Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good." - Romans 12:21

Reflection:

There are two simple truths that I believe I should live
by. One is that I can, and should, overcome evil with
good. And the other truth is that my faith can get me
through anything I need to overcome. So if I have faith
good things will happen!

I think it's interesting that people have such different
reactions to the word "evil". To many people the word
evil is rather archaic and it conjures up all kinds of
definitions. Some people believe that evil is too
subjective to talk about, what evil is for one person is
not evil to another. Some people just think it's a silly
word and therefore they don't want to deal with it.

I'm kind of a bottom line person and to me there is a
bottom line here, and that is when you strip it all down
and get beyond all the various definitions, there is evil
 in this world and in our lives. You see I think evil thrives
when we do not care about other people. I think evil
flourishes when we put our faith and trust in the world
and not in God. I think that evil gains strength when we
don't care, the favorite byproduct of evil is apathy.
Evil surrounds me every day it is constantly trying to
gain power over me.

Where does all this evil come from, I believe evil comes
from Satan. There I said it, I can hear it now, "is this guy
an idiot he actually believes in the devil". "This man is
supposed to be an educated person, he is supposed to
be fairly bright, and he's telling me he believes in this
mystical being called Satan". "Next he'll be telling me the
devil made him do it". Well I do believe in Satan I believe
he is alive and well and he is constantly at work in our world.
I believe that I look at the power of evil a little differently
than most people. I really do believe that the strongest
weapon of Satan is apathy which gives power to evil.
The more apathetic, the more people don't care, the
stronger evil gets. I think it's evil to be apathetic, I think
it's evil not to care.

Just as there's evil in the world, there is goodness.
And I earnestly believe with all my heart that true
goodness comes from God. Satan is evil, God is good,
that's my bottom line. My faith comes from God! My
caring and service to others comes from my faith in
Jesus Christ. When I have this faith "absolutely",
good things happen.

HAVE FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, CARE FOR OTHERS,
AND GOOD THINGS HAPPEN!

Scripture:

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to
the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your
harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner
residing among you. I am the LORD your God."
— Leviticus 23:22

Most people fall on hard times at some point in their lives
and asking for help from others can make a difficult situation
even harder. Sometimes, the only thing that people have left
is their dignity, and having to go to someone they know for
a handout can take that away from them, too. This is why
God prescribes that food be left behind for the poor and not
brought to them directly. This allowed the poor to come and
take what they needed, in the darkness of the night if they
preferred. This way, their needs could be filled while their
dignity remained intact.

Today, this beautiful system of giving is not practical for
most of us, but the spirit of this type of giving is something
that we can still incorporate into our lives.
Christianity/Judaism values giving anonymously or giving to
people whom you will never meet or know. This way, your
gift is exponentially greater in value as you fill someone's
stomach, without depleting their pride.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Songwriters: Francesca Battistelli,
Ian Eskelin, Andrew Fromm

Don't know how it is You looked at me
And saw the person that I could be
Awakening my heart
Breaking through the dark
Suddenly Your grace

Like sunlight burning at midnight
Making my life something so
Beautiful, beautiful
Mercy reaching to save me
All that I need, You are so
Beautiful, beautiful

Now there's a joy inside I can't contain
But even perfect days can end in rain
And though it's pouring down
I see You through the clouds
Shining on my face

Like sunlight burning at midnight
Making my life something so
Beautiful, beautiful
Mercy reaching to save me
All that I need, You are so
Beautiful, beautiful

I have come undone
But I have just begun
Changing by Your grace

Like sunlight burning at midnight
Making my life something so
Beautiful, beautiful
Mercy reaching to save me
All that I need, You are so
Beautiful

Like sunlight burning at midnight
Making my life something so
Beautiful, beautiful
Mercy reaching to save me
All that I need, You are so
Beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful