I like to prepare things. Whenever I have a project, I like to have things set up in order of when I will need them, if I need them quickly or if they are just items that are brought along just in case.
Please notice I said like, this doesn’t always happen. I have two boys that tend to change plans rather frequently and quickly. But anyway…..
I used to have a cynical viewpoint of religion (still do in some respects-working on that though) which was those who constantly worship as those who just want to make it to Heaven. To be honest, it was a valid assumption because all of the churches I had been to were filled with the elderly. I just figured they were “covering their bases” so to speak. But we all know when we assume, we make an- you get the picture.
So I heard this tune from, you guessed it, U2, “Walk On”. In this song Bono sings about:
“Packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen”
I take this to mean that we are preparing ourselves for Heaven. So me, being the practical planner I am, I decided to listen up because if this is what Bono is doing- doggone it, I am too. He goes on in the song to sing about leaving things behind, going on, home, your heart hurting and that the only things you can bring are those you can’t leave behind.
So that will leave out the solar blanket that doubles as a wind/snow/rain shield, I suppose.
Then he also says that love is not the easy thing. I didn’t have that on my list, I figured it was a given, but now I’m finding out its not the easy thing to bring!
2 Timothy 3:14-17 says:
“You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.”
I think this is what you bring. Your knowledge, your actions, how you lead your life. As well as what you have done with those around you, “expressing your worship” as Robert Morris might say in one of his previous sermons.
Bono also sings:
“And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on
What you’ve got they can’t deny it
Can’t sell it, can’t buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight”
“No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it”. That’s from 1 Corinthians 10: 13
“Do unto others as you would have them do to you”; the words of Jesus in Luke 6:31
“Righteousness is this: that one should…give away wealth out of love for him to near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for emancipation of the captives”. The Koran (2.177) says that.
“Thus sayeth the Lord: Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover them, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring forth, then your Lord will be your rear guard. Jewish scripture-Isaiah 58.
If I may paraphrase here, The Lord will be your rear guard- in other words- the Lord has got your back if you do what he says which it seems to me, is to love. So maybe love is the hardest thing, by the standards we read above.
I have a passage bookmarked in my YouVersion titled “suitcase”, just one verse. It’s Proverbs 8:10: “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.”
Pray with me for us to receive his instruction and knowledge which will also bring His Wisdom so that not only can we live a more fruitful life, but try to make our surroundings a bit better.
There is a book called “The Next Christians-about the End of Christian Life in America” by Gabe Lyons. He writes about how the Gen X, Y, Z Christians are more interested in community, sharing, helping and peace all through the teachings of Jesus. In a word, they are more interested in Love.
This is an exciting time for us, we have the opportunity to either start or help out with something that promotes Christian values and betters society rather than worrying about whether our lawn looks better than the church down the street or how big a building for “outreach” is being built.
It isn’t easy, the older generation is going to buck the trend but if you believe truly that you are doing the work of God, you’ve got to work hard. You have to pray, you have to try to live as we were taught in the Scriptures.
And then….
You have to let it go….
You have to leave it behind….
In Jeremiah 33:3 it says “Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out”
My prayer today is a simple one. Asking for knowledge, wisdom, and forgiveness. Thanking Him for Jesus, my family and friends, and all the many blessings He has given. I ask Him to open the hearts of those who don’t understand and show them how His Love can change the world, and not just theirs. Keep having the Holy Spirit guide me, helping me with my many struggles and forgiving me for where I have sinned and broken promises with Him. I know that He love me, my family and all of His children despite how we mess up and not follow the basic lessons He has taught. Thank Him for His patience and mercy.
Amen
And with that dear reader, is another day. Another day where we will hopefully “Walk On” with what we have been taught and use it to not only better ourselves but also express what we have been taught to those around us.
For some reason now, I have that song about teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony stuck in my head and the incredible urge to buy someone a Coke….weird.
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