Day Thirteen

 ❀ ❁ January 13^th   ❀ ❁  

^“But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:22

Several years ago I was having lunch at a deli with my husband, just before I left for a spiritual retreat.  In the booth next to us, two gentlemen were talking about the mother of one of the men.  They were remarking that this lady, “Never had a bad thing to say about anyone.”  I remember slumping down into my seat, thinking that my husband was not going to be able to say that about me. 

How easy is it for us to say negatives things about one another?  In Judaism there is the concept of lashon hara, "the evil tongue."  There is a story oft repeated about gossip.  A woman goes to her rabbi to repent for talking about others in the village.  The rabbi tells her to take a feather pillow to the top of the mountain and tear it open.  She is to allow the feathers to be blown by the wind throughout the area, and return to the rabbi several days later.  When the rabbi returns, he asks her to go and gather each and every one of the feathers.  The woman tells him tearfully this is impossible.  The rabbi replies, "Yes, as it is impossible to undo all the damage you have done with your words." 

When we talk about others, it's as if we are adding to our own baggage in so many ways.  Those around us are unsure if they should confide in us.  We make ourselves look bad when speak poorly of others.  After a while, we are unable to look in the eyes those other people we speak ill of.  We wonder just what they are saying about us.  It becomes an unbearable burden. 

Perhaps we are surrounded by those who are "negative" and spend their time talking about others.  Perhaps this is a long-time habit for us.  But we must rise above this, even being bold enough to stop a turn in any conversation when it takes a turn toward ungodly speech.  We use prayer and Scripture to begin to tame our speech.  We will begin to wince when we hear others gossiping or judging.  Our tolerance for "the evil tongue" will decrease.  And as with any other habit, we must fill the void left in its absence by something positive.  We will find ourselves speaking well of others, even the difficult ones... or saying nothing about them at all! 

Pray for grace to see where your speak is less than encouraging and notice when you say things you shouldn't.  What do you say about others when they are not around?  In what ways has your speech caused problems in your life?

 Ask Him to help you clean your speech and keep your mouth from gossip or other ungodly words.  Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your speech today. 

 

Day Twelve

 ❀ ❁ January 12^th   ❀ ❁  

“…for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.  But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee.  When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’  She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’ Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.  The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her.” 

Mark 6:20-26, NRSVCE

 

Scripture tells us that Herod "feared" John and knew him to be holy.  He "liked to listen to" this righteous man.  But ultimately Herod betrays John in order to please his guests.  John was the one who confronted Herod about his marriage to his brother's wife.  In yet another act of cowardice, Herod sends a soldier out to do to do the job, perhaps thinking he is keeping his own hands clean.  

As much as we want to say we do not understand Herod, how many times to we compromise what we know to be true in order to live in this world?  How often do we take the easy road of appearing in sync with those around us?  We want to blend in with the wallpaper of "normal."  We want to be seen as part of the popular crowd. 

Maybe it's little things.  Maybe we don't pray over our food in a restaurant with friends.  Maybe we swear and gossip when in the company of those who are swearing and gossiping.  Maybe we get angry when we are told something that we don't want to be true, especially about ourselves and our foibles.  Perhaps we lash out at the family member who calls us on the carpet for our adulterous behavior with a co-worker.  Perhaps we let a friend "have it" who questions that sinful behavior that we just enjoy too much.

This is the only story in the book of Mark without Jesus Christ.  Interestingly, preceding this story we are told of Jesus sending out disciples to teach, after giving them the caveat that, "If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them."  (verse 11)  He does not say to argue or to challenge them, but to leave them.  Archbishop Fulton Sheen is quoted as saying, "Win an argument, lose a soul." 

Following the story of John and Herod, we are told Jesus instructs the apostles, ostensibly after obtaining John's body, to ­­­­­­­­­­spend time alone and "rest."  But the crowds see the apostles and, starved for teachings, swarm them.  After being taught, it gets late, and Jesus feels compassion for this crowd.  He admonishes the apostles to feed these people from their own food. 

A very different take on being hospitable.  It is one of sacrifice and service, one of compassion and love.   This is at the core of the gospel, the "good news."

 

Pray for grace to see how we are like Herod, enjoying hearing the Gospel but not loyal to our LORD  or how willing are we to "sell out" on what is important.  How are we to be compassionate to others, serving and sacrificing?

 

 Ask Him to help you in these areas.

 

Day Eleven

 ❀ ❁ January 11^th  ❀ ❁  

"Tobias got out of bed and said to Sarah, ^'Sister, get up, and let us pray and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety.'  So she got up, and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe."  Tobit 8:4-5, NRSVCE

Before consummating their marriage, Tobias leads Sarah to prayer.  Granted, this was under the instructions of the angel Raphael to keep Asmodeus from killing Tobias and rendering Sarah a widow for the eighth time.  However, the act of a couple praying before this act is a strong lesson to us.

As followers of Christ, we often pray for our needs and the needs of others.  We pray for help with relationships and with job; we pray for healing and for safely.  How often do we pray and ask for His help in the area of love? 

It is no small thing that Tobias calls his bride "sister."  He understands he has shouldered the task of caring for a daughter God.  He must treat her with the respect and care due to her.  He does not force her.  He is not impatient with her.  He places the Almighty in charge of their marriage and even their sexuality from the start. 

In the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae, Blessed Pope John Paul II states that married love is "an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human fulfillment."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "[c]hastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person."  This can only be accomplished by recognizing God as the creator of not only ourselves but of our sexuality.  As with everything else in our lives, we must hand this over to Him.

Pray for grace to bring God in control of your sexuality.  Begin to pray before romantic dates or before each marital act.  Ask Him to show you where you should improve as a single woman, or in the vocation of being a wife.  Ask Him to place strong, obvious obstacles between you and sin in this area.

