Today I took my cue from two readings, Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18 and
Luke: 13: 31-35 looking at how simply the people
of that time interpreted natural events.
Now even though the
people of the Old Testament were interpreting natural events wrongly, they
were right on the money when it came to walking daily with God.
A little advice about waiting on God:
I will make no further comment on that it's not really unusual
to have to sit quietly to build a relationship with God. We don't make friends with each other
if we don't give time to those relationships.
From day to day we have to interact with the people and things around us to get through
life. That comes with the usual ups and downs; successes and failures, and so
in the daily rush it's hard to think of ourselves as citizens of heaven, but
even so, all those ups and downs; successes and failures at an earthly level do
not affect our relationship with God. Jesus did not let his Earthly work
interfere with his Relationship with God. He was told that Herod was after
him but his response was that Herod would just have to wait because he knew
from his daily walk with God that his earthly work still had time to run.
Of course we should value our physical existence and the
gifts we are given but we need to remember our primary concern is to look after
that physical existence and those gifts to continue building God’s kingdom.
Paul told the Philippians to imitate him and his mob. Hmmm. To be fair he meant to
imitate him and his followers in living close to God but even then I would feel
safer taking my cue from Jesus himself.
We are in Lent. This was the time when it is traditionally believed that
Jesus was on a trajectory to Jerusalem.
Where he knew he would die.
He also knew that if he stopped telling the truth He had learnt through his
relationship with God, and went off to live in obscurity he wouldn't have to
die.
Jesus lived side by side with God . The truth came to him
from his daily, close, patient walk with God. He would have had to turn his
back on that and deny all he knew to be true to escape death.
How would we be in such a situation? How highly do we value
our relationship with a God and our citizenship in Heaven, whether it be here
on Earth or in the afterlife? How highly do we value the truth?
Jesus could not give up his relationship with God. He could
not stop telling the truth or living by it. He may have escaped death in the cross but if he had
taken the other path, he would have shrivelled up and died anyway.
You may think I am setting the bar too high. That it's all
very well talking about the fortitude Jesus showed which came from his close
relationship with God.
God is far more understanding of our frailties than we are. Feeling not good
enough or a failure doesn't help at all. Each time we falter we should reach up
for help in finding our feet again. God’s love and support will provide the
strength for us to continue and every time we go through that process we will
learn a little more about how close God is to us and how God is there for us
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