Christian Reflection and Prayer

For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy
heart, life is a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:15 NLT

When I think of God, my heart is so full of joy that
the notes leap and dance as they leave my pen; and
since God has given me a cheerful heart, I serve Him
with a cheerful spirit.
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

FATHER, help me to have a happy heart. Remove the
anxiety that sometimes weighs my heart down. Keep
my heart from growing proud. Instead, give me a pure
heart — a heart that is pleasing to you. Help me to
hide your Word in my heart so that I can walk in your
ways and enjoy life that is a continual feast.

Verse

Better the poor walking in integrity than one perverse
of speech who is a fool.
Proverbs 19:1

Voice

This is the rule of most perfect Christianity, its most
exact definition, its highest point, namely, the seeking
of the common  good. For nothing can so make a person
an imitator of Christ as caring for [their] neighbors.
John Chrysostom

Prayer

Lord, we weep with those who weep and refuse to be
consoled. May our tears mix with yours in a river of justice,
flowing down like mighty waters, transforming the world that
is into the one that ought to be. Amen.
Common Prayer

"I will come back"

[Jesus said], "When everything is ready, I will come and
get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
 And you know where I am going and how to get there."
John 14:3-4 NLT

His promise to return

As a child, George Tulloch was fascinated by stories of
the Titanic.…In 1996 he put together a team of the best
scientists and sailors and set out to the exact spot where
the Titanic sank in 1912. He and his crew were able to
recover numerous artifacts from the ship — eyeglasses,
jewelry, dishware, some coins and the like. But the most
exciting thing they found was a large piece of the hull
resting several hundred yards away.

The team did its best to raise the twenty-ton piece of iron,
but to no avail. At one point the team almost had it.…but a
storm blew in and.…the Atlantic reclaimed its treasure.
Then Tulloch did something surprising before they were
forced to retreat. He descended into the deep once more in
a small submarine, and using a robotic arm, he attached a
small handmade placard onto the section. It said, "I will
come back. George Tulloch."

For a lot of the same reasons, Jesus left us a similar
message. "I am going to prepare a place for you..…When
everything is ready, I will come and get you" (John 14:2-3).
Some may wonder why he cared in the first place. Why
would he even want to reclaim us? What good are we to
him? In many ways we're just as worthless and cumbersome
and unyielding as that lazy piece of iron in the Atlantic.

But Jesus doesn't see us that way. He's dreamed of this
 moment since the beginning of creation, and now that the
time is near he can't help but leave this mark on our hearts.
"I'm leaving now. But don't worry, I'll be back.

Adapted from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry
Jenkins and Frank M. Martin, Tyndale House Publishers (2004),