My good friend was moving from Houston to become a principal in Clear Lake, Iowa (the irony that I would move to Lubbock later), and I helped him make the move by driving one of the trucks there and unloading it. Mike and his wife both told me before we left that I would meet Uncle Oran, a man in his late 70s at that time (1995), and then they told me the stories he would share with me. He was on the "assassin's squad that was to kill Hitler in WWII." The trouble with that is that he would then tell me of the "diamonds on the beach he saw while serving in Africa" while simultaneously training to kill Hitler in Berlin. Uncle Oran is sweet, Mike's wife said, but he does make up some crazy stuff.
Sure enough, within 10 minutes of meeting him, Uncle Oran was bending my ear and telling me of his service to our country. Some things, he acknowledged, he still cannot talk about. You just smile and nod and go on. And so we learn of the anchor Brian Williams, who claimed to have flown in a helicopter that was shot down. This, of course, sparked a series of jokes on social media from being with the Founders at the signing of the Declaration of Independence to being on the moon with Neil Armstrong. In short, Williams credibility is now shot as a newsman and recovery from the "yarns he spun" will be difficult at best. He knows it and so does NBC.
But, lest we cast the first stone, isn't there a little of Uncle Oran and Brian Williams in all of us? Don't we like to make the essence of our being a LITTLE bit more important than it really is? Don't we like to perhaps have you believe we know people who count? We are, in some ways, connected to influence or power or authority? There was a short story written by James Thurber called "The Secret Lives of Walter Mitty" that came out as a movie in 2013 in which a mild-mannered man of little importance played out all the great things he had done in life in his mind. The story was hilarious to read as Mitty's mind played out his greatness while behind his desk or getting scolded by his wife.
There is a little Walter Mitty in all of us. We just don't have Brian Williams platform do we? It is tempting to finger wag, find a proverb to cite, and remind ourselves just of the shame of it all in what Williams did, but I hope we actually find a verse like Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." That "fear" is personal. My fear of the Lord is the beginning of my knowledge. The only finger that wags should be at me. I don't seek that wisdom Christ provides, but according to Proverbs, many of us do not, "Wisdom cries out in the street, in the markets she raises her voice." (1:20). Apparently, many of us do not listen.
Thanks to God that Christ is there to provide that forgiveness when I "Walter Mitty." His sacrifice of his own life spared mine and provides salvation for me in spite of my moments of untruth and deceit, whether to myself or to others. We pray a prayer of thanksgiving for that forgiveness and grace and we pray for others who are hurt by our deceit when it happens.
Hope Men's Ministry
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Devotion 2.10.15
Sunday afternoon found me at a meeting of the Lubbock Heritage Society, a small group dedicated to the historical preservation and discovery of area that became Lubbock. The meeting took place on the Texas Tech University campus at the Southwest Collections Building, and the featured speaker was Dr. Paul Carlson, professor emeritus of history at Texas Tech University. To be truthful, seeing the story in the newspaper last week that mentioned Dr. Carlson would be the speaker was what drew me to the event more than anything else. I've studied under Dr. Carlson, and even as a snot-nosed fraternity brat at the age of an 18 - 22 year old student, I found him to be engaging.
What you learn with age is that you wish you had engaged the minds of these men and women who taught you when you were in college more. Dr. Carlson is still sharp and witty. He writes (22 books so far I believe they said) and focuses primarily on this region. He said a couple of things yesterday that I jotted down, thinking to myself that they would become useful later. The first was that a historian needs to be "correct, honest, and true." Correct. Honest. True. The historian needs to be correct in his or her assessment of the past which means supporting what you are saying with information from that era or documented evidence from that era from others who have studied it. Honest in formative opinion or in the usage of others materials. Nothing is worse than lifting material or creating material that doesn't exist to support your assessment. True. "Truth is relative" is an assessment of the now and can be argued, but truth is relative doesn't really apply to history. Facts begin to unfold and show the true nature of that history. Discovery of documents, release of information, and new information begins to shed light on events from our past. Truth then becomes an argument to what the information says, based on a view of that history.
