Christian Reflection and Prayer

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the
builders, which has become the Cornerstone. And there
is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved. - Acts 4:11-12

 

In the 1800s, Queen Victoria was crossing the English
Channel on her royal yacht.
During the course of the trip, her eye fell upon a tiny bird,
who with fluttering wings, tried to follow the ship.
Apparently, the bird had been attracted by the brightness
of the silk flag which floated at the masthead.

The queen turned to her daughter and pointed to the bird.
As they watched, they could see the bird was becoming
weak and weary, darting down to the waves, then climbing
back up, trying to find some place to rest. But as this bird
was a fragile creature used to the woods and not the
company of man, it refused to settle down on the ship.
With a faint cry it rose from the waves, soared up to the
masthead and, unsuccessfully, tried to rest upon the flag,
which had drawn it from the land -- away from safety,
shelter and home.

 

The heart of the queen was filled with pity and she
commanded her sailors to save the weary bird.
Wishing to please his Monarch every able-bodied man
jumped to do the job Victoria had entrusted to them. They
used every art and every device to capture that bird. Sadly,
all their efforts to rescue the bird only terrified it more.

At last it fell upon the deck at the feet of the queen.
Her majesty stooped and picked up the dead bird and held
it tenderly in her hands. Victoria, Queen over an empire
upon which the sun never set, had been absolutely
helpless in sparing the life of a single, small, scared bird.
Her good intentions had not been good enough; her power
had proven to be insufficient to the task.

 

I would like to point out that some things don't change.

In the worlds of politics, medicine, education and
philanthropy, there are many who, with good intentions,
are eager to try and save us. It is true, they are willing, but
it is equally true, they are not able. Most certainly, they
may assist you with simple problems and minor difficulties,
but they cannot correct or cure the great sickness of sin
that besets and condemns our souls.

 

Nobody can save us other than Jesus.
That is because Jesus alone
• has lived a perfect life so that our sinful imperfections might
be forgiven;
• has resisted every temptation so we might be found
innocent on Judgment Day;
• has conquered death and shown to this doubting world that
His sacrifice to save us has been accepted and is complete.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

Dear Lord, we give thanks for those people of the world who
do their best to make a positive impact. Bless them in their
service. Most of all, we pray that every sinful soul may see
only Jesus can save from condemnation and damnation. In
Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

 

(Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Two Critical Roles for People of Faith Under a Trump
Administration

 

1.   Faith must stand up for itself, for its values, for its
standards, and for its priorities.

 

2.   Leadership means sacrifice for the greater good,
instead of just the personal one.

 

YOU MUST STAND UP WITHIN, FOR, AND LIVE
YOUR FAITH!  IT IS MORE VITAL THAN EVER THAT
WE DO SO.  AND WE MUST BEGIN NOW!!!!!!!

 

And perhaps the value that our country needs most
right now, in an age of almost complete cynicism
about politics, is the power and promise of hope. We
can decide to spend our time, energy, and the gifts
of our lives to make this a better world — for those
around us, especially for those on the edges, and to
be good stewards of the creation itself. That’s who
people of faith are supposed to be; that is what we
are supposed to do. And there is no better time to
do that than right now. No matter what politics says
and does, it is always time for faith to flourish and
move forward.

 

(Sojourners,   sojo.net, Jim Wallis)

INAUGURATION DAY

 

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals,
for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” —
Exodus 3:5

 

Leaders can easily fall into the trap of being out of touch
with the people. Most leaders of nations enjoy luxuries that
the general public does not. It’s easy to become insensitive
to the needs of the common man or unsympathetic to a poor
man’s plight. God, on the other hand, says “Don’t you dare!
My people are my precious children.” Moses was commanded
to remain as sensitive as he was at that moment until the day
that he died.

 

Insensitivity is a trap we all can fall into. It’s hard to empathize
with the hungry if your stomach is always full, or to feel for the
homeless when we are enjoying the comfort and warmth of our
own homes. But, friends, we who serve the Lord are on “holy
ground.” We must remain acutely sensitive to the needs of His
children and do our best to meet them, whenever and however
we can.