Sunday review: October 18-23

This week’s posts challenge us to see beyond the busyness of our everyday surroundings to discover God’s purposes for our lives on earth. Read, ponder . . . and share with a friend!

October 18
How much of our time do we spend focused on our Father in Heaven’s business? Or are we simply consumed by the jobs that produce our paychecks and by our hobbies, our stuff, and our favorite sports teams? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life, but I do think we need to remember that as believers we have been called to be extending God’s love far and wide.
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October 19
They were beginning to see that holding on to the catch of fish wasn’t the thing to do. They would continue to learn that holding onto God’s grace and mercy wasn’t right, either. The gifts of God and the favor of God were to be shared with others. The good news needed to be spread to everyone and everywhere.
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October 20
When we mess up and not just a little but a lot, we have felt the loneliness and the burden of our shortcoming—particularly when our mistakes brought harm to someone we love. Forgiveness offered by the offended person leaves you stunned and grateful. But no one down here in the rooms we are living in knows all of our sins and certainly can’t offer forgiveness for all of them. So imagine you’re looking for one thing, even a big thing, from someone and they offer you something bigger than you could have imagined. Forgiveness for all your sins past, current, and future is a God-sized gift.
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October 21
This story has me wondering about my speed to follow Jesus when he calls me. I’m pretty sure Jesus is calling us to follow him every day. If the Holy Spirit gives a prompt today, let’s both agree to be ready to act more like Matthew and just go and do what Jesus asks of us.
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October 22
Loving enemies, turning the other cheek, expecting nothing in return, lending to those who can’t repay, serving someone who is ungrateful—these are the very things we are told to do. These behaviors are contrary, even upside down, to what is expected or considered normal behavior by society. We must remember that as believers we have joined a different kingdom. Our King has a higher standard, and if we are to follow him and see the world change for good, then we will need to look and act more like Jesus and less like everyone else.
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October 23
Next steps may be difficult to decide. Faced with the reality of a struggling church in a divided age, none of us feels sure about how to respond. (This is why so many church leaders these days are so exhausted.) But perhaps we can agree that one strategy is certain not to work. We must do better than offer the world our version of Disneyland.
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Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

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