Resistant to Change?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:13-25 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ 

~~~ John 13:16-20 ~~~

I know those whom I have chosen.

Paul stands in the synagogue and recaps

 the history of the Israelite people.

He reminds those listening of the prophets...

 their crossing in the desert.

He continues to point out God's presence and promises.

How God gave them a king, which they requested.

Finally he speaks of specific tribes, 

like the tribe of Benjamin.

This is all leading up to the prophecy of Jesus.

Paul also includes the prophecy of John the Baptist.

For some reason we  may not understand

 the prophecies concerning Jesus were rejected by the elders.

We can only imagine how frustrated

 Paul must have been.

Maybe he just wanted to shake

 them into opening their hearts.

...whoever receives the one I send

receives me, and whoever receives me

 receives the one who sent me.

How do you handle change?

The people listening to Paul were faced

 with having to decide how they would 

accept or not accept change.

It is easy to resist change when you are 

comfortable with the present.

Today we are faced with changes 

as a regular part of life.

In Biblical times change came more slowly.

They did not have technology to keep them up to date.

They did not have day to day information.

The more set you get in your ways

 the less open you become to change in general.

Jesus brought about a major change.

His presence challenged the beliefs of many 

who regularly came to the synagogue.

It seems that his message still meets resistance today.

I invite you to be part of the change Jesus envisioned.

We are still called to be the ones who live out 

his vision of love and mercy.

Blessed to have his taking the lead for us.

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

~~~Peace~~~

We Have Been Told...

~~~ Micah 6:1-4, 6-8 ~~~ Psalm 50 ~~~ Matthew 12:38-42 ~~~

You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

God gives clear directions and guidelines.
He may speak in unfamiliar tones, but he always speaks to the point.
Today we are told...
to do right...to love goodness...
and to walk with God in humility.

There in the presence of God we must walk;
not in a prideful boastful manner,
but in humility.
There is nothing good in our life that we can solely lay claim to;
everything comes from above.
God tells what is good. Goodness is found in how much we love.
The more we love the more goodness we will have in our life.

God reserves the right to correct us when we have gone astray.
Sometimes as we look out upon the lack of goodness
 in our world we feel God must execute his correction sooner.

We grow impatient with God's correction of others,
but do not see where we ourselves need his correction.

God used Jonah, although reluctantly,
to send his corrective message of repentance.

Every party involved responded with resistance.
Jonah did not want to deliver God's message.
The people of Nineveh did not want to hear God's message.

If God were to suggest a similar situation today
I dare say the responses would be no different.

People still reject both the messenger and the message.

We struggle with God's corrective message of repentance.
We try to postpone taking action on the message
 even after it is delivered.

Jonah was willing to remain in the belly of the fish for three days and nights.
He let the sun rise and set on his hard headed stubbornness.

I think we probably do the same thing...
We let our stubbornness keep us from realizing God
 holds the necessary corrections for us to enter into heaven.

Jonah foolishly thought he could hide from God.
He thought he could ignore God.
He tried to turn his back on God, but nothing
 he did sent God away.

God does not and will not ever turn his back on you.
We can pretend to ignore and attempt to resist,
but God is there in every way.
Blessings of Peace.