Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 "We are responsible for serving wisely and well"
Daily Scripture: Luke 20:1 On one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, the [a]priests and scribes came to him with the elders. 2 They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell me: 4 the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”
5 They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 They answered that they didn’t know where it was from.
8 Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
9 He began to tell the people this parable. “A[b] man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time. 10 At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him, and sent him away empty. 11 He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12 He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him, and threw him out. 13 The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’
14 “But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 They threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.”
When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!”
17 But he looked at them, and said, “Then what is this that is written,
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
the same was made the chief cornerstone?’[c]
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces,
but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”
19 The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew he had spoken this parable against them. 20 They watched him, and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. 21 They asked him, “Teacher, we know that you say and teach what is right, and aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test me? 24 Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.”
25 He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26 They weren’t able to trap him in his words before the people. They marveled at his answer, and were silent. 27 Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection. 28 They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. 29 There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died childless. 30 The second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.”
34 Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. 36 For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[d] 38 Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
39 Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you speak well.” 40 They didn’t dare to ask him any more questions.
41 He said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son? 42 David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’ [e]
44 “David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
45 In the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts; 47 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation.”
Footnotes:
a. Luke 20:1 TR adds “chief”
b. Luke 20:9 NU (in brackets) and TR add “certain”
c. Luke 20:17 Psalm 118:22
d. Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:6
e. Luke 20:43 Psalm 110:1
Reflection Questions:
At the start of this passage, Jesus compared his followers to servants. Good ones are ready to respond to their master's commands and wishes at all times; bad ones get fired (or, in Roman times, even worse). Jesus was not endorsing those cruel practices, but making the point that choosing to serve God is a matter of eternal life or death. The section ended with a haunting parable—Jesus didn't seem to give it an ending.
Jesus' words about bringing division rather than peace (12:51-53) may strike us as odd. Isn't Jesus "the prince of peace"? Yes—but his kingdom's principles (including peace) were so unlike the world's that he knew at times division would follow. Have family members, friends or co-workers ever misunderstood or criticized choices you've made based on your loyalty to God?
Jesus told what we could call "The Unfinished Parable" (13:6-9). The gardener pleaded for one more year to help the tree bear good fruit—but Jesus never said whether the tree did or didn't bear fruit. 13:5 showed what kind of "fruit-bearing" was really on his mind. So what about you--how will you finish Jesus' unfinished parable in your life?
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you dig up the soil around me, water and fertilize, and watch eagerly for the fruit to appear in me. Help me to work with you, so that my life may indeed bear fruit to your glory. Amen.
Insight from Glen Shoup
Rev. Glen Shoup is the Executive Pastor of Worship and a Congregational Care pastor.
Well it’s just another docile Sunday sermon with Jesus. What do you suppose the conversations were on the camel ride home from church that week…..the ones who know what they’re supposed to do but don’t will be beaten severely, and the ones who don’t know and don’t do it will still be beaten…but just not as much—-or I haven’t come to bring peace, but division…to divide father and son or mother from daughter……I’ll bet you there was an emergency meeting of the staff/parish committee that quickly turned into a yelling match that afternoon—DID YOU HEAR HIM SAY HE HASN’T COME TO BRING PEACE BUT DIVISION—PITTING FATHER AGAINST SON AND SON AGAINST FATHER…
Look, I’d like to be able to domesticate Jesus and get him housebroke for us so that he never said anything that really made us uncomfortable, but I can’t—Jesus won’t be tamed.
Oh, when you really look at it and study what Jesus said here (and other places) there’s a whole lot more of this that makes perfect sense than what doesn’t; and what Jesus said here can’t be taken in isolation but rather has to be taken in light of what he said everywhere else; and I’ve got an 808 page book on my shelf called Hard Sayings of the Bible that helps give historical context and make sense out of some of the most perplexing things Jesus said and I’d like to take 5 pages and begin to break down this entire section with you—but you’d quit reading and I’d get tired of writing—so in lieu of all that, I’d like to suggest that here’s what it comes down to: Jesus is far clearer and makes way more sense than today’s reading might suggest, but Jesus is every bit as demanding and serious as today’s reading suggests…and to try and illustrate that, I’m simply going to share a quick story.
