DAY 10 As children of our Comforting God.....

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger. Thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me about the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

Christian, you seem so holy; so close to God But I’m still very hungry, and lonely, and cold…                                                                                                                           (by John Stott)

Pastor Tony Campolo’s mother called and said, ‘Tony, Mrs. Kilpatrick died and you need to go to her funeral.’" Tony says this about his mother -  "I’m 50 years old, but when you’re Italian and your mother calls and tells you to do something, you do it." Mrs. Kilpatrick was neighbor of the Campolos when Tony was a little boy.   So on the day of her funeral he went to the funeral home. Arriving a few minutes late, he rushed through the door, sat down in the front row and then saw that he was the only one there, except for one little woman in front of him. Then he looked at the coffin and suddenly realized that it was a man inside the coffin.   He was in the wrong chapel. As he was about to stand up and leave, the woman turned around, touched him on the hand and asked, "Did you know him?"

Tony Campolo asks, "What would you do if you were in a situation like that? If you were the only one who came to the funeral of this grieving woman’s husband, what would you do? I stayed there for the whole funeral service."

"Then, since I was the only one there, I even felt compelled to go to the graveside service and stand there with the widow. When that was over and we were riding back together, I turned to her and said, ’Mrs. King, I want to be your friend, but I must be honest with you, I really didn’t know your husband.’" "She reached out for my hand and gripped it tightly, and speaking softly and slowly, said, ’That doesn’t matter. You’ll never know what your being here has meant to me.’"

Dear Brother and Sister in Christ, even in this computer, Internet and social media age people are lonely and hurting. They are waiting for someone to reach out to them, touch them and talk to them.  One of them could be your spouse, your child, a family member, a church member, a friend, a co-worker or even an acquaintance. And that’s just people we know. We are also taught “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2).  So just as Christ came to serve, let’s not just talk about Christ – let us serve, comfort and be Christ to all.

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Blessed Father, bless me that I can be a blessing to others. Comfort me as I comfort others. In Jesus name I ask. Amen.

Day 9 THE Question

Mark 8:27-29

(I believe asking questions, inquiring about matters and wanting to learn from questioning and inquiring is an excellent trait.)

A Noble prizewinner was asked how and why he became a scientist. He did not talk anything sublime. Nor did he talk about scientific curiosity or a discovery that led him to love science. His reply was simple  ‘Every day after school my mother would talk to me about my school day. She wasn't so much interested in what I learned, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today? Asking questions made me become a scientist." 

The Boston Globe has column that answers readers’ questions and inquiries. So one day they published their top ten unanswerable questions. Here is one of the ten, "I am nine years of age and have a cat that needs to go on a diet, but he eats mice when he is outside. How many calories in a mouse?”

The 9 year olds question might be unanswerable but there is a question that needs to be answered by you and it is THE question to answer. It is the same question Jesus asked his disciples in Mark 8:29 and Matthew 16:15 “...who do you say that I am?” 

So how would you answer if Jesus came to you right now and asked you ‘ ___________ (your name here) who do you say that I am?’ Please think about it.  

God the Holy Spirit, teach me about Jesus and convict my heart to repent and to look up to Him. Amen.

DAY 8 The Beggar, The Baker, and The Bread

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger…” John 6:35

A beggar was dying from hunger. He tried different kinds of bread but they did not help. He also realized all the breads he tried so far were in fact killing him. So he went to this shiny bakery on a hill and asked the first person that greeted him  ‘I want bread’ – a simple three word request - because he knew he was dying of hunger.

‘How wise you are,’ the greeter assured him. ‘And you have come to the right bakery. All you need is our bread. In fact, the whole world needs our bread.’  And the greeter said ’I will introduce you to our baker’. On the way to the baker’s office the other bakery workers joined the greeter. They all told the beggar about the holy and venerated institute that the baker attended. They also described the baker’s dazzling white outfits and how he wore the right seasonal colors to accentuate the white outfits.