"Myth and majority opinion are not always the truth," Carlson said later, "It's hard to kill a myth." Kennedy was killed by something dark and sinister and larger than all of us. Kennedy was assassinated by a dark government operative so secret that even knowledge of the event puts you in jeopardy. Books have been written and facts stated that are convincing about such, yet as more light gets shed on the subject (the release of the secrets held in the Warren Commission for example on the 50th anniversary of the event), we learn that it is possible that Oswald acted alone. Yet the myth won't die. People are convinced it is true.
What do we learn from Dr. Carlson's observations on the merits of a historian? Well, we learn that they apply to the professed Christian as well. We should act in a manner that is correct, honest, and true, both as a body of believers and as we go out into the world as "lights." As Paul writes in that familiar verse from Philippians 4, "Whatever is true... honorable... just... pure... lovely... commendable..., if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (4:8) When we speak to one another, do we speak in love and truth? When we speak of others or talk about others, do we speak in love and truth and in honor of those people and leave unflattering details out of such conversation? Do we realize that what becomes "truth" about someone, even though it may not be (myth), is difficult to correct once the "story" is out there, so are we constructive in our conversation about others?
Pray that whatever we say or how ever we act toward others are worthy of praise and that we continue to intentionally "think about these things."
Hope Men's Ministry
What you learn with age is that you wish you had engaged the minds of these men and women who taught you when you were in college more. Dr. Carlson is still sharp and witty. He writes (22 books so far I believe they said) and focuses primarily on this region. He said a couple of things yesterday that I jotted down, thinking to myself that they would become useful later. The first was that a historian needs to be "correct, honest, and true." Correct. Honest. True. The historian needs to be correct in his or her assessment of the past which means supporting what you are saying with information from that era or documented evidence from that era from others who have studied it. Honest in formative opinion or in the usage of others materials. Nothing is worse than lifting material or creating material that doesn't exist to support your assessment. True. "Truth is relative" is an assessment of the now and can be argued, but truth is relative doesn't really apply to history. Facts begin to unfold and show the true nature of that history. Discovery of documents, release of information, and new information begins to shed light on events from our past. Truth then becomes an argument to what the information says, based on a view of that history.
"Myth and majority opinion are not always the truth," Carlson said later, "It's hard to kill a myth." Kennedy was killed by something dark and sinister and larger than all of us. Kennedy was assassinated by a dark government operative so secret that even knowledge of the event puts you in jeopardy. Books have been written and facts stated that are convincing about such, yet as more light gets shed on the subject (the release of the secrets held in the Warren Commission for example on the 50th anniversary of the event), we learn that it is possible that Oswald acted alone. Yet the myth won't die. People are convinced it is true.
What do we learn from Dr. Carlson's observations on the merits of a historian? Well, we learn that they apply to the professed Christian as well. We should act in a manner that is correct, honest, and true, both as a body of believers and as we go out into the world as "lights." As Paul writes in that familiar verse from Philippians 4, "Whatever is true... honorable... just... pure... lovely... commendable..., if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (4:8) When we speak to one another, do we speak in love and truth? When we speak of others or talk about others, do we speak in love and truth and in honor of those people and leave unflattering details out of such conversation? Do we realize that what becomes "truth" about someone, even though it may not be (myth), is difficult to correct once the "story" is out there, so are we constructive in our conversation about others?
Pray that whatever we say or how ever we act toward others are worthy of praise and that we continue to intentionally "think about these things."
Hope Men's Ministry
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Devotion 2.5.15
Saddled with strep throat, there really was little to do. No exercise, running errands, doing spring work in the yard, or even sitting and taking notes and writing periodically or working on assigned work from the company I currently contract with. It was a serious case of the "do nothings." However, Netflix got me through the day with a few episodes of "Breaking Bad" with the occasional nap. I fought the first two years of World War II on episodes from the History Channel on Netflix (don't let me know how it ends, it is looking bleak in the Pacific right now so don't spoil it for me), and then came the addiction. Bond. James Bond.
I'm not the casual Bond fan, but I'm not the die-hard fan. I believe that Sean Connery is still the best (he was chosen by the author of Bond books Ian Fleming and the creative force behind the first movies), but Daniel Craig is seriously testing that belief. The die-hard fan doesn't even acknowledge there were other actors to play Bond but Connery. However, I do love to watch a good Bond movie, and AMC offered up "Casino Royale," the first Bond movie I saw on the big screen since "Live and Let Die," which starred Roger Moore in the early 1970s. The only redeeming value to that movie was Paul McCartney's song by the same name which received an Academy Award nomination.
