Psalm 37:5-9

“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.” vs. 8

As the psalmist proceeds with words of advice for people living in contentious times he mentions wrath, another of the seven deadly sins catalogued by the early church. In his mind it’s closely related to anger, a feeling that comes to the best of us from time to time. We might say that wrath is anger run amok, those moments when we want nothing more than to wreak vengeance on someone who has done us wrong or who dares to disagree with us. Those feelings come without warning in moments of stress and we’re hard-pressed to avoid acting out. What we call “road rage” is a perfect example of anger boiling over into wrath. Sadly this kind of behavior has seemed to occur rather frequently in recent years, particularly as what is called “civility” has gone into decline. Sometimes we call it “righteous indignation” but more often it can be categorized as “getting mad and getting even.” The problem with such behavior is that it only escalates and, as the psalmist says, “leads only to evil.” Can we live in another way? Of course! While feelings of anger are bound to come, the Holy Spirit of God gives power to replace anger with love, and bring peace to our minds.

Thought for the Day: What happens when my anger boils over?

Psalm 37:1-4

“Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.” vss. 1-2

When monks retreated to the desert in the early years of Christianity in a mostly futile attempt to purify themselves, they had plenty of time to meditate on the nature of sin. As a result of their meditation they developed definitions for what later were classified as “the seven deadly sins,” one of which was envy, a vice known to the psalmist, and also to most of us. Envy begins with jealousy when we notice that others are prospering and we are not, and then it grows into covetousness, a deep desire to have their cool stuff. And if we perceive that these other persons are not walking in the straight and narrow, presumably like we are, our envy can become particularly acute. It eats away at our serenity and soon we can think of little else. We can even begin to question why we’re being good when being bad has all the benefits. The psalmist recommends that we simply cool it. “Don’t fret,” he says, and advises us to trust that material gains are external and obviously will not last. What really counts is our relationship with God. We can be confident that the spiritual blessings of that connection will satisfy the desires of our hearts. Who cares what others have? What really counts is whose we are!

Thought for the Day: Who am I most likely to envy?

Habakkuk 2:1-4

“Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.” vs. 4

When we look at the state of the world around us it’s hard not to lose heart and adopt a pessimistic attitude concerning the future. The reasoning of the pessimist seems sound: leaders of nations are arrogant and corrupt and use their power to dominate and control. That’s the way it’s always been and that’s the way it will always be. End of story! With that as a worldview there is little incentive to look for change, work for good or even believe in God. But Habakkuk says there’s another way to live, he calls it the way of the righteous. Such persons live with a vision in their minds and hearts that transcends the ugliness of the world around them. They trust in a future dominated by God’s justice and mercy, a peaceable kingdom in which love abounds. That faith draws them onward in every circumstance and pulls them through every form of suffering. These people of faith first described by Habakkuk have been present in every age, and we continue to draw strength from their presence and vision. They simply do not believe that evil has the last word, no matter how dominant it may seem, and tirelessly proclaim the goodness of God. In their joyful presence our hearts find healing and our spirits are made right.

Thought for the Day: What is my vision of the future?

Habakkuk 1:1-4

“Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.” vs. 3

Over 2500 years ago the prophet Habakkuk took a look at the chaos of his world and uttered words that could very well have come from our own mouths. Like him we want to cry out to God in frustration and pain. Over and over again we see the pictures of bleeding, dying children, killed by bombs and poisonous gases. There are videos of beheading and news reports of violent clashes. Racial tensions have escalated as accusations are made about police killings. Random shootings are everyday news in our cities and drug deaths are increasing. We cower behind our locked doors and buy more and more guns in a futile effort to make our society safe. On top of all that we have the devastating rhetoric of our divisive political campaigns and a sense that common civility has been lost forever. No wonder we join Habakkuk in offering complaints to God! Yet in the midst of our despair people of faith still find occasion for hope, and in the most horrific circumstances we catch glimpses of God’s loving presence. Contrary to the evidence, we have not been abandoned, and so we continue to trust in God’s ultimate justice and peace.

Thought for the Day: What do I do when the news is too much to bear?

