Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - WordAction - The Nazarene Publishing House [The Foundry Publishing House] in Kansas City, Missouri, United States - The Global Church of the Nazarene for Tuesday, 15 August 2017 - "The Real Aliens" by Douglas E. McClure
- Deuteronomy 10:12-22Deuteronomy 10:(v) 12 “So now, Isra’el, all that Adonai your God asks from you is to fear Adonai your God, follow all his ways, love him and serve Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being; 13 to obey, for your own good, the mitzvot and regulations of Adonai which I am giving you today. 14 See, the sky, the heaven beyond the sky, the earth and everything on it all belong to Adonai your God. 15 Only Adonai took enough pleasure in your ancestors to love them and choose their descendants after them — yourselves — above all peoples, as he still does today. 16 Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart; and don’t be stiffnecked any longer! 17 For Adonai your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty and awesome God, who has no favorites and accepts no bribes. 18 He secures justice for the orphan and the widow; he loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Therefore you are to love the foreigner, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You are to fear Adonai your God, serve him, cling to him and swear by his name. 21 He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things, which you have seen with your own eyes. 22 Your ancestors went down into Egypt with only seventy people, but now Adonai your God has made your numbers as many as the stars in the sky!
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The word alien in any culture generally carries a negative meaning. A good working definition of an alien is someone who is not part of “us.” Whether it is a child left out of a play group, or a college student whose secrets keep them away from others, or someone at work whose social skills make them awkward to be around, we are surrounded by those who may not appear to be part of “us.” Maybe, you have once felt like you were on the outside looking in!
In typical fashion, the Christian life looks at social barriers and cultural standards through a lens of grace and mercy. In a very real way, the true “aliens” are those people who look for ways to separate themselves from others or think they are better than others. As believers, we are called to seek out those who are left out by others and become their defenders, to put ourselves before them. We are called to love those who are outcast and lost amongst us. Christ came “down” to us and loved us. He humbled Himself for us. How can we do any less?
Hymn for Today:
"Bring Them In" by Alexcenah Thomas
1. Hark! ’tis the Shepherd’s voice I hear,
Out in the desert dark and drear,
Calling the *sheep who’ve gone astray, [*lambs]
Far from the Shepherd’s fold away.
Refrain:
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the *wand’ring ones to Jesus. [*little]
2. Who’ll go and help this Shepherd kind,
Help Him the *wand’ring ones to find? [*little lambs]
Who’ll bring the lost ones to the fold,
Where they’ll be sheltered from the cold?
Refrain:
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the *wand’ring ones to Jesus. [*little]
4. Out in the desert hear their cry,
Out on the mountain, wild and high;
Hark! ’tis the Master, speaks to thee,
“Go, find My *sheep where’er they be.” [*lambs]
Refrain:
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the *wand’ring ones to Jesus. [*little]
Thought for Today:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest,(Matthew 25:35).
Please pray:
That many people in Uganda will come to know Yeshua the Messiah and receive the fullness of the Ruach HaKodesh.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
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The word alien in any culture generally carries a negative meaning. A good working definition of an alien is someone who is not part of “us.” Whether it is a child left out of a play group, or a college student whose secrets keep them away from others, or someone at work whose social skills make them awkward to be around, we are surrounded by those who may not appear to be part of “us.” Maybe, you have once felt like you were on the outside looking in!
In typical fashion, the Christian life looks at social barriers and cultural standards through a lens of grace and mercy. In a very real way, the true “aliens” are those people who look for ways to separate themselves from others or think they are better than others. As believers, we are called to seek out those who are left out by others and become their defenders, to put ourselves before them. We are called to love those who are outcast and lost amongst us. Christ came “down” to us and loved us. He humbled Himself for us. How can we do any less?
Hymn for Today:
"Bring Them In" by Alexcenah Thomas
1. Hark! ’tis the Shepherd’s voice I hear,
Out in the desert dark and drear,
Calling the *sheep who’ve gone astray, [*lambs]
Far from the Shepherd’s fold away.
Refrain:
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the *wand’ring ones to Jesus. [*little]
2. Who’ll go and help this Shepherd kind,
Help Him the *wand’ring ones to find? [*little lambs]
Who’ll bring the lost ones to the fold,
Where they’ll be sheltered from the cold?
Refrain:
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the *wand’ring ones to Jesus. [*little]
4. Out in the desert hear their cry,
Out on the mountain, wild and high;
Hark! ’tis the Master, speaks to thee,
“Go, find My *sheep where’er they be.” [*lambs]
Refrain:
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the *wand’ring ones to Jesus. [*little]
Thought for Today:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest,(Matthew 25:35).
Please pray:
That many people in Uganda will come to know Yeshua the Messiah and receive the fullness of the Ruach HaKodesh.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
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