Gospel Reading: Luke 18:9-14

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Sermon: Humility

“Two men went up to the temple to pray” is the way Jesus begins his parable about two men who were as different as night and day in their approaches to God. In that day, it was quite normal for those who desired to be faithful in their pursuit of God to go to the temple to pray. One could go to the temple to pray privately at any time; corporate prayer was held three times a day. It is not known whether these men were there for corporate prayer or they just happened to be in the temple at the same time for prayer.
To say that the two men were as different as night and day in their approaches to God should not be surprising. There is no one way to pray. We can pray silently or aloud, standing or kneeling, lying prostrate on our faces or sitting. We can pray anywhere and at any time. God is everywhere. There is no place on earth where we are not in God’s presence (Ps. 139:7–12). God is available anytime to commune or talk to us. Whatever we say to God should come from our heart and be as natural as talking to our best friend.

The difference between the two men’s approaches is not so much about their positioning or the words they spoke, as what their position and words said about what was in their hearts and their attitudes toward God and humans.

Are you aware that what matters is not what you have done or may do but what God has done for you in Jesus Christ? See you in church. 

Blessings on the journey!

We are coming to the end of another work week. Take a deep breath and thank God for all of the blessings of life. It is right to give our thanks and praise to God. So, where did you see God this week? And what are you thankful for? Here are some true words from Henri Nouwen. May you have a peaceful weekend filled with love and grace. And may you experience God’s handiwork. 

How do we live in creation? Do we relate to it as a place full of “things” we can use for whatever need we want to fulfill and whatever goal we wish to accomplish? Or do we see creation first of all as a sacramental reality, a sacred space where God reveals to us the immense beauty of the Divine?

As long as we only use creation, we cannot recognise its sacredness because we are approaching it as if we are its owners. But when we relate to all that surrounds us as created by the same God who created us and as the place where God appears to us and calls us to worship and adoration, then we are able to recognise the sacred quality of all God’s handiwork.

Henri Nouwen

Good morning…..thank you for taking time to be inspired by God’s Word! My prayer is that my blog will provide some needed comfort and companionship along life’s journey. Please let me know what you think about the blog. Also, would you be interested in receiving the blog more often? What kind of content would you be interested in? Just let me know by commenting to this post. God bless.

Scott

God Answers Prayer

When my husband was critically ill, I prayed and fasted, asking God to heal him; but my husband died. At that moment I could not understand why God did not answer my prayer. But during my grieving moment a friend shared David’s story in today’s reading with me. I found strength in David’s words when he said: “Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

God answers prayer but not always in the way we want or expect. David fasted and prayed desperately that the child would live, even when he knew that God clearly had said that the child would die. David thought his prayer and fasting would change the outcome — but it did not. God did not heal David’s child or my husband, but God did remain present.

Losing a loved one is painful, but we can learn to move forward. We can take comfort in God’s promise to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). When we draw on God’s grace day by day and allow God to heal our wounded soul, life will go on, and God will always be there for us.

Rhoda Gowarto Manzo (Nigeria)

Thought for the Day: Life goes on, and God goes with us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, comfort us when we grieve and give us grace to move forward, knowing you will be with us. Amen.

Prayer Focus: SOMEONE WHOSE SPOUSE HAS DIED

God’s Heart of Compassion

God’s heart beats with the pulse of compassion. God’s heart is not hardened toward the plight of the world; it is not callous and cold in the face of suffering. … God’s heart is moist. It is moved by the cries of those who suffer, and it delights in the beauty of creation’s flourishing. In stark contrast to the God espoused by the religious authorities – a God who is quick to condemn and whose purity is so severely holy it refuses to be stained by human imperfection – Jesus likens God to an extravagantly loving father who grieves a prodigal’s plunge through the pig sties of obscenity, who suffers with the pain of separation, and who rushes down the road, eyes wet with compassion, to embrace his beloved’s return, soiled clothing and all. (See Luke 15:11-32.)

