Author: rkcdlitt

Serving To Masters

We live in the kingdom of God. This is a kingdom that is perfect, if we allow it to be. We often confuse ourselves when we accept the worldly practices of humanity over the spirituality of the true existence. Many of us look to the wealthy and think that they are good people; we ask ourselves why else God would reward them with such wealth.

Their god is not the god of creation; their god is money. Wealth is truly the thing that separates us from ourselves and from God. It is what causes world-wide oppression, wars, and racism. The wealthy think that those who are not wealthy are not worthy. According to them worth is judged only by how much money a person has.

But this is not God’s plan. To live a happy and contented life, we assume the attitude of the open heart, determining what is best for everyone, and denying that there is a group referred by many as the other. The future of our humanity that we take up the cross of God’s passion for us, being shrewd stewards of His entire creation. We ignore the false importance of wealth and build our riches on the greatness of God.

If we have money, use it for the benefit of all humanity, not just a few overly egotistical minds that deny the existence of God’s great creation. We reject the attraction of egotistical wealth and enjoin our resources for the benefit of all. Our future and the future of our children beg that we ignore the pressures of the modern world and make an effort for a closer relationship with God. We are his stewards; let us act responsible.

It is time.

Jesus hands a stone to those leaders and people who were ready to stone a woman for infidelity, asking, “He who is without sin can cast the first stone.” The crowd, the angry hypocritical crowd, disperses quickly, their tails between their legs in shame. Jesus then tells the woman that God forgives her, and she is to go and sin no more.

Is there a sin so heinous that God will not forgive? God loves all, accepts us all, and forgives all. Can we do any less? God forgives those on death row for the murders they commit. We should too, as Jesus did, forgive them so they will sin no more. They may still be incarcerated, but a stay in their executions will change their mental conditions so that they can benefit others also incarcerated.

This brings a greater question: do we live on God’s earth alone, in our own subliminal society? We sin when we allow our unwise decisions to overpower our duty to each other. Many people denounce, or ignore, the existence of God, saying that the goodness they do is not a gift of God, or from God. We do not live alone on this planet; we share our world with all other people, all other creatures, the hummingbird, and the butterfly, even with the lowly slug in our yards. We live with the newborn puppy, the kitten, the cockroach, and the rhinoceros. All creatures and plants in God’s creation are good. All the world is God. We can accept and respect all life. Our country violates every one of God’s commandments. We can change this.

It is time, Lord; it is time for us to reevaluate and reexamine our lives on earth; it is time to undo our selfishness. It is time, Lord. It is time for beg for your eternal forgiveness for the sins we have done.

“For My Thoughts are not Your Thoughts”

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. This is the very word of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8–9

We literally do not know what we are doing. To become a wise person, we cannot rely on our own thoughts and learning; we learn to listen, particularly to God. We are all students of life, learning as we age. God’s path leads to a wholeness that is unattainable by any other means. Our mistakes let us know what is incorrect and if we learn from them, we are well on our way to a healthy relationship with God.

If we are imperfect creatures, we are born of the flesh, and destined to die. Our efforts can help us lay down our defenses, surrendering ourselves to the will of God. Saying we are sorry and on the wrong path, is a beginning to start our efforts anew. This helps us climb from the hole life tries to put us in. Some people call this repentance; I call this faith in a loving God.

Prayer and meditation have guided me to the acceptance of a mind greater than my own. These two practices give me a path to realize that I do not have to carry the world on my shoulders. God tells me that if I open myself to something greater than myself, I am happier, more productive, and able to turn those against me to be in my corner. Jesus teaches if we defeat our opponents, we have lost; if we make them friends and work with them, we are walking on His lighted path. When I read “my thoughts are not your thoughts,” I am reminded that there is something much greater than self, and this is God, who only wants me to love Him and keep his commandments . . . and be happy.

Clothed in the Spirit

Impossible? No, not if we open our hearts to what is truly real, not what is materially real. Isaiah remarks that we should try to revive the spirit of the humble. Humility is difficult in these times, when one is considered a failure if he is not a person of material wealth. I, personally, would be happier with spiritual wealth. We do not take our material wealth with us when we die. That is factual; what we don’t know is what happens to our spiritual life. This is what faith means in the end. Humility is not thinking that we are the center of life; we are only important when we join with others for the benefit of humanity.

Isaiah goes on to mention we should also revive the heart of the contrite. One definition of contrite is humble, another is repentant. Our prayers mention how repentant we are in Jesus’s name. Too many of us just recite these words from rote memory. I watch people in church recite these words while checking their cell phones. Contrition is not on view in these people’s faces or hearts. My other observation is that maybe it is not necessary to revive the heart of the contrite. By practicing contrition, we are, in fact, strengthening our hearts, our inner core. My heart never feels stronger that when I truly admit my repentance for self-exalted ego, or thinking I have done a great job, when all God wants is for me to love and be brotherly.  

In John’s gospel, the following is offered: “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” We have to see thing to believe them. I say that maybe we do not. I have been in the delivery room when my children were born, but I have never seen a foal at birth, but I know it happens, because I can see the new colt. I have never seen the waters creating the beautiful landscapes in the river valleys, but I see the beauty, so I know it has occurred. I also see the beauty of God’s world, His creation, and have felt His grace. I do not need to see God to see these beautiful parts of my life; so, how can I deny the existence of God, of the heavenly things Jesus speaks of, even if I have never seen heaven. The other thought is heaven. Heaven is Eden. It is the perfect place.

I pray that we can all be more spiritual in this confusing world we have created. May our hearts be open and humble to God’s gracious care and comfort. May we understand that we are led by His glorious presence in our lives.

My spirit lives with God

My trust is unwavering

He strengthens my resolve

Although my antagonists are great

and censure my faith

I walk in His light

not fearing the blindness of men.

I am blessed by His trust in me

The desolate valley of my dwelling

I fear not, for my enemies are powerless

in the abundance of God’s grace.

I pray for the steadfast trust of Joseph

recognizing God’s mandate

to live in safekeeping while dwelling

in enemy-occupied territory

Whomever believes in Him has eternal life. What is this promise? Do we live forever? I look at it this way: we are two people wrapped in one. Our mortal body wears out and eventually dies, but our spiritual life, what we call the soul, is eternal. The sooner we realize this, the happier we will be. We are living in enemy-occupied territory; everything around us defies the wishes of God, the wishes of Jesus Christ.

The way we live our life, according to God’s will, determines our smooth journey to God’s loving arms when our mortal bodies expire. We are all God’s children and are accepted by God for whom we are, but our life in devotion to His will makes us a more complete person for ourselves and for others to emulate.

The author of Numbers reminds us that as humans, we are subject to impatience. I am experiencing this now; the recovery after surgery is slow and I despise this. But God has slowed me down to take the time to heal and to meditate on what the rest of my life will be like to serve God and to serve each other.

This author continues by telling us that the Israelites asked why they were taken from Egypt only to suffer and die in the wilderness. We are