February 6

OT – We have no actual drawings of the Ark of The Covenant but here are a few artist renditions based on today’s reading.

NT – I spent most of today thinking of church ministry work. It started when I got an email from a friend who is pastor of church in Charlotte, NC. He was bemoaning what I think is a standard fact for churches – 10% of the people do 90% of the work. Later, when I was at Sunday School, the lesson for today was Galatians 3 which is Paul’s great treatise on being saved by faith alone, not by works. I mentioned the email to the other students in the class and one of the ladies gently admonished me saying “we don’t know what they do in their lives. It is not up to us to judge.” And I am not. I get a lot of satisfaction out of church ministry work. As a matter of fact, I get more out of it than I put in. It just has always struck me funny that there are loads of people at church who don’t do ANYTHING.
In the lesson today for our readings, I found my answer. And just as Laura said, it isn’t for me to judge. But it is for me to DO. I know Jesus. I know what he expects of me – to use my gifts to further his kingdom. Not to do so would be the servant who is beating his fellow servants and drinking with drunkards. (vs 49). Is that how you interpret vs 45-51? Or do you have another take on it?

Psalm 30 – I love this psalm for vs 5b “weeping may remain for a night but rejoicing comes in the morning”. There in a nutshell is the memory verse for those of us with night terrors, nightmares, night worries, insomnia. I’ve written this on a index card and intend to keep it by my bed. The rest of the Psalm is excellent as well. This is written as a high note, a gratitude poem to God for deliverance. If you are in despair, this one would be a good one to use as a prayer. Write above it – ‘when I need God’s help the most’.
Which brings me to a procedural note. I got a comment today from one of the young people in my church regarding my Bible. This time it was not about the cover. It was about all the ‘stuff’ that is in my Bible as well as the highlighting and the underlining. I had dropped my Bible and since it has all sorts of stuff in it, he was amazed. He said he didn’t think you could write like that in a Bible. That God might get mad. I told him that I hoped God wouldn’t be mad but that I thought he was probably just pleased that I was taking the time to studying and reflect on his Word. I am not sure he agreed.
Do you write in your Bible? My mother’s Great Aunt Belle’s Bible was the oldest one I ever saw. It had been patched with pasteboard, mailing tape, and at some point, reglued. That Bible was precious. There were commentaries on sermons she had heard, cut out prayers from the paper, baby announcements and funeral notes. My mother was her favorite and lived with her during some hard times in her family. When she was dying, Aunt Belle asked Mother what she wanted and Mother told her ‘just your Bible’. When she asked her cousins for it after the funeral, they told Mother that they had thrown ‘that old ratty thing out. Who would want that?’ Oh, oh, oh.

May this be a week of drawing closer to God. Blessings on your studies and meditations.