WATCHWORD:
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.” Colossians 1:1-6
Meditation:
Busy Lives
If yesterday’s meditation was Part #1, focused on worshiping in our own homes and not being in in the formal worship service in church, then this is Part #2: What has happened to us as we have concentrated on the presence of Christ in our lives, sitting in the familiar confines of our homes?
Recently I was reading a devotional by Joyce Meyer where she alluded to the busy routine of daily lives clouding our deep relationship with our Lord. She wrote that too often the motions and schedules and commitments and calendar overloads proves to be a waste of time. When those things carry little weight, then we can get to the real work of following Christ: The revelation that Jesus is alive within us, and then we allow him to change us into new creatures in Christ.
In my conversations with many family and friends, and in my own experience, as the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months of our isolation, many of those things that we should’ve gotten to before the virus hit, have been put into good order. The garden is looking good, the books long delayed are now read, calls to distant friends and relatives, made. We may seek other things to keep our busy hands and minds occupied, focusing with greater frequency on thoughts of others, rather than me, myself and I, what the scripture calls ‘bearing fruit’.
Even in the writing of these meditations, I am driven back more and more to my relationship with Jesus. Seeing, maybe for the first time, where I may have strayed from the path that Christ set for me. It is then that writing turns into prayer and, most often, prayer turns into writing.
Meyer concluded her devotional with this statement: “Don’t tuck God away for emergencies and Sunday mornings. Allow him to work freely in every area of your life through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Maybe, just maybe, this is part of what our Lord is saying to us during this time-out. Give Him time to occupy freely all parts of our lives, to truly feel the power of His Spirit. When we draw near to Him, He fills us with a full measure of his Holy Spirit. May the God of goodness and graces, grant us a full measure of His Peace. Amen.
Stan
Bulletin Board:
Keeping Doris Carpenter and Nancy Jamerson in our prayers, along with our churches as they gradually and safely open for worship services.
Think and Grin — Paddy and Mick are walking down the road and Paddy has a bag of doughnuts in his hand. Paddy says to Mick: “If you can guess how many doughnuts are in my bag, you can have them both.”
Morning Prayer:
Dear Lord, I don’t know who or what will cross my path today. But I do know that You are my Rock and my Fortress. You are my Shield and my Strong Tower. Help me to anchor myself to You today. Teach me how to stand strong in You and choose only Your way today. Help me walk by Your truth and not my feelings. Help me to embrace anything that comes my way as an opportunity to see You at work and as an opportunity to point others to You. Thank You that You love me and nothing can ever take that away from me! Even if I fail today and fall short, You whisper Your unconditional love deep into my soul and remind me that Your mercies are new every morning. That truly amazes me, Lord. Thank You for meeting with me today. Would You wake me again tomorrow with the same sweet whisper of Your love? I can’t wait to meet with You again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
