Wednesday, October 14, 2026

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it?” (Luke 15:8, New Living Translation)

                 Yesterday, I finished a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It has been the hardest puzzle I have ever done and I have done dozens upon dozens. I began it back in May, working on it a couple of hours every day except weekends. (Well, you know, there are sports on the weekends.) What made it so very hard was twofold. One, it is was circular and there was no uniformity to the shapes or sizes of the pieces. In fact, it didn’t fit my table and I had to rig up some bristle board to give me the extra space I needed. Secondly, it was a kaleidoscopic mural of similar colours and images which gave few clues as to what fitted where. The back of the puzzle featured various geometric shapes which I used to verify that the pieces went together. My occupational therapist said that he wanted me to send him a picture of it when it was done as he couldn’t believe that it was possible to do.

                As I got close to the finish, there were three pieces missing. Yes, I had 997 pieces finally in place, but the puzzle was not complete. I still felt good about what I had accomplished but if I couldn’t find those missing three pieces, it was going to be very disappointing. I was prepared to search every nook and cranny in hopes that I would find them.  To my delight, I found all three pieces together, hiding under a bag on the floor, not far from the table. That thrilled me just as about a much as having done the whole puzzle up to then. I didn’t throw a party but I did get a big hug from Susan for completing the project. Double delight!

                The parable of the woman and her lost coin reminds me of Jesus’ words. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33) There are some things in our lives, beyond the material and the quantitative, which are deeply worthy of our efforts to attain. There are worthy goals and ambitions that demand our attention and focus. We should not procrastinate. We should not give up. We should not neglect our pursuit of righteousness and faithfulness.  Like the parable’s woman, nothing is so inconsequential or so trivial that we can afford to just let it go. Jesus calls us to pursue his Way with vigour and resolve.

                People may lose their faith. Some lose hope. Others lose trust in others. Some lose their self-esteem. Others lose relationships or friendships. Some may lose health and security.  But no matter the losses which we experience, through them all, we must intentionally seek the goodness of God’s Love for us. “Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.” (Psalm 105:4)

                Perhaps, the woman would have “gotten by” with the coins she had left. We don’t know the reasons for her persistence in finding just one coin.  But she understood that it mattered greatly that she finds it. We are taught through her example that it is sometimes paying attention to the little things in our lives that bring us joy and peace. It is doing the extra little thing that brings us satisfaction and happiness. Jesus talked about the need to go the extra mile in doing good. It is always a good feeling when something small adds up to helping someone in need or gives a boost to someone who is hurting. There are many ways to seek the Kingdom of God and some may seem inconsequential at first. But in God’s hands, they may reap a great harvest. But nothing will happen if we don’t try.

                Sometimes, our lives may get so cluttered and messy that we may  not even notice what we have lost. Maybe, this parable can speak to us that we need to clean up our act.  There comes a time when we need to get rid of the dust-bunnies hiding under our psyches and consciences.  It may be time to do a little spiritual, moral house-cleaning, getting rid of the things that don’t matter or break our spirits or lead astray. Perhaps, there is no better time than the present to get our lives back in order, back to God, back to the Kingdom Way. “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)

                There is no time like the present to go looking for that lost “coin.”

 Prayer:

Our Lord and Good Shepherd, you are never weary in seeking us to include us in your Kingdom’s plans. You never give up on us, no matter how far we have strayed. We ask that you Spirit inspire us to be equally diligent and thorough in seeking the Jesus Way of life and faith.  May we never cease loving you nor neglect the compassion and goodness of our Christian calling.  We seek Jesus in all we say, think or do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

                 

               

 Wednesday, October 7, 2026

“For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.” (Philippians 1:20, New Living Translation)

               “Bold” derives from an old English (West Saxon) word, “beald”, meaning "stout-hearted, brave, confident, strong."  Our seven-year-old grand-daughter, Amelia, exhibited some of the boldness of her late, great-grandmother, Barb Neal, this past Friday. Mom could take great mischievous, undaunted  delight in arranging “surprises” for birthdays and other cerebrations, especially at restaurants. At the restaurant on Friday, where we were celebrating my birthday, there was Amelia sidling up to our waitress and arranging for a birthday cupcake to be delivered to our table along with the requisite “Happy Birthday” song and a birthday picture to be taken. There had already been several such celebrations and she didn’t want me to be left out. She boldly acted on her own and it was done before any of the others of us knew what she was doing. Thank you, great-grandma Barb!

                The apostle Paul wrote about being bold for Christ. Amelia’s actions got me to thinking about what that might mean. Here are a few thoughts.

