Living in the Spirit
Let me give you an update on my life. On October 26, 2020, Oklahoma was struck by an ice storm that caused major electrical outages and loss of internet connectivity particularly in the central part of the state. My house is still without either. After spending a week in a very cold house with no light I moved to a motel. I would have gone earlier but, alas, I could find no room at any inn until this week. My electric company estimates it may be back up by November 6.
I missed several days of writing my daily devotions. I will start again today. Please pray for all those who are still without electricity which often also means heat, those who do not have the resources to leave it all behind and check into a motel, and all those electricians and linemen who are working long, dangerous hours to get us back home. Thank you.
November 4, 2020
Scripture Reading: Psalm 78:1-7
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
He established a decree in Jacob,
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children;
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
I am writing this the day after the 2020 election while awaiting the final counts on the presidential campaign. I love history. Thus, this scripture spoke to me of the need to pass on to coming generations our successes and failures so that that they can learn about God’s glorious deeds and learn from our successes and mistakes. My take on the challenges of 2020 is that as the Body of Christ active in the world today, we are missing the mark and need to repent and reform our way of serving Christ today. We must start by taking account of how well we are implementing Christ’s plan for our world. I wrote my book Houses Divided eight years ago, and we are even more divided today than we were in 2012.
No matter who wins the election, we followers of Christ must look deeply into God’s mirror and ascertain if the reflection we see looks and acts remotely like Jesus. We indeed need to first take the log out of [our] own eye, and then [we] will see clearly to take the speck out of [our] neighbor’s eye. (Matthew 7:5) We also not only need to listen to one another but also to hear each other.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for getting so caught up in the things of this world that we fail to love as you call us to love. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.