No bus trips this weekend, Father, but a full slate nonetheless. Thank You for the strength and ability to accomplish some things around the house, for time spent in worship, and for the blessing of being out and about with Karen on some errands this afternoon. What a good, good Father I have!
Luke 1:39-45 (<<click to read the passage)
Sometimes, even though we may be in a good position, we can find ourselves being envious of someone who is in a better position.
For example, I have to say I was very impressed last weekend when I drove one of three buses taking our band to a competition just outside of Columbus. The band really did a great job but not well enough against the competition in their category to get a trophy. The Color Guard, on the other hand, received a trophy for being the best in their category.
As the students were loading up, I heard several of them talking – and these were all instrumentalists, no Color Guard members had gotten on the bus yet. And their conversation centered on how they should react to the recognition the Color Guard had gotten when the band as a whole had not gotten any recognition. There were no adults on board yet either. I remained silent and I am proud to say that they quickly came to the conclusion that congratulations were in order. And when a majority of the Color Guard did board, they were welcomed by genuine, joyous celebratory comments from their fellow band members. We really have great kids!
When Mary went to visit Elizabeth upon hearing about her unexpected pregnancy, Elizabeth, though abundantly blessed with her own miraculous pregnancy, could have been envious in the fact that Mary’s son would overshadow her son. But her reaction reflected her true relationship with God. And that relationship also made her a very open recipient for an infilling of the Holy Spirit.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered by Him. And she exclaimed loudly, “Blessed [worthy to be praised] are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed [spiritually fortunate and favored by God] is she who believed and confidently trusted that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord.” vs.41-45 (AMP)
Lord Jesus, help us to set ourselves above the petty envies in our lives. May we be directed with Your mindsets. May we find total contentment in where we find ourselves when we are diligently following You. And may we rightly rejoice with others when blessings overflow in their lives, as well. Amen.
Oct 13th, 2019, Sun, 8:03 pm