                “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” (Ephesians 4:15) Some people may interpret this verse as permission to be bluntly and rudely honest.  I have had a couple of parishioners like that.  I have been prone to be like that myself on occasion. But we are missing the “in love” part of the equation. This is whole verse calls us to be Christ-like in our words and actions towards others. It means we should choose our words wisely and carefully so as to build up and not just tear down. Our words should be spoken respectfully, humbly, in the hopes that we might repair any damage or hurt caused in our relationships. Sometimes, the truth spoken needs to be more about ourselves than our brother or sister in Christ. “This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.” (Matthew 5: 22-24, The Message Bible)

                “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37) Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t be a hypocrite.  The epistle writer, James gave us a vivid image of the damage our words can cause. "If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” (James 1:26) There are many ways that we may think we are being bold in our faith by using Jesus to be judgmental, critical, authoritative, preachy, condemnatory and self-righteous on top of it all. But authentic boldness for Christ leads us to servanthood, humility, trustworthiness, compassion, and the fruit of love. Piety is not measured by how loud we are, but by the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5L 22 -23)

                “Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.” (1 Thessalonians 2:2) In the Book of Acts, there are several times when the members of the new Church were described as boldly spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Yes, sometimes, that was by preaching openly in public places. But it was even more so by demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit through their acts of love, generosity, compassion and good works. As a friend of mine often says, "Spread the Gospel; if necessary, use words.”  Good evangelism happens through our love for one another.  It is not the grandiose sermon that wins the hearts of people but our actions of compassion, justice, good works so that when people ask why we do what we do, we are prepared to share with them the Good News of Jesus Christ. “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Colossians 4:6) And if that mean to be counter-cultural, to go against the grain of popular belief as we live out our faith, so be it.

                So, let’s be bold – in a Christ-like way. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!

 Prayer:

                O God, our Redeemer, may the words of our mouths and the actions of our hands and hearts be acceptable to you. Save us from false piety and aggressive behaviour towards others. Lead us in the way of Jesus, the Way of Love, forgiveness, kindness and mercy. May we put into action the loving words of our faith.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. (Exodus 19:10, New Living Translation)

               Our text would make a good sermon text for an induction sermon for a new pastor into  his or her new church or perhaps for an ordination service. God has ordered Moses to get his people ready for God’s appearance in three days time. Every time a minister creates a worship service and delivers a sermon, the pastor-shepherd is enabling the creation of sacred space and time so that God’s people, i.e. the Church, might experience the presence of God in some fashion. It was a task that I never took lightly or casually when I was in pastoral ministry. From the opening invocation, every hymn, every prayer, every liturgy, every scripture, every word of my sermon to the final benediction was artfully and thoughtfully sculpted in hopes that the people of my congregations just might experience the Spirit of God in some aspect or another. “O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.”  (Psalm 48:9)

                Part of the Israelite people’s preparations meant coming before God in clean clothes. It used to be that Sunday was the one special day of the week that everybody put on their best clothes, the Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. There would be a Saturday night bath or a Sunday morning shower.  People would put their ordinary, sweaty, old  work clothes off to the side and come together in their cleanest and shiniest best. Now, I don’t think one’s clothes should deter anyone from worship. I certainly don’t believe that God is judging anyone with a few tatters or buttons missing. God wants everyone to join him in worship. God is not going to exclude anyone if your jeans area little dirty.

                But the grumpy old man in me also winces at how casual worship attire has become, especially among the clergy. I get it, robes are maybe a bit over-the-top in most churches.  Once, I had a child ask me at the door why I was in a dress. I get it, too, that clergy don’t want to be seen as separate from or different from the ordinary Jane or John sitting in the congregation. Yet, we pastors have a unique function to represent and present God in Jesus Christ to our people. That is special! It matters that we look the part.

                That silly pet peeve aside, the real point is that we prepare ourselves, both clergy and people, for the awesome appearance of God. “On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled.” (19:16) It is highly unlikely that we will hear thunder and see lightening in any of our church services on a Sunday. Although, in the book of Acts, we read that after a very inspiring prayer service at the Jerusalem church, “the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31) Pentecostals, of course, are renowned for raising the roof, but we, Canadian Baptists, are somewhat tamer although we love a good rousing hymn sing, an inspiring and uplifting sermon, or listening to a beautiful emotive anthem or solo. I’ve had a few thunderstorms happening coincidentally (?) during a worship service and it was kind of exciting. But, by and large, our modern worship services are not quite so loud and boisterous as it was for the Israelites.