Like the rain that falls on the unjust and the just, the sun that shines on the good and the evil, God’s compassion remains ever-present, abundant, and unequivocally extended to all without exception – the elder as well as the prodigal, the Republican as well as the Democrat, the Muslim as well as the Christian, the terrorist as well as the victim pulled from the wreckage.

Frank Rogers Jr.

From page 14 of Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus by Frank Rogers Jr. Copyright © 2016 by Frank Rogers Jr. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

   
The Hidden Life of Jesus

The largest part of Jesus’ life was hidden. Jesus lived with his parents in Nazareth, “under their authority” (Luke 2:51), and there “increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with people” (Luke 2:52). When we think about Jesus we mostly think about his words and miracles, his passion, death, and resurrection, but we should never forget that before all of that Jesus lived a simple, hidden life in a small town, far away from all the great people, great cities, and great events. Jesus’ hidden life is very important for our own spiritual journeys. If we want to follow Jesus by words and deeds in the service of his Kingdom, we must first of all strive to follow Jesus in his simple, unspectacular, and very ordinary hidden life.

Henri Nouwen

Rest For The Weary

Last summer, a hailstorm damaged the roof of our house. When it came time to replace it, heavy bundles of shingles arrived. A lift hoisted the entire pallet to the roof, where several men unloaded the bundles and distributed them across the top. I asked my husband why the pallet couldn’t be left in place in a single stack. “Each bundle weighs about 70 pounds,” he said. “If the pallet were left intact, the weight could compromise the integrity of the rafters. The load could come crashing through the ceiling.”
The weight of the pallet reminded me of the burdens I sometimes carry. Whether they are relational, financial, health-related, or simply part of the busyness of everyday life, trying to deal with the issues alone is always overwhelming. It can weaken me and make me less productive.
Jesus reminds us that we don’t have to struggle on our own with fears, worries, or trials that weigh us down. He invites each of us to come to him when we are tired from carrying heavy burdens and promises that we will find rest. That’s a promise we can always rely on.

Marlene Briggs (South Dakota, USA)

Thought for the Day: God is always ready to share the weight of my burdens.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to cast our burdens on you and to remember how much you love us. Amen.

Prayer Focus: THOSE WITHOUT SHELTER

The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;

your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.

More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord!

Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.

(Psalm 93)

Being Living Signs of Love

Jesus’ whole life was a witness to his Father’s love, and Jesus calls his followers to carry on that witness in his Name. We, as followers of Jesus, are sent into this world to be visible signs of God’s unconditional love. Thus we are not first of all judged by what we say but by what we live. When people say of us: “See how they love one another,” they catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of God that Jesus announced and are drawn to it as by a magnet.

In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds.

(Henri Nouwen)

Working for God

Remember for whom you work: Whether you work for a private company, the government, a large corporation, or yourself, the true disciple understands that he or she ultimately is working for God in that place. “Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24).

(Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job)

From page 284 of A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God, by Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job Copyright© 2003 by Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 

no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.

 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 

You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. 

Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. 

When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. 

With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

Psalm 91:9-16

The Cross in Prayer

We too often think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. The Cross represents only one thing for us- complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ- and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.

“Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Then why should we ask? The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God’s grace.

“. . . I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you . . .” (John 16:26-27). Have you reached such a level of intimacy with God that the only thing that can account for your prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Jesus Christ? Has our Lord exchanged your life with His vital life? If so, then “in that day” you will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.

When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to place the blame on someone else. That is always a trap of Satan. When you seem to have no answer, there is always a reason- God uses these times to give you deep personal instruction, and it is not for anyone else but you.

Copyright © 1992 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. All rights reserved.

Praying as you Walk

Take a walk this week in which you intentionally go somewhere you will likely encounter people: a shopping mall, a commercial street, a supermarket, or a department store.

Begin your walk by becoming conscious of your body and breathing. … Then gently shift your awareness to the people and the objects or stores around you. What catches your attention? What calls to you?

