Tag Archives: Being in synch with God

Self-Examination

Living in the Spirit
October 8, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:33-46

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.—Matthew 21:43-46

Is “them” us? In times Like these people of faith must look inward and assess whether they are building a better world or standing as a barrier to a world ruled by love. This accounting goes beyond the standard examination of “ but we have always done it this way” which by the way is never true. Few things have not changed even in our lifetime much less the centuries before our existence.  No, this review requires us to hold our actions and beliefs next to the standards of God and determine what is in sync with God and what is not. Truth is like the Pharisees we may follow practices and tenets that at one time made sense but do not any longer, like how folks lived when they thought the earth was flat and how that changed when the discovery came that it was not. Some things will always stand the test of time; other things never did.

The only reason the Pharisees in our scripture today curbed their behavior is because they feared the crowd. Please take note, our beliefs and actions matter, which make it even more important that we take the time to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling* and not latch on knee-jerk responses perhaps provided by others who hold their interest above all others.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, teach us your way and your will and give us the courage to follow both. Amen.

*See Philippians 2:12

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.

Wandering from the Truth

judging-others-blue_designLiving in the Spirit
September 27, 2015

Scripture Reading: James 5:13-20

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. –James 5:19-20

How do we bring someone back from wandering from the truth? The crux of much of the dialogue in our society today rests in the answer to this questions. The question, first works from the assumption that we can readily identify when someone has indeed wandered. We know that is shaky ground upon which to walk because of the examples of Jesus being condemned by religious leaders from wandering from their ideas of wandering from God’s ways. We are clearly chastised not to judge others without being able to stand in judgment by others. (Matt, 7:1) John 5:22 states that Jesus is the only one who can judge.

I fear we stand in need of judgment when we take on the role of judging others based on our own perceptions of what we has determined is the right way for ourselves. Is their only one way of loving God and loving one another and how can we be sure that the way we have found to be in synch with God is that only way?

On the other hand, there always seems to be another hand, what is our responsibility to a fellow traveler on God’s journey who seems to be struggling, in pain, feeling a lack of grace or so caught up in the worship of lesser God’s they could care less about the one God? We are challenged to love them to the point that they can see a glimpse of the one God’s love in us. When we stand in condemnation of people we most likely will never have the opportunity for them to experience our love. We can only love in this dimension when we are ourselves as fully in synch with God as we can be and through prayer rely totally upon God’s love, the example of Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, help me remove the beam from own eye before I ever attempt to take help another take the speck from his or her eyes. Amen.