Ordinary Time: Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Old Testament Lesson

Jeremiah 37:3-21

We see Jeremiah do something that most all prophets have to do, but no one likes to do. It is to tell someone something that they don't want to hear. The king wanted to hear good news. It would have been easier for Jeremiah to tell him good news. But, he could not. He had to tell him the truth. He had to tell him what God had told him to say, and what he knew was right.

A true friend is someone that will tell us not what we want to hear, but what we need to here. Many folks will tell us the things that we think we want to hear. It is rare to have someone actually tell us the things that we must hear. May we seek out true friends and may we be true friends.

New Testament Lesson

1 Corinthians 14:13-25

Paul tell us that it is better to speak 5 words that will help someone as opposed to 5000 that would not. We need to remember in life that we live not just for our own desires or our own wants or our own spirituality, we live to be a help to and a service to others. Paul's primary concern was that in all that he did and all that he said, he would strengthen what God was doing through the church. He wanted to contribute to the work of the Holy Spirit in the world. May we do the same.

Gospel Lesson

Matthew 10:24-33

We know today that God takes an account of us. He knows even the hairs on our head. Take heart. You are not forgotten. The Lord has not forgotten your plight, your worried, or your concerns. Know that He knows what is going on and He cares. If He can count the hairs upon our hearts, cannot He also count the concerns upon your soul?

So, today, let us cast our cares to Him, for He cares for us. Trust in Him, lean on His understanding, and live in His amazing grace, knowing that He cares for you today.