Recently, I got to spend some time with a good friend who’s been very successful in the investment business. He’s smart, has worked hard and has built a business that provides good service for his customers and has earned him more money then he’ll ever need or spend. My friend is also a Christian and a father to a son who is about to finish college (my friend is also 9 years older than I am, and that’s only important because while I’m old enough to have a kid in college, I don’t, and I don’t want you to think I’m old enough to have a kid in college…so I want you to know my friend is 9 years older than me). So after a long and arduous day of playing 36 holes of golf, we were sitting together on his Arizona patio around the fire and I was asking him about how his son was doing.
You see, while he never pushed his son to come into the family business, his son for the last several years had been expressing an interest in doing so, so the plan for a while has been that his son, upon graduation, would go out and work somewhere else for a number of years, learning some of the important lessons you can’t learn if something is just handed to you, and then once he gained some experience, he would come in and take over the business—a plan which I know my friend was very satisfied by—satisfied both because it was what his son wanted to do, and satisfied because he’d be handing over his life’s work to his son.
So as we were sitting around the fire and I asked my friend how his son was doing and if everything with the plan was still on track, I was a bit surprised by the answer. My friend said his son had decided to pick up a religion minor and then my friend said that, while his son hadn’t yet told him this, he suspected that his son was sensing a call into the ministry…and before I could say anything else my friend said… “so I don’t know what’s going to happen with the plan, but if the kid is feeling a call into the ministry, there’s no way I’m going to stand in the way of that”.
Now just because my friend already knows and believes this doesn’t change the fact that what’s going on here is that Jesus is showing up saying “Look dad, I know you’ve got a plan, and junior’s on board with that plan…but I’ve got different plan—because while junior would do a good job helping people figure out how and where to invest their money, I’m already seeing the future and I know junior’s going to do an even better job helping people figure out how and where to invest their lives”.
And if my friend weren’t already attuned to Christ and seeking to follow Christ himself, can you imagine the kind of turmoil and disruption—can you imagine the kind of family war it would cause when his son comes home and says “guess what dad, you know that business we’ve been talking about me taking over… ya, well I’m not going to do that now cause I think I’m gonna be a preacher instead.
You want to talk about division? You want to talk turning a father against his son or a daughter against her mother? But that’s just the kind of thing the gospel of Jesus does and that’s the kind of thing Jesus was getting at in our reading today……he’s saying look, don’t kid yourselves, my priorities and my purposes supersede yours—and the family business being passed down to the next generation is a really nice idea—it just may not happen to be what I have in mind for junior…and if you’re not ok with that but junior is…then you’re going to see first-hand that I didn’t come to bring peace…but division…you’re going to see—father square off against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother (Lk 12:53)…well, you get the idea.
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Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Bethesda, Maryland, United States - National Association of Caregivers for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bethesda, Maryland, United States - National Association of Caregivers for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Panel on Caregiving and Technology Closes the Gap
between Innovators and Families
Government, entrepreneurs, design, and aging experts convene discussion
on improving technologies for family caregivers
Palo Alto, CA: The National Alliance for Caregiving (the "Alliance"), in partnership with Rajiv Mehta of Bhageera Consulting and Richard Adler of People & Technology, convened a family caregiving and technology roundtable today in Palo Alto, California. The event, titled "Catalyzing Technology to Support Family Caregivers," unites government officials, academics, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and policy experts with an aim to connect innovators with those who serve overburdened family caregivers. Following the panel's recommendations, the Alliance will release a White Paper to raise awareness of how to develop technologies to reach family caregivers. Supporters for the event include the California HealthCare Foundation, the Kaiser Permanente Foundation, Intel-GE Care Innovations, and the Institute for the Future.
"The goal of this program is to enable innovators to reach family caregivers," explains Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer, Gail Gibson Hunt. "We want to close the gap between the innovators who design technologies that support caregiving and the nearly 66 million Americans who provide long-term care and chronic care management to their loved ones," said Hunt.
