Christian Reflection and Prayer

We long for fire from heaven to silence the skeptics once
and for all, but God doesn't usually work that way. Long
ago He revealed Himself as a helpless baby sleeping in
a dirty feed trough, and today He speaks quietly to
ordinary people like you and me — if only we are still
enough to listen. That is the sentiment expressed by
Emily May Grimes in the words of the hymn,
"Speak, Lord, in the Stillness."

Speak, Lord, in the stillness, while I wait on Thee;
hushed my heart to listen in expectancy.
Speak, O blessed Master, in this quiet hour, let me see
Thy face, Lord, feel Thy touch of power.
Emily May Grimes

Scripture:

“If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the
grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket.” —
Deuteronomy 23:24

Reflection:

To never open the gift and enjoy it would be wrong.
There are, however, a few conditions for enjoying all of the
God-given pleasures of this world. We must be grateful
and mindful of where our gifts have come from. Along
those lines, we must be willing to share our many blessings
with others in need, since all we have belongs to God
anyway. Additionally, we must be careful to treat our gifts
appropriately, never abusing them or taking them for granted.

Look around you. How many gifts do you see? Most people
tend to focus on what they are lacking and miss out on the
enjoyment of what they have. Do you have good food to eat?
A scenic road to walk on? Is the sun shining? Or is warm
rain falling? Make time to enjoy all of God’s gifts. When we
enjoy what we have been given in a meaningful and
appropriate way, we will bring much pleasure both to
ourselves and to our Father above

Struggling in the face of a mid-life crisis, a somewhat
foolish couple was walking down the street one day
when they heard a voice from above: "You will live to be 100."

They looked around and didn't see anyone. Again they
heard the voice: "You will live to be 100."

Oh boy, the husband thought, that must be the voice of God!
"Whoopie!" the wife exclaimed to her husband, "we've got 40
more years to live and we need to look the part!"

So off they went to the plastic surgeon for their various
procedures: a facelift, hair restoration, chin implants -- the
works!

Weeks later on the way to a follow-up visit to the plastic
surgeon's office, the couple was hit by a bus, died, and went
up to heaven.

Upon arrival, the woman protested to God "You told us we
would live to be 100. We're supposed to have 40 more years.
So why would you let a bus kill us?"

Whereupon God replied: "Because I didn't recognize either
of you!"