“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” Galatians 6:10.  This is true of our individual blessings and resources that God has entrusted us with as well as how we might use them collectively as the many parts of the body working together as God gives us opportunity to do good as the church.  Jesus “went about doing good” and so we who are His followers and are His body, must do good as well.  This is our purpose here as we “seek and save the lost” as Jesus did.  We look collectively for the opportunities that God gives us and turn every interaction into an opening to further the gospel.  Our ministries must be needs-based.  We don’t just start a widowhood ministry to say we have one but because we can meet the educational, emotional, and social needs of widows and widowers.  We give away food and clothing because we can meet needs of those without—and glory goes to God!  Our motivation in the time God has given each of us with what He has given us must be to do good and bring Him glory as every word and deed is done in Jesus’ name.  So, how you as a Christian doing this with His church?

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed …” Psalm 2:1-2. The answer to the question: because it works!  The world uses cancel culture and the very threat of rejection to control Christians today and keep the gospel message contained within the walls of our church buildings.  But it was not always so ….  In Acts 4, this passage is quoted by the believers who prayed for boldness in proclaiming the gospel after Peter and John had proclaimed to the very body that had condemned Jesus that no other name had been “given among men by which we must be saved.”  Verse 3 of the Psalm calls for us to burst the world’s “bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”  God laughs in derision at the weak world’s attempts to stop the ad-vance of His Kingdom because He has set His Anointed, His King on Zion, His holy hill.  But do His subjects know this?  Do they act as if they believe it?  Or is it time for us to pray for boldness once again to proclaim the gospel as we take refuge in Him and not our buildings.  Do you live like the world is powerless against Jesus?

“And they prayed … And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” Acts 1:24-26. A certain hymn asks four questions: “Ere you left your room this morn-ing … When you met with great temptation … When your heart was filled with anger … When sore trials came upon you … Did you think to pray?”  God’s people have always gotten in trouble when they go about their lives without prayer.  Most notable is when the leaders of Israel made a covenant with the Gibeonites as they came into the Promised Land without inquiring of the Lord.  During the ten days that Jesus’ followers waited in Jeru-salem as instructed after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, they spoke of Judas’ betrayal and quoted script-ure that his place should be filled.  But, rather than just plunging into choosing who the worthy disciple would be, they prayed first … and this was before they had the Holy Spirit poured out upon them! It’s not a matter of what is too trivial to bother God with.  He tells those of us who have been given His Spirit when we’re baptized into His Son to pray without ceasing and to bring all things before His throne. In all things, do you think to pray?

“I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open” Hosea 13:8.  To explain the unknown, you always describe it by comparing it to something that is known.  In this case, God is explaining through the prophet how deep He cares for Israel and how their sin hurts Him by comparing this to a bear robbed of her cubs.  He will bring judgment upon them for their turning away from Him, not because He enjoys dishing out punishment. No, just as a parent says, “this will hurt me more than it hurts you,” and it is true, so God is explaining what He as a good Father must do—in terms of a mother’s love! We’ve all heard the wisdom of not getting between a mother bear and her cubs, and in fact human mother’s who show this same deep love and protection for their kids are called ‘mama grizzlies.’  So God in describing for us what is indescribable uses the ultimate example to explain His fierce love and deep love for His own who have rejected Him from sin—'like a bear robbed of her cubs.’ His love for you and hurt because of your sin is the same.  Happy Mother’s Day!  Do you bear-ly return His love?