Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

“If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the
grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket.” —
Deuteronomy 23:24

Reflection:

To never open the gift and enjoy it would be wrong.
There are, however, a few conditions for enjoying all of the
God-given pleasures of this world. We must be grateful
and mindful of where our gifts have come from. Along
those lines, we must be willing to share our many blessings
with others in need, since all we have belongs to God
anyway. Additionally, we must be careful to treat our gifts
appropriately, never abusing them or taking them for granted.

Look around you. How many gifts do you see? Most people
tend to focus on what they are lacking and miss out on the
enjoyment of what they have. Do you have good food to eat?
A scenic road to walk on? Is the sun shining? Or is warm
rain falling? Make time to enjoy all of God’s gifts. When we
enjoy what we have been given in a meaningful and
appropriate way, we will bring much pleasure both to
ourselves and to our Father above

Struggling in the face of a mid-life crisis, a somewhat
foolish couple was walking down the street one day
when they heard a voice from above: "You will live to be 100."

They looked around and didn't see anyone. Again they
heard the voice: "You will live to be 100."

Oh boy, the husband thought, that must be the voice of God!
"Whoopie!" the wife exclaimed to her husband, "we've got 40
more years to live and we need to look the part!"

So off they went to the plastic surgeon for their various
procedures: a facelift, hair restoration, chin implants -- the
works!

Weeks later on the way to a follow-up visit to the plastic
surgeon's office, the couple was hit by a bus, died, and went
up to heaven.

Upon arrival, the woman protested to God "You told us we
would live to be 100. We're supposed to have 40 more years.
So why would you let a bus kill us?"

Whereupon God replied: "Because I didn't recognize either
of you!"

“These are the laws you are to set before them.” —
Exodus 21:1

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart
and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD
was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake,
but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake
came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the
fire came a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19: 11–12).

There was a great wind, followed by the shaking of the ground,
followed by a blaze of fire. All fantastic and wondrous! God
moved heaven and earth! But God was not in the wind, earth,
or fire. Rather, Elijah heard a soft, still voice – and that was
where he encountered God.

This passage is teaching us that, as great as moments of
revelation and inspiration can be, they are not where we will
find God. It’s wonderful to be moved by a beautiful sunset or
to be awed by a powerful thunderstorm. They may make us
feel more connected to God and inspire us to change. But
that’s not where we encounter God in the deepest way.

We truly encounter God where we are least expecting it –
in the store, at a business meeting, sitting around the house
with our family. It’s the quiet moments in life where we truly
encounter God.

As you go through the day, keep an ear out for that
“gentle whisper” guiding you and commanding you as you go
through life. When you hear God’s voice and choose to obey
His laws, you will have found Him, no matter where you may
be. Nothing is more sensational than that!

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts taken from Holy Land Moments)