It is said that Bond movies were popular in the 1960s for three reasons: taking people to places they'd never been (places of luxury and extravagance), the actor, and the plot that was one of intrigue and featured gadgets. Then Bond movies began to meander, lose their moorings, and other movies came to do what Bond once did. It is said that today's Bond movies have returned it to that feel from the 1960s and so raise Bond to its former status. Regardless, I love a good Bond movie.
The church seems to be undergoing its own Bond problems. Church used to be a common denominator with common denominations. It was relevant. And yet we see the church drift. Attendance is down, and people respond to surveys about faith less convicted than in the past. Studies even of Christians show that some wonder about the Trinity, possibly even the resurrection, and mainstream denominations find challenges to their authority by new, non-denominational churches or by other "spiritual" options and the secular world.
I believe these kinds of events to be great in truth. Challenge the status quo. Challenge the comfort zones. Make people confront what they really believe and test those convictions. Instead, we sometimes retreat in fear and become concerned, wring our hands and circle the wagons. It's not that the Word of God is as powerful as we proclaim or that we've lent a hand in the church's message becoming irrelevant, it is those other people. They just don't come our way anymore. Maybe the Word carries no relevance so let's adapt it to today's standards and repackage it and THEN it will carry meaning.
Christ tells us, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well." (John 14:6) The message is that simple. So, do we make it too complex? Do we burden people, as did the Pharisees, with our own ideas of what church should be (customs and traditions) and how we should be within it? Or do we believe Christ and the power of his Word? Do we believe that sharing the Word with others will truly reveal that "know the truth, and the truth will set you free?" (John 8:32)
Pray that we keep the simplicity of God's Word as our compass when we take the Word to others. Pray that we listen to them in love and learn of their needs as we seek to share the Gospel with them. Pray that we allow the Spirit to use us to speak this truth in love and mercy to others.
Hope Men's Ministry
I'm not the casual Bond fan, but I'm not the die-hard fan. I believe that Sean Connery is still the best (he was chosen by the author of Bond books Ian Fleming and the creative force behind the first movies), but Daniel Craig is seriously testing that belief. The die-hard fan doesn't even acknowledge there were other actors to play Bond but Connery. However, I do love to watch a good Bond movie, and AMC offered up "Casino Royale," the first Bond movie I saw on the big screen since "Live and Let Die," which starred Roger Moore in the early 1970s. The only redeeming value to that movie was Paul McCartney's song by the same name which received an Academy Award nomination.
It is said that Bond movies were popular in the 1960s for three reasons: taking people to places they'd never been (places of luxury and extravagance), the actor, and the plot that was one of intrigue and featured gadgets. Then Bond movies began to meander, lose their moorings, and other movies came to do what Bond once did. It is said that today's Bond movies have returned it to that feel from the 1960s and so raise Bond to its former status. Regardless, I love a good Bond movie.
The church seems to be undergoing its own Bond problems. Church used to be a common denominator with common denominations. It was relevant. And yet we see the church drift. Attendance is down, and people respond to surveys about faith less convicted than in the past. Studies even of Christians show that some wonder about the Trinity, possibly even the resurrection, and mainstream denominations find challenges to their authority by new, non-denominational churches or by other "spiritual" options and the secular world.
I believe these kinds of events to be great in truth. Challenge the status quo. Challenge the comfort zones. Make people confront what they really believe and test those convictions. Instead, we sometimes retreat in fear and become concerned, wring our hands and circle the wagons. It's not that the Word of God is as powerful as we proclaim or that we've lent a hand in the church's message becoming irrelevant, it is those other people. They just don't come our way anymore. Maybe the Word carries no relevance so let's adapt it to today's standards and repackage it and THEN it will carry meaning.
Christ tells us, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well." (John 14:6) The message is that simple. So, do we make it too complex? Do we burden people, as did the Pharisees, with our own ideas of what church should be (customs and traditions) and how we should be within it? Or do we believe Christ and the power of his Word? Do we believe that sharing the Word with others will truly reveal that "know the truth, and the truth will set you free?" (John 8:32)
Pray that we keep the simplicity of God's Word as our compass when we take the Word to others. Pray that we listen to them in love and learn of their needs as we seek to share the Gospel with them. Pray that we allow the Spirit to use us to speak this truth in love and mercy to others.
