Entwined Moments of Divine Freedom.
Good Morning Friends,
Most people have not learned to have a sensitivity to the moving of the Spirit that prompts a shared love with others. But these times of sharing the right things at the right time can last a lifetime and are indeed Entwined Moments of Divine Freedom.
Scripture: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (NRSV)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NRSV)
Message: People all over are thinking about planting gardens and it got me thinking the connection between growing peas, friends and faith. Maybe you have never thought about this but in order for it to work as God intended the hollow stems of the pea plant needs to be supported… it is really surprisingly similar to growing grapes in a way that supports the harvest. So too it is with our friendships and faith… being a mentor or as we disciple others in the faith as we are yoked with others in the way. The Great Omission of the church is that we fail to do this with the regularity we should. Our ego tells us to do it on our own unconnected. It does not work. For it to work in our lives, we need, and need to share, sincere support for the long haul, willing to be honest with each other, laugh with each other and cry with each other. There is a strong need we all have to belong as peas in a pod, but also connected with others in a spiritual way to that home we call heaven, to that friend we call Jesus…the vine connected to the branches, the stem to the tendrils and pods. With true friendships the focus always includes God. In Ecclesiastes it implies that the twine of you, me and God is the one least likely to be broken. That is the way it is intended. And now with the potential of internet and social networking opportunities, we have more tools to find supports than ever before, but perhaps we have not yet learned how to grow and become firmly attached as a virtual community, that connection of proximity with a purpose willed by God. Discipleship, friendship is meant to be for the long haul; we are designed to pass on our knowledge of the harvest, to sustain a bond like DNA, a connection not to be broken or lost but for life and its continuation
entwined.
Pray we choose our friends well so that when we cling to them, we are entwined with something good…Jesus. Pray we embrace a biblical way of life that is more fulfilling than frustrating, more effective than efficient, more practical than pragmatic, and more faithful than fashionable. Pray this way of relating to God gives strength and endurance healing communities and the Church so we might be as one.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 