Consumer surveys by Pew Research have shown that family caregivers are eager to leverage technology. In Family Caregivers are Wired for Health, Susannah Fox reported, "Caregivers are highly engaged in the pursuit of health information, support, care, and advice, both online and offline, and do many health-related activities at higher levels than non-caregivers." The research found that caregivers are more likely than other adults to make use of technologies for key health-related activities.
Rajiv Mehta, one of the co-conveners of the panel, is hopeful that the panel will encourage a more coordinated conversation across industries who serve caregivers. "We are focused on the future," he explains. "We want to help innovators better understand the needs of family caregivers, and also to identify what steps non-profits, government agencies and healthcare institutions can do to support innovators. This meeting with representatives from all key stakeholders will help us gain a complete picture of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead."
Hunt agrees. "It's important that this discussion leads to clear, actionable recommendations," she says. "We want to keep the momentum going so that innovators can create real change for caregivers."
The full panel of speakers includes:
Richard Adler, Principal, People & Technology, and Distinguished Fellow, Institute for the Future
Yan Chow, Director, Innovation & Advanced Technology Group, Kaiser Permanente
Andy Cohen, Chief Executive Officers and Co-Founder, Caring.com, and Board Member, National Alliance for Caregiving
Jodi Daniel, Director, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, US Department of Health and Human Services
Adam Darkins, Chief Consultant for Telehealth Services, US Department of Veterans Affairs
Hugh Dubberly, Partner, Dubberly Design Office
Katy Fike, Founder, Innovate50 Consulting and Co-Founder, Aging2.0
Mark Francis, Venture Development Lead and Wearable Product Innovator, New Business Initiative Group, Intel
Marcus Grindstaff, Vice President of Market Development and International Markets, Intel-GE Care Innovations, and Board Member, National Alliance for Caregiving
Matthew Holt, Co-Chairman, Health 2.0, and Author, The Health Care Blog
Gail Gibson Hunt, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance for Caregiving
Kathy Kelly, Executive Director, Family Caregiver Alliance
Bradley Kreit, Co-Director, Health Horizons and Global Food Outlook Programs, Institute for the Future
Carol Levine, Director, Families and Health Care Project, United Hospital Fund
David Lindeman, Director, CITRIS Health Care Program, and Director, Center for Aging and Technology, University of California Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)
Miriam Lueck-Avery, Co-Director, Health Horizons and Global Food Outlook Program, Institute for the Future
Rajiv Mehta, Principal, Bhageera Consulting, and Board Member, Family Caregiver Alliance
Lori Melichar, Team Director, Pioneer Portfolio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Kate O'Malley, Senior Program Officer, Better Chronic Disease Care Program, California HealthCare Foundation
Doug Solomon, Innovation Consultant and IDEO Fellow
Nancy Taylor, Vice President for Public Policy, External Relations, and Communications, The Permanente Foundation
Nancy Vuckovic, Director of User Experience Research and Design, Health Strategy & Solutions Group, Intel
Cali Williams Yost, Founder, Flex Strategy Group/Work Life Fit Inc.
About the National Alliance for Caregiving: The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of over 50 national organizations focused on family caregiving. In providing research and education on family caregiving, the Alliance has served America's nearly 66 million family caregivers since 1996. Learn more at www.caregiving.org.
###
Contact: C. Grace Whiting
Director, Communications & Coalitions
National Alliance for Caregiving
Phone: (301) 718-8444
Email: gracewhiting@caregiving.org
National Alliance for Caregiving
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 205
Bethesda, MD 20814 United States
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National Panel on Caregiving and Technology Closes the Gap
between Innovators and Families
Government, entrepreneurs, design, and aging experts convene discussion
on improving technologies for family caregivers
Palo Alto, CA: The National Alliance for Caregiving (the "Alliance"), in partnership with Rajiv Mehta of Bhageera Consulting and Richard Adler of People & Technology, convened a family caregiving and technology roundtable today in Palo Alto, California. The event, titled "Catalyzing Technology to Support Family Caregivers," unites government officials, academics, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and policy experts with an aim to connect innovators with those who serve overburdened family caregivers. Following the panel's recommendations, the Alliance will release a White Paper to raise awareness of how to develop technologies to reach family caregivers. Supporters for the event include the California HealthCare Foundation, the Kaiser Permanente Foundation, Intel-GE Care Innovations, and the Institute for the Future.
