God’s People Too

 

Read Romans 15:1-7

 

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. . . . be willing to associate with people of low position. - Romans 12:13, 16 (NIV)

 

I understood the people’s reactions to me — the glancing looks, keeping their distance in silence. Like others in the waiting room, I was there to see the cardiologist because I had recently experienced a heart attack. But my orange prison jump suit, shackles, handcuffs, and two armed guards didn’t exactly help me to fit in.

Then an elderly woman walked in, smiled, and said, “God bless. I hope you’re doing well.”I responded, “I’m fine.” Suddenly my anxious feelings were replaced with calm. “Thank you,” I added. Afterwards in the van heading back to the prison, I thought how that one person looked beyond the outward signs of what most consider a second-class citizen and saw a person

— a person who, though surely one of God’s own people, was in many ways estranged from the human family. Maybe it was simply that she saw an opportunity to do good. The apostle Paul reminds us that as Christians we are called to show consideration and care for others, particularly for those in need and “of low position.” While such actions may not always come naturally, that special effort can make a significant and lasting impression on people’s lives. It did for me.

 

The Author   Charles P. Axe (Pennsylvania, USA)  - The Upper Room

Thought for the Day: How can I reach out to someone who doesn’t fit in?

Prayer

Dear God, open our eyes to those around us who are in need. Help us to see them as you do and to care for them with your compassion. Amen.

“I am thankful”

 

Psalm 105:1-6

105:1 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.  3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.  4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually. 5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,  6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord.

- Psalm 92:1 (NRSV)
 

Many people greet each other by saying, “Hello. How are you?” I noticed that if I reply with the usual, “Fine,” few people seem to notice. So I began to respond, “I’m thankful.”My answer brings interesting responses. My neighbor called across our yards, “How are you?” When I replied, “I’m thankful,” he asked, “Why? What happened?” He assumed that something had gone well in order to cause me to be thankful. Clerks in stores often greet me with “How are you?” My “I’m thankful” causes them to look up and to respond, “That’s great,” “Wonderful,” or “That’s terrific.” Some express appreciation for my positive answer and thank me. This week, the school principal said, “I look forward to your saying, ‘I’m thankful,’ each day.” Some people ask, “Why are you thankful?” and I have an opportunity to tell them about God’s blessings in my life. If we take a moment to reflect, all of us can think of many reasons to thank the Lord. Expressing gratitude is good for us and can be a blessing to others.

The Author John M. Drescher (Pennsylvania, USA)

Thought for the Day  Consider answering “I am thankful” when folks ask, “How are you?” And be ready to say why.

Prayer  O God, give us thankful hearts so that we may acknowledge and share your goodness. Amen.

Prayer focus: To be more thankful

Fear in Love

Perfect love drives out fear

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” -1 John 4:18

Thought for the Day Hidden Talents

Hidden Talents - From the Upper room

What are my talents, and how can I use them to serve God?

Read Romans 12:3-8

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

- 1 Corinthians 12:4 (NIV)

As I watched the liturgical dancers, choir members, and musicians during a church program, I was envious that I did not have similar talents. I wondered what talent I had that would create the joy and excitement I saw on the faces of the people around me. I started to check off on a mental list the talents I do not have: I do not dance. I do not have a voice that any choir director would welcome. I am not musically inclined in any way. As my “do not” and “cannot” list grew, my self-esteem plunged.

What talent had God given me?

 

 

 

What talent had God given me? Discouraged, I closed my eyes and prayed. Romans 12:6 came to mind: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” In the fog of my doubt, I saw a glimmer of hope. God has given me the ability to listen patiently and to offer encouragement to those who come to me with their problems or concerns. I can also write; and that talent, combined with my eye for photography, allows me to create a variety of multi-media projects to entertain family and friends. I realized that no matter what our gifts, God loves each of us. God’s only request is that we use our talents wisely and fully.

 

The Author Mary Berger (New Mexico, USA)

Prayer

Thank you, God, for the gifts you have given each of us. Help us to appreciate them and to value them as you do. Amen.