Luke 16:25-31

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” vs. 31

So how can people be convinced to open their hearts to the poor and stop their mindless pursuit of luxury? Jesus says in this parable that if they haven’t already been convinced by scripture, nothing is going to change their minds, not even a visit from a dead person. The allure of riches is that powerful! Our own experience shows this to be true. Most people simply ignore the clear message of Jesus regarding the dangers of wealth. We even hear reports that some pastors claim that Jesus wants them to be rich. They say their mansions and private jets are blessings from God. Humans have an infinite capacity to rationalize their deep desires and justify whatever it is that they want to do. As a result countless thousands of talented people will continue to scheme and maneuver to make themselves rich while believing in their hearts that this is their calling and destiny. And no one will convince them otherwise! But not everyone buys into the lie. Equal numbers of gifted folks will keep on devoted themselves to making life better for society’s marginalized. They’ll use their time, energy, and resources to walking in the footsteps of Jesus and making his mission their own. And their blessings will be eternal!

Thought for the Day: How have I been motivated by a desire for wealth?

Luke 16:19-24

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table;” vss. 19-21a

Jesus was a master storyteller and in this familiar parable changes the usual pattern by giving a name to the poor man while the rich man goes nameless. Lazarus represents the countless millions of anonymous poor, all of whom are named and loved by their creator God. The rich man stands in for the wealthy of every age, those named and admired by their peers, but of not much account in the eyes of God. Jesus contrasts the lives of these two by briefly describing their daily experience. We are familiar with those he describes. Many of  know what it’s like to wear fine clothes and dine sumptuously at fine restaurants. And all of us have seen the homeless with their signs on street-corners and the beggars waiting as we’ve come out from our feasts. Jesus doesn’t offer solutions here and tell us what to do about the massive differences between the rich and poor. All he wants to do is offer a glimpse of God’s preferences and indicate which of the two stands closest to God’s heart. He just tells us a story…and hopes it will change the way we live.

Thought for the Day: How do I feel when encountering beggars?

1 Timothy 6:11-19

“Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” vs. 12

When believers move into the “golden” years and think about the generations following them, those beginning their careers or the ones just starting families, sometimes they can’t help but give advice. They know they won’t always be listened to, but they can’t help but say the words, and as words go, there are probably none better than these received by Timothy. “Fight the good fight of the faith!” It isn’t easy to be a believer for a lifetime, and there are countless times when we have to battle to hang on to whatever thin shred of faith that we might have left. So many enemies are there to snatch it away: despair, affluence, lust, depression, the list could go on and on. Sometimes it seems a bother to maintain the disciplines of the faith life, things like prayer and worship and study. And often young people wander away from the faith community…and then don’t bother to bring up their children as believers. And so older folks keep on worrying and praying and sometimes even lapse into nagging. Faith is just that important! They want all their descendents to know and hang on to the great gift of eternal life that is a part of their calling now and forever.

Thought for the Day: How effective is nagging in passing on faith? What works best?

1 Timothy 6:6-10

“Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” vss. 6-8

Greek philosophers around the time of Jesus believed that contentment was a precious gift, one to be prized among all others. Here it is connected with godliness, a general sense of piety that is not particularly Christian. The writer believes that godliness, having a faith that is rooted in God, is the key element of a person’s life. And if a godly person has adequate food and clothing there is nothing else necessary. Contentment will follow and we will know great blessings. That sure sounds easy, and we might even agree that it is true, but it’s a lot harder to pull off. Even though we know we can take nothing from this world when we die, we get massive enjoyment from having material goods. We like our boats and cars and fine homes with their elegant furnishings. And most of us don’t even feel guilty about having those things. Of course that also means that contentment can be hard to come by. We always want just a little bit more. And here’s where these verses are a super reminder that we don’t need all that stuff to be satisfied with life. It’s our God-connection that makes the difference. When God gives peace to our minds and love to our hearts we have all we need for contentment.

Thought for the Day: To what extent am I content?

Psalm 146:5-10

“The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” vs. 9

There’s a thread of compassion that runs all the way through our scripture from beginning to end. The people of God in every age have known in their hearts that God watches over people on the fringes in a special way, and that it is their duty to reflect that concern in their care for widows, orphans, and strangers. We may have seen that caring spirit in our congregations as they’ve welcomed refugee families and helped them to adjust to our confusing communities.  And now as millions of people are being displaced by the outright wickedness of oppressors those needs for compassion are increasing. As we wait for God’s promised ruin of the wicked we can be confident that our hospitality will continue to be tested. Now some have said that we’ve already done enough, that we should start turning away the needy and take care of ourselves, that it’s even dangerous to keep on welcoming strangers. It is true that it is tiring to serve…even Jesus needed to get away for rest. We’re bound to feel some degree of “compassion fatigue.” But the real danger comes when we abandon our God-given ministry of caring…because if we don’t help, there’s no one who will!

Thought for the Day: What is “compassion fatigue”?