freeter Respond to comment

Amen. :)

Salina Respond to comment

Isaiah 58:9a, "Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and He will say: Here I am!"

Is it true that whenever I cry out to God for help, He answers? Well, He does.......just not the way I think or expect!

So did Isaiah give me a check list to do so God will answer me? Yes, it is a check list. No, it is not a check list so God answers! You see there are plenty of people who do not believe in Jesus and yet they do everything on this list, "
* Share your bread with the hungry,
* shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
* clothe the naked when you see them,
* and do not turn your back on your own." (Isaiah 58:7)

So what does it mean then? I find the key in Isaiah 58:8d, "the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard." Only if the ultimate goal of doing is to bring glory to God, our Lord Jesus Christ!

I am not doing to check off the list to manipulate God to give me what I want, but to learn to want what God wants - the ultimate goal is to know God Himself!!!

Doing is the cart and knowing God is the horse!
* If doing the check list and the glory goes to you (others praise you), then you have the cart in front of the horse.
* If doing the check list and the glory goes to God (others praise God), then you have the horse in fornt of the cart.
* Matthew 6:1, "Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven."

Knowing Jesus personally and daily will help me put the horse before the cart! "Just so, my light must shine before others, that they may see my good deeds and glorify my heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:16)

Lord Jesus, You are the light of the world! Whoever follows You will have the Light of Life.(John 8:12) It is in the 'being' with You that the 'doing' will follow! I love, love, love Your servant Paul in today's reading! May I learn to have the heart of Paul that 'when I came to my brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I will not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolve to know nothing while I am with them except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I came to my brothers ans sisters in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that our faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.' Amen! (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Anne Respond to comment

This strikes me as a very powerful message as in we share in God's power to change our world for the better more than we realize. I constantly forget this and get quite caught up in the emotions of the political realm but when we die and face our Lord I doubt he'll ask what political party we belonged to but who did we help, console, embrace and bring along with us to Him in our lifetime. Powerful. Thank you Amy!

Tim Respond to comment

Sunday February 9, 2020

This morning, I would like to share with you a few notes from my preparedness for this week’s scripture readings. I truly hope you find them interesting and useful as I do.

1st. Reading:
(Isaiah 58: 7-10)

Isaiah’s Sermon on the Mount.
Similar to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.

Our direction in our lives, shared with us by Isaiah is truly remarkable if you really think of it. God’s message to us through the voice of Isaiah, some 700 years before Jesus’s birth.

1. Share you bread with the hungry.
2. Offer shelter to the homeless.
3. Clothe the naked.
4. Be supportive toward others, do not turn your back on others. Help others.
5. Share God’s message and light with others.
6. Call out to God, ask and the Lord will answer.
7. Cry out he hear’s our call.
8. For those who believe he will lead us out of darkness and into the light.
Amen.


2nd. Reading:
1 Corithian’s (2:1-5)
The Spirt of Christ is with us all, let the power of the Spirit come forth in our lives.

Do not rely on human ways or desires, rather from what comes from above.

It is the wisdom from God that we may bring the light to the darkness in the world.

That the words from out mouth shall be words from above.

Through our faith in the resurrection (Jesus) and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we too may share the light of Christ.

Others actually may leave the darkness from our actions and come to share in the light in their own lives, how satisfying.

Believe that there might not be darkness but light in world some day, this is our hope.

Gospel:
Matthew (5 13-16)

“Salt and Light”
How can we be salt and light for Jesus?

What good works can we bring others.

Jesus wants us to be salt for others lives. Without salt our experiences can be, Oh- Hum - no taste, just bland and ordinary experiences.

Jesus uses these 2 words as directions for our life and for his kingdom.

Those who sacrificed for the kingdom, would be salt of the earth and light to the world.

If salt becomes dirty it is not useful for others. Do you see the message within? We are the salt by our actions and with Sin our salt in life become dirty and has no value left for others.

Are we the light for others, or do we hide under the table of life, not sharing our God given talents with others?

When others see our actions, positive things can be the resul.

God sees all, there is nothing hidden from him, so do not be fooled by the world success, these might not be salt nor light.

We can make a difference as Christians when we offer ourselves to God, when we proclaim the Good News (Light) with others when we serve others. God encourages us to worship, witness and to give to others.

So to come full circle with these Beauties, the Sermon on the Mount, we are given the clear instructions how God wants us to live.

Blessed are we who are the Salt and Light of the world.

Dear Jesus let me continue to be your servant to others in my life.

Amen.

May you hear my continued prayers, (Ask), (Seek), (Knock) and the door will be opened.

Prayers continued for our Living Faith Family and may today we share in the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.