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He Gave His Only Son

"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

John 21:29

• There should be less talk. A preaching point is not a meeting point.


• The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved-- they are Jesus in disguise.


• In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta. (Commonweal, Dec 19, 1997)


• It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.


• The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. and they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.


• I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?


• I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.


• Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.


• If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~Mother Teresa~

The readings earlier this week were from the Book of Exodus and speak of the help the Lord gave to Moses when leading his people out of Egypt. The Lord parted the sea for children of Israel so they could escape the soldiers of Pharaoh's army. The Lord changed the sea bottom to dry land for the Israelites but then changed it into a muddy mess to clog the chariot's wheels and stop those soldiers from catching them. Then when the Israelites had escaped through the path of the parted waters and all the soldiers were in the middle of the sea God let the waters flow back and drowned all of them.

How often do we head straight into the muddy mess of the sea just like Pharaoh's army. We can be unaware of the dangers that can drown us just as the soldiers were destroyed.

Years ago I went to the cemetery with a girlfriend, at Christmas time, to put a wreath on her mother's grave. It was cold and raining and very muddy. Her mother's grave was on the side of a hill and my friend had warned me to be careful because it was really easy to slip and fall. When we were leaving and began walking down the hill I did start to slip. As I tried to catch myself I started going down the hill faster and faster, needless to say I didn't stay upright for very long. I fell in the mud and was covered from head to toe. My friend, trying hard not to laugh, asked if I was OK and then told me there was no way I was getting in her new car. We look back and laugh about this often. But this same thing can happen in our Spiritual life if we aren't careful. Instead of mud it can be sin that is causing us to fall out of control. And the more we slide down that slope the more we lose the sense of sin. It's easy to happen and we can go through life unaware that the dangers exist, thinking we are in control until there's so much sin we lose sight of right from wrong and can justify all our actions without shame.

If we trust in the Lord, just as the Israelite's did when they entered the sea, with the walls of water high above them on each side, He'll lead us to safety. The right thing to do isn't always the fun thing or the thing that everyone else is doing, but believing and following Jesus will bring us the greatest joy in the end. If we pray and depend on Jesus, He will give us the dry land we need to live the joyful life He has planned for us.

When we sin, when we are despairing, and no longer feel that He can save us, or when we just willingly turn from good we can start sliding down that slippery slope unable to make the proper judgments in our lives. If we pay attention, we'll know that something isn't right and we can stop it by just turning to God again. Be in charge of your life with God as the leader, pay attention, and draw yourself back to Jesus. His mercy is always available for us.