The baker warmly greeted the beggar and applauded him on his choice of the bakery.  The baker then pulled his cookbook of life down from a pedestal – he had to strain to reach it – you see the cookbook of life was placed on a high pedestal so everyone could see how the baker adored the cookbook.  Then the baker had to dust off the cookbook off a little bit, because the baker only used the cookbook when others were around. In fact the “smart” baker was using his own modified and better recipes.  The baker “knew” his own recipes were better than those in the cookbook. Then the baker began to tell the beggar all he knew about bread. Meanwhile the greeter and the workers from the bakery gathered around and kept on repeating ‘yes it is great bread – we have great bread.’

The baker spoke of recipes of flour made from wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt.  The workers were impressed at his knowledge – he had the cookbook of life open in his hands and he was not looking at it. He was reciting his own recipes. The baker was impressed with his recitation of the recipes.  The baker was also overjoyed at the adulation and praise showered on him by all the workers. But when he looked at the beggar, the baker was startled to see that the beggar was not smiling. When the baker looked at him, the beggar said ‘I want bread.’

‘You are a wise man,’ the baker said. He again applauded the beggar’s choice of the bakery. ‘Follow me, and I’ll give you a tour of our bakery.’ Down the hallowed halls he took the baker pointing the portraits of the bakers before him, occasionally stopping to point out the rooms where the flour is measured, where the water is purified, where the colorful bread wrappers are printed and rooms with ovens.

‘No other bakery has our facilities.’ The baker said ‘we have bread for to satisfy all needs and hunger. As the cookbook says ‘They shall hunger no more.’ ‘But this the best part of the bakery,’ the baker proclaimed, admiring his own voice and repeated the words, ‘But this the best part of the bakery,’ then he pushed open two huge swinging doors and in a rather dramatic way said ‘This is our meeting room of inspiration.’ And of course all the workers applauded.

The baker and the workers were overcome by emotion as they stepped into the meeting room full of luxurious new carpeting. The seating was made from the best wood on earth and the cushions were plush and colorful. The sun shining brightly showed off the beautiful stained glass windows. The beggar did not say a single word. The baker and the others had seen that type of reaction before. The baker hugged the beggar and said soft tone ’I understand. All of us are overwhelmed when we enter this meeting room.’ 

Then the baker raced to the podium and struck his favorite pose behind the lectern. ‘People come from miles to hear me speak. Once a week my workers gather, and I read to them recipes from the cookbook of life.’ By now the beggar had taken a seat on the front row. The baker knew what he wanted. ‘Would you like to hear me?’ ‘No,’ the beggar said, ‘but I am dying and I would like some bread.’

‘How wise you are,’ The baker replied. And he led him to the front door of the bakery. ‘What I tell you is very important,’ he told him as they stood outside. ‘Up and down this street you will find many bakeries. But be careful; they don’t have the true bread. I know of one who adds two spoons of salt rather than one. I know of another whose oven is three degrees too hot. Another uses the water incorrectly. They may call it bread,’ the baker warned, ‘but it’s not according to the cookbook of life.’

The beggar turned and began walking away. ‘Don’t you want bread?’ the baker asked him. He stopped, looked back, and shrugged, ‘I guess I lost my appetite.’

The baker and his workers were disappointed. ’What a shame,’ the baker said ‘The world just isn’t hungry for true bread anymore.’ The workers agreed.
They shook their heads and felt sorry for the beggar and others like him who needed the bread available at the bakery. Then they went to the meeting room to plan for the future and they discussed how to make the bakery more appealing to those hungry like the beggar.  

Heavenly Father, I thank you for giving me the true bread of life and help me to share the bread with others. In your son’s name I ask. Amen.

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DAY 7 HYPOCRITES

MATTHEW 15:1-9                “You hypocrites! …” Matthew 15:7.   

