WATCHWORD:
11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities. 12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’ 15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Acts 26:11-15
7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind. 8 Do not be ashamed to tell others about what our Lord said, or of me here in prison. I am here because of Jesus Christ. Be ready to suffer for preaching the Good News and God will give you the strength you need. 2 Timothy 1:7-8
Meditation:
Box of Rocks?
We think we’re so smart. We think we’re so reverent, so dedicated to our Lord. Perhaps we work ourselves into exhaustion, doing our good deeds. We tell ourselves we are working for the Lord, and fashion our own direction and purposes.
In my imagination, I see God of the Universe, sitting on his throne, watching over us, ruefully smiling and shaking His great head, and thinking out loud:
I wonder if these children of mine are as smart as these rocks I have created! They think they’re doing my will but they’re missing the point. They take my Word, the rock of their salvation, and then take the chisel of their own desires and comforts to fashion what they think is my will. Come to think of it, I wonder if a box of rocks is smarter. I’ve got more teaching to do.
These are my children, My creation. I planted my own spirit within their hearts, a spirit that speaks in ways that they often ignore. I speak in nudges, in circumstances, in their very lives, shaping them into My children, and yet, it seems that every nudge is altered, re-interpreted to fit their own minds, rather than follow my will.
Still, these children are mine, regardless of how ignorant they are at times, they are still mine. I still love them, I still seek to fashion them according to my divine will. Too often I wonder about my gift to them of free will. I did that because I want them to freely make the decision to embrace me with everything they have, but it seems, for them, it is so hard to let go of their own stuff.
When they surrender everything to me, it’s at that point that they stop denying me, that they stop persecuting me by applying their own will, even in the face of what My Holy Spirit is telling them. Maybe they’re not as dumb as a box of my rocks, but they are stubborn and often as deaf to the spirit as the ground I created.
Children of God, come to me. Children of God, drawn near. Children of God, listen to me, and follow me.
Fellow ‘Rocks’, we need to crawl out of this box of our own making, and into God’s loving arms, and with every fiber of our being, listened to, and follow the murmurings of His Holy Spirit within each one of us. For God did not give us a spirit of fear, He gave us courage in our faith to follow Him, in all ways. May it be so with each of us.
Friday the 13th Good Morning Quotes:
- Good morning! It’s Friday the 13th – remember, the only thing spooky is how fast the weekend is approaching!
- Happy Friday the 13th! Good morning – if black cats cross your path today, just pet them for extra luck.
- Good morning on this Friday the 13th! I’m not super stitious… but I am a little stitious.
- Wake up! It’s Friday the 13th good morning – may your coffee be strong and your bad luck nonexistent.
- Good morning, Friday the 13th! Don’t worry about ladders or mirrors – just avoid running with scissors.
- Happy Friday the 13th good morning! The universe’s prank day, but you’re too awesome for it to work.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, we ask that we come to know you so much more. We yearn for a deeper relationship with you. Please lead us by the power of your Holy Spirit into every aspect of our lives throughout this day. Empower us to speak the truth in love and to recognize when God is speaking to us. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