"The goal of this program is to enable innovators to reach family caregivers," explains Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer, Gail Gibson Hunt. "We want to close the gap between the innovators who design technologies that support caregiving and the nearly 66 million Americans who provide long-term care and chronic care management to their loved ones," said Hunt.
Consumer surveys by Pew Research have shown that family caregivers are eager to leverage technology. In Family Caregivers are Wired for Health, Susannah Fox reported, "Caregivers are highly engaged in the pursuit of health information, support, care, and advice, both online and offline, and do many health-related activities at higher levels than non-caregivers." The research found that caregivers are more likely than other adults to make use of technologies for key health-related activities.
Rajiv Mehta, one of the co-conveners of the panel, is hopeful that the panel will encourage a more coordinated conversation across industries who serve caregivers. "We are focused on the future," he explains. "We want to help innovators better understand the needs of family caregivers, and also to identify what steps non-profits, government agencies and healthcare institutions can do to support innovators. This meeting with representatives from all key stakeholders will help us gain a complete picture of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead."
Hunt agrees. "It's important that this discussion leads to clear, actionable recommendations," she says. "We want to keep the momentum going so that innovators can create real change for caregivers."
The full panel of speakers includes:
Richard Adler, Principal, People & Technology, and Distinguished Fellow, Institute for the Future
Yan Chow, Director, Innovation & Advanced Technology Group, Kaiser Permanente
Andy Cohen, Chief Executive Officers and Co-Founder, Caring.com, and Board Member, National Alliance for Caregiving
Jodi Daniel, Director, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, US Department of Health and Human Services
Adam Darkins, Chief Consultant for Telehealth Services, US Department of Veterans Affairs
Hugh Dubberly, Partner, Dubberly Design Office
Katy Fike, Founder, Innovate50 Consulting and Co-Founder, Aging2.0
Mark Francis, Venture Development Lead and Wearable Product Innovator, New Business Initiative Group, Intel
Marcus Grindstaff, Vice President of Market Development and International Markets, Intel-GE Care Innovations, and Board Member, National Alliance for Caregiving
Matthew Holt, Co-Chairman, Health 2.0, and Author, The Health Care Blog
Gail Gibson Hunt, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance for Caregiving
Kathy Kelly, Executive Director, Family Caregiver Alliance
Bradley Kreit, Co-Director, Health Horizons and Global Food Outlook Programs, Institute for the Future
Carol Levine, Director, Families and Health Care Project, United Hospital Fund
David Lindeman, Director, CITRIS Health Care Program, and Director, Center for Aging and Technology, University of California Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)
Miriam Lueck-Avery, Co-Director, Health Horizons and Global Food Outlook Program, Institute for the Future
Rajiv Mehta, Principal, Bhageera Consulting, and Board Member, Family Caregiver Alliance
Lori Melichar, Team Director, Pioneer Portfolio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Kate O'Malley, Senior Program Officer, Better Chronic Disease Care Program, California HealthCare Foundation
Doug Solomon, Innovation Consultant and IDEO Fellow
Nancy Taylor, Vice President for Public Policy, External Relations, and Communications, The Permanente Foundation
Nancy Vuckovic, Director of User Experience Research and Design, Health Strategy & Solutions Group, Intel
Cali Williams Yost, Founder, Flex Strategy Group/Work Life Fit Inc.
About the National Alliance for Caregiving: The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of over 50 national organizations focused on family caregiving. In providing research and education on family caregiving, the Alliance has served America's nearly 66 million family caregivers since 1996. Learn more at www.caregiving.org.
