No Needy Persons

Today is Friday (Friyay?), the twenty-eighth of May, 2021, in the first week of Ordinary Time.

Peace be with you!

Day 23,087

Three days until Memorial Day!

At this point, I don’t know what this three-day weekend will hold, besides going to Mineral Wells on Sunday so that S can join FBC. She is so excited. She got her membership packet and card, yesterday, and probably got the card filled out last night.

We are not, as it turns out, planning to visit Scarborough Faire on Monday, as the guy who is going to repair/install our new pool equipment, wants to do that Monday afternoon. I’m fine with that, as we need to get that fixed. We can’t discern if there is more damage to the pool, itself, until we get the equipment running. Hopefully, the rain will hold off on Monday, but the chances of rain have been upped to 60% Monday.

Of course, we all know that, once we hit mid-June, it won’t rain for a couple of months, at least.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS

"Thanks be to you, our Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits which you have given us,
for all the pains and insults which you have borne for us.
Most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,
may we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day.
Amen."
(The prayer of St. Richard of Chichester)

I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.
(Psalms 22:22 NLT)

Today I am grateful:

1. for the knowledge of Your presence here, this morning
2. for the work of Jesus Christ in our lives, rendering us blameless before You
3. for Your Word, which leads me along the path that I am to walk; it is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path
4. for the way You have guided us to care for one another's needs
5. for the fullness of joy in Your presence; contentment; pleasures forevermore

Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

ORDINARY TIME – DAY 5

INVITATION

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
(Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV)

I pause, briefly, to meditate on Your presence, to ponder the “new heart and . . . new spirit” within me, asking for guidance through this time with You. Teach me by Your Holy Spirit.

BIBLE SONG

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.
Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— they do no wrong but follow his ways.
You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.
I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
(Psalms 119:1-7 NIV)

BIBLE READING

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
(Acts 4:32-35 NIV)

DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION

I remind myself that I am in Your presence, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as I linger on these passages. May You teach me something about my life in Jesus Christ as I read and meditate.

Is my way blameless? Hardly. Do I walk according to God’s Word? I certainly try. That is the goal of each day. I try to live and walk according to His statutes, and I hope to seek Him with my whole heart.

But “stuff” happens and gets in the way of all of these things. This is where I stop and acknowledge that the Lord does, in fact, remember that we are but dust. He knows our frailty. And, because of the precious blood of Christ, He does not see my faults, because they are erased. So, effectually, yes, I am blameless!

As are all of us who call the name of Jesus and walk in His ways. Are we all one in heart and mind? Sadly, that does not appear to be the case, in this day and culture. The enemy has sneaked in with faulty ideas that many have latched onto, and division is caused. The sad thing is that the divisions are mostly over things that don’t really matter, in the grand scheme of things.

I recently listened to a podcast, with John Joseph Thompson, of True Tunes. In it, he had the pleasure of interviewing the queen of CCM, Amy Grant. It was a fascinating interview. Did you know that she is sixty years old??

How can Amy Grant be sixty??? I think she will forever be fifteen in my mind.

Anyway, she said something in that interview that will forever stick with me. She talked about two jobs and a prayer. The two jobs are to love God and love people. I’m certainly down with that, as those are the two “greatest commandments” that Jesus emphasizes, and He proclaims that the entirety of the law and prophets can be summed up in those commandments.

The prayer is the Lord’s Prayer, which has a very strong emphasis on forgiveness.

Once, earlier in her career, she was asked about her opinions on controversial subjects, such as homosexuality. Her response was that she doesn’t think her opinion on those things is included in the job description for those two jobs.

How brilliant! I love this, and believe that I have already adopted this philosophy regarding all such issues.

My jobs are to love God and love people. My opinions (and trust me, I DO have them!) are, for the most part irrelevant to those jobs.

I believe that the early believers had this kind of mindset among themselves. And the result of this is seen in verses 33 and 34.

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.
(Acts 4:33-34 NIV)

There were no needy persons. They took care of one another, which was part of the “new command” that Jesus had given the disciples before He departed earth.

Our little church group is attempting to emulate these early believers. I personally believe that some of the things we have accomplished are astounding, small as we are. And that is largely because of the giving model we have adopted. You see, we have no building to pay mortgage or rent on. We have no “staff” to pay a weekly or monthly salary. I suppose we might have “elders,” although none of us would be quick to assume that title.

We all set aside our regular giving money (call it “tithe” if you must), and some of us put it into a separate bank account created exclusively for that money. It sits there until we become aware of a need, and then we gladly, generously provide for that need.

It is with great caution that I say that we (C and I) recently gave $4000 to a family whose van had been repossessed, so they could get it back. This is not to boast in our own generosity, but to simply illustrate the benefits of this model.

Outside of that, we do not share with others what we do with our money. It is between us and God.

I’m not knocking “traditional” church. There are great benefits to it, and there are certainly some aspects of it that I miss. But I do enjoy the model that we are using with our little band of believers, and I believe that it follows closely with what the early believers did.

Father, I give You praise for the examples of the early church that we receive from the book of Acts. I also thank You that, in Christ, I can say that I am “blameless.” This does not mean that I never do anything sinful or wrong. But it does mean that, because of the work, the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, You do not see those sinful or wrong acts. They have been perpetually erased. This, as the psalmist says, is to wonderful for me, too lofty to attain. But I know it is true, and Your Spirit validates it within me. May I walk in ways that are worthy of these truths today.

Generous God,
your Spirit dwelling among your people,
working your salvation deep into our daily lives,
is a thing of simple beauty--
powerful grace,
freely flowing forgiveness,
lavish giving.
Continue to make us full players in Christ's redemption story through the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
(Westminster Shorter Catechism 29)

BLESSING

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13 NIV)

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.
(John 1:16 NLT)

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(Psalms 16:11 ESV)

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13 NLT)

The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights.
(Proverbs 11:1 NLT)

The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness.
(Proverbs 16:11 NLT)

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
(Isaiah 5:20 NLT)

Father, as I walk through this day, may it be with justice and fairness, treating all people as equals in Your eyes. You make the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike. At least half of the world has no clue how merciful and gracious You are! Help us to show them, Father. Help us to show them Your mercy and grace, rather than meanness and wrath and injustice. Bring us to our knees in repentance for our injustices, our racism, our prejudices, and our unfairness. Teach us that You are the measure of good and evil, of accurate scales and balances, not any human. Thank You for the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore found in Your presence!

Lord, give me great wonder at the sacrifice of Jesus. May it never become commonplace to me. May we have the capacity to suffer when others suffer and to rejoice when others rejoice. Please increase the generosity of our hearts; may it be ever-expanding.

I pray for peace in our nation, peace in our world. I pray for racial injustice to end, and I pray for the pandemic to be over. Above all else, though, I pray for Your will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Grace and peace, friends!