Hope Men's Ministry
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Devotion 2.4.15
Was Johnny Manziel's timing for going into rehab accidental or on purpose? "Let's do it the day after the Super Bowl and minimize coverage on this," I can hear a publicist saying. Sunday night, after THE play of the Super Bowl, I imagine a phone call that went something like this, "Kid, we gotta do this now." TV coverage on Monday was like this: Could you believe the call? What was Pete Carroll thinking when he sent in a pass play? And what about those commercials? Really, probably the worst commercials ever. And oh, by the way, Johnny Manziel checked into rehab.
Johnny is his own worst enemy, but when this was reported, I thought, "I hope this works out for him." Sadly, we see people all around us with demons. They haunt them and torment them and consume them. Unfortunately, we sit in judgment all too often with people, either those in fame or not so famous, yet we are all susceptible to these whether or not we want to believe it.
Christ comes across a man literally with a demon in the book of Mark. "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God."
Interesting that Christ hasn't revealed himself, but demons know who he is. Christ notes the man and orders the demon out of him. The man convulsed and the demon came out. (Mark 1:24 - 26 which provides us ultimately the irony that the demons knew this was the Christ more so than the religious leaders of the day)
So with our celebrities (and others), we speak of "demons" in a figurative way. In this passage, Christ confronts the demon. All of this reminds us of the fragile nature of life. Despite what we may see as our strengths, the vulnerability is there. We pray for those who have problems. We pray that they find ways to come to grips with their problems and learn to cope with them. We also pray that they make Christ a central theme in their recovery and that we keep him as a central theme in our lives.
Hope Men's Ministry
Johnny is his own worst enemy, but when this was reported, I thought, "I hope this works out for him." Sadly, we see people all around us with demons. They haunt them and torment them and consume them. Unfortunately, we sit in judgment all too often with people, either those in fame or not so famous, yet we are all susceptible to these whether or not we want to believe it.
Christ comes across a man literally with a demon in the book of Mark. "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God."
Interesting that Christ hasn't revealed himself, but demons know who he is. Christ notes the man and orders the demon out of him. The man convulsed and the demon came out. (Mark 1:24 - 26 which provides us ultimately the irony that the demons knew this was the Christ more so than the religious leaders of the day)
So with our celebrities (and others), we speak of "demons" in a figurative way. In this passage, Christ confronts the demon. All of this reminds us of the fragile nature of life. Despite what we may see as our strengths, the vulnerability is there. We pray for those who have problems. We pray that they find ways to come to grips with their problems and learn to cope with them. We also pray that they make Christ a central theme in their recovery and that we keep him as a central theme in our lives.
Hope Men's Ministry
Monday, February 2, 2015
Devotion 2.3.15
"Ideals are peaceful. History is violent." Sgt. Don "Wardaddy" Collier (Brad Pitt) in the movie "Fury."
This was a tough movie to watch, but over the holidays, my son and I went. Sgt. Collier uses this line with a new soldier in his tank crew who has objections over killing people he doesn't know (the Germans/World War II). Collier has spent the war in his tank with his crew successfully staying alive in some of the worst campaigns in Africa and Italy. He has grown to hate the Nazis, and possibly even the entire German people, for their destruction and killing, and the hate has taken its toll on what possibly was a nice kid from the country before the war started. In a scene that tests the soldier, as well as the viewer (what would you do?), he shoots a captured German soldier (SS whom he detests the highest) to teach the new soldier how to kill.
His statement is truth. History is violence. Man has continued to show during our time on earth our capacity to deliver new and cruel methods of destruction and death to our fellow man. Sure, history has given us greatness, but more often than not, our history as mankind has been marred by war, fear of war, death, starvation (sometimes delivered intentionally at the hands of a despot) and our ability to deliver cruelty to others (slavery, genocide). This creates the question, "How can God let this happen?"