Day Ten

 ❀ ❁ January 10^th  ❀ ❁  

 "That day she was deeply grieved in spirit. She went in tears to an upstairs room in her father's house with the intention of hanging herself. But she reconsidered...So Raphael was sent to heal [her]: to... drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her...In the very moment...Sarah came downstairs from her room."

Tobit 3:10,17 NAB

 

 

In the book of Tobit, Sarah is being ridiculed by a servant because she has been married seven times. A demon has murdered her husbands on each wedding night, before consummation.  Being plagued by a demon causes Sarah enough grief and embarrassment that she considers suicide.  It is not until Sarah cries out to God for His help that her situation becomes remedied.  She is giving Him permission to remove this demon from her life and free her. 

C.S. Lewis writes about lust in The Great Divorce, in a story called "The Little Red Lizard."  In this tale, an angel offers to kill the demon plaguing a man, who refuses, stating he can handle the creature on his shoulder himself.  The angel is not free to kill the lizard without the man's permission.  The man is afraid of the pain of having the thing taken from him.

How often do hold onto our own demons?  Like the man in the Lewis story, we sheepishly decline to give our struggles and addictions over to the LORD.  We have much to give up in the process, including the excitement and the fun of sin.

A friend of mine who struggled with shopping addiction finally prayed for the LORD to remove this sin from her.  Not long after she did it, her checking account was emptied out by an anonymous thief.  Hundreds of dollars were taken and was done in such a way that it was difficult for her to get her money back.  In the interim, she had to rely on her husband and had to become accountable for each purchase she made with his card.  No longer could she lie to him about purchases, claiming they were items given to her by friends or overstating her grocery bill needs in order things she wanted, like new clothes, books, and craft supplies, whose receipts she threw out at the stores, so she would not be caught by husband and have to return the items.  She disclosed her problem to her husband and gave him permission to help her be accountable for her spending.  She suffered embarrassment and the temporary loss of financial independence.  In the end she gained a freedom and joy greater than she imagined, as she was able to share honestly with her husband what she had bought, and she no longer felt the need to hang onto all the material goods she had collected over the years.  Her marriage improved, as did her peace of mind, energy, and ability to help keep their home clean and organized. Once she was able to give over her weakness to LORD, her pain was replaced with much greater than her wrong actions could have ever brought her. 

 

Pray for grace to see the area of your life in which you need the most help.   Ask Him to slay the demon of this situation and remove this burden from you.  Be prepared to gain ultimately more than you will lose! 

Day Nine

 ❀ ❁ January 9^th   ❀ ❁  

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NIV

The first pages of the Bible set the stage for salvation history.  It is like a movie:  The camera shows the Earth from a far distance, and from there pans in to show a continent, then a country, then a town, then the major players of the story. 

These opening passages reflect on the LORD as Creator of all things, including us. From there we begin to get a clearer picture of who He is and His relationship with us, His children.

The Bible is a letter to us about our relationship with Him and His plan for our salvation.  It begins by Him establishing His sovereignty and moves through Him becoming human in order to show us a better way, allowing us as a whole to experience spiritual maturity. 

Genesis is our history, like a mother’s memory book, the story of birth of humanity.  In it are our spiritual ancestors.  It paves the way for even greater things and helps teach us to be what God intended. 

There are lessons to be heard and practiced.  Take the time to listen and do.

Pray for grace to see the LORD as your Father.   Ask Him to help you grow as His child.

Day Eight

 ❀ ❁ January 8^th   ❀ ❁  

 

"The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” Psalm 103:19

 

Many good, ethical, moral people do not know the LORD.  They follow some of His rules but not all.  We hear people often say, “I don’t need a god to tell me how to be a good person” and “Being a Christian has too many rules.”  What they mean is, “I don’t want to follow these rules.  I want to do my own thing.”  Often we see just how poorly that thought works out for us.

 

All the areas in our lives have a multiplicity of rules and precepts.  In relationships we do not hit or throw things at others.  When driving we are careful to signal our intentions, go the speed limit, and wear our seat belts.  When cooking we know not to throw a dish towel onto a hot stove burner.  We know the potential consequences.  As children we did not often understand the reasons for the boundaries set for us. 

 

Isn’t it freeing, knowing we have boundaries?  Are you more confident, knowing other drivers are to adhere to the same rules as you?  What is more liberating that having a rubric for your life?  A lighthouse to guide your path?

 

 

Pray for grace to follow the LORD’s commandments. Ask God to help you know more how to follow His instructions and to find joy and peace in this structure.

Day Seven

 ❀ ❁ January 7^th   ❀ ❁  

 

"Listen! Fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon are coming to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, vengeance for His temple.” Jeremiah 50:28 NRSVCE

 

Walking with Christ often leads us to a keener awareness of moral relativism and what some call the “culture of death.”  Sometimes it feels like the world is a sinking ship in which everything and nothing are true at the same time.  This dialectical paradigm is confusing and discouraging. 

 

We see around us what we did not before, those little sins that seems to build to atrocities.  Mass media promulgates ideas contrary to Christ in the guise of “tolerance” and “pushing the envelope.” We think of the frog in the water being heated so slowly he does not now soon he will be cooked to his death. 

 

Falling in love deeper with the LORD brings us to a better understanding of his plan.  Sadly, this often leads us to a sense of being a refugee from this world, someone who suffers from the persecution of her own people.  We have to walk the line of discipleship, being aware of wrongs committed, meeting others where they are in evangelism, yet not living the lifestyle of the world.  We are counterculture. 

 

The only true refuge for us is in Jesus Christ.

 

Pray for grace to seek God’s refuge.   Ask Him to help you find joy and understanding in worship services.