"When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."
-Ephesians 3:4-6
So if you must be either Jew or Gentile, that means that all are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Today we have many more divisions like Muslim and Buddhist along with Christians and Jews (and even divisions within those divisions). Nevertheless, everyone is called to do their part in God's plan. Whether they answer the call or not is another story for another day.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Peace
"He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."
-Ephesians 2:17-18
It's hard to say whether I was one of the ones far off or near. I know some who seem to have been farther off than I was, but know others who have always seemed closer than I have been. No matter where you feel you stand, you're never too far for peace and never too close to judge others who seem not to be.
-Ephesians 2:17-18
It's hard to say whether I was one of the ones far off or near. I know some who seem to have been farther off than I was, but know others who have always seemed closer than I have been. No matter where you feel you stand, you're never too far for peace and never too close to judge others who seem not to be.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Capital Punishment
When the Arameans came down to get him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike this people blind, I pray you." And in answer to the prophet's prayer the LORD struck them blind.
Then Elisha said to them: "This is the wrong road, and this is the wrong city. Follow me! I will take you to the man you want." And he led them to Samaria.
When they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open their eyes that they may see." The LORD opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked, "Shall I kill them, my father?"
"You must not kill them," replied Elisha. "Do you slay those whom you have taken captive with your sword or bow? Serve them bread and water. Let them eat and drink, and then go back to their master." The king spread a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went back to their master. No more Aramean raiders came into the land of Israel.
-2 Kings 6:18-23
So how does this story apply to today? We certainly shouldn't kill prisoners if we already have them captured. Police would only have to do that if a criminal is on the loose and firing shots at people, for example. One would think that since the majority of Americans are Christian, it would be obvious that capital punishment is wrong. However, since the majority of those Americans can't see that abortion is wrong, something deeper has to be addressed first before anyone can really deal with the glaring symptoms on the surface of our society. Whatever it is, those closest to Jesus are going to have to be as they can be to allowing his power to work through them to conquer evil like this.
Then Elisha said to them: "This is the wrong road, and this is the wrong city. Follow me! I will take you to the man you want." And he led them to Samaria.
When they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open their eyes that they may see." The LORD opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked, "Shall I kill them, my father?"
"You must not kill them," replied Elisha. "Do you slay those whom you have taken captive with your sword or bow? Serve them bread and water. Let them eat and drink, and then go back to their master." The king spread a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went back to their master. No more Aramean raiders came into the land of Israel.
-2 Kings 6:18-23
So how does this story apply to today? We certainly shouldn't kill prisoners if we already have them captured. Police would only have to do that if a criminal is on the loose and firing shots at people, for example. One would think that since the majority of Americans are Christian, it would be obvious that capital punishment is wrong. However, since the majority of those Americans can't see that abortion is wrong, something deeper has to be addressed first before anyone can really deal with the glaring symptoms on the surface of our society. Whatever it is, those closest to Jesus are going to have to be as they can be to allowing his power to work through them to conquer evil like this.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Eucharist
The prophet sent him the message: "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."
But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" With this, he turned about in anger and left.
But his servants came up and reasoned with him. "My father," they said, "if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, 'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said." So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
-2 Kings 5:10-14
Do we sometimes expect more to be done or expect more to be asked of us for so great a reward as salvation? With an act as seemingly simple as consecrating the bread and wine to turn it into the body and blood of Christ, many take it for granted. I try to remind myself everyday what the Eucharist really is, so I can be cleansed internally the way Naaman was cleansed externally in the story above.
But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" With this, he turned about in anger and left.
But his servants came up and reasoned with him. "My father," they said, "if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, 'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said." So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
-2 Kings 5:10-14
Do we sometimes expect more to be done or expect more to be asked of us for so great a reward as salvation? With an act as seemingly simple as consecrating the bread and wine to turn it into the body and blood of Christ, many take it for granted. I try to remind myself everyday what the Eucharist really is, so I can be cleansed internally the way Naaman was cleansed externally in the story above.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Feeding the hungry
A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing the man of God twenty barely loaves made from the first fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said.
But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha insisted. "For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'" And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said.
-2 Kings 4:42-44
I must have forgotten that God was doing this kind of thing long before he sent his son. I only remember hearing about Jesus multiplying the bread and fish on two occasions in the Gospels. Reflecting on what I am supposed to get out of a story so simple, the fact that there is always something left over has grabbed my attention. It seems wasteful because there are people going hungry in today's world. Perhaps it wasn't so wasteful then because their system didn't leave one group with an abundance and another in want. It seemed like the harvest was good for everyone or there was famine for everyone. Forgive me if I think aloud further. The only time people traveled from one land to another for food was when Joseph had stored up food in Egypt. Egypt was also getting poor harvests, but was relying on what it saved.
There's more than enough food today to feed everyone. It's just not getting to them and they aren't able to come to it. Now some organizations have figured out a way to feed a certain area in need and they extend their area of service as funds allow. If everyone pitched in, organizations like these could feed the rest of the world in need. We can't control what everyone else does, but we can do our part.
