Christian Reflection and Prayer

We live our lives “on purpose.” We all know that we have
a purpose in life. But sometimes we live life “by
accident.” We forget our purpose and spend our
time and energy on things that don’t really fit our
purpose here on earth. To live “on purpose” means
that everything we do in life aligns with our purpose
on this planet.

When we eat, it can be a mindless, self-indulgent
act, or it can be an act of serving God when we
thank Him for the food that gives us the energy to
serve Him. When we sleep, it can be a purely
physical experience, or we can dedicate our rest
for the purpose of preparing our bodies to serve
God when we wake. Earning money can be a purely
selfish pursuit, or we can use our earnings to further
God’s purposes. Everything we do can be service
to God.

So how do we become holy? We do what we are
already doing – only we designate and dedicate
everything we do to the purposes of God.

Scripture:

"If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him
be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7).

President Theodore Roosevelt once owned a feisty
little dog that was always getting into fights with
other dogs and always losing. Once, after watching
Roosevelt's dog pick a fight and then taking the
usual beating, a friend said to the President, "That
dog of yours isn't much of a fighter, is he?" To
which Roosevelt replied, "On the contrary, he's a
very good fighter, but he's a bad judge of dogs. He
always underestimates his adversaries."

Time after time, Jesus' adversaries grossly
underestimated Him. The Scribes and Pharisees
who resented Jesus failed in their attempts to use
His words and deeds against Him. They failed in
their attempts to trip Him up and they backed off.

All too often we try to create situations in which we
can use another's words and deeds against them.
With our idle gossip, we try to put others to the test
or hold them to a standard that we ourselves are not
living up to. In hypocritical fashion, all too often do
a great deal of judging. Some of us have embraced
it as a way of life...

IS THIS YOU?  IS THIS YOUR WAY OF LIFE?

                       REMEMBER

"If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him
be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7).

(some taken from Sunday Sermon On Line)

Scripture:

"I have loved you with an everlasting love…"
Jeremiah (31:3).

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, a rabbi and musician who
died in the 1990s, often said: "We need to teach our
kids to love God, but it's even more important to teach
how much God loves them!" It's so important to teach
our kids and to know ourselves how much we are loved
by God. This knowledge cannot be underestimated.
People who know they are loved by God know that
they are valuable and loveable no matter what anyone
else says. People with that knowledge will have the
courage to do what is right and the resolve to treat
themselves right. Moreover, they will have the love to
pass on to others and give back to God.

So as you go through your day, remember –
God loves you! More than any of us will ever know.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein