Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40

But whoever endures to the end will be saved.

 
                                                                      
In today's reading from Matthew, we see a tough, even radical Jesus warning us about the courage it might take to pay what German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "the cost of discipleship." Bonhoeffer's words were personally prophetic since the Nazis eventually executed him for actions stemming from his beliefs. 
As I sit in my pleasant Omaha home writing this, I am thinking about how little believing in Christ costs most of us. Even when some of our values conflict with those of friends, at worst we'll have a heated debate followed by the possible chilling of the relationship. It's a far cry from being scourged or hauled into court. So what does today's Gospel say to us? I'm focusing on the line about enduring to the end to be saved. It calls us to ask how to build the spiritual endurance to live as a serious Christian.

Every gym rat knows that you start an endurance program by slowly increasing the exercise you have been doing. You aren't likely to stick with anything else. That might also be a good approach to building up our spiritual endurance. What's our current base line? Do we just show up at church fairly regularly? Do we practice any of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy or just throw our loose change in a bell ringer's kettle at Christmas? Do we pray regularly?

Maybe we can start increasing our strength by adding just one small practice to our daily routine such as praying every morning or evening. When that has become a habit, we might branch out to something else such as volunteering once a week for a worthy cause.

Just as exercisers chart their progress, keep track of what you are doing and the results. You might find them even more satisfying than gradually doubling the distance you can go on that treadmill at the gym!

Supplementary Reading
Being a Vessel to Bless Others

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. ~ Proverbs 11:24-25

O ne of the reasons God entrusts money to us is to bless other Christians by meeting their needs. God uses the transfer of money within the Body of Christ to build unity among Christians. Sometimes we withhold money that God has designated for someone else. He wants to bless through us, but His will cannot be accomplished through us if we are disobedient.  
  
This was the case for a business owner who tells of the time when God told him to forego a company bonus one year. God directed him to share his year-end bonus with an employee to show his appreciation for him. He wrestled with God for three full days before obeying the Lord on the matter. When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier. He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need. The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the business owner gave him.  
  
God had already planned to provide for the employee through the business owner, but because he was hesitant, he almost missed the opportunity to be an instrument of God in this man's life. Even so, he could have prevented the man from having to borrow money. It was an important lesson for the business owner.  
 
How many people do we let down because we feel the "harvest" God provides is all ours? In America, the pressure is always on to move up the ladder of material accumulation. Jesus warned us about this. If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God's vessels of financial blessing to others. Ask the Lord if you have an open hand when it comes to finances.