Christian Reflection and Prayer

You asked for my hands, that you might use them for your purpose.
I gave them for a moment, then withdrew them, for the work was hard.
You asked for my mouth to speak out against injustice.
I gave you a whisper that I might not be accused.
You asked for my eyes to see the pain of poverty.
I closed them, for I did not want to see.
You asked for my wife, that you might work through me.
I gave a small part, that I might not get too involved.
Lord, forgive my calculated efforts to serve you-
only when it is convenient for me to do so,
only in those places where it is safe to do so,
and only with those who make it easy to do so.
Father, forgive me, renew me, send me out as a usable
instrument,
that I might take seriously the meaning of your cross.  Amen.

"When a man has had a great deal given him, a
great deal will be demanded of him; when a man
has had a great deal given him on trust, even more
will be expected of him" (Luke 12:48).

There is a short story in which a self-centered old
man dreams that he died and went to hell. In the
midst of his anguish, he looks heavenward and
cries out for a second chance. A voice from above
asks him what he had done in his earthly life to
merit a second chance. After much soul-searching,
all the man can remember is that while walking in
the woods one day, he saw a spider and did not kill
it. At once, the thin, silvery thread of a spider web
is lowered to within his reach. He eagerly grabs hold
of the thread, and it begins to rise and lift him out of
his misery. Whereupon, two of his fellow prisoners
grab onto his feet, hoping to escape. Fearing that the
thread will break, the man cries out, "Let go! Let go!"
-- whereupon the thread breaks, and all three fall back
into hell. And the self-centered old man realizes that
although the thread was strong enough to lift all
together, it could not bear the burden of a selfish soul.

Again and again in the Gospels, Jesus speaks of our
fulfillment in terms of unselfishness and other
centeredness. "My Kingdom is not of this world,"
Jesus said. This means that the Kingdom of Christ is
not established like other kingdoms. Christ's Kingdom
does not rest upon constitutions and edicts and guns
and terror, nor even upon some vague "social contract."
No, Christ's Kingdom is established upon a covenant of
love. "This is My commandment," Jesus says, "that
you love one another as I have loved you."

(excerpts from The Staff and editors of Sunday
Sermons Online)

(Note= It has been said that we live in a time that holds
the happiness of the individual paramount. That is to say,
we live in the times of "What's in it for me?" We live in
the times of "Will it pay off?"
People weigh the cost. People weigh the efficiency.
People weigh the end-product. People calculate. People
are preoccupied with money as the end-result)

The desires of lazy people will be their ruin, for their
hands refuse to work. They are always greedy for more,
while the godly love to give!
Proverbs 21:25-26 NLT

It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy,
but those who are stingy will lose everything. The
generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh
others will themselves be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT

Blessed are those who are generous, because they
feed the poor.
Proverbs 22:9 NLT

The dangers of greed

Greed is never satisfied because self is at the center
of its world, and the self is forever taking, grasping after
whatever is beneficial to "me." A person secure in the
love of God approaches life with quite a different attitude:
Because I am sure that God will take care of me and
provide all that I need, I no longer have to be greedy,
desperately looking out for myself and grabbing
everything in sight.

Ultimately, greed is a sign of emptiness. If you find
yourself grasping after things in life, worried that you
won't get what you want, what you need, or what you
deserve, you have put your trust in the wrong place.
Greed will use you up without giving anything in return.
God's great love offers us a fuller, more satisfying life.

(From the TouchPoint Bible (Tyndale House) p 565)