Ordinary Time: Friday, May 30, 2008

Today, the rare Friday post:

Old Testament Lesson

Proverbs 23:19-21, 29-24:2

Today it says, don't envy the wicked.  Now, who would do that?  Well, that is what sin does.  It causes us to look at others that are not living by grace and say, if I could just throw off these restraints of faith, oh the fun I'd have. But, Proverbs tells us that we should not think in that manner for that is the way that leads to destruction. 

Sin promises fun.  It promises satisfaction.  It promises doing what we want!  But, it enslaves.  It controls. It takes us away for what is truly.  Sin tells us that if we live for ourselves, we'll be happy. But we find ourselves empty each time. 

Jesus promises that if we live for Him, we'll find life.  It is in living for something, (or someone) more than ourselves that we find ourselves.  It is in giving our lives away that we find our lives.  It is in following Jesus we find life. 

Today, may we remember what true life is and where it comes from!  

New Testament Lesson

1 Timothy 5:17-25

We see Paul once again speak to the heavy responsibility that goes to those that teach.  To the ones that teach, they must always remember that eyes are watching them, seeing how they live, what they say, who they are. 

But in reality, we all teach. For in all that we do, there are little eyes that are watching us.  May we live in such a way that we point those little eyes to Jesus.  

Gospel Lesson

Matthew 13:21-25

We see that it is the good soil that produces the fruit. As many of us know, you have to prepare the soil before you plan.  You have to plow the ground, you have pick out the right spot, you have to do all the preparation to make sure that the soil you'll use will be ready to plant. 

So it is with God. For us to produce the fruit that we are capable of for God, we have get the soil ready in our souls. We need to be spending time with Him, through prayer, through Scripture, through worship, through all these things.  We need to make sure our heart is ready, our "dirt" is good. That way when it comes time to plant, we'll be ready. 

Today, God wants to plant His word in each of our hearts.  May we be good "dirt" to receive it.