Our youth returned from their mission trip yesterday afternoon. Thanks for all your prayers. They did a great job; they worked hard, and had a good time. Believe it or not, the two are not mutually exclusive! Habitat for Humanity is a great organization, and we really enjoyed our time with the Lauderdale chapter. Onward with the blogging!
Old Testament Lesson
Isaiah 65:17-25
We see the Lord here tell us that He is going to undo the things that have happened because of the fall. Because of the fall, we are sinful. Because of the fall their is sickness, and pain, and tragedy, and death. Because of the their is calamity in nature, because of the fall, things are not as the Lord intended them to be in creation.
He will undo these things. He will make them right. He will return things to the way that were when He first created everything. In other words, through the power of God, the effects of sin can be undo. Now, in this time, there is redemption and salvation from our sins. And part of salvation is that undoing of sin our lives. As Charles Wesley wrote in that great Methodist hymn, "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," He breaks the power of canceled sin!
Through His grace, these things can be, and will be undo. Let us keep our hope on what is to come, not only in the world, but in ourselves. But let us not stop working today to bring about that future reality.
New Testament Lesson
2 Timothy 3:1-17
We see Paul give Timothy (and each of us) warning about what is to come. There will come a time when people love their own pleasure more than serving God. They will love their sin and treachery more than God. They will turn from what is right to that which is wrong. They will not seek to live as God has commanded, but will seek to live as they think they want to.
That time is here, but there has never been a time in human history where that time has not been here. The writer of Ecclesiastes says that there is nothing new under the sun. The problems and temptations we face today have been faced by generation after generation.
So, then, what do we do? Paul says turn to what is right and true, and stay grounded in that. In this day of shifting sand we must stay connected to the things that we know our true, our church, our prayers, our walk with God. And Paul reminds us must of all today, the Holy Scriptures. Stay rooted in that. Stay connected to the Bible. Stay within it. If we do that, God will strengthen us, convict us, challenge us, and bring us back when we go astray. Stay where you need to stay, and God will move.
Gospel Lesson
Luke 12:13-31
Jesus tells us not to worry about the things of this world or worry about clothes, money, etc. Easy for Him to say, He doesn't have a mortgage or car note! I think the point of what He might be saying is that we need to be careful about where we place our joy. So many of us have undue stress due to that mortgage or car note because we place our ultimate joy and hope on the things of this world. We don't rest in God. We don't find our peace, our hope, our joy, our very life in God.
Today, do you rest in Him? Or do you spend all your time running around, worrying, stressing, obsessing? Today, remember, God will take care of you. He will not leave you orphaned. He will be there for you. Rest in Him. Find your relief in Him. Rest in Him. And in Him, and in that rest, you will find life.
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