In our modern society, this question is push back from people to those of us in faith. How does a God of love allow bad things to happen? Fair question really. However, it isn't the first time this question has been asked. It's been asked in scripture. Job asks why when he lost everything. David asks in the Psalms, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1) Christ asks while on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mathew 27:46)
We separated ourselves from God when we broke from him. This separation is real and it is painful. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning, as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:23) In truth, we don't know why God allows such things to happen, and we cannot speak for God. In truth, we know that God is as grieved by our pain and suffering as we are. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets..." (Matthew 23:37) is how Christ laments over the separation of us from God. Finally, we do know God is a God of love and mercy showing us grace daily by answering our requests. As I hear our questioning of God and how He can allow such to occur on earth, sometimes I think I hear, "I didn't like the answer."
So, how to respond? Interestingly, we know from these passages that we should take our suffering, and even our anger over our suffering, to God. These passages and others instruct us that God desires for us to take our concerns to Him. We know in each of these passages that God does answer, and that sometimes the answer isn't what we were hoping for. We know we can pray to our God for suffering, ours and others. We know we can talk to God about such matters in life including the unfairness of it all. As Paul writes about his own suffering and Christ's response: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9) Pray for those who suffer that God may grant a measure of relief. Pray for healing and remedy from suffering. Pray that God's will be done on earth. Finally, when possible, pray that we be able to comfort those who are in the midst of suffering and that God grant us the ability to bring relief to those in need.
Peace -
Hope Men's Ministry
This was a tough movie to watch, but over the holidays, my son and I went. Sgt. Collier uses this line with a new soldier in his tank crew who has objections over killing people he doesn't know (the Germans/World War II). Collier has spent the war in his tank with his crew successfully staying alive in some of the worst campaigns in Africa and Italy. He has grown to hate the Nazis, and possibly even the entire German people, for their destruction and killing, and the hate has taken its toll on what possibly was a nice kid from the country before the war started. In a scene that tests the soldier, as well as the viewer (what would you do?), he shoots a captured German soldier (SS whom he detests the highest) to teach the new soldier how to kill.
His statement is truth. History is violence. Man has continued to show during our time on earth our capacity to deliver new and cruel methods of destruction and death to our fellow man. Sure, history has given us greatness, but more often than not, our history as mankind has been marred by war, fear of war, death, starvation (sometimes delivered intentionally at the hands of a despot) and our ability to deliver cruelty to others (slavery, genocide). This creates the question, "How can God let this happen?"
In our modern society, this question is push back from people to those of us in faith. How does a God of love allow bad things to happen? Fair question really. However, it isn't the first time this question has been asked. It's been asked in scripture. Job asks why when he lost everything. David asks in the Psalms, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1) Christ asks while on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mathew 27:46)
We separated ourselves from God when we broke from him. This separation is real and it is painful. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning, as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:23) In truth, we don't know why God allows such things to happen, and we cannot speak for God. In truth, we know that God is as grieved by our pain and suffering as we are. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets..." (Matthew 23:37) is how Christ laments over the separation of us from God. Finally, we do know God is a God of love and mercy showing us grace daily by answering our requests. As I hear our questioning of God and how He can allow such to occur on earth, sometimes I think I hear, "I didn't like the answer."
So, how to respond? Interestingly, we know from these passages that we should take our suffering, and even our anger over our suffering, to God. These passages and others instruct us that God desires for us to take our concerns to Him. We know in each of these passages that God does answer, and that sometimes the answer isn't what we were hoping for. We know we can pray to our God for suffering, ours and others. We know we can talk to God about such matters in life including the unfairness of it all. As Paul writes about his own suffering and Christ's response: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9) Pray for those who suffer that God may grant a measure of relief. Pray for healing and remedy from suffering. Pray that God's will be done on earth. Finally, when possible, pray that we be able to comfort those who are in the midst of suffering and that God grant us the ability to bring relief to those in need.
Peace -
Hope Men's Ministry
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Devotion 2.2.15
This is being written prior to the game that most of us surely watched. Interestingly enough, I heard a stat on radio Friday that said that NBC had not sold all the commercial time slots until a few days before the hallowed game which, as the story noted, was much later than last year's. Last year, the network carrying the Super Bowl sold out ads about a month before the game.
