Prior Editions
A Lenten Devotional
Week 2, Sunday 2/20/05 -Saturday 2/26/05
Share
God's love with the Frederick community and the world ...
God's love is at the heart of Jesus' gospel. It's depth and
breadth is boundless, timeless, endless. It is from this well of love we
drink and serve. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls." He said further, "I am the bread of life. He who comes
to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be
thirsty. ..If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will
flow from within him...I have come that they may have life, and have it to
the full."
Rest, bread, water and life -the basic stuff of life Jesus promises
in endless supply. As students of Jesus we should be consistently growing
in our understanding of these things, for we are called to bring them to a
tired, starving and thirsty world. It
follows, then, that to effectively share God’s love we must routinely
draw refreshment for ourselves from Jesus' bottomless well of love and
life. It profits no one to try to manage from our own resources something
so vast and far-reaching as the love of God. We can, however, rest in the
comfort that Jesus is chief of this project and His Holy Spirit will
patiently guide and direct us as we seek His leadership.
In the seldom-referenced little book of Philemon, Paul says
something of great significance. In exhorting his friend, Philemon, to
re-think his view of his former slave, Paul entreats Philemon to ".
..be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full
understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Paul makes a
direct cause and effect link to sharing one's faith and
depth of understanding. He says in sharing faith, one will have a
full understanding of every good thing we have in Jesus, a direct
connection to the endless supply of life that is found in Him.
God often teaches us on the job. Our commission to share God’s
love and make disciples brings with it the promise that Jesus will
accompany us “to the end of the age”.
If we faithfully engage in this calling, we know Jesus is present
and active with us. When
Israel prepared to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God
promised to make a way for safe, dry passage. He told the Levites that,
when they stepped into the river to cross, the water would stop flowing
and they would cross on dry land. As the Priests approached the river,
water continued to rush downstream -until they reached the water's edge.
When they stepped into the river, it stopped flowing.
In another example of on-the-job training, He challenges us to test
Him with our offerings, promising to "see if I will not throw open
the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not
have room enough for it." There are many among us with testimonies to
God's faithfulness on this promise and the spiritual growth that followed.
In God is hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. His personal nature, that is, His ability to
meaningfully interact with His creation is something He passed on to us.
He created us in relationship with Him and with each other in an ordered
harmony of creative community, where blessing follows blessing and honor
is given and received as easily as greeting. And it was in this wondrous
union of souls that sin took its greatest toll.
Yet, God so loved the world, God took such
satisfaction in allowing His people to develop into the beings He
intended, that he reconciled them to Himself in Jesus. And now He calls us
to be ambassadors of this ministry of reconciliation. This is a privileged
calling, one that demands honor, diligence and commitment. As we fast and
pray this Lenten period, seek Jesus and the high calling He has given each
of us. Probe into the meaning and great significance of being asked to
represent Him in this world. Let His love remake our personalities to be
the salt for His bread and serve everyone we know and meet with the
knowledge that they bear the image of our Creator as do we.
In Christ,
Dave
Roberts
Scripture
references:
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1: Matthew 11:28-29; John
6:35; John 7:37-38; John 10:10
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3: Philemon v. 6
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4: Matthew 28:20
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5: Malachi 3:10
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6: Colossians 2:3
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7: John 3:16
Mid-Week
Musings
An
Occasional bulletin from Christ United Methodist Church