God of the richness of life, pour out Your knowledge of the fullness of life upon this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from 1 Corinthians 7: 29 I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple - in marriage, 30 grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things - your daily routines of shopping, and so on. 31 Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out. (The Message)
Someone once said, "You never see a hearse with a trailer attached to it," meaning that the other phrase we often hear is, "You can't take it with you," is true. Paul shares the urgency of time with his readers in this passage. He knows that what really matters is that which we can't see, yet we carry on like the physical is more important. Paul is stressing that in our comfort we become complacent in all things and the urgency of helping bring more people to Christ falls by the wayside, and this is true especially in most churches today. Our minds and thoughts should be on Jesus and Jesus' message of Good News for the world. Yet, is it something we as individuals and as members of a church strive for? Our minds and concerns tend to focus on "making ends meet," or meeting deadlines or just attending meetings; Paul would ask, "Where is Christ Jesus in all of this?" And he would remind us of his belief that Jesus was coming back soon. The theme of this week's scripture lessons is on reaching more for God. Never have we seen scripture deal with the problem of better furnishings or new carpet or better choir robes; it always seems to be about sharing God's message with those who have not yet heard. And what are we doing about it?
PRAYER: Loving God of all people, use me today to reach at least someone new. May my life be part of that sermon that someone should experience about how loving and wonderful You are. I ask for boldness and wisdom so that I may be a part of that sharing. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
