8/4/2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 2. 5-6)

“[Solomon advises] ‘My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.’” (Proverbs 4.20-27)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

I know I should press further in explaining our exploration of the gates and gateways, doors and doorways, within our communities. I am speaking of those “portals” through which information is disseminated to the people of God. When I say “people of God,” I am referring to all people whether they acknowledge God or not. We are all God’s people and under His reign of love and rule of law. His law is righteousness and examples the means and measure of living in right relationship with God and with others (both friend and enemy.) Those who keep His law and promote the good of God which is authentic love of and obedience to the Word, shall know the benefits of having faith and keeping it. As we read in Psalm 119.7-9, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm: and all of them are righteous.” However, for those who do not keep His law and promote the good of authentic love for and obedience to “His Word” shall be able to glean from the harvest leftovers and have enough to survive but only so long as they know which “fields to glean from.” Those fields are the ones in which the “seeds of righteousness” are sown (refering to Hosea 10:12). There are other fields. There are other seeds sown such as anger, bitterness, contentiousness, idolatry, vulgarity, pride, lust, envy, garishness and covetousness to name a few. These seeds produce a “harvest” of unrest and disruption because they cannot satisfy the longing for wholeness which is in every person. The only fulfillment that can be found comes from that which is sown by God and for God.

So, wherever we find information being “sown” we must consider that place a portal, a gateway and a door. We, like the elders of the land who sat at the city gates, are to filter and censor the information (verbal and non-verbal) which comes to the gate and desires to enter in. We read in Philippians 4.8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Look at what enters into our lives through these “portals.” What are these portals? Consider this non-exhaustive list: schools (primary, secondary, higher education), places of worship, television, internet, print media, music, politics, advertising, gossip…. We participate in most all of these venues. The question is how are we monitoring and censuring this “flow of information” in an age of “anything goes.” Our greatest opportunity is to speak the truth and allow it to counter the false information, bad seed, knowing the truth is strong enough to exist in the midst of the bad seed. Jesus taught about a farmer who sowed for a successful harvest. The enemy could not unsow the seed to prevent the harvest. Instead, the enemy sowed seed that would result in weeds. The intention was to choke out the harvest, steal the food source for the fruit-bearing plants and suffocate them with encroaching roots. The farmer, however, believing in the goodness and heartiness of the seed instructed the workers to let them all grow. The farmer knew that by the time the seed and the weed were recognizable any intervention would destroy both. It was the enemy’s way of making the farmer responsible for the loss of his own harvest. The enemy would be free of blame. Instead, the farmer waited until the harvest was ready. In collecting the harvest, the weeds were collected, too. The harvest went to the barns. The weeds went to a bonfire. The harvest was intended for life and living. The weeds were intended for death and dying. The weeds, being reduced to ashes, were returned to the soil where the ash made the soil rich. In the next sowing season, the harvest would be more plentiful.

Here is the strength of being a gatekeeper as well as a gate that is kept: good is highlighted and is sustained even in the midst of evil. Today, it seems that evil is in full bloom. It gains the eye and the attention of the world. How much “bad news” is present in your everyday life and living. Are you inundated with death and dying? Are you consumed by it and thus become a consumer of it? Are you buying into the “woe is me” mentality which fosters the weediness of the enemy? Are you sowing good seed and bringing in only the fruit of the harvest of righteousness? Are you making it difficult for the “weeds” to get to market and easy for the “harvest” to become the market? Are you a light to the world being of the the Kingdom? Are you hiding under or behind a bushel basket keeping the light to yourself? The light only gets brighter and hotter when it is fanned? We, mighty ones of God, are called to embrace the light which the darkness cannot overcome. We, mighty ones of God, are called to be sowers of the seed knowing that we sow it across all venues, all grounds and all places. We do so knowing the vitality of the seed will rise above the rest and provide in its season a bountiful harvest. The bounty of that harvest is lauded by God and purposed by God for the good of all. Therefore, we are challenged to tend to the gates with righteousness. We are to tend to the gateways into our personal lives and into our corporate lives. We are called to sow good seed and not keep it to ourselves. If we sow the seed of righteousness, then others will be able to receive it because they will come to know its vitality, sustainability and its opportunity to bear good fruit unto eternal life. It is the best we can do.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD:

Father, You have revealed Yourself to us best in Jesus the Christ. By Him and Him alone shall we gain the eternal life and our place in eternal rest, living for You always. Show us more and by Your Holy Spirit instruct us in the way we should go, the truth we should reveal and the life we shall live with you forever. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.