Christian Reflection and Prayer

Albert Einstein made famous the idea that
“imagination is more important than knowledge.”
Knowledge can tell us what to do and how to
do it, but imagination drives us to acquire more
knowledge and apply it in new and creative ways.
Knowledge without imagination is stagnant,
limited, and eventually, old.

Scripture:

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise."—Psalm 111:10

Fear of God in the spiritual realm is like knowing
how to save yourself in the physical sphere.

How so? When we come into this world, there are
inherent risks involved. We can rise to great spiritual
heights if we pursue a life of godliness, or we can
sink to the lowest levels if we pursue a life of
immorality. We are indeed in great danger from the
very moment we are born – spiritual danger, that is.
And that is the most serious danger of all because
the spiritual world is eternal and whatever happens
to us spiritually lasts forever.

This is why “fear of God” is most important. It must
precede any other kind of wisdom, because without
it, all other knowledge is irrelevant.

There is a story told about a student who approached
his rabbi with a dilemma: He only had a small amount
of time to study so he wanted to know if he should
study the Bible or mussar – the Jewish study of
character traits, including fear of God. The rabbi said,
“Study mussar because then you will realize that you
have more than just a little amount of time to study the
 Word of God.”

Fear of God puts everything else in life into perspective.
Only by making Him the center of your life and judging
your actions by His standards is all other wisdom
worthwhile.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

( Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Scripture:

Read:  2 Timothy 2:1-10

"I suffer trouble... Even to the point of chains; but the
Word of God is not chained". 2 Timothy 2:9

Reflection:

Jean- Dominique Bauby’s memoir, "The Diving Bell and
the Butterfly", describes his life after a massive stroke
left him with a condition called "Locked-In Syndrome."
Although he was almost completely paralyzed, Bauby
was able to write his book by blinking his left eyelid. An
aide would recite a coded alphabet, until Bauby blinked
to choose the letter of the word he was dictating. The
book required about 200,000 blinks to write Bauby used
the only physical ability left him to communicate with
others.

For some of us, circumstances may have isolated us
from others. Lying in a hospital bed, serving time in a
prison, or being a shut-in can make us feel that we are
experiencing our own "locked-in syndrome." If this is
true for you, why not prayerfully reflect on some ways
you can still reach out to others.

As many of you know, I am a retired pastor and I am
also disabled. I am what they term “Homebound”. In
my thinking while I'm at home I am reminded of
2 Timothy 2:1-10. I especially think of verse nine,
"I suffer trouble... Even to the point of chains; but the
Word of God is not chained”. I am not chained, I find
freedom in thinking and doing ways that I can still
reach out to others. These reflections are but one way.
I am not isolated from others because through the power
of Jesus Christ I choose not to be. I choose the
freedom of Jesus Christ over the imprisonment of my
body.

Whether you are abled or disabled always reach out
to others don't experience the "locked-in syndrome",
experience the "live-free syndrome" through the power
and the love of Jesus Christ!

Prayer:

Almighty God I thank You for making me free. I thank
You through the power of Your word through the power
of the Holy Spirit through Your love I can reach out to
other that makes me free Lord. I pray that I can take
Your example of service and serve others in your name.  
In Your Holy Name       Amen

“Take a census of the whole Israelite community
by their clans and families, listing every man by name,
one by one.”—Numbers 1:2

God counts the children of Israel. Of course, He already
knew how many there were, but He wanted them to
know that each one mattered and that each one counted.
If someone was missing, God would notice and God
would care.

It’s like that with us today as well. There are more than
seven billion people in the world today. There are more
than a billion people in China alone! With all the people
sharing this planet with us, it’s easy to think that God
doesn’t notice us. We could make the mistake thinking
that we don’t matter much or that we aren’t loved very
much.

But nothing could be further from the truth. It doesn’t
matter if we are the only human being on Earth or if we
are one in ten billion, or a billion billion – to God we are
like an only child. He loves us and cares for us just as
He would if we were the only one. Not a single one of
us is dispensable and each of us is so very precious
to God.

God sees us as invaluable; it’s time for us to see
ourselves – and each other – that way also.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein