Christian Reflection and Prayer

"Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you
more than anything on earth."
Psalm 73:25 NLT

Heart's Desire

"In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when
the Beavers inform the children that Aslan is on
the move, the children feel a strange stirring in
their hearts. Peter in particular says he's "longing"
to meet this Aslan.…he doesn't say he's curious;
he says he's longing, and that carries a very
different meaning….

To long for something means you've had it in your
mind for a while, the way you fix your heart on
getting that iPod for Christmas…. Longing carries
with it the concept of desire.

Yearning Desire. It's a theme that weaves
throughout the life and works of C. S. Lewis. In
Surprised by Joy, he introduces the concept of
longing as the signature quest of his childhood
and young adulthood.

It wasn't until Lewis converted to Christianity that
he eventually realized what he'd been longing for:
God. Not the Norse gods of the pagan world, not
even the gods or spirits of fantasy worlds, but the
God of the Bible—a real, living Being in whom we
can have life forever.

With our own friends, part of our role is to help
them understand that their longing comes from an
inborn desire to know the King of the universe. And,
like the Beavers with Peter, we are to tell our friends
about the King—that his return is imminent, that he
is on the move even now.

We're all longing to meet the true King. Will you
recognize his name when you hear it? Will you help
others do the same?

adapted from Walking Through the Wardrobe by
Sarah Arthur (Tyndale) pp 77-83

Scripture:

“But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you
did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight
of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the
land I give them.’” — Numbers 20:12

This is an example of how heroes in the Hebrew Bible were
not some other-worldly, perfect human beings. Rather, they
were flesh and blood, human and fallible, just like you and
me. It’s encouraging to realize that even the greatest people
of all time messed up at one point or another. Moses may
have failed, but he certainly was no failure. We don’t have
to be perfect to be great – we just need to keep trying.

King Solomon tells us in Proverbs 24:16, “though the
righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” The wicked,
however, fall only once. What’s the difference between the
righteous and the wicked? Both fall down, but the righteous
person gets up. A righteous person will never give up. He
keeps trying.

Friends, whether we are trying to reach a lofty goal, or just
trying to become a better person, we must remember this
wise advice: We don’t become failures when we fail. We
only become failures when we stop trying. So next time
you fall, get right back up and carry on.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts taken from Holy Land Moments)

Scripture:

Jesus replied, "The most important commandment
is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one
and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God
with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and
all your strength.' The second is equally important:
'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other
commandment is greater than these.
Mark 12:29-31 NLT

God commanded us to love. It would have been easier
if God had just said, "Run a mile a day," or given us
some other physical task. Then we wouldn't have to
think about it. We would create a routine of basic action.
But God speaks of love as an action that requires our
whole selves.

Why must we love God? In the divine plan for those
creatures called human, loving God is as essential
as breathing is to our physical life. We must breathe.
We can make ourselves unable to breathe, or we can
refuse to breathe — but not without consequences.
We must love God because the alternative, though
possible, is unthinkable and unbearable. How tragic
that many choose to give "lip service" rather than
"lung service" to this basic law of spiritual life. Take
a deep breath and ask yourself what specific
opportunities you will have today to demonstrate
your love for God.

WISE WAYS  Think of some specific ways you
could demonstrate your love for God in your
neighborhood.

Quote:

Love is a fabric that never fades, no matter how often
it is washed in the waters of adversity and grief.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Prayer:

Today, Lord, teach me to love you with my whole
being and share this love with others.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Proverbs by Neil
S. Wilson, Tyndale House Publishers (2002),