Living in the Spirit
November 14, 2018
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14
And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Jesus with his sacrifice on the cross freed us from sin so that we could make the whole world the place God envisioned it to be at creation. Freewill has been bandied about since its inception in theological tomes. I do not claim to be an expert on the subject. I do think two things, first, God does not want anyone to love God because he or she must. We are made in God’s image and we inherited the desire to be loved by the choice of others. Love is not love unless it comes with no strings attached including our love of God. Second, while God longs for God’s vision of a world ruled by love, God’s great desire is that we share that vision by choice. Thus, Christ waits at the right hand of God until we fully come on board sharing his ideals and working to make them the reality.
I listened on the news this morning as family members of a young woman recently killed in one of our now common mass shootings. They were sharing an idea that we just all need to try a little harder to be kinder, to care about those no one else cares about including the young man who had killed their loved one. One said something to the effect, “Is that asking too much?” I think Christ would respond, “It’s a great start.”
Prayer:
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee*. Amen.
First and second verse of the hymn Take My Life and Let It Be by Frances Ridley Havergal see at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/445