What is Around the Next Corner?

~~~ Ephesians 4:32-5:8 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 13:10-17 ~~~

Live as children of light. 
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments...

The elders of the synagogue wanted to dictate
when those seeking healing would be allowed access.
Their intention was to harness the healing power of God...Jesus.
They wanted to parameters upon the powers of God,
which of course no human can do.

In their desire to be in control they attack
 Jesus for breaking the Jewish law of the Sabbath rest.

If this were to be enforced today our hospitals
 which virtually shut down every Sunday.
No one would receive care on Sundays...
not even an emergency room would be open.
Consider how many people would potentially die if they
could not receive medical care on Sunday.

Luckily this is not the case today.

Medical care is administered
twenty four hours a day seven days a week.

There is however, one thing that still lingers, cited in today's Gospel.

The crippled woman who presented herself
after eighteen years of suffering probably
 had some form of osteoporosis.
She was unable to stand upright.

This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now...

This belief that sickness is caused
 by Satan still lingers among us today.
Some continue to believe that sickness
 is even a punishment for their sins.

A woman I dearly love is actually anxious
 if her life is going too smoothly.
She is of the opinion that something bad
 is coming in the near future.

This fear actually robs her
 of relishing the blessings she has in her life.
We should not live every day trying to anticipate
 what is around the next corner.

Even illness, as you know,
has the potential to bring forth goodness.
Physical illness can bring healing within the heart.

The elders were trying to set their own boundaries
 around Jesus and that will never be possible.
There are no boundaries within which
 you can keep the power of God.

They failed to deceive Jesus with their idle empty words.
Jesus healed the woman by fulling the spirit of the word.
Jesus healed the woman because of his great capacity for compassion.
Jesus healed this woman because she asked for his healing.

Jesus brought light into our world of darkness.
We are to live as children of light.
To live as children of the light we must be open,
we must not even attempt to put fences around God's power.

If Satan curses people with afflictions here on Earth,
which we personally ignore,
 he will not prevail.

Light disperses all darkness.
Jesus is the light...he heals through the light of the Father.
Satan, who is darkness, cannot win.

We are Blessed with the Light of Christ.
Live as Children of this Light.
~~~Peace~~~

What Does He See?

~~~Fourth Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a~~Psalm 23~~Ephesians 5:8-14~~John 9:1-41~~

Does looking the part get you in the door?

Jesus sent Samuel to choose the next leader from the family of Jesse.
The Lord explains to Samuel to not be influenced by appearances...
 ...the LORD looks into the heart.

Who else can look into the heart?
We know there is no one other than God.
Just as the Samaritan woman discovered
at the well Jesus knows the inner depths of our heart.
Perhaps Jesus knows our heart even better than we know ourselves.
We try to hide even from ourselves.
That may sound crazy, but think
about how you keep things hidden inside.

Lent is the perfect time for us to ask the Lord
to reveal more of who we really are to ourselves...
to reveal our most harmful sins.

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
It is this Divine light that makes all things visible.
Jesus brought light into the life of each person
 he touched while he was on Earth.
He healed mind body and spirit for the glory
of God the Father.

Psalm 23 is probably one of the most frequently quoted...
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The shepherd is extremely protective of his sheep, almost to a fault.
It is his main focus...the well-being of his flock.
He is vigilant over each and every one of the sheep.
If one is lagging behind he encourages him to join the others.
If one is injured he stops to attend to him.
If one happens to get lost he leaves the others
to find the one who has strayed away.

What kind of person would do that today?
Who looks out for us to that extent?
We do know the answer. There is only one who does
although we cannot see him. Jesus.

As each day of Lent passes...

Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you
closer to where you want to be tomorrow.
Author unknown

Lent is a journey...the shepherd is out there looking
for any of his lost sheep.
He leads us out of darkness into the light.

This wild and crazy God who loves us will never give up.
He will keep searching for each and every lost sheep.
His desire is for his flock to be all together.

Our wild and crazy God looks into your heart
 and sees your true self.

So very Blessed to live as Children of the Light.

Peace.