Reason? Bad press this year? Begin with spousal and partner abuse. Another charge is the on-going coverage of the brutality of the sport with concussions, injuries, and such. What about the inane nature of the coverage? We act outraged over Deflategate and demand answers as well as anger over officiating and add things such as the replay of the 5 minute non-interview with inner-city Marshawn Lynch over and over while there are other weightier stories of far more significance in the world sit on the sidelines. There is also the shear amount of coverage of a game that usually is less about the sport than the spectacle itself to "crown" a champion probably wears on the average fan of the game.
We spend a great deal of money on this game, and football in general, starting in grade schools, moving through the college ranks, and then on to professional football. It is hard to measure in dollars how much we spend, but Cowboy stadium cost $1 billion dollars, so you can probably guestimate how much money changes hands for the game in general, as well as just one Super Bowl.
There is nothing wrong with profit, and there are probably countless jobs created by such revenue. Yet think of the massive amount of money generated by sport which makes Christ's comment in Luke resonate even more so: "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart as well." (Luke 12:34)
How much do I give to other things before I give to God? How much time do I give to such important things like sports and other earthly topics rather than share the Word with someone in a simple way. I pray that I use our limited time on earth wisely and that our hearts are aligned with our hopes in the resurrection through how we use that time or other precious resources God has given us.
Peace in the Risen Christ...and hope you enjoyed the game.
Hope Men's Ministry
Reason? Bad press this year? Begin with spousal and partner abuse. Another charge is the on-going coverage of the brutality of the sport with concussions, injuries, and such. What about the inane nature of the coverage? We act outraged over Deflategate and demand answers as well as anger over officiating and add things such as the replay of the 5 minute non-interview with inner-city Marshawn Lynch over and over while there are other weightier stories of far more significance in the world sit on the sidelines. There is also the shear amount of coverage of a game that usually is less about the sport than the spectacle itself to "crown" a champion probably wears on the average fan of the game.
We spend a great deal of money on this game, and football in general, starting in grade schools, moving through the college ranks, and then on to professional football. It is hard to measure in dollars how much we spend, but Cowboy stadium cost $1 billion dollars, so you can probably guestimate how much money changes hands for the game in general, as well as just one Super Bowl.
There is nothing wrong with profit, and there are probably countless jobs created by such revenue. Yet think of the massive amount of money generated by sport which makes Christ's comment in Luke resonate even more so: "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart as well." (Luke 12:34)
How much do I give to other things before I give to God? How much time do I give to such important things like sports and other earthly topics rather than share the Word with someone in a simple way. I pray that I use our limited time on earth wisely and that our hearts are aligned with our hopes in the resurrection through how we use that time or other precious resources God has given us.
Peace in the Risen Christ...and hope you enjoyed the game.
Hope Men's Ministry
Monday, January 12, 2015
Devotion 1.13.15
Who are the least among us? Are they the frail, the weak, perhaps even someone who has a condition that causes a disability? Are they those in a circumstance they didn't cause? The children of people with an addiction that takes their time, money, and attention away from the child? Do they lack skill or ability to care for themselves? Are they people, as we see it, who got themselves there? Someone we might walk past without concern or even notice?
Isaiah, speaking of the coming Messiah, said, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." (42:3) He will care for the most fragile among us. He will not abandon them. In Matthew, he speaks of our accountability to take care of those among us in need, when we question His judgment, "When did we see you hungry or thirsty or....?" (25:44) In other words, "Jesus, if I had known it was you, well, that have been different." Christ replies, "...whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me." (45)
We have our opportunities. They are there before us. Pray that we care of those among us when the opportunity arises. Pray that we take care of "the least of these." Pray that we are slow to judge and quick to show compassion through prayer and action. Pray that we encourage each other daily.
Peace in Him Who Gives Us Hope -
Hope Men's Ministry
Isaiah, speaking of the coming Messiah, said, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." (42:3) He will care for the most fragile among us. He will not abandon them. In Matthew, he speaks of our accountability to take care of those among us in need, when we question His judgment, "When did we see you hungry or thirsty or....?" (25:44) In other words, "Jesus, if I had known it was you, well, that have been different." Christ replies, "...whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me." (45)
We have our opportunities. They are there before us. Pray that we care of those among us when the opportunity arises. Pray that we take care of "the least of these." Pray that we are slow to judge and quick to show compassion through prayer and action. Pray that we encourage each other daily.
Peace in Him Who Gives Us Hope -
Hope Men's Ministry
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