The two organizations I like most are CrossInternational.org and AmazonRelief.org. Cross International provides the most bang for your buck in the poorest communities in the world because food is cheap and they only have an overhead of about 2-3%. The two things I like about Amazon Relief is that even though food costs a little more in Brazil than other parts of the world, they have 0% overhead and serve a population where jobs are available to break the cycle of poverty. This is a great way for us to perform the corporal work of mercy of feeding the hungry.
But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha insisted. "For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'" And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said.
-2 Kings 4:42-44
I must have forgotten that God was doing this kind of thing long before he sent his son. I only remember hearing about Jesus multiplying the bread and fish on two occasions in the Gospels. Reflecting on what I am supposed to get out of a story so simple, the fact that there is always something left over has grabbed my attention. It seems wasteful because there are people going hungry in today's world. Perhaps it wasn't so wasteful then because their system didn't leave one group with an abundance and another in want. It seemed like the harvest was good for everyone or there was famine for everyone. Forgive me if I think aloud further. The only time people traveled from one land to another for food was when Joseph had stored up food in Egypt. Egypt was also getting poor harvests, but was relying on what it saved.
There's more than enough food today to feed everyone. It's just not getting to them and they aren't able to come to it. Now some organizations have figured out a way to feed a certain area in need and they extend their area of service as funds allow. If everyone pitched in, organizations like these could feed the rest of the world in need. We can't control what everyone else does, but we can do our part.
The two organizations I like most are CrossInternational.org and AmazonRelief.org. Cross International provides the most bang for your buck in the poorest communities in the world because food is cheap and they only have an overhead of about 2-3%. The two things I like about Amazon Relief is that even though food costs a little more in Brazil than other parts of the world, they have 0% overhead and serve a population where jobs are available to break the cycle of poverty. This is a great way for us to perform the corporal work of mercy of feeding the hungry.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Parents Influence: Good or Bad
"He did evil in the LORD'S sight, though not as much as his father and mother."
-2 Kings 3:2
It was not so much this quote as others that made me think of all the times the Bible refers to children being punished for the sins of their fathers. It's not so much God punishing the children as allowing punishment to take place. From all the children I have worked with over the years, I appreciate how hard it is to overcome a rough upbringing...the most extreme example being a boy watching his mom shoot his dad and run away when he was three and his sister was one, leaving them to be raised by their grandparents. The boy is a handful, but knowing the background makes you feel more sympathy than anger towards him when he acts up. It helps me think twice before I pass judgement on any other kid since I may not know his or her background as well.
The good news is that the effects of good parents last for many more generations than the effects of the bad ones according to Scripture. Occasionally, a prodigal child seems to go astray for a period of time, and it may seem like a long time when you are going through those times. However, the positive influence that has been shown into that child's life will usually bear good fruit in the end.
So no matter what kind of parents you had (and I had great ones), God will give you the grace needed to be that good "parent" that leads to good children growing up to be good "parents." Parent(s) was put in quotation marks because we are all called to take care of God's children and some people without children of their own are great "parents" to the children in their lives. God bless you all.
-2 Kings 3:2
It was not so much this quote as others that made me think of all the times the Bible refers to children being punished for the sins of their fathers. It's not so much God punishing the children as allowing punishment to take place. From all the children I have worked with over the years, I appreciate how hard it is to overcome a rough upbringing...the most extreme example being a boy watching his mom shoot his dad and run away when he was three and his sister was one, leaving them to be raised by their grandparents. The boy is a handful, but knowing the background makes you feel more sympathy than anger towards him when he acts up. It helps me think twice before I pass judgement on any other kid since I may not know his or her background as well.
The good news is that the effects of good parents last for many more generations than the effects of the bad ones according to Scripture. Occasionally, a prodigal child seems to go astray for a period of time, and it may seem like a long time when you are going through those times. However, the positive influence that has been shown into that child's life will usually bear good fruit in the end.
So no matter what kind of parents you had (and I had great ones), God will give you the grace needed to be that good "parent" that leads to good children growing up to be good "parents." Parent(s) was put in quotation marks because we are all called to take care of God's children and some people without children of their own are great "parents" to the children in their lives. God bless you all.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Answered Prayers
"Give thanks to the Lord for his mercy endures forever."
-2 Chronicles 20:21
No, I didn't get the job I spoke about in the last post. I don't know if I'm getting called back for a second interview yet or not, but it's clear it's not the job I thought it was. I'm thankful it was made clear now before I found myself trapped. So for the time being, I'm sticking with teaching for the district and will try to help the district as much as I can from that position.
-2 Chronicles 20:21
No, I didn't get the job I spoke about in the last post. I don't know if I'm getting called back for a second interview yet or not, but it's clear it's not the job I thought it was. I'm thankful it was made clear now before I found myself trapped. So for the time being, I'm sticking with teaching for the district and will try to help the district as much as I can from that position.
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