Prayer focusThose who feel untalented

Love One Another

Love can build a bridge - it can hold you up!

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” -1 John 4:11-12

Without Love and support of one another - Life is dead !“The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” -Romans 13:9-10

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?




No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” -Romans 8:35,37

God has a dream

What can separate us from God's love ?

  Nothing . Absolutely nothing. 

 And as we share God's love  with our brothers and sisters, God's other children, there is no tyrant who can resist us, no opposition that cannot be ended, no hunger that cannot be fed, no wound that cannot be healed, no hatred that cannot be turned into love, no dream that cannot be fulfilled. 

 - Desmnd Tutu

 

"Love is patient, love is kind.

 It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated,

it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests,

it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Amen!

Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 2:5 (CEB)

Doug, my four-year-old son, accompanied me to the communion rail. At the rail, we knelt together and opened our hands, preparing to be served. The pastor broke a piece from the loaf and placed it in Doug’s hands. When he broke the bread for me, crumbs from the loaf fell to the floor. “You spilled it, Jesus,” Doug whispered to the pastor.“I know,” he replied. And he picked it up and continued to serve the rest of us, as Christ had served the disciples. Later, I asked the pastor, “Have you been called Jesus before?” “Yes,” he replied, “several times, by little ones.”Being mistaken for Christ seems unlikely.


Yet shouldn’t we want to live as Jesus did, so that others see him in the way we treat one another? Our call is to be like him, as much as we are able. I profess to be a Christian, but I don’t always behave as one. When I’m unloving or judgmental, I’m not living as the gospel teaches. Participating in worship and assisting with various church projects helps me behave and feel like a Christian. But away from church, it’s more difficult. I need reminders through daily scripture study or other spiritual reading. Each day, I pray that in my attitudes and behavior I will be more like Jesus. I want to be mistaken for Christ.

 

The Author -Mary Beth Oostenbrug (Iowa, USA)

Thought for the Day  In what ways can I reflect Christ each day?

Prayer

Merciful God, help us to remember what Christ taught us and to follow his example. Help us to love one another as you love us. Amen

Wᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴏᴠᴇʀᴛʏ ɪs ᴏɴʟʏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʜᴜɴɢʀʏ, ɴᴀᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴍᴇʟᴇss.

Tʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴠᴇʀᴛʏ ᴏғ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴜɴᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ, ᴜɴʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴘᴏᴠᴇʀᴛʏ.

Wᴇ ᴍᴜsᴛ sᴛᴀʀᴛ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʜᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴅʏ ᴛʜɪs ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴘᴏᴠᴇʀᴛʏ.
- Mᴏᴛʜᴇʀ Tʜᴇʀᴇsᴀ

“Let those who love the LORD hate evil,

 for he guards the lives of his faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” -Psalm 97:10

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” -Proverbs 21:21

“However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,

 what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived”

 the things God has prepared
 for those who love Him—”

 

-1 Corinthians 2:9

How is your light shining?

In Life’s Darkness

Read Matthew 5:14-16

People [do not] light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  - Matthew 5:15 (NIV)
 

I was at the most crucial step in a delicate repair job when the lights suddenly went off. Poof! Total darkness! Apparently, something had knocked out our generator. Fortunately, I found a small flashlight in my toolbox, and with its tiny beam I was able to complete the job.

The parallel of this experience with faith was obvious to me. I think we are all like that flashlight: small beams of light gleaming in life’s darkness to show others the way to God. The Bible abounds with references to light in the context of our faith. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus refers to his disciples as “the light of the world.” In a following verse, he encourages his followers to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). While the flashlight beams of our personal faith may not always be the brightest or even the most reliable, nevertheless they can shine in the darkness. We can light the way for people to find relationship with Christ. And it is crucial that we do so.   The Author - Tuck Eudy (Florida, USA)

Prayer

Dear Father, please help us to “live and move and have our being” (see Acts 17:28) in your holy radiance, reflecting that light to others. Amen.

Prayer focus   For the church to light the darkness