Today’s Readings: Psalm 105:1-22; Joshua 23:1-16; John 8:12-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Psalm 115
In the spiritual community I serve, we are trying to pay more attention to help people connect with their passions/spiritual gifts. Consequently, I’ve spent more time thinking about the various gifts. The resource that we are using to help people identify their gifts is an inventory provided by the United Methodist Church. One of the things I most appreciate about the materials is the definitions of the various gifts. Let me give you a couple of examples. The curriculum defines the gift of tongues, for instance, as having the ability to “communicate across barriers of language, culture, age, or physical limitation”. And the gift of prophecy entails being “open for God to speak God’s word through us”. One of my favorite definitions is the definition they provide for the gift of miracles. “The gift of miracles,” the authors write, “is not about performing miracles, but about living in the miraculous reality of God’s creation”. I was reminded of this definition as I read today’s first Psalm. The psalmist advised: “Keep your eyes open for God, watch for God’s works; be alert for signs of God’s presence” (Psalm 105:4 from The Message). While your primary gift may not be the gift of miracles, the psalmist writes that all of us ought to live in the space where we are watching for God’s works. Do you regularly live in such space? If not, today I would invite you to slow down a little and do just that: keep your eyes open for God and watch for God’s works. You just might be surprised at how present God is in your life in ways that you were never aware of before. Til next time…
In the spiritual community I serve, we are trying to pay more attention to help people connect with their passions/spiritual gifts. Consequently, I’ve spent more time thinking about the various gifts. The resource that we are using to help people identify their gifts is an inventory provided by the United Methodist Church. One of the things I most appreciate about the materials is the definitions of the various gifts. Let me give you a couple of examples. The curriculum defines the gift of tongues, for instance, as having the ability to “communicate across barriers of language, culture, age, or physical limitation”. And the gift of prophecy entails being “open for God to speak God’s word through us”. One of my favorite definitions is the definition they provide for the gift of miracles. “The gift of miracles,” the authors write, “is not about performing miracles, but about living in the miraculous reality of God’s creation”. I was reminded of this definition as I read today’s first Psalm. The psalmist advised: “Keep your eyes open for God, watch for God’s works; be alert for signs of God’s presence” (Psalm 105:4 from The Message). While your primary gift may not be the gift of miracles, the psalmist writes that all of us ought to live in the space where we are watching for God’s works. Do you regularly live in such space? If not, today I would invite you to slow down a little and do just that: keep your eyes open for God and watch for God’s works. You just might be surprised at how present God is in your life in ways that you were never aware of before. Til next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment