[ Today's Readings ]
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
Yet we often feel powerless and out of control. We don't love as we should. How can this be?
The Lord replied,
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
We are given the gift of faith but no mighty deeds accompany the gift. Why not?
The seed requires care and attention. The gift that we have through the imposition of the hands of a priest needs to be fanned into flame.
In a world where it is easy to cry out about the destruction, violence, strife, and clamorous discord it can be especially possible to let our faith stagnate, as if it is not making a difference. It is easy to let our hope die in the face of a hopeless world. The antidote is to listen to the word of God and to fan the flame of the gift he gives us.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
The flames leap within us when we hear that it presses on to fulfillment. Our faith is strengthened when we read that it will not disappoint. Even in the midst of tough circumstances we can live with power, love, and self-control if we just listen to the words of hope that God speaks. It is, in fact, the only way to survive the circumstances of life with our souls in tact.
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.
So let's guard the gift we are given by the help of the Holy Spirit who longs to help us. We then even have the strength for service, the strength to do what is commanded of us even though we can't take credit for the work we do. We are just happy to see the Holy Spirit at work in us and that is enough.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
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