May 23 | 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

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DAILY READING

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

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REFLECTION

Chose The Right Path

by Judy Webb

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

The Spirit of God indwells every believer, our body is the shrine of the Holy Spirit, and we need to recognize this and act accordingly. But it isn’t easy in this fallen world. In movies, on television we see affection reduced to lust, intimacy reduced to casual sex, and relationships intended to be deeply rooted and lifelong, replaced with short flings that burn hot and fast and then leave us simply with ashes.

Often we are tempted to bemoan the ‘state of our world’ and express hopelessness when wicked behavior is exposed. We are shocked and alarmed by the conduct of our favorite celebrities and continue to question the state of our world in general, and our own families in particular. But there is always hope.

We must pick our paths carefully lest the things we freely choose become our undoing. When we allow certain entertainment to occupy a prominent place in our living rooms, when we become immune to foul language and consider it just part of ‘life in the real world’ we open ourselves to destructive habits and relationships. We must cling to hope.

What I do (or don’t do) in my body matters. What we do (or don’t do) as a body of believers matters. Ask the person whose marriage has been destroyed by sexual infidelity, if faithfulness matters. Speak with an individual whose life has been turned upside down because of a child's rebellion, discover how important family togetherness is.

Christian integrity, self-control and virtuous living is the message in this passage. Put your body to use glorifying God. Because God himself lives in us. We have the strength, the power over sins of the flesh because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

PRAYER

Dear God,

Help us to see how important it is to remember that we were bought with a price. The price of Jesus' blood. His death and resurrection restored hope to each of us. Let us live like the saved people we are. Amen.

May 22 | 2 Kings 5:8-15

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DAILY READING

2 Kings 5:8-15

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REFLECTION

Wash and Be Cleansed

by Beth Voltmann

Our understanding of today’s reading will benefit if we look to the start of the chapter.

“Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:1)

Naaman – Syrian army commander to a king, Gentile, great man, highly regarded, valiant soldier, mighty in his own eyes, and yet...a leper.  (Aren’t we all before we meet the one true God?)

His power, authority and pride could not protect him from a devastating illness, but a young Jewish slave girl knew who could help. She suggested he visit Elisha, the prophet in Israel. Why? She knew that only God could heal him – only God could save him.

Naaman’s purpose in traveling to a different country was to meet this man of God. Instead, the prophet, Elisha, sent his messenger out to say,

”Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

But Naaman went away angry... (2 Kings 5:10,11)

Envision his rage. Why wouldn’t Elisha have shown the honor and decency to recognize how important he was? Naaman wrestled with his indignation:

·       Why would he send his servant?

·       Surely he could wave his hand and cure me!

·       Aren’t the waters of Damascus better than those of Israel?

·       (Seven times?)

Pride almost caused him to reject God’s mercy. We don't know if he ultimately chose to follow the God of Israel, but we do know that he obeyed the word of God’s prophet, dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, and was made clean. Oh the amazing power of God!

Sometimes we, too, imagine how the Lord should move in our lives, how he should save us and heal us. Pride can get in the way and keep us from humbling ourselves before him. We must remember that his thoughts are not our thoughts – neither are our ways his ways. (Isaiah 55:8)

Healing (at times physical, often emotional, but always spiritual) comes to us the moment we take a leap of faith. We must believe and act on God’s Word – God’s mercy – God’s grace. There is no exact formula – just humble obedience.

Hear these words of Jesus:

“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” (John 13:8b)

PRAYER

Lord God, we long to be cleansed from our sins and healed of our infirmities. May we not question the how or why, but instead trust in you as our Redeemer and Healer. As King David did, we pray,

“Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Ps 51:7b)

MAY 21 | Acts 15:6-14, 19

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DAILY READING

Acts 15:6-14, 19

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REFLECTION

The Family of God—a Team Sport!

by Mary Kate Hipp

I never played a team sport. Surely, my parents tried, but I opted for piano lessons, and theatre, and tennis. I also hated group projects so if I had the option, I worked by myself (because I knew I would do all the work anyway in a group). As a child, I spent most of my days frolicking around in my parents wooded backyard, catching frogs in our creek, and playing independently with my American Girl Dolls. I am a fairly independent person. Team metaphors and illustrations are often lost on me. It never occurred to me that this fundamentally impacted my theology of the Church and of the body of Christ.

In America, we also tend to think solo-minded--"me first" mentality. Only recently have I realized I don't think I know what it means to be a part of a team. And perhaps we all struggle a little to understand what it means to be one united family of God because of this egotistical mindset we all share.

As we read in this account of the Jerusalem Council the apostles and elders are essentially debating the unity of the family of God. Are the gentiles "good enough"(have they done enough works/jumped through enough legalistic hoops/been circumcised) to be a part of the family of God? In other words, can they possibly be "one of us?" The answer is simple: an emphatic YES. In Christ there is unity. Only God, who knows our hearts, bears witness to us by giving us the Holy Spirit (who unifies us as a family of God). Who are we to determine if others can be a part of the family of God? Who are we to determine what qualifies others to make the cut? We cannot. We are like a team that is to grow in unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, Christ (Eph. 4:13, 15).

I started by sharing my independent tendencies to illustrate that I sometimes become selfish in my theology of the Church and of others. I grow jealous of other believers; I put myself on a pedestal; I forget that we as a body are a team. We are all saved by the same Spirit. We are all sinners who daily fall short of the glory of God. God has searched all of our hearts and bore witness to all of us by giving us the Spirit that there may no longer be any divisions amongst us. No one can say to another Christian that they are better or holier or more righteous or more deserving of grace because in the end, we are all equally in desperate need for the grace of the Father.

We are a team, called by grace, to glorify God and make Him known. We are saved not by anything we have done, or could ever do. We are called to be on this team by the grace of God alone. Amen?

Let us spur one another on this team by encouraging one another in faith!

PRAYER

Lord may we, unlike our selfish desires, grow in unity and in the knowledge of God the Son. May you remind us of your grace that we do not earn but are freely given as a gift. Amen.