###
Contact: C. Grace Whiting
Director, Communications & Coalitions
National Alliance for Caregiving
Phone: (301) 718-8444
Email: gracewhiting@caregiving.org
National Alliance for Caregiving
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 205
Bethesda, MD 20814 United States
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Henri Nouwen Society Daily Meditation for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 "The Beauty of Shyness"
Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Henri Nouwen Society Daily Meditation for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 "The Beauty of Shyness"
There is something beautiful about shyness, even though in our culture shyness is not considered a virtue. On the contrary, we are encouraged to be direct, look people straight in the eyes, tell them what is on our minds, and share our stories without a blush.
But this unflinching soul-baring, confessional attitude quickly becomes boring. It is like trees without shadows. Shy people have long shadows, where they keep much of their beauty hidden from intruders' eyes. Shy people remind us of the mystery of life that cannot be simply explained or expressed. They invite us to reverent and respectful friendships and to a wordless being together in love.--Father Henri J. M. Nouwen
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There is something beautiful about shyness, even though in our culture shyness is not considered a virtue. On the contrary, we are encouraged to be direct, look people straight in the eyes, tell them what is on our minds, and share our stories without a blush.
But this unflinching soul-baring, confessional attitude quickly becomes boring. It is like trees without shadows. Shy people have long shadows, where they keep much of their beauty hidden from intruders' eyes. Shy people remind us of the mystery of life that cannot be simply explained or expressed. They invite us to reverent and respectful friendships and to a wordless being together in love.--Father Henri J. M. Nouwen
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Joni Earackson Tada via Jeff McNair Disabled Christianity for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 - Matthew 25:31-46
Joni Earackson Tada via Jeff McNair Disabled Christianity for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 - Matthew 25:31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. 36 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’
40 “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers[a] , you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 25:40 The word for “brothers” here may be also correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.” from Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
The following is from
Joni and Friends Daily Devotional March 30, 2014
"You Did It for Me"
"Then the King will say, 'I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:34-40
The year is A.D. 33. It's late on a stormy Friday afternoon, and I am standing on a rugged hill by a trash heap outside Jerusalem. I huddle with a group of women just a few yards from the cross. Large drops of rain begin to pelt the dust, and I clutch at my head shawl, wiping away tears and rain.
I cannot take my eyes off Jesus. His body is ramrod stiff, covered with caked dirt and blood, back arched, near death, yet hands stretched and fingers splayed. Jesus' head bobs against the crossbar and He groans, "I thirst."
I step out of the group and cock my ear. Did Jesus say He was... thirsty? A soldier, half-drunk, cracks off a stock of hyssop, spears a sponge and, after soaking it in sour wine, laughs and thrusts it into His face.
I am horrified. Wait. Don't give Him wine gone acidic. This is the Lord who is asking for a drink. O, God, if only I had a jug of fresh spring water! But history is written. I am helpless to do anything.
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It is this year. It is late on a stormy afternoon. You drive by a nursing home, recalling a community notice mentioning the need for more dinnertime volunteers at the home.
Jesus said that when we meet the needs of our neighbors, we have ministered personally to Him. Hurting people are our neighbors. History can be rewritten -- we can still give the Lord that drink.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
www.joniandfriends.org
If you go to the website you can sign up to receive these daily devotional emails from Joni!
Jeff McNair
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37 “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’
40 “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers[a] , you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 25:40 The word for “brothers” here may be also correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.” from Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
The following is from
Joni and Friends Daily Devotional March 30, 2014
"You Did It for Me"
"Then the King will say, 'I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:34-40
The year is A.D. 33. It's late on a stormy Friday afternoon, and I am standing on a rugged hill by a trash heap outside Jerusalem. I huddle with a group of women just a few yards from the cross. Large drops of rain begin to pelt the dust, and I clutch at my head shawl, wiping away tears and rain.
I cannot take my eyes off Jesus. His body is ramrod stiff, covered with caked dirt and blood, back arched, near death, yet hands stretched and fingers splayed. Jesus' head bobs against the crossbar and He groans, "I thirst."
I step out of the group and cock my ear. Did Jesus say He was... thirsty? A soldier, half-drunk, cracks off a stock of hyssop, spears a sponge and, after soaking it in sour wine, laughs and thrusts it into His face.
I am horrified. Wait. Don't give Him wine gone acidic. This is the Lord who is asking for a drink. O, God, if only I had a jug of fresh spring water! But history is written. I am helpless to do anything.
