Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—
empty rituals just for show?
He wants you to listen to him!
Plain listening is the thing,
not staging a lavish religious production.
Not doing what God tells you
is far worse than fooling around in the occult.
Getting self-important around God
is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.
Because you said No to God’s command, he says No to your kingship."
-1 Samuel 15:22-23, The Message
empty rituals just for show?
He wants you to listen to him!
Plain listening is the thing,
not staging a lavish religious production.
Not doing what God tells you
is far worse than fooling around in the occult.
Getting self-important around God
is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.
Because you said No to God’s command, he says No to your kingship."
-1 Samuel 15:22-23, The Message
Let me tell you a truth: I am not a good person. Some of you are not surprised by this comment, others of you might think I'm being too critical. Bare with me.
This week I was reminded again, in various ways, of my own selfishness. I lusted, I hated, I discriminated, and I valued myself higher than others. And those were just the sins I kept out of the view of the world, forgetting, of course, the more public displays of my own inequities.
This week I was reminded again, in various ways, of my own selfishness. I lusted, I hated, I discriminated, and I valued myself higher than others. And those were just the sins I kept out of the view of the world, forgetting, of course, the more public displays of my own inequities.
I am not good because I make my view of the world about me. That's self-centered and narrow minded. My view of the world needs to be about so much more than just me, my successes and my failures.
Too often, I try to hide up my inadequacies with religious words or actions. Today, I want to back away from any attempt to write a profound post but simply to ask you to pray with me. God does indeed invite us into relationship with Him and prayer is how we consummate that relationship.
So, today (and on many subsequent days), I invite you to enter with me into the Kingdom of God here on earth. . . What I like to call the Long Dawn and Kyle likes to call the first building blocks of the New Kingdom. Let us enter into the Kingdom by asking God to be with the dying and hurt in this world.
For the families of those killed in the Bangladesh factory collapse, may You, God of those in pain, reveal Yourself and Your love.
Lord, have mercy.
For the family and friends of the British soldier hacked to death in London, God, be present in their suffering.
Lord, have mercy.
For Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, for the ongoing violence there and for the promise of peace in that region.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
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