Thought for the Week

There is so much turmoil, unrest, and conflict in our nation and our world. We need a good leader, who will be able to bring us together, united for the good of all. As you might expect, I do not think there is a human who can provide this. Each of us has a personal agenda that overrides our judgment about what is good for the other person. It is true for me too so I am not simply being critical of others. I wish and pray we would allow Jesus to be our Ruler. We can know from the Scriptural record that He always had the best interests of others at heart. Some almost 2,000 years before Jesus, the Christ, was born, God had called to Himself a People. His desire was for them to be, set, and teach a godly example for the world. They failed. They disobeyed and for this God has punished them. But God spoke and said of Jesus, “This is My Son, in Whom I am well pleased, Listen to (follow) Him.” The day is coming when “At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” I trust that day will soon come. But even for now, I would like to see people know Who Jesus is and realize His way of life and living is perfect, and therefore best for everyone. Jesus taught wonderful truth in what we call “The Sermon on The Mount.” (Recorded in St. Matthew chapters 5 – 7.) There is some pretty radical stuff in that passage and much of it runs contrary to humanistic philosophy. Actually, most of what Jesus taught and lived was opposed by many people who were in leadership capacities. When Heaven comes, and God is on the throne, we will experience wonderful life. But, some of that is certainly available now. We can, even now, experience abundant life, peace that passes understanding, the “Fruit of the Spirit,” and a host of blessings. These come about because we submit to the Leadership/Lordship of Christ. These blessings can come to anyone, no matter what their age, sex, nationality, ethnic origins, or station in life. The call from Jesus is to “repent” (turn from the way of life of the world) and follow Me (Jesus). Is that all there is to it? No, it is not. God does extend grace (the unmerited gifts and blessings from God) and we have the privilege of taking Scripture in hand and studying the life of Jesus, primarily as recorded in the Gospels (Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). In these passages, we will also learn of the “twelve” men Jesus chose specifically to follow Him. They stumbled, misunderstood, and failed frequently, as we likely will also. But, we will also see in them walking carefully, understanding, and experiencing great success. If you have not yet become a follower of Jesus, I urge you to begin today. There is no better time and no greater opportunity. You may not see Jesus in the flesh and in person, but Scripture can give you a clear picture of Him. Once this happens, focus your eyes on Him and follow just as carefully as you can. Pray God will help you. Allow nothing else to get in your pathway. Make Him your primary goal in life. There may be problems and stresses to face, but the ultimate reward of following Jesus in this life, is that He has made a way to live with Him, in Heaven, for eternity and to experience things, greater and more blessed than you can ever imagine.

Scriptures to Read

Philippians 2:1-11

Hebrews 12:1-3, 12-15

St. Matthew 5:1-16

St. Matthew 5:17-20

St. Matthew 5:38-48

St. Matthew 6:1-15

St. Matthew 6:16-34

St. Matthew 7:1-14