______________________________________
It is this year. It is late on a stormy afternoon. You drive by a nursing home, recalling a community notice mentioning the need for more dinnertime volunteers at the home.
Jesus said that when we meet the needs of our neighbors, we have ministered personally to Him. Hurting people are our neighbors. History can be rewritten -- we can still give the Lord that drink.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
www.joniandfriends.org
If you go to the website you can sign up to receive these daily devotional emails from Joni!
Jeff McNair
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Richmond, Ontario, Canada - L'Arche Canada Foundation Jean Vanier Daily Thought for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 "Sharing Responsibility"
Richmond, Ontario, Canada - L'Arche Canada Foundation Jean Vanier Daily Thought for Tuesday, 1 April 2014 "Sharing Responsibility"
People with responsibility must always share their work, even if others do it less well than they do or in a different way. People with responsibility who fall into the trap of wanting to do everything themselves are in danger of becoming isolated and overstressed, and of losing the vision.--Jean Vanier, Community and Growth, page 218
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People with responsibility must always share their work, even if others do it less well than they do or in a different way. People with responsibility who fall into the trap of wanting to do everything themselves are in danger of becoming isolated and overstressed, and of losing the vision.--Jean Vanier, Community and Growth, page 218
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Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Don’t Forget to Ask" Tuesday, 1 April 2014 - Read Mark 11:20-25
Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Don’t Forget to Ask" Tuesday, 1 April 2014 - Read Mark 11:20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. 21 Peter, remembering, said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.”
22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. 25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.
Jesus said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”--John 14:14 (NIV)
Since childhood, I have struggled with stuttering. In elementary school I hated reading in front of my classmates. Family members were impatient, and friends teased me by asking me to say words I couldn’t pronounce. My speech problem became a joke that I learned to laugh about as well. Then, one day, while reading my Bible I began to notice the word ask. That’s it, I thought to myself. Jesus told us we could ask for anything in his name and he would do it. In prayer, I began to cry out, asking God to take this aggravation from me. God’s response came when I stumbled across a website dedicated to people who stutter. It suggested that sometimes stuttering can be worsened by not breathing deeply enough before speaking. Really? I thought. Could it be that simple? I began to remind myself to breathe deeply before speaking, and my stuttering problem slowly went away. We all have personal issues and unfortunate life circumstances that God wants to help us with. What are we holding on to that can be given to God? Whatever it is, if we trust what Jesus promised in John 14:14, we can pray daily, asking for help. Then we can wait expectantly for God’s answer.
The Author: Michael Slaughter (Georgia, USA)
Thought for the Day: God knows what I’m going through today and is waiting for me to ask for help.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for allowing us to approach your throne of grace through prayer (Heb. 4:16). Amen.
Prayer focus: Those with speech problems
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22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. 25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.
Jesus said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”--John 14:14 (NIV)
Since childhood, I have struggled with stuttering. In elementary school I hated reading in front of my classmates. Family members were impatient, and friends teased me by asking me to say words I couldn’t pronounce. My speech problem became a joke that I learned to laugh about as well. Then, one day, while reading my Bible I began to notice the word ask. That’s it, I thought to myself. Jesus told us we could ask for anything in his name and he would do it. In prayer, I began to cry out, asking God to take this aggravation from me. God’s response came when I stumbled across a website dedicated to people who stutter. It suggested that sometimes stuttering can be worsened by not breathing deeply enough before speaking. Really? I thought. Could it be that simple? I began to remind myself to breathe deeply before speaking, and my stuttering problem slowly went away. We all have personal issues and unfortunate life circumstances that God wants to help us with. What are we holding on to that can be given to God? Whatever it is, if we trust what Jesus promised in John 14:14, we can pray daily, asking for help. Then we can wait expectantly for God’s answer.
The Author: Michael Slaughter (Georgia, USA)
Thought for the Day: God knows what I’m going through today and is waiting for me to ask for help.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for allowing us to approach your throne of grace through prayer (Heb. 4:16). Amen.
Prayer focus: Those with speech problems
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