Mission: Impossible?

 

Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God.’ Luke 18:27

You Are The God Who Sees Me

Our Father knows the number of hairs on our heads; He knows what we are going through; He counts our every tear. He knows every detail of our circumstances. 

The Two Most Important Things

I've got a day off today. And even more surprisingly, I'm not trying to cram my non-working day with hundreds of little jobs so I can put off the most vital part of a non-working day. To sit and rest. Push that off button and reset myself.

I did a lot of those silly little jobs yesterday. Today is a sitting and blogging day. Tomorrow looks like it'll be another running around day. Oh well...

However, today is for blogging. Serious blogging. Spending an hour or two to put my thoughts down onto a computer screen. 

And, as I like to do when I blog, I take stock of where I am personally. Not just to upload the odd graphic, to keep the feed running. Something a lot deeper. 

I've done a lot of deconstructing recently. And stocktaking. Instead of mourning the activities I had to give up after lockdown, I've been re-prioritising. Adding certain things back into my calendar, keeping other things out. Stripping my life back to basics. 

And those basics, spiritually, I've got down to two things. Two Most Important Things.

The two most important things Jesus asked us to do was 

1. to love God and 
2. to love people. 

It sounds so simple, because it is - but it’s actually very difficult. 

Point 1 is Loving God with all of my heart, soul, and mind. This means letting go of my way of doing things. In many ways it has meant re-reading familiar readings and asking myself if I have truly understood what is being said. And in many cases it has meant asking Jesus for a fresh understanding of His teaching. 

Point 2 is Loving people - which means loving them exactly as they are. It’s particularly easy to love lovely people. God asks us to love all kinds of people. Which means I have to constantly check my motivations, my thoughts, my words.

36 ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’

Matthew 22:36-40, New International Version - UK

Let Me Be Patient ...

Selected lyrics from "Tell Him", a song by Lauryn Hill. Songwriter: Andy Colline

 

Do Not Worry

 

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Luke 12: 22-25 (NIV)

Worship with the right mindset

 

Overflowing ...

"You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows."

Psalm 23:5

(New International Version)

 

Be Still ...

 

Keep On Praying!

 “Never give up praying until the answer comes.” George Müller

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’

6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’

Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

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