Let the people, objects, or activities you notice become prompts for brief, sentence-like prayers. If you walk past an empty store, you might pray for people who have lost their jobs because a business closed.

If you walk past a school, you can pray for the safety of children at school or for those who teach and learn. If it is a school where you know students and teachers, you could pray for them by name.

When you return from your walk, write in a journal about your walk. What moments of annunciation did you experience? Who were the angels you met without knowing it? How did offering a brief prayer for the people and situations you encountered change your experience?

Thomas R. Hawkins

From pages 90-91 of Every Step a Prayer: Walking As Spiritual Practice by Thomas R. Hawkins. Copyright © 2016 by Thomas R. Hawkins. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

Enjoying What You Have

Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(Ecclesiastes 6:9)

Enjoying what you currently have is better than letting your heart wander. You should make use of what is in front of you instead of wandering around full of desires. This is what the dog in Aesop’s writings did when it chased after the reflection in the water and lost the meat it had in its mouth. You should use what God has placed before you and be satisfied with it. You shouldn’t try to satisfy your own desires, because they will never be satisfied. Instead, you should use whatever God has placed in front of you. All of it is very good (Genesis 1:31).

Excerpt From: “Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional” by Martin Luther. 

Gratitude and Grief

It’s a funny thing about grief: healing starts at the very point where we begin to need it; that is, at the beginning of losing the person we love. When we begin to grieve, we begin to heal – even if we don’t want to heal because it seems self-centered and callous.

Speaking from my own experience, we can’t even start to heal if we are doing our best to feel nothing at all or nothing positive at all. Perhaps we tell ourselves that our loss is not so terrible since it is God’s will. Or we try to convince ourselves of our happiness for the one who died because of her vast suffering. In that case, our grieving would actually appear selfish. …

If gratitude ushers in healing, how do we come by it? The gift of gratitude, while wonderful, is exactly that – a gift. None of us can will it into being or perform exercises to make it happen. It is a gift of God, pure grace. …

At times it is harder to long for gratitude than at others. During these times of drought in the heart, we can still make an effort: We can try our best to long to be able to long for it, to long to long, as we hope for hope when hope is hard. “Ask, and you will receive” was spoken for us. It applies right here.

Roberta C. Bondi

From pages 102-103 of Wild Things: Poems of Grief and Love, Loss and Gratitude by Roberta C. Bondi. Copyright © 2014 by Roberta C. Bondi. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

Loving Unselfishly

Heeding the example of Jesus to do what is in our power to do means that we need to worry less about what happens to us and more about what happens because of us. Being a source of healing means exercising our capacity to love.

Love is within our power. In the act of loving unselfishly, we touch that part of God’s spirit within us. Touching this love is healing for both us and for those to whom we reach out.

(Christopher Maricle)

The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits
From page 31 of The Jesus Priorities by Christopher Maricle. Copyright © 2007 by Christopher Maricle. 

From The Inside Out

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The psalmist wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

In the world of musical instruments, the trombone’s warm, rich sound is beyond compare — in my opinion, of course! With proper care, a trombone can last a lifetime. Recently, I acquired a neglected trombone that had developed red rot, a corrosion that eats the brass away from the inside. When the corrosion breaks the surface, the trombone must be discarded because the damage cannot be repaired.
While unaffected by red rot, our human bodies are susceptible to a variety of ailments — and sooner or later, we all discover how vulnerable our bodies are. But the apostle Paul tells us that though our bodies may waste away, our spirits are continually renewed. Through Bible study, daily prayer, and a desire to please God, we cultivate lives of faithfulness and obedience. When we nourish the spirit, we can find eternal life. When we neglect the spirit, it may become “corroded” by the ways of the world.
There is no hope for a corroded trombone. But when our spirit becomes “corroded,” we need not despair. God promises forgiveness if we confess our sins with repentant hearts. God can restore our spirits and renew us. (See 1 John 1:9.)

