“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Matthew 6:24-25
Reformation Day or Halloween? Which are you celebrating today? Inflation has really put a damper on the amount of candy that will be handed out today. Perhaps I will just take a pad of sticky notes and write the name and date that a friend or loved one received their Glory this year and hand that out and ask the youngster looking for candy to pray for the family of the dearly departed. Considering what I just wrote, wow, that is probably not a very good idea.
Back in the day, the men’s Bible study group that I met with on Monday morning watched a 14 minute video on YouTube titled ‘In my seat’ and that was the story of Steve Scheibner. He was an American Airlines pilot and he was bumped from AA Flight 11 that was hijacked and smashed into the first tower on September 11, 2001. Towards the end of the video he shared a short paragraph that he had written down some twenty years ago and it caused each of us in our group to consider our lives, our legacy and how we are accomplishing what needs to be accomplished in the time that each of us has left here...on this side of Heaven.
He wrote the following; “To seek, trust and glorify God through humble service and continual prayer. To raise qualified disciples as quickly as possible so that one day I might hear God say “well done my good and faithful servant.” Does this apply to your life? Which master are you celebrating? I pray that your day will be a time of reflecting on those saints who are doing and celebrating His work today and have done His work in the past and have impacted your life many times on this side of Heaven. I should close with the words from ‘All Mighty Fortress’ but instead will end this message with an all-time favorite hymn of mine; ‘For all the Saints who from their labors rest’ that was written by William W. How in 1864 and its words seem like a wonderful way to leave you today in preparation for next week Sunday.
“For all the saints who from their labors rest, who Thee by faith before the world confess, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light. Alleluia! Alleluia! Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold, fight as the saints who nobly fought of old and win with them the victor's crown of gold. Alleluia! Alleluia! O blest communion, fellowship divine, we feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! Alleluia! And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia! Alleluia! But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day; the saints triumphant rise in bright array; the King of Glory passes on His way. Alleluia! Alleluia! From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Alleluia! Alleluia! The golden evening brightens in the west; soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest. Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!”
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay