Book of Wisdom / 9:13-18
Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the LORD intends? For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns. And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.
- I was recently watching the ESPN 30 for 30 film, “Brian and the Boz”, where you learn about both the fall and redemption of Brian Bosworth (who played linebacker for the University of Oklahoma). To hear him talk about his Walk, is truly inspiring. None of us can ever fully stack-up to our Father’s expectations – especially when we’re talking about our Heavenly Father. Bosworth had an earthly Father with unrealistic expectations, but God knows that we cannot fully conceive His eternal expectations. We are to trust and try our best with the Faith of a child (Matthew 18:3).
- What keeps us from realizing that we can never understand God’s wisdom?
- How did Solomon misuse his Gift of wisdom?
Psalms / 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night. You make an end of them in their sleep; the next morning they are like the changing grass, Which at dawn springs up anew, but by evening wilts and fades. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours; prosper the work of our hands for us! Prosper the work of our hands!
- The idiom “take forever” means “to happen very slowly” per the on-line site, Free Dictionary. We know “ashes to ashes” and “dust to dust”, but do we really understand time? Earthly time seems to take forever and then it seems to have flashed before our eyes. When I was a kid, I’d wake-up and think that 3 years had just passed by very quickly – and they did! Godly wisdom would tell us that Jesus will return to earth and we will all return home – it all comes full-circle. The question is “when”. The only sane choice is to trust in God, put our heads-down, and do our best.
- How can we put our heads-down and hope for the best?
- If 1,000 years on Heaven equals 1 day on earth, how long in Heaven years have we been here?
Philemon / 9-10, 12-17
I, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus, urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment; I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel, but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary. Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord. So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
- “If you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be.” The story behind this is that “true love” is offered voluntarily or it isn’t true. While a related article in Psychology Today paints the author as “anonymous”, I would paint the Author as “obvious”. Paul sends Onesimus to the Disciples the same way that God sends Jesus. If Paul and God don’t send their Messenger(s), then folks wouldn’t come to love and respect the Messenger voluntarily. Jesus offers an outstretched hand to us – if you reach-out in love for me, I will do so in return – a boomerang.
- Why keeps us from letting go fully to Jesus?
- How can we trust like Peter that he could walk on water to Christ if he didn’t lose focus?
Luke / 14:25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
- There is a great song by Casting Crowns called, “The Well“. In it, Jesus asks us to leave it all behind us and come to Him at the well. It is grounded in Jesus’ requests to come to Him and trust in Him. Jesus didn’t put anyone in a head-lock and force them to follow Him while He was with us. He doesn’t do that ever – it’s a choice. The song ends with us being filled with joy beyond measure, because of the Living Water within us now that we’ve found Jesus. That’s Amazing Grace and it’s free to each and every one of us.
- What keeps us from coming fully to Jesus?
- How can we remember daily to let go of this world?
Reflection of the Week
“The Well” / Casting Crowns
Leave it all behind,
Leave it all behind,
Leave it all behind,
Leave it all behind,
I have what you need,
But you keep on searchin,
I’ve done all the work,
But you keep on workin,
When you’re runnin on empty,
And you can’t find the remedy,
Just come to the well.
You can spend your whole life,
Chasin what’s missing,
But that empty inside,
It just ain’t gonna listen.
When nothing can satisfy,
And the world leaves you high and dry,
Just come to the well
[CHORUS:]
And all who thirst will thirst no more,
And all who search will find what their souls long for,
The world will try, but it can never fill,
So leave it all behind, and come to the well
So bring me your heart
No matter how broken,
Just come as you are,
When your last prayer is spoken,
Just rest in my arms a while,
You’ll feel the change my child,
When you come to the well
[CHORUS:]
And all who thirst will thirst no more,
And all who search will find what their souls long for,
The world will try, but it can never fill,
So leave it all behind, and come to the well
Yeah
Leave it all behind
The world will try, but it can never fill… leave it all behind
And now that you’re full,
Of love beyond measure,
Your joy’s gonna flow,
Like a stream in the desert,
Soon all the world will see that living water is found in me,
Cuz you came to the well
[CHORUS:]
And all who thirst will thirst no more,
And all who search will find what their souls long for,
The world will try, but it can never fill,
So leave it all behind, and come to the well
[Outro:] leave it all behind, leave it all behind… [repeat]
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