Jacob Schneider (Maryland, USA)

Thought for the Day: God renews my spirit each day.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your grace and loving-kindness. Help us to care for our spirits by spending time daily with you. Amen.

Prayer Focus: MUSICIANS

Listening to Peace

JESUS COMMANDS US to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. I understand now the best way to do that is by listening. When we stop talking, arguing, and judging, we begin to hear. We hear God’s voice of love for us, and can only respond in love. It has become clear to me, and, hopefully, to those students: listening is the first step towards peace in our world.

Weavings, May/June/July 2013. From “Beads of Prayer, Beads of Peace” by Kristen E. Vincent, in Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life, May/June/July 2013 (theme: Diversity). Copyright © 2013 by The Upper Room. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book

Longing for God

Read Psalm 42:1-11

The psalmist wrote, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for . . . the living God.”

Psalm 42:1-2

The corça is a small deer. As a desert animal, the corça has a sensitive sense of smell that enables it to smell water miles away. It is able to detect water even several feet below the ground. Even when the corça finds a source of water it does not stay there for an extended period of time; it keeps moving. Once thirsty again, the corça has to seek other places to quench its thirst.

Sometimes we can become too comfortable with daily life. We think everything is fine; but if we do not seek God in new ways, we may miss opportunities to continue to grow in our faith. We may miss experiences and lessons we only learn in communion with God — by drinking from the Living Water. (See John 4:14.)

Just as the corça constantly seeks fresh water, we can leave the comfort zone of our spiritual life and seek to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus, expressing each day our longing for God.
Francisco de Castro Maria (Luanda, Angola)

Thought for the Day: How can I seek God in new ways today?

Prayer: Dear God, remind us to seek you in new places and never grow complacent in our longing for you. Renew us with your living water, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer Focus: THOSE WITHOUT ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER

Satan Snatches the Word

Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Mark 4:15

When the gospel is taught clearly, believers are confirmed in their faith, and they are able to guard themselves from idolatry. Satan is upset when the truth of the gospel is taught. He uses various methods to distort the Word and keep people from hearing it. In the early church, a number of heresies appeared. One claimed that Christ isn’t the Son of God. Another claimed that he isn’t Mary’s son. In Basil’s time, some denied that the Holy Spirit is God.

We have examples of Satan snatching away God’s Word in our own day. When I and my followers began to preach the pure message of the gospel, many people arose who were against God’s Word and his work in the world. Of course, none of the other temptations lessened. Satan keeps on tempting people to commit sexual sins and other terrible crimes because he doesn’t want people to believe in what God says and does. But the church and God’s people should regard Satan’s attacks on God’s Word and work as especially dangerous.

This is how Satan deceived Adam and Eve. They lost their trust in God and no longer believed what he said. Instead, they believed Satan’s lies. When Satan deprives people of their trust in God, it’s not surprising that they become proud and despise God and other people. Eventually they will turn to adultery, murder, and so on. Letting go of God’s Word is the root of all temptations. It results in the destruction and violation of all God’s commandments. Unbelief is the source of every sin. If Satan is able to tamper with God’s Word or snatch it out of people’s hearts, he will achieve his goal—people will no longer believe in God.

Excerpt From: “Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional” by Martin Luther. 

Spiritual Dryness

Sometimes we experience a terrible dryness in our spiritual life. We feel no desire to pray, don’t experience God’s presence, get bored with worship services, and even think that everything we ever believed about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is little more than a childhood fairy tale.
Then it is important to realise that most of these feelings and thoughts are just feelings and thoughts, and that the Spirit of God dwells beyond our feelings and thoughts. It is a great grace to be able to experience God’s presence in our feelings and thoughts, but when we don’t, it does not mean that God is absent. It often means that God is calling us to a greater faithfulness. It is precisely in times of spiritual dryness that we must hold on to our spiritual discipline so that we can grow into new intimacy with God.

Henri Nouwen