                Be that as it may, our preparations are the key to avail ourselves to the living God in our lives. Our relationship with God is a dynamic, living, interactive and sacred activity. It doesn’t happen by chance usually. Jesus told several parables about the need for his followers to be prepared for what God was about to do. “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” (Matthew 24:44) We are called to prepare ourselves for Jesus’ arrival, for God’s presence, for the work of the Holy Spirit in our ourselves personally and in our churches collectively.  The washing of clothes can become a metaphor for getting our hearts, minds, souls and even bodies in a healthy, clean state of being so that we may receive the Love of God in all its power. “Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” (Psalm 89:15)

 

Prayer

Our amazing God, we confess that we lose our focus and become distracted when we join with others in worship. We become distracted or even feel unworthy of entering your holy presence.  Yet, your Love through Jesus Christ has washed us clean and you are eager to invite us to meet with you and experience your Grace and Mercy. We come to you with gratitude, hope and give you our love in return. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7: 13 -14, New Living Translation)

               It had been such a good day in Mississauga on Saturday. Our whole family along with Susan’s two sisters and Sharon’s two adult children had gathered at her father’s home to remember her sister Jennifer who died earlier this year. We shared laugher and tears and stories. It was a grand day.

                But exhausting as well. So, when we left in the early evening, I was very tired. But it was only an hour’s drive to get home.  As I drove, I sort of put my mind on automatic pilot. Therefore, I missed my usual turn to get onto Hwy 427 to take me up to the 407, something I have done dozens and dozens of times.  But no big deal – I’d simply take the Gardner Expressway to the Don Valley Parkway and then the 401, heading for home in Whitby. It would take a little longer – but not much. But before long, the expressway did indeed become a parkway – no express, and a lot of park. I had hit the mother of all road jams.  Stop and not much go. A road sign alerted me that it was going to take an hour to get to the 401. (There had been a traffic accident on the DVP that closed two of the three lanes.)

                Now, I took this unfortunate turn of events with my usual calm, good-natured, look-on-the-bright-side demeanor.  Yeah, right! Not a chance!  I railed, fumed, ranted, sputtered for twenty minutes or so over my absolute stupidity and bad fortune. Poor Susan. I had no one to blame but myself and I let myself have it, full bore, although God might have had an earful or two about letting this happen. I can’t even say that I felt any better after the rant was over. It certainly didn’t make the traffic move any faster.  A one-hour drive became a two-hour drive. Serve’s me right for my inattention and wool-gathering.

                That’s a long preamble to get to our text today.  We use the expression to be on the straight and narrow sometimes. It comes from this text. One definition is “living an honest, moral, and disciplined life, avoiding wrongdoing and staying on a virtuous path.”  But Jesus points out that this can be very challenging. It is not automatic. You’ve got to pay attention to your “driving”. You have to be intentional, observant, aware, vigilant.  Otherwise, we find ourselves in circumstances, challenges and difficulties that slow us down and bring us to a standstill. Or worse, we find ourselves in a self-destructive state  of being, “the highway to hell.”

                It is easy to choose the wrong way, thinking that it really doesn’t matter. One way is as good as another. We might even prefer the easy way until it becomes a roadblock. We may let things slip and slide, putting off those things that help make our lives more fruitful. We make poor and maybe even bad choices. Our intentions may be good but we get side-tracked. We become distracted. We take the wrong road. We fail to read the signs.  And we end up where we don’t want to be.

                Taking the right way, the Jesus way, the Gospel way, is difficult. It goes against the grain of our society and culture. It was amazing how many of us got caught in that same traffic jam on Saturday. We were all following the same road and all of us got stuck. We were all like sheep without a shepherd. If I had been smarter, I would have gotten off that highway and gone back to where I wanted to go in the first place. But I didn’t, probably because I kept thinking that it was going to get moving any moment. Except it didn’t. I was stuck as the rest of the cars. This is what happens when you conform to the world as Paul wrote. “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12: 1 -2, The Message Bible)

                Sometimes, we have to learn the hard way. But as long as we learn…

 Prayer

Our loving Creator, forgive us as we weave in and out of the way of Jesus Christ. We confess that there are times that we have taken the wrong road at the wrong times. Yet you always reveal to us the right way, the road perhaps less travelled, but the road that leads us to you Grace and Love. Help us to read and appreciate the signs that mark the way for us. Help us to hear the voice of Jesus and follow him. In his name, we pray, amen.

