Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Job 28: 12-28

But where can wisdom be found?
    Where does understanding dwell?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”;
    the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.

20 Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction[b] and Death say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
    and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
    and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil is understanding.”

THAT IS TRUE WISDOM!

by Anne Cetas

Scripture:

Read: Romans 5:12-21

God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8

Reflection:

Four people—a pilot, a professor, a pastor,
and a hiker—were flying in a small plane
when the engines died. The pilot said,
“There are only three parachutes. Since
this is my plane, I’m taking one of them.
” He put it on and jumped out. The professor
said, “I’m brilliant and the world needs me,
so I’m taking a parachute,” and he jumped
out.

Then the pastor told the hiker, “I don’t want
to be selfish, so you take the last parachute.
” The hiker replied, “There are still two left,
so we can each have one. The professor
jumped out with my backpack instead of the
parachute!” Though the professor thought he
would land safely, his assurance was based
on faulty thinking.

Some people have an assurance of salvation
based on faulty thinking. They believe that
church attendance, baptism, or just being
good will gain them approval from God. But
our thinking is faulty if it isn’t based on what
God says in His Word. God says that “all
 have sinned” and that we are His enemies.
But through the death and resurrection of His
Son, we can be made right with God
(Rom. 3:23; 5:8-10). By faith in what Christ
has done, we can have peace with God (5:1)
and the assurance of eternal life in heaven.

Do you believe it? Your eternity is at stake.
Don’t trust faulty thinking but put your faith in
Christ.I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus—
Trusting only Thee;
Trusting Thee for full salvation,
Great and free. —Havergal

Remember:
If we could earn our salvation, Christ would not
have died to provide it

(from Our Daily Bread)

The Monk's Vision

This is a nice little story that reminds us of the
best way to truly serve God here on Earth.


An old monk prayed many years for a vision
from God to strengthen his faith, but it never
came. He had almost given up hope when, one
day, a vision appeared. The old monk was
overjoyed. But then, right in the middle of the
vision, the monastery bell rang. The ringing of
the bell meant it was time to feed the poor who
gathered daily at the monastery gate. And it
was the old monk's turn to feed them. If he
failed to show up with food, the poor people
would leave quietly, thinking the monastery
had nothing to give them that day.

The old monk was torn between his earthly
duty and his heavenly vision. However, before
the bell stopped tolling, the monk had made
his decision. With a heavy heart, he turned his
back on the vision and went off to feed the poor.
Nearly an hour later, the old monk returned to
his room. When he opened the door, he could
hardly believe his eyes. There in the room was
the vision, waiting for him. As the monk dropped
to is knees in thanksgiving, the vision said to him,
"My son, had you not gone off to feed the poor,
I would not have stayed."

The best way to serve God is to reach out in
service to our brothers and sisters, especially
those less gifted than ourselves.

(from GodVine)