Authored by Lou Geense

Seeing Clearly
 

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
Vs. 18- We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
 
Reflect:
The resilience of the people I know in Tanzania is really amazing and inspiring. When difficulty comes to people already living in difficult situations you would think that people would just give up. Add to that reality that the possibilities of moving ahead in life are bleak, surely people would just collapse and give up. My friend Hassan works in Mwanza and Kigoma – a good distance apart. He works with farmers in both communities trying to get contracts for their crops. He tries to sell to the government and to out of country sources. After spending two weeks with him, carefully setting out a plan for Canadian Foodgrains Bank we prayed together for success of acceptance. Within weeks we heard the answer: NO!
 
I was frustrated and disheartened. Hassan simply picked up his computer and said, “Surely the Lord has something in store for us.” And he began to search and work away. He inspires me when I think of him. Not because he is so resilient but because his trust and belief that Jesus is on his side and cares for the same poor farmers that he does.
 
Hassan does not look at the struggle that stares him in the face rather he stares into the face of Jesus and sees hope and possibility. Hassan has travelled to many places in the world. He has seen wealth and extravagance and when he sees it, he simply looks past the riches into the face of Jesus and his calling to serve his people.
 
In John 9 we see the story of a man born blind. Jesus spat in the dirt, made mud and placed it on the man’s eyes. Then Jesus said go wash yourself in the pool.  The man did not question Jesus – he just did as he was told. Life is all about perspective and what we focus on. We can sit around with mud on our eyes, or we can wash it off and see the light of Jesus. Paul says the problems we see are temporary, but the hope we have in Jesus—though unseen—is eternal.
 
How do you see the world? Is it just this awful place plagued by Covid 19 restricting us from what we want to do OR is it a time to see opportunity to do ministry, to serve the people we call family, friends, community?
 
Pray:
Lord give me eyes to see with my heart. May focus always be on you and not the circumstances around me. Help me to see you more clearly and to stand in the power of your glory. Amen.

Authored by Lou Geense
 
Read: Proverbs 25:1-7
Vs. 6-7 –    Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say . . . “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you.
 

Reflect:
If you were overly confident about yourself a good read of Proverbs 25 would help to reset your attitude. Jesus was an observer of people’s attitudes & actions, knowing that attitude comes from what is deep in the heart.  At a dinner ­hosted at a Pharisee’s house, Jesus noticed how the guests were picking places of honour closest to their host.
 
Jesus told the clamouring guests a parable about humility that echoes the proverb in our reading today. He stated, “All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Proverbs 16:18 also affirms this: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
 
A wise person understands Jesus’ words as he applied Solomon’s wisdom. A wise person realizes that God’s Word has sufficient guidelines to help us keep our walk
in wise ways. This includes not thinking too highly of ourselves. Trumpeting one’s accomplishments gives little honour to those to whom the credit is actually due. The political forum is often a good example being overly confident.
 
Proverbs proclaims wisdom. It is all about grace. It is all about what God accomplishes in us, through us—and, often, despite us. So, let’s believe and live by God’s grace!
 
Pray:
Our heavenly Father make us instruments of your grace and help us to understand that we are your instruments and not the decision makers. Help us Lord to walk circumspectly and in your grace. Amen.

Authored by Mary Lucas
 
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
 

Reflect:
Sometimes when we pray God gives us exactly what we ask for.  Sometimes he gives us what we ask for, but we have to wait a while to see that prayer answered.  Sometimes he does not seem to answer our prayers at all.  The Bible tells us that God hears our prayers (for example, 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer”) so why doesn’t he give us what we ask for? Why do our prayers seem to go unanswered sometimes?  I once heard a saying that stuck with me.  It goes like this:
 
When the request is not right, God says “No”.
When the timing is not right, God says “Slow”.
When you are not right, God says “Grow”.
But when the request is right and the timing is right and you are right, God says “Go”.
 
Let us see what the bible says about each one of these phrases.
 
When God says “no”, I try to remember that it is because he has a better “yes” in store.  “We know that
“In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  If God is good and His plans are for my good, then I can trust Him that he says “no” for a reason and that He has something better in store.  It is good to remember Isaiah 55:8-9 as well: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
 
When God says “slow” remember that God has perfect timing, never early, never late.  A man named Lazarus was very sick and Jesus got word about this.  Much to his disciples’ astonishment, instead of rushing right away to his friend Lazarus, he leaves two days later.  By then Lazarus was dead and decaying for four days in a tomb. His sisters Mary and Martha had prayed and when Jesus came, they said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But Jesus then raised that dead body from the grave.  Perhaps he delayed because he wanted to increase the faith of His disciples who after His death would be the ones taking the message of Christ to the world. The disciples knew Jesus had the power to heal people — but to raise a 4-day old corpse? That is taking faith to a whole new level!
 