What is the meaning of the word Hypocrite? Just like many English words ‘hypocrite’, a theatrical term, has Greek origins. In a Greek play, an actor often played multiple roles using different masks. For example, he might come from one side of the stage wearing a smiling mask and do or say something funny to make people laugh. Later he would enter from the other side wearing a serious or sad mask and deliver serious or sad lines. So the actor was called a "hypocrite", someone with two or more “masks” or "faces." Over the years this Greek word took on negative connotations and eventually it has come to mean "two-faced" i.e., someone whose actions do not back up his words.

Now Jesus many times calls the Pharisees hypocrites. But that was 2000 years ago. Coming to you, I ask you, do you show hypocrisy in your walk with Jesus? If Jesus came right now would He call you a hypocrite? Now you might say ‘Ebenezer who are you to ask?”  But we have ask ourselves

                1)  What mask or face do I show God in my actions?

                2)  What mask or face do I show my neighbor in my actions?

Coming to God, we think we can fool God wearing masks just like King Saul(1 Samuel 28) or Ananias and Sapphira(Acts 5:1-11). But our God, who searches the heart and tests the minds (Jeremiah 17:10), knows who we truly are. Our masks don’t work with God. 

Coming to our neighbors, let me begin with the following story –

A psychologist researched how people behaved in different places. For the research he did not interview adults. He interviewed children as to the places where their parents’ behavior differed compared to their behavior at home.  And the top three answers are - first, people put on airs or wear masks when they are in the lobby of a fancy hotel or in a fancy restaurant. Second, they wear masks when dealing with salespeople especially when buying cars. Guess the third place - where the children said their parents do not act as themselves? The church.  

So ask yourself – ‘am I hiding behind masks when dealing with my neighbor?’ Do you wear a mask in and outside church? What masks keeps you away from Jesus and from deep fellowship with others? Above all, is your mask hindering others, especially your own family, from coming closer to Jesus? Please reflect about it. Also, do you hide behind the mask of religion or do you have the right relationship with God through Jesus?

The good news is we are not perfect people but our Jesus is perfect.  We are all sinners saved by grace, but remember Christ did say in Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” - especially when you are a representative of Christ.

Dear God! Help me always to come to your presence with a broken, contrite and repentant heart that is acceptable to you. In Jesus’ name I ask. Amen.

DAY 6 AN EMBLEM OF PRIDE

Hebrews 12:1-2

In 1889 Menelik II became emperor of Ethiopia and ruled for 24 years. In his efforts to modernize Ethiopia, Menelik purchased electric chairs from New York because he hated the brutal execution methods in his country.  It was only after they were unpacked in Ethiopia that Menelik realized that the chairs needed electricity to work. Ethiopia had no electricity in those days. So what did he do?  As the story goes, Menelik used one of the chairs as his throne. 

Thus an electric chair, an instrument of execution, became one of the symbols of the Menelik’s power and might. While that seems bizarre to many, we Christians also take pride in a symbol that was once an instrument of execution - the cross.  

In Jesus’ day a cross was neither jewelry or nor decoration.   The cross was an instrument of death. Slaves and rebels were crucified. For the first century Jew hanging on the cross was a curse by God.  However Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, chose the shame of the cross for our sake.    

Just as Jesus“…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve”  (Matthew 20:28) Jesus humbled himself and chose death to provide us everlasting life. And he chose an instrument of shame and death to teach us that His kingdom is very different compared to any other earthly kingdom. While “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing”( I Corinthians 1:18), to us “who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Now if we were to look at Jesus’ teachings we can summarize them this way- ‘I am the Son of God; I am the way to the father; I have come to die for your sins; I have taken up the cross for you; I rose for your salvation; so now you take up your cross for me and follow me.’

So what should we do? Humbly turn to Christ and ask God to help follow Jesus.

Dear God help me run the race, looking to Jesus humbly, that I too can love and serve Christ and my neighbor. In His name I ask. Amen