The Handiwork of the Lord

~~~ Epheians 2:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ Luke 12:13-21 ~~~

The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Every day I create a kaleidoscope for this blog.
Today, as you can see, it is filled with pinks with a touch of gold.
Being Breast Cancer Awareness month I decided to dedicate this one
to my friends and family who have bravely faced cancer.
Some are thankfully survivors others have gone
 to heaven, each one precious to us.
Then I looked at the readings for today and was nearly brought to tears.

God did indeed make us, He has claimed us as his own....
we do belong to him. Our life is a gift from the Lord.

For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.

Each person who has been affected by cancer is,
by definition, the handiwork of God.
He created each of us for good works
made possible through his generous gift of grace.

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.

Jesus gives us many examples of good works
our task is to figure out how to apply
them in our life in today's world.

....one’s life does not consist of possessions.

When cancer smacks you up the side of the head
 you quickly realize that your material possessions are of no real value.
It is then that some come to the realization that the ones they love
 and care about are what matters the most.

We belong to God because of his great love for us.
The treasures we store up pale in comparison
 to the love we experience in our life.

When cancer strikes the last thing on your mind
 is how much stuff you have in your closet.

When cancer is present what matters most is surrounding
yourself with love, peace, and joy.

These are among the prized possessions that give you
 the grace to get up the next morning.

I have not personally had cancer, but I have been close
 to many within my own family who are valiant survivors.
I have accompanied my dearest friend on her journey through
the extreme circumstances of this dreaded disease.

The Lord made us, we belong to him.

The Lord did indeed make us, even when our cells
become distorted and riddled with cancer.

He even allows some to become better persons because of their cancer.
It does not matter if you are two months old or
if you are ninety-two years old
when you get the cancer diagnosis,
 you still belong to the Lord.

Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good

Blessed by loved ones who know the struggle with cancer.
God brought us to life with Christ...
God will raise us up on the last day.

God will some day seat us in heaven with him.

May God Bless everyone I know and love
 who has ever had to face cancer.

May they believe without a doubt the God made them for himself.
May they trust in his abundant love for them.
May we be instruments of compassion and peace for them.
For those whom I have loved and lost, I remember today.
May they rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord who made them.
~~~Amen.~~~

What Matters to God

~~~ Ephesians 2:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ Luke 12:13-21 ~~~

 

What matters to God?

 

"...For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast."

 

 

If we do not have our priorities in the right order it matters little what we do.

Because what matters to God is often not what matters to us.

We saw a prime example of this just yesterday in the Gospel reading.

James and John wanted to sit on either side of Jesus;

hoping to be the beneficiaries of special favors.

 

Often the things that matter to God are not tangible.

Often the things that matter to God are from the heart.

Often the things that matter to God are not about us at all,

but rather about others.

 

Jesus came to restore us to himself.

God saw that humankind was struggling.

They were not able to determine

what really mattered to God.

God was not interested in the sacrifice of animals.

 

God was interested in us allowing him to be our shepherd.

 

"...we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them."

 

We do not need to build bigger barns to hold what matters to God.

God does not want us focus solely on our physical inheritance.

What matters to God is the inheritance he has prepared for us.

The inheritance given to because we belong to him.

He has claimed us for his own.

 

 

There is no need for us to hoard our material things.

In the heavenly kingdom material things matter not.

It is best if we do not lose sight of what matters to God.

Most of the saints had few possessions.

The saints practiced on keeping their priorities on God.

The saints provide models for each of us.

 

Material things are not bad in themselves;

it is the priority we place upon them in our life.

God will certainly not condemn us for prospering in this world,

but it is also our duty to prosper in what matters to God.

 

I does not matter to God if I have 20 pairs of shoes, but

it does matter to him if I spend 20 minutes in prayer

or extend kindness to 20 people this week.

 

Here is your challenge for this week:

For every pair of shoes you own make the effort to extend

a special greeting to

that many people.

Give to those individuals what matters to God the most...

Love.