Scripture tells us that in this world we will have trouble, but we can be encouraged today because He has overcome the world and disarmed it of the power to harm us! Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. His ways are higher than our ways, and He has promised to deliver us!

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9

Psalm 80:2ac+3b, 15-16

M atthew 10:7-15 And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' (8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay. (9) Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, (10) no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. (11) And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. (12) As you enter the house, salute it. (13) And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. (14) And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. (15) Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town.

Meditation by Don Schwager

Do you believe that the gospel has power to change your life and the lives of others? Jesus gave his disciples a two-fold commission to speak in his name and to act with his power. The core of the gospel message is quite simple: the kingdom (or reign) of God is imminent!

What is the kingdom of God? It is that society of men and women who freely submit to God and who honor him as their Lord and King. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray for God to reign in our lives and in our world: May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus also commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did – bringing the healing power of God to the weary and oppressed. The gospel has power to set people free from sin, sickness, fear, and oppression. The Lord will free us from anything that keeps us from loving him and our neighbor with joy and confidence.  

Jesus said to his disciples: Freely you have received, freely give. What they have received from Jesus they must now pass on to others without expecting a favor in return, whether it be in form of a gift or payment. They must show by their attitude that their first interest is in serving God, not receiving material gain. They must serve without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light – only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them – in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of the God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward.

“Poverty of spirit” frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision.  The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.

Secondly, Jesus said: the worker deserves his sustenance. Here we see a double-truth: the worker of God must not be overly-concerned with material things, but the people of God must never fail in their duty to give the worker of God what he or she needs to sustain themselves in the Lord's service. Do you pray for the work of the gospel and do you support it with your material and financial resources?

Jesus ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject God’s invitation and refuse his word, then they bring judgment and condemnation on themselves. When God gives us his word there comes with it the great responsibility to respond.  Indifference will not do. We are either for or against God in how we respond to his word. God gives us his word that we may have life – abundant life – in him.  He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory. God shares his word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others. Do you witness the truth and joy of the gospel by word and example to those around you?

“Lord Jesus, may the joy and truth of the gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.”

Supplementary Reading

Higher

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I - Psalm 61:2  

E veryone goes through seasons of difficulty. We all face challenges and trials. Scripture tells us that in this world we will have trouble, but we can be encouraged today because He has overcome the world and disarmed it of the power to harm us! Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. His ways are higher than our ways, and He has promised to deliver us!

So many times, people feel stuck in their circumstances because they are looking at them from a natural perspective. This natural perspective is limited. It's small. It's only a fraction of what's really going on. But, if we'll rise up to a higher level, we will see things the way God sees them. We'll understand His purposes and see the way to victory!

Today, if you're feeling overwhelmed, Jesus is the rock who is high above your circumstances. When you call on Him, He will be with you. He will lead you and guide you into the higher places He has prepared for you!

Heavenly Father, today I release every care and concern to You. Have Your way in my circumstances. Have Your way in my thoughts. Help me, Jesus, to come up higher in every area of my life with You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.—Joel & Victoria Osteen

For archive of previous Daily Meditation postings, please visit http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/

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GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.