FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
Ministry Updates for Wednesday, July 1st, 2020
Scripture for reflection – Numbers 23:19
God is not a human being, that he should lie,
or a mortal, that he should change his mind.
Has he promised, and will he not do it?
Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Reflection – God’s Promises
The Holy Bible is filled with promises of God. I suspect if God did not make good on those promises, we would have stopped reading the Bible long ago.
When I was experiencing a call into ministry, some 22 years back, I reflected often on Moses’ call to lead a people. Not that my call was as majestic as his. It is not the size of the job that makes us. It is the faith in God, whether our tasks seem trivial or enormous.
Saturday was my mother’s birthday. She is in memory care, and quarantined even there, after a recent hospital visit. A window visit is not possible right now. For several reasons, it is sometimes hard to get her on the phone. I wanted very badly to reach her and wish her happy birthday. I asked God for help in the matter, and I humbly believe God delivered. Mom and I were able to talk.
There are certainly bigger problems in the world. But God can handle more than one thing at a time. The Bible tells me I should honor my father and mother. This is not only a command, but also a promise God will help me when situations are beyond my control. God would not command us to do something and then deny us ability to do so.
Something about the scripture transforms when we move beyond the ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’, and step into ‘the kingdom of heaven’, where what we are asked to do is a promise of something more, something that moves us beyond servitude and into ready sacrifice, growing love, and deep gratitude. The gifts we give in faith have the power to change us.
Prayer
God who delivers us from sin and slavery, God who calls us to a higher plane, God who knows our limitations, we thank you for calling us to be your people. We thank you for calling us to receive your love, to serve our neighbor, and to live each moment, scanning for your goodness. We thank you for your promises, that when you ask something of us, you will most surely remove all hurdles that prevent us from doing so. Today, when I face a hurdle, help me to stop, pray, and believe in your promises. Amen