When God says “grow” it may be that there is some characteristic in us that He wants to develop.  We may pray for a difficult situation to resolve or a trial to end but Romans 5 talks about what suffering and trials does to us.  “We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”  Perhaps God does not answer because His plan is for us to develop characteristics that are desirable for a follower of Jesus…. patience, steadfastness, compassion, etc.
 
God does say “go” sometimes.  The answer we often say in response to these answered prayers is “God is good!” The other half of that expression is “God is good…. all the time. All the time…. God is good”.  God is good because that is His character.  He is good all the time…. when the answer is no, when the answer is slow, when the answer is grow and when the answer is go.  When God does not answer the way, you want or is slow to answer, trust that He is good, that God loves you and that He desires what is best for you, more than we could ever ask or imagine!

Authored by Lou Geense
 
Read: Philippians 2:1-4
vs 3-4 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
 

Reflect:
I wonder how many times I read these verses and just let them pass? I do that because to study them and look closely at the message causes me some amount of struggle. In all honesty how often do we value others more than ourselves? I believe I am more in the habit of comparing people to me and then judging what they could do better to look at life the way I do! Maybe it is not just like that for you, but I believe most of us see ourselves in a positive light and we tend to evaluate others based on our own set of values.
 
Any quick read of Philippians show that Paul has a fairly high view of the Philippian church. But, like any church, it was not perfect. No church is. As we read along in Philippians, we see hints and whispers that Paul knows there are a few unhealthy things about this congregation. There are some cracks in their unity, some struggles with pride.
 
In Philippians 2, Paul begins to address this. And he is very straightforward. “If you are even remotely Christian,” Paul says, in effect, “then make me even more joyful by embracing ­humility.”
 
Many theologians teach that humility is the core Christian virtue, the characteristic that makes us most like Jesus. Humility helps us realize that even though we all have gifts and talents to do many things, that does not make us better than others. Instead, we try to see life as a level playing field on which each person does her or his part. And at the end of the day, we pay more attention to others than to ourselves. Let someone else compliment you for your work while you focus on building up others.
 
We are all a part of the body and we each play a part. Each of us needs to be thankful for the next person. This is, as Paul explains next (in verses 5-8), the pattern established by Jesus—so this is the pattern to follow.
 
Pray:
Lord Jesus, grant us by your Holy Spirit a greater portion of your humility. Help us to serve hand in hand with those in my community for the sake of the gospel. In your name we pray. Amen.

Authored by Martha Dodd

Read: Psalm 119:105,130; Psalm 18:28
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.  The unfolding of your words gives light.
You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.     

Reflect: 
On a trip to Israel several years ago, I was given a replica of an oil lamp used in Bible times.  I was surprised at how small it was; it fit in the palm of my hand.   Made of clay, the lamp was crafted to hold a small amount of olive oil in its reservoir.  Once, I tried a little experiment.  I poured oil into the reservoir, soaked the wick, lit the flame, and turned off all the lights to see just how much light the lamp would shed.  The immediate area around me was illuminated, and there was enough light for a few steps.  And when I took those few steps, the area that had previously been obscured by darkness, could be seen with greater clarity.  

Sometimes in my own life, I have wanted more light, clearer evidence, greater reassurance, fewer obstacles, or maybe even a “sign” before I’ve been willing to step out in faith. I have wanted to know how long before “this” will change, or when “that” will happen.  I have wanted a flood light on my path! 
  
Jesus, the Light of the World, promised that those who follow Him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12) – the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our paths.  (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

How then, does God turn our darkness into light?  What does the psalmist mean when he says that the unfolding of God’s word brings light? 
 
One of the ways the Holy Spirit accomplishes this in our lives is as we meditate on God’s word.  Jen Wilkin says: “The Scriptures have a plain meaning the Spirit illuminates, but they also yield deeper and deeper levels of understanding when we make them our repeated object of thought.  Put another way, rumination begets illumination.  The Holy Spirit responds to the diligent employment of the mind by giving insight, wisdom and understanding.”*
 
Rather than being an end in itself, meditating on God’s word yields good fruit – the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and the fruit of faithful living, as we take our next step in trust and dependence on the One who began a good work in us, and who will bring that good work to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 1:6) 
 
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that You are the Light of the World.  And in relationship with You, You have said that I am the light of the world. (Matthew 6:14-16) Help me not to hide that light; enable me to take my next step in faith so Your light in me will shine before others, they will see Your good works, and give You glory.   And as I live by the Spirit, teach me today what it means to keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
 
*Jen Wilkin – “When We Set Our Minds on things Above” Christianity Today March ‘21