Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:
Luke 17:20-21 NLT
20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.
Reflection:
The Pharisees asked when God's kingdom would come, not knowing that it had already arrived. The kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of God's Spirit in people's lives and in relationships. Still today we must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of God's kingdom. Instead, we should look for what God is doing in people's hearts.

Scripture:
Isaiah 55:6-9

Reflection:

I am often struck by the sense of urgency in the
Scriptures. Truly, our turning to God and living
the life God intended are presented as a matter
that needs our immediate attention. We need to
"seek the Lord while he may be found" and
"return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on us."
While we can interpret this sense of urgency as
a plea to avoid our own perishing, it seems that
the emphasis has more to do with God been with
us. God's "thoughts are not my thoughts" and
God's "ways are not my ways." The urgency of
the Scriptures is rooted in the reality that God
has something far greater in mind for us, and
each moment that we wait to embrace that
reality is time lost. God has a vision for our
flourishing, and we would be better off to seek
it in each day and in each moment.

Prayer:

God, help me in each day and each moment to
seek your wisdom that I may live fully this life
as you intended.  Amen

(The Covenant Home Altar Daily Devotion, Paul Corner)

We shouldn’t be overly invested in winning over
fans. Some people just won’t like us, and that’s
all right. It’s probably not about us, but about
them. Try not to take it personally. There is only
one fan that we really need on our side – and
God already is our biggest fan.