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