Christian Reflection and Prayer

from Our Daily Bread

Scripture:

They found the stone rolled away
from the tomb. Then they went in and
did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:2-3

Reflection:

People tend to remember negative images
more than they do positive ones, according
to an experiment conducted at the University
of Chicago. While people claim that they want
to turn away from the barrage of bad news in
the media—reports on tragedies, diseases,
economic downturns—this study suggests that
their minds are drawn to the stories.

Catherine Hankey (1834-1911) was more
interested in the “good news.” She had a great
desire to see young women come to know Christ.
In 1866, she became very ill. As she lay in bed,
she thought about all those with whom she had
shared the story of Jesus’ redemption, and she
wished that someone would visit and comfort her
with “the old, old story.” That’s when she wrote
the poem that later became a hymn,
“Tell Me the Old, Old Story”:

Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in—

That wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin.

Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon;

The early dew of morning has passed away at noon.

We never tire of hearing the story that because of
His great love God sent His one and only Son to this
earth (John 3:16). He lived a perfect life, took our sin
upon Himself when He was crucified, and 3 days later
rose again (Luke 23:44-24:3). When we receive Him
as our Savior, we are given eternal life and become
His children (John 1:12).

Tell someone the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
They need some good news.

The good news of Christ is the best news in the world.

How do you respond to those
who seek to hurt you?

"Love your enemies! Do good
to them! Lend to them! And
don't be concerned that they
might not repay. Then your
reward from heaven will be
very great, and you will truly
be acting as children of the
Most High, for he is kind to
the unthankful and to those
who are wicked! You must
be compassionate, just as
the Father is compassionate."
Luke 6:35-36 NLT

The sign of a loving heart

"Our enemies are out to hurt
us. They want to steal from
us, cheat us, and do evil
against us. Yet Jesus says
we are to be kind to them.
What is his point? We
reflect—or should reflect—
God to the world, and God
is kind—even to the unkind,
the ungrateful, and those
whom we consider to be
"hopeless" cases. Kindness
is based on the love we have
for others, not the love others
deserve.

Kindness is the sign of a
loving heart, one of the
greatest of all virtues. A kind
person is pleasant, good,
gracious—always appreciated.
There's a lot of talk these days
about "random acts of kindness.
" Maybe this is because we live
in a society starved for good
deeds. God is our model for
kindness. The kindest act ever
committed was God's sending
his own Son, Jesus, to die for
our sins so that we might live
forever in heaven. God also
showers us with kindness each
day, sending sunshine and rain,
food and friends, comfort and
encouragement, boundless
love and wisdom.

from the TouchPoint Bible
commentaries by Ron Beers
and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale)
pp 889, 1221-22

Scripture:

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you."
Matthew 28:19-20


A Wisconsin man who claims to have
eaten more than 20,000 Big Mac sandwiches
wrote a book about his habit. He attracted a
lot of attention for simply consuming one Big
Mac every day from May 17, 1972 until now.
But all the time the man has devoted to his
efforts hasn't helped anyone but himself. If
he had used the passion and dedication he
spent on eating hamburgers to serve others
instead, he'd have much more to show for it
than a full stomach and a pile of old receipts.

You don't have to consume thousands of
burgers to be known.  Everyone is known for
something in their lives.  The question is, what
will you be known for?  Will it be for what you
consume, or what you contribute?

God has a mission for you, and it's a much
better use of your time than just eating or
shopping. The mission?  Spreading the Gospel
message, as the resurrected Jesus called
His disciples to do in Matthew 28:19-20: "...
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you." 
This mission, which has come to be called
the Great Commission, is the greatest cause
to which you can devote yourself, because it's
the only one that will ultimately matter.

ARE YOU DOING GOD'S MISSION ?