 

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

“God spoke: “Lights! Come out! Shine in Heaven’s sky! Separate Day from Night. Mark seasons and days and years, Lights in Heaven’s sky to give light to Earth.” And there it was. (Genesis 1:14, The Message Bible)

               Where has the summer gone? I am not done with it yet! I like the long hours of daylight. I don’t want cold and snow. I want short sleeves and tee shirts, not boots and gloves and winter parkas.  I know that as a good Canadian, I’m supposed to say that I love the four seasons of a Canadian year.  But I want summer to last longer and winter days be fewer. Like many seniors have found, the days just seem to fly by and there is just no stopping precious time. I look at our grandchildren and wonder when did they get to be so tall and so much older?

                But apparently all these seasonal shifts are a part of God’s creative plan and according to the Creation narratives, “God saw that it was good.” Each “day” was full of change and an abundance of life and creative energy. Each day was a blessing. Each day was a vibrant celebration of possibility and accomplishment.  Each day produced life, new forms of flora and fauna, and all living things including, finally, man and woman. For six glorious “days,” God fashioned our beautiful and Edenic world and all that is in it. Only at the end, did God rest and look at what he had made.  God looked over everything he had made; “it was so good, so very good!”

                So, who am I to quibble over the changing of seasons or the passage of time? They are a wondrous gift from God. Every season in our lives brings new possibility, fresh understanding, evokes powerful memories, and becomes a celebration of the goodness of God. We are reminded of those words from Ecclesiastes: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) In that well-known passage, the Teacher covers the gamut of human life’s experiences, both the good and the not-so-good. The teacher is somewhat cynical about these changes in life, but this text can be used for our understanding that life is  not static and is always in motion.  Our human lives fluctuate in many ways.  We need always to be aware as to how God is also moving with us in these changes.  “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, New Living Translation)

                In the beginning of the Creation narratives, there is much emphasis on the creation of light. “God saw that light was good and separated light from dark.” (vss. 3 -5)  As the day-light get shorter and shorter and  we move deeper into the Autumn season,  there is still much brightness in our world. Farmers’ markets are bursting in abundance. The air will  become fresh and crisp.  Fall colours will make us gasp with awe. Every season has its possibilities and opportunities to find God in them, even winter.  Light plays an important part in the darkness. It sets apart the influence of God’s Creative Love and Grace from the elements of darkness. Even in the dark night of the souls, God’s Light be found.  Winter never has the last word.  “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)

                In an  echo of the Genesis story, John the Gospel writer  wrote, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” (John 1:5) He lifts up Jesus Christ as the true Light who has come into the world (1:9) so that we may see the best way forward. We live our lives each and  every day, no matter what the season, in the accompaniment of the Light of Jesus. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

                Shine Jesus, shine!

 Prayer;

Our Creator God, fill us with the light of your Love and Grace. May we reflect the shining countenance of Jesus in all that we say or do. Enlighten us with compassion, forgiveness, mercy and love so that we, too. may be light for others.  May your face shine upon us and grant us your Peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17, New Living Translation)

               It is a tradition in our family that, on the first day of school in September, pictures are taken of our grandchildren as they head off to school  and then the pictures are posted on our family chat page. Smiling and shiny faces, for the most part; eager, for the most part, for the new year ahead. All of our grand children are now in full elementary school from grade 1 to grade 8. Each year, we remark how they have grown and changed. Many of us might recall how those first few days of school felt with brand new text books to be studied and fresh, unmarked note books for our homework, maybe some new pencil crayons still sharp and never used, making new friends.  Anticipation, expectations, possibilities, resolve and determination, with maybe just a touch of anxiety and concern. Most students, at least, begin with high hopes for the year.  

                I was always hyped about the beginning of the church year in September. New and fresh starts were in the air.  The business and the work of the church was getting off to a renewed beginning. I had a new sermon schedule. There would be a new bible study to begin. Choir revved up.  Sunday school was going to get started. I had some new ideas to try and had set some new goals and ambitions for the church year ahead. I was raring to go! The “problem” was that my folk didn’t quite share my enthusiasm for the coming year. It often seemed that it would take until Thanksgiving in October for them to really get up to speed. I never really ever adjusted to the lag.

                But now that I am a senior, I understand better. I don’t appreciate newness in the same way as I once did. I like things to stay the same. I don’t like surprises. I try to avoid most new challenges. I don’t want change; I want the familiar, the tried and true, the no-surprises agenda. Besides, at my age, I tend to agree with the writer of Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun anyway. “Sometimes people say, ‘Here is something new!’ But actually, it is old; nothing is ever truly new.” (Ecclesiastes 1:10) Please don’t innovate, change, renovate, alter or modernize anything going on in my world  on my account. The same old same old is just fine.

