April 4, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. The fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth. Find out what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5.8-10)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

In my casual reading, which sometimes might be a causal reading, there was a conversation between Yeshua, John and a couple of other boys headed to Jerusalem for Passover and their Bar-mitzvah. In the conversation, the question arose about the Torah, imagine that. One of the boys declared “The Torah only tells you what the Almighty wants. Anything else is man-made and could be false.” Yeshua replied, “It is what does the Almighty want from people. It is what does the Almighty like. What pleases the Lord?” Beauty, variety of shape and form and color, orderliness, harmony and reconciliation.

There are times when we as people are so focused on what pleases us and others, we overlook what is pleasing and acceptable to God. Mean words, attitudes, selfishness, idolatry, bigotry and the like. Looking back on the Ten Commandments and the Shema gives us a clear picture of what pleases God. Looking back on the story of Creation tells us what God values and finds pleasing as well as beneficial for His people. Seeing the goal He had in mind for Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph, David and Solomon and most of all His own Son Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God shows us what is pleasing and acceptable. It is a matter of perspective. What God wants focuses in our minds of what we have to do to get what we want. What pleases God allows us to see the magnitude of loving God, self and one another.

Whenever we find ourselves at odds with others and having cross words or thoughts or actions, we ought to simply ask “Is this pleasing to God?” If not, then we should not partner with those words, thoughts and actions. It isn’t the person who is the conflict but the intention and supposition of our own heart, mind, soul and spirit. Where is the true focus that brings the goodness and glory of God into clear view?

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit spoke us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.