Remember, God rewards the people who seek after Him. So keep expecting, keep believing because the God of the breakthrough is ready to overwhelm you with His goodness today!

Thursday in the Seventh Week of Easter

Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

Ps 16:1-2a+5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

J ohn 17:20-26 "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, (21) that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that  you have sent me. (22) The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, (23) I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as  you have loved me. (24) Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world. (25) O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you; and these know that you have sent me. (26) I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Meditation by Elizabeth Furlong

In the first Reading, join me in visualizing this scene.  Paul is imprisoned.  Next, visualize a gathering of the Sanhedrin.  Now, think about all the individuals who are in this scene – Paul, the commander, chief priests, the whole Sanhedrin, and prison troops.  Which individual(s) are you drawn to?  Which individual(s) do you think the most about?  I am immediately interested in the commander.  Here is someone who practices active listening and being open to the other and to new information.  By the end of this Reading , I also know he has protective nurturing qualities as he uses his power to rescue Paul from death in this situation.  I respect and value the qualities the commander had.

In the Gospel Reading, the message that I took was the trust that Christ had in his disciples.  And, by metaphor, the trust he has in us as his disciples (through our word and behavior.)  A second message I reflected on was God’s great love for us – and, for us to remind others of how they are being loved by God.  The third message for me was to reflect – who, in our lives, are God’s gifts to us?  Christ noted how “Father, they are your gift to me.” 

Cinco de Mayo festivals were celebrated in some parts of the Hispanic world this weekend (May 2nd-4th).  In Omaha , Nebraska, part of the festivities included an annual Cinco de Mayo parade on Saturday morning.  I was part of an entry, the Nebraska Area Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and we walked in the parade.  We had served in a variety of countries and cultures globally, knew what it was like to ‘be the other’ and to be welcomed ‘as the other.’  We walked in solidarity to demonstrate our welcome message to immigrants in this city.  Our couple mile walk was a way of being ‘open to the other’ and of transmitting a message of welcome, nurturance, and protection.  We recognize their gifts to us.

Supplementary Reading

Sudden Breakthroughs

…the Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like the bursting out of great waters… -- 2 Samuel 5:20

G od wants to give you a breakthrough—a sudden burst of His favor; an explosion of His goodness. He wants to release His power in such a way that it overwhelms you and drives out your enemies!

Maybe you've been praying about a relationship for years, and suddenly, things get into place. That's a breakthrough. Or you were trying to get a certain job. They said there were no openings; but suddenly, they call you back and you get the job. That's another breakthrough. Perhaps you've struggled with an addiction for a long time, but then something happens and it's not a struggle anymore. Those are all breakthroughs.

No matter what you've been facing, no matter how impossible things look, know this: the God of the breakthrough wants to visit your house. Get ready! Look for His favor and goodness. Remember, God rewards the people who seek after Him. So keep expecting, keep believing because the God of the breakthrough is ready to overwhelm you with His goodness today!

Father in heaven, today I am expecting Your goodness. I am looking for Your favor. I'm trusting that You, the God of the breakthrough, are working mightily on my behalf. Help me to live a life pleasing to You as I wait for Your hand to move mightily in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.—Joel and Victoria Osteen

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

EL SHADDAI Radio Program:  http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=50&tid=1

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