Thursday, July 1, 2010

Scriptures in a Year Day 18

Luke 5:27-32
Who do you spend time with? That is the question Jesus is being asked, does he spend time with all the religious or churchy people, or will he spend time with those who are less desirable? Jesus spent a good portion of his time with people that established religious systems had written off and not being worthy. Even further, "those" people were not just a harm to themselves but could bring you down in the process. The church people already, in theory, had a relationship with God and it was those who were "theoretically" far from God who needed a renewed invitation to relationship. We do have to be careful who we keep company with. There is a potential to be drawn back into a lifestyle which is not good for us. It is also possible to spend all our time with the convinced and miss the opportunity to invite.

Philippians 2:12-18
Continue to work out your salvation... There are many people who can give you a date, time and place when the got saved. It might be more appropriate to consider that day to to be when you realized the saving nature of God. Our salvation is not a momentary kind of thing. Our entire life is part of realizing the salvation offered to all through Christ Jesus. Once we have that awakening, the journey is not complete, rather it takes on a whole new perspective. In the world of Wesleyan theology the time after our decision to follow Christ is the time of sanctifying grace. Till the day we end our journey on this earth we will be working out our salvation.

Psalm 119:137-144
Following the teaching of God can be easy when things are a little difficult, the two hardest times to follow God are when things are going really well or really poorly. At one extreme we think we do not need God because things are going well, and on the other we blame God for our problems and thing a deaf ear had been turned to us. Both situations require us to have perseverance and a good memory of who God is and who we are.

2 Kings 10-11
Reform hits the people of the Lord. The cycle of faith found in the scriptures have come to a time of reckoning here in 2 Kings. Justice is poured out for the descendants of Ahab, and the followers of Baal reach their end. Then Joash comes to the throne at the age of 7. Before long reform comes and the people are turned back to God. It seems there comes time for reform and that time never truly passes.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, purify my heart as I continue to work toward all you have called me. May I keep close to you and your word in all seasons of my life. Help me to be an agent of reform in this moment.

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