and then we find ourselves is a bit of intestinal distress and realize that we have just stuffed it down and it is churning up our insides.  Not fun at all.  

When that happens, it is good to remember that it is God who is in control, and when we can't change what is happening, we lift it up in prayer and allow the Lord to be a significant part of the situation and therefore the solution.  For God is our hope, and when we are troubled, he will be our comfort when we remember that he is ultimately in charge of our life. 

A few thoughts on gossip

This morning's Old Testament was from the apocryphal book known as Sirach or also as Ecclesiasticus, chapter 19, verses 4-17.  What we find as we read this, are true words of wisdom for today's living.  This lesson encourages us not to gossip - the first part tells us, if you hear something, don't repeat it.  And the second half encourages us, not to jump to conclusions when we hear something bad about someone.   If we hear something bad, about someone, go talk to them.  You might find out what y0u heard was untrue.  Or there may be a very practical explanation for what happened.  

When we make assumptions about other people, especially about their intentions - we always project our own biases into the situation.  It is always more productive to ask questions and give others a chance to explain before we condemn.  We could reduce a lot of our stress, and much of our health challenges by giving people the benefit of a doubt and engaging them in productive conversation rather than sitting back and stewing in our own web of conjecture.

May the Lord grant you a peaceful day void of the conflict that is often produced by gossip.  Amen.

Gifts for the work of ministry

From today's reading:  The gifts he gave were . . . . to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith. . . .  Ephesians 4:11-13

The lessons I used today were from those appointed for the remembrance of St. Simon and St. Jude.  Where the dots are I have left out a list of gifts that I think can probably sidetrack us.  If we get too hung up on the "special gifts," we forget that all gifts are given for ministry - even gifts of cooking and cleaning and serving at table can be gifts for the spread of the faith.  

One of my young friends who came through campus ministry at SHSU came from a family that were mostly C & E'rs - you know, attending only at Christmas and Easter.  But they attended the Episcopal church, so when her dad died during her high school years, she was not grounded in a Christian community.  

What made an impression on her was that someone from the church that she didn't even know, came to her house to help out and cleaned their toilet.  Just think of the gift - to go to a house where someone has died and to clean their toilet - and to make a lasting impression on a 17 year old girl.  That simple act made a difference in the life of that young girl.

What are the gifts that God has given us?  You don't have to be a preacher or teacher or spiritual giant to make a difference in someone's life.  The greatest gift is love.  It is love that allows someone to go into a stranger's home and to perform the simplist of acts that can bring another to faith.

Trusting in the Lord

From today's reading:  1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong.  For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like the green grass fade away.  Put your trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and feed on its riches.   Psalm 37:1-3

That just about sums it up.  -  don't envy those who get ahead by improper means, and put your trust in God.  God will take care of those who do evil and he will take care of his faithful.  We simply have to trust that he will be there and keep us under his watchful eye.

So many people are beginning to show the strain of this years presidential campaign.  I, for one, and tired of the rhetoric.  If the candidates would just tell us what they plan to do or how they plan to handle various situations and quit attacking one another, I might actually want to listen to them.  

I found this gem while reading my lessons this morning and hope maybe it speaks with truth.      "The government of the earth is in the hand of the Lord, and over it he will raise up the right leader for the time."  Maybe we should all pray this one!   Sirach 10:4

From the belly of Sheol you heard my cry.

From today's reading:  "I called to the LORD out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.  Jonah 2:2

This has always been an encouraging verse to me.  Here is Jonah in the belly of the great fish and he knows that this situation is a result of his discision to ignore the Lord and run away.  I don't know of anyone who hasn't made a bad choice on occasion.  Sometimes they are simple little things that don't really make a big difference, but on those occasions when the decision could be life changing, it is so comforting to know that we can call on the Lord and regardless of where we are, He hears our voice.  And He will begin to set in motion those things that will help bring us out of the belly of the fish that has engulfed us.

From Psalm 139:7-8,12a - Where can I go from your spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to Heaven, you are there.  If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. Even the darkness is not dark to you...

It doesn't matter what kind of mess we get ourselves into - our Lord is there to help us find our way back.  Now and always!

Someone touched me

From today's reading: Jesus said, 'Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.'  Luke 8:46

The crowd surrounded Jesus and pressed in from every side, and yet, he knew that someone had touched the hem of his cloak, and not just touched it, but touched it with the faith that it could make her well.  Jesus felt the power go out of him and he knew it wasn't just someone who wanted to be able to say, "I touched Jesus." but someone in great need; someone in desperation.

I think this is so hopeful for all of us.  When we reach out to Jesus in any kind of need, he feels our presence and our need and our faith.  And he in turn reaches out to us and assures us, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.' (Verse 48)  It's as simple as that.  No great and mights acts - no proclamation from the rooftops.  Just 'go in peace - you have been cleansed.'  It's personal and it's powerful in its simplicity.  Go in peace - the Lord is with you.

Philip the Deacon

From today's reading:  Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch returning home (from Jerusalem), he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up. . . and he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.  The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak.          Acts 8:26-27, 29-30,32,34-35

Philip is one of the seven men selected in Acts to serve the church along with the disciples.  I love this reading - I love what it says.  Philip allowed the Spirit to lead him without question and when he found himself in this place, he first listened before responding.  When he saw this court official in his chariot, and heard him reading from Isaiah, he asked, "Do you understand?"  When invited, he joined the eunuch in the chariot.  But he still listened and did not respond until asked a question.  I think a mistake some Christians make is to assume that someone wants to hear what they have to say, without first listening to their cares and concerns. Philip listens and then waits until the Ethiopian asks him a question.  Then he answers it, openly and honestly.

I've had this kind of thing happen at least twice where I ended up somewhere unusual in a conversation with a stranger, and somewhere in the midst of that conversation realized that it was God appointed.  And the most amazing feeling wells up inside you as you realize that God is using you to make a new difference in someone's life.  Sometimes you only realize it in hindsight, and that's okay.  But the thing that speaks to me most clearly is that evangelism is most effective when the person is in an inquiring and receptive frame of mind.  The Holy Spirit does his work and then brings us in to "seal the deal" - to clarify and affirm what He is already doing - to let the person know that God cares enough to give them help and companions along the way.  Where has the Spirit led you lately?