Reflection on Luke 10:38-42

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10.38-42

Scripture

“There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her.”

Observation

Jesus and the disciples arrive at the village where Mary and Martha live. Martha is distracted by all the tasks which need to be done, but Mary sits at Jesus' feet listening to His teaching.

Finally Martha tells Jesus to tell Mary to help her with the work. Jesus tells her that Mary has chosen the better option.

Application

Those who are called to serve can often become frustrated by those who lack any sense of needing to help. It's all very well having the visiting ministry but somebody has to make lunch and wash the dishes. It is very frustrating when people who are capable of helping ignore the need right in front of them. The spiritual gifts of emptying the dishwasher and cleaning the toilets are very rare in most churches.

What Jesus is doing in these situations is exposing our heart attitudes and our motivations. Am I doing this thing to serve the Lord? Am I seeking some kind of recognition? So I do it from a reluctant sense of duty? Do I rejoice at serving God's work?

Of course it is not just serving that faces these challenges. Every God-given calling will challenge our heart in order to purify us and make us holy.

Prayer

Lord I thank you for the place you have called me to be. Expose my bad attitudes and poor motivations that do not come from you. Purify my heart and make me more like you. Amen.

Flat Land Disproves Flat Earth

Last week, one of the towns I visited on my Prayer Journey was Hay, located in the south west of NSW, in the beautiful Riverina District.

Hay Shire is one of the flattest regions in the world with just 17m of elevation between the highest and lowest points. I remember  when we lived there an old farmer telling me that the land fell away to the west at a constant rate of an inch to the mile all the way to the South Australian border, about 400 km away.

As we approached the town we saw some very tall radio transmission towers, and just randomly I thought about how these towers actually prove that the earth is not flat.

That was a totally random thought although I do occasionally look at the crazy things these people post on the internet. In fact, just today I stumbled onto a conspiracy theory web-site that claims the Flat Earthers discredit the conspiracy theory movement.

So here was my thought in Hay. If the earth is flat and there is no physical horizon, they only need to build those towers to get line of sight  which is basically a little taller than the tallest tree in the plain (of which there are not many). That also made me think that if the earth was flat I should have been able to see the Great Dividing Range from the roof of my house in Hay. And at night the lights from other towns such as the city of Griffith should have been visible.

People don't build radio towers unnecessarily tall.

Ironically, one of the flattest places on the planet proves that the planet is not flat.

Reflection on Colossians 1:15-28

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1.15-28

Scripture

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.

Observation

Christ is the image of God. He was before all things and created all things.

Christ is the head of His body, the church. In Him all the fullness of God dwells, and through Him God reconciled all things to Himself.

We were once far from God, but Christ brings us close, presenting us blameless and holy to God.

Application

To understand the scope of our salvation we must understand the Saviour. Paul paints a high and exalted picture of Christ that tries to lift our vision to see who He is.

We have a tendency to see Jesus as just a man- a very good man to be sure but still just a man. We might see His death as a tragedy.

But here is the truth. Jesus was a man with all the fullness of God dwelling in Him. His death was planned from the beginning of time s the centrepiece of creation.

We get to share in this by living for Christ and sharing with others the good news of what He has done for us.

Prayer

How awesome and majestic you are Lord Jesus Christ, creator and redeemer of the world. Amen.

Trent Hunter: Five Things To Ask Yourself Before You Consume Cannabis

From desiringgod.org

 

Five Questions to Ask Before You Consume Cannabis

 

Recent trends in the direction of the full-scale legalization of marijuana suggest that pot is undergoing a dramatic marketing makeover.

One cannabis branding firm put it this way: “There is a huge untapped market here. It’s about reaching nonconsumers: women, young people, business professionals, grandmothers, and soccer moms.” Get ready: if it hasn’t already, your favorite shows soon will feature marijuana in a way that makes it feel cool — whether it’s a joint, a pot-tart, a keefcat, or a pot-brownie.

This means that Christians will need to think more carefully about marijuana than most of us have until now. Not everyone will be tempted to consume pot, but most everyone will be in a position to advise someone who is considering it.

With this in mind, here are five questions to ask before you consume pot.

Full article here

Today's Sermon

The sermon for July 10th is now available on the New life web-site.

In this sermon, Rozina talks about how our self-beliefs and mindsets stop us from entering into all that God has for us and for succeeding generations.

To listen in your web browser click here, to download the mp3 click here.

The sermon features a Ted talk by Jo Boaler which you can watch here

Reviving Bricks

The news came out of the blue- totally unexpected. A local solicitor was informing me that a wealthy landholder had just died, leaving me a farm in the foothills of the Nandwear Ranges and $10 million.

A dream soon to be realised.

The most useful asset of the property was the old rambling homestead. In its heyday, "Westview" had been the hub of a community of farm workers, tradesmen and farm managers, but with increasing mechanisation and declining returns, the farm had become just another family farm.

Now it was about to be repurposed. 

I wandered around the homestead. It had been neglected over the last few decades. Weatherboards hung loosely from the wall, floorboards around the verandas were rotten. The roof would have to be replaced, electrical wiring redone, air-conditioning for the summer.

But the potential!

Twelve bedrooms, three bathrooms, a huge dining room and living room.

The farm manager's cottage next door was in a slightly better condition.

Hmmm. I would employ a builder and an interior designer to restore the buildings. Maybe a million or two needed, but lots left over. Maybe a year to restore the place and find some workers. 

Soon I would be able to find the caring compassionate people who would take in abused women and children, care for them in a safe environment and help them to recover.

For many years I had headed a community organisation that ran a women's refuge, and I had grown frustrated at the red tape and bureaucratic control that comes with Government funding. But now, with income from the farm and from the investment of the left over funds, we could offer the same service, in a better facility and without the burden of distant public servants.

It would take work, lots of it. And people who share the same vision.

But at last it was coming to pass, an answer to prayer.

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This was written in response to the Wordpress Daily Prompt "Reviving Bricks"

 

Fashioned to Reign by Kris Vallotton