Adoration
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Scripture Reflections Luke 14:1-14
1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" 4But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.
5Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" 6And they had nothing to say.
Lord Jesus you healing of this man was the turning point in his life. It was a personal thing...it was a monumental thing. Yet for these observers it was something that should have been done on another day of the week.
Worship is important...worship is life. Worship is obedience in real life. So where did silent observers go wrong? In the middle of a unique situation where they knew that God was at work from the healing power that was demonstrated, they were unable to see the human who was sitting right in front of them...they could not see and feel this man's pain. He was an opportunity to see if You would break the Sabbath.
7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
So Lord Jesus if I get this parable...the point is: You are the one who lifts up and the one who brings down. There is meaning to the events of my life that seems so irrational at times. There are places and times when I find myself unexpectedly humbled...brought low. There are times when I am honored unexpectedly. It is by your hand, I don't always understand it...I don't always like it...but nor is it something that I need to run from. Much easier to embrace honor than humility. You are the host of this life experience...the creator...the sustainer...
So if both come from Your hand, there must be something that is needed in both...something missed if not experienced. A lesson learned or maybe preparation for the next task? That is the hard part for me...in the middle of both situations emotions rule the day...the week...the decade at times.
There is a need to accept and to participate in the process...it is better to assume a place of humility than to assume the place of honor. It is Your unseen hand that creates the conditions in which all this is experienced.
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
I wonder how much I have banked in Resurrection Trust right now?
Lord Jesus remind me today of the eternal in the middle of this series of interchanges that seem to disconnected at times and yet form my life. Help me to represent You in a way that is pleasing to You. Remind me that it is only in letting go of Your blessings that I can hold on to them eternally.
1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" 4But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.
5Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" 6And they had nothing to say.
Lord Jesus you healing of this man was the turning point in his life. It was a personal thing...it was a monumental thing. Yet for these observers it was something that should have been done on another day of the week.
Worship is important...worship is life. Worship is obedience in real life. So where did silent observers go wrong? In the middle of a unique situation where they knew that God was at work from the healing power that was demonstrated, they were unable to see the human who was sitting right in front of them...they could not see and feel this man's pain. He was an opportunity to see if You would break the Sabbath.
7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
So Lord Jesus if I get this parable...the point is: You are the one who lifts up and the one who brings down. There is meaning to the events of my life that seems so irrational at times. There are places and times when I find myself unexpectedly humbled...brought low. There are times when I am honored unexpectedly. It is by your hand, I don't always understand it...I don't always like it...but nor is it something that I need to run from. Much easier to embrace honor than humility. You are the host of this life experience...the creator...the sustainer...
So if both come from Your hand, there must be something that is needed in both...something missed if not experienced. A lesson learned or maybe preparation for the next task? That is the hard part for me...in the middle of both situations emotions rule the day...the week...the decade at times.
There is a need to accept and to participate in the process...it is better to assume a place of humility than to assume the place of honor. It is Your unseen hand that creates the conditions in which all this is experienced.
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
I wonder how much I have banked in Resurrection Trust right now?
Lord Jesus remind me today of the eternal in the middle of this series of interchanges that seem to disconnected at times and yet form my life. Help me to represent You in a way that is pleasing to You. Remind me that it is only in letting go of Your blessings that I can hold on to them eternally.
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