Hold on Tight

~~~ Ezekiel 18:21-28 ~~~ Psalm 130 ~~~ Matthew 5:20-26 ~~~

If anyone repents from their sin God promises to save them.

...he shall surely live, he shall not die. 

This is really good news for the majority of we humans.

But there is a flip side to this promise from God.

If you are doing well...

keeping the commandments...loving God etc.

and 'fall off the wagon'; into sin, things will not go well for you.

If the virtuous man falls into the same sin as the one 

who turns away from his sin...

None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered,

because he has broken faith and committed sin;

because of this, he shall die. 

These are very harsh words to hear...almost scary.

The moral of the story is 

continue to be a virtuous person...

this is your warning.

Falling off can be fatal to your eternity.

God is always there for us

 to return to him...to repent...

This is THE message of lent.

If you are on the 'virtuous' wagon

 it is in your best interest to hold on tight.

There may be rough times ahead, hold on

 you will survive them.

There may be times when you are tempted to get off

to pick the forbidden flowers.

Stay on the wagon.

Invite others to come on the wagon with you.

Share with them the benefits of remaining 

on this wagon of virtue.

 ...be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

This is the wagon of faith, love, forgiveness.

This wagon is covered with the mercy of God.

This wagon is headed to the Kingdom of God.

All occupants on this wagon know the time

 for repentance is now.

Make room on this wagon of virtue;

others are sure to come aboard very soon.

On this wagon there is abundant grace

 and daily Blessings for the journey.

Are you on board?

~~Peace~~~

Why Are You Waiting?

~~~ Joel 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ~~~

No matter which reading you choose to reflect 

upon today the message is the same...

...return to me with your whole heart...

Repent, give alms, mark yourselves with ashes, fast,

pray to God to cleanse your heart.

God asked Adam and Eve why they were hiding 

when he came to walk the garden with them.

Today God is telling us to come to him.

He gives us permission to hide, when we are praying.

But when you pray, go to your inner room,

close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

Now is the acceptable time...so what are you waiting  for?

God reminds us today, Ash Wednesday,

 that he wants to bless our repentant heart. 

If you have been hiding, embarrassed by your sins, 

the invitation is extended to you at this very moment.

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land

and took pity on his people.

The Lord is giving you forty days to return to him.

He wants to welcome you back

 into his garden where all is wonderful...

where pure spring water runs freely...

where every kind of plant and animal

 is there for your enjoyment...

where his love for you is most evident.

We join the psalmist in praying...

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Your relationship with God is personal.

Today he speaks to the depths of your heart...

to the places where you keep hidden and secret.

For in your relationship with God you have no secrets.

His invitation today is to let him,

 during this time of repentance, cleanse your soul.

You do not need to question 'Where is our God?'

He is not hiding from you.

Your day of salvation is right now.

What are you waiting for?

Blessed with ashes cleanse our minds and hearts,

O Lord we pray.

~~~Peace~~~

You Will be Given Words

~~~ Hosea 14: 2-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 10: 16-23 ~~~

Return

you have collapsed

Take with you words..............................and return to the LORD

forgive

receive

offerings

save

compassion

heal

love

blossom

root

dwell

raise

humbled

prosper

understand

 walk

stumble

I offer to you the above words lifted right from the lines

of the prophet Hosea.

I invite you to reflect on this list of words.

Take these words with you to prayer before the Lord.

Which word touches you the most deeply today?

Which word brings you the most peace?

Which word causes you the most conflict?

Which word gives you the strongest connection with God?

How are each of these words a part of your life?

Which of these words would you delete?

Which word would be written in bold letters for you?

You may have noticed I tried to create a simple cross with this list from Hosea.

God wants to create in us a new heart with a steadfast spirit.

He knows our deepest desire to remain always in his presence.

He alone can give us the joy of our salvation.

When you come before God to pray...

"...do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you..."

If you do indeed have a sincere heart that is steadfast in the spirit, as the

psalmist desires. There is no need to worry how you are to speak,

either to the Lord

or to your sisters and brothers.

For if you have the love of God in your heart you will speak

the words

that come from his spirit.

Will you allow God to speak his words

through the words you speak?

Why Wait? Return to the Lord, Now

~~~ Hosea 6: 1-6 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 18: 9-14 ~~~

"Come, let us return to the Lord..."

"...he will raise us up, to live in his presence."

"...let us strive to know the Lord..."

"...it is love that I desire not sacrifice..."
(Hosea)

"My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled,
O God, you will not spurn."
(Psalm 51)

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector present themselves before the Lord in prayer.

The Pharisee projects his judgement of others out from his heart. The Pharisee presents the presumptuous prayer of how worthy his actions have made him. He even compares himself to the stranger he really knows nothing about.
The Tax Collector approaches his prayer from the position of repentance, humility, and unworthiness. He is honest in his prayer asking God for mercy. He admits to God how he has failed to live up to the expectations of God.

Why do we feel we have the right to judge another? How can we compare ourselves to someone we do not even know? Comparing self to another is only an attempt to make yourself feel better...a way to deny your own short comings.
Feelings of superiority have no place when you are in the presence of the Lord. You cannot fool God he is all knowing...So what is the point? It is only to build yourself up with falsities. How long can you keep up the facade?

Throughout scripture the Pharisees have been protrayed as just the type who are constantly comparing themselves to others in a more favorable light. They even try to campare themseles to being better than Jesus. For they knew not what they were doing; this pattern of thought had become their way of life.

What might be the message here for us? The message for me is to be more aware when those prideful thoughts of comparison rush into my heart. It is so easy to forget. I have no right to compare myself to another no matter what I think about them.

We can return to God as many times as needed. He will not enforce a limit until you take your last breath. Return to the Lord in humility and love so that you will be granted the joy of living in his eternal presence.

"...only say the word and my soul will be healed."