                But our text challenges us that fresh beginnings are a life-enriching experience if we let them into our lives. God offered his people these words as words of possibility and hope in the middle of life-draining exile : “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19) Just when we think that nothing is changeable, that all is predictable, that life is one damn thing after another, God pours out his wondrous Love in invigorating, refreshing, enlivening, copious portions. “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:23)

                And when God strikes something new, one can’t just put it in back in the bottle and recap it. It calls for a response. It demands an action. It calls out our commitment. We are supposed to pay attention, do our homework, have good attendance, get involved, participate in “class”, be a good classmate, and strive to do our best. Don’t let the ordinary be your high bar.  God is always teaching us something new, always giving us instructions in new possibilities, always stretching each of us to reach our potential as children of God. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

                Even at my age? Yes, even at my age!

Prayer:

Our Loving Creator, we celebrate the newness which you give to us through so many ways and means. Help us to be receptive to your vision fore us and the Church. We pray for students and teachers who have begun a new year; keep them safe and ready to both learn and teach. But teach us all what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ that we may always be ready and willing to strive for Christian excellence. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

[I am taking a two-week mental health break to renew the creative juices. I will be back on Wednesday, September 9^th.]

The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Luke q0:27, New Living Translation)

              After the ecstasy and the agony of last year’s season, it has been painful for me to cheer for the Toronto Blue Jays, this season. They have been mostly a very mediocre and sometimes downright awful baseball team in 2026, far from their World Series appearance from last year. But all of a sudden, this past couple or weeks or so, they are playing better, winning baseball and are, incredibly, fighting for a playoff spot. But to be honest, as much as I am cheering for them to succeed, there is a part of me that remains agonizingly skeptical, doubtful and even pessimistic about their chances.  I am waiting for this bubble to burst and they will revert to their normal selves and miss out on the playoffs. In my heart, I am a believer, but in my mind, I am waiting for the let-down and the disappointment. A fair-weather fan, I guess. “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”

                It is sometimes difficult to be all-in on our passions or at least to maintain the fervor and idealism that we started out with. Our hearts might be in the right places, but the mind begins to wander. Other things interrupt and intrude. Drought-ful experiences drain our energy. Doubts and questions seep in. We get older and sometimes a little jaded. There are distractions and a cacophony of opinions, news and a bevy of alternatives which vie for our attention and loyalty. Perhaps, we have seen it all, heard it all and know it all - and have stopped caring. Buyer, beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.

                Our text comes from the story of a rigorous teacher of the law posing a question to Jesus about the greatest commandment. Jesus asked him what the Law actually said. The man knows the correct answer. Perhaps he has recited it so often that it is now automatic, pure rote and he has little or no  passion for the words he speaks. Does he practice what he preaches? Does he live everyday by the import of these two commandments?  Does he say the words because he knows that it is the right answer and is showing off his piety?  Perhaps, he all is Law and no action. The dry bones of faith but no sinew or muscle to  back it up.        

But the lead commandment is about giving one’s faith one’s all, no half measures, no qualifications, without reserve “that you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.”. (The Message Bible) Heart, mind, body and soul. That’s an incredible commitment on our behalf. There are no days off. There are no exceptions. There are no limitations. This is not to say that we all must live in a spiritual fever pitch for 24 hours a day; that would exhaust and burn us out. But it is to say that we practice our faith intentionally and whole-heartedly every day. There will be ebbs and flows, but the core values will always determine our intentions, actions and words. We persevere. We don’t give up. “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14)

We don’t just say the right words; we live the right way.

In Luke’s version, Jesus’ encounter with the religious scholar leads to the wonderful parable about the Good Samaritan. The high-and-mighty religious leaders walked by the wounded man on the other side of the road. But the much-despised Samaritan stopped and helped the man and went far beyond just meagre assistance. He gave it his all, words plus action. A doctor friend of mine always said, “Preach the Gospel; if necessary, use words.”

            Living for Jesus a life that is true,
            striving to please Him in all that I do,
            yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
            this is the pathway of blessing for me.

Refrain:
            Jesus, Lord and Savior,
            I give myself to Thee;
            for Thou, in Thine atonement,
            didst give Thyself for me.
            I own no other master;
            my heart shall be Thy throne.
            My life I give, henceforth to live,
            O Christ, for Thee alone.

Prayer:

Our Loving God, grant us the desire and the energy to live our faith each and everyday. Help fan into flames the sort of faith that inspires even when we feel weak and weary. We give you our undivided love and whole-hearted commitment. Help us to follow Jesus this day and every day. Amen.