Focus
Pay attention to the tension in your body. Let go of it and any expectations to do anything other than God’s will today. Prepare yourself to hear God’s word.
Read
Luke 10:13-16 (NRSV)
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
No, you will be brought down to Hades.
“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Reflect
I worry about our nation, which I know is a common concern among Christians in this country. When I read Jesus’ words, it is easy for me to substitute names of U.S. cities. Woe to you, Washington. Woe to you, New York. It seems that everywhere I look, in every news or pop culture article, there is a new low in degradation and a daily bombardment of salacious stories. Those who participate in behavior that Christians find abhorrent are held up as heroes and models of behavior. Anyone who speaks against such behavior or in favor of upright living is labeled as a bigot and hater.
I see a dearth of the generation following mine in churches, and I worry about it. I don’t know what to do, other than pray for a spiritual renewal of our nation, and to follow Christ’s teachings about working in the fields. I believe that we, as a nation, still have the capacity to earn God’s blessing, but I remember 9/11 and the short lived renewal after that awful event. I wonder if we should change the saying from “God bless the USA” to “God have mercy on the USA.”
Pray
Almighty and sovereign Lord, we have abused the freedom you have given us. We have substituted our opinions for your statutes, and gladly listened to the lies of the deceivers. We ask that you renew us: renew our strength, courage, and resolve to be true disciples of Christ. In Jesus’ name we ask that you have mercy on us. Amen.
Go with God.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.