I get struck by things as I read. Probably the Holy Spirit doing what He does so well. In John 17:14 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world…” I don’t want to be hated. I want everyone to like me. Not going to happen. There is animosity between the world and God, between the world and the children of God. It is probably why Jesus tells His followers that He is sending them out as “sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” A sheep is wolf food. The wisdom of the serpent (from my point of view) is that you don’t see it, it is camouflaged.
Luke 10:17-20. Jesus sends the 70 out with unparalleled power and they come back excited and rejoicing. The Lord’s comment? “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven”. I was speaking with my chiropractor this morning and we were discussing feeling loved and accepted by Jesus. I told him that my lifelong struggle is embracing that I am loved and accepted by God just as I am, right now. We are so performance oriented that it is difficult to believe that God accepts us unconditionally. I continue to pray day by day, “Lord help me to believe that my value to you resides in my relationship with You as Your son and not in my labor for you.”
We were meeting with a couple yesterday and the wife is an incredible contingency planner. She looks 10 years ahead or more. The Lord ministered to me through Ecclesiastes years ago to help me settle in the day and enjoy it. It is good to plan for the future, it is good to learn from the past. However—this is the only day that God gives us. The past is gone, and the future is forever one day out of reach. 5 times in Ecclesiastes it speaks of rejoicing in the day.
Your brother,
David
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