Living in the Spirit
July 14, 2015
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. –2 Samuel 7:12-14a
I was at my sisters for the 4th of July and learned that her 12 year old grandson had taken up the ukulele. She and he played a duet for us, Dustin on his ukulele and she on the piano. As I sat and watched them play, a very clear picture of my father flashed into my mind. He would have been so proud of his great grandson. He died many years before Dustin was even born, but most nights when I was a child after we kids went to bed, we would be lulled to sleep listening to my dad play his guitar and sing.
In the story of Nathan and his discussions with David about building a house for God, we hear God saying what David passes on to his sons about God is more important than any building he could put up to honor God.
What legacy are we passing on to the children of our world today? Some are thriving and learning of God’s love and how to love one another in comfortable homes with adequate food and clothing. Others are learning to survive on mean streets in as many ways as it takes. Still others, in parts of our world, would be thrilled to have only a mean street to face as they risk their lives fleeing from war’s atrocities living and dying with no hope.
God has granted us as humans finite time and energy to bring toward fruition a world reflecting God’s love. When we choose to use these resources unwisely we pass on a more troubled world with which our children must deal. Our working to infuse the world with God’s love will reduce the threat of those mean streets and bring hope to the hopeless creating a world where all of God’s children will be able to worship God in peace and with justice.
Prayer: God of Faith, Hope, and Love, heal our souls so that we might love like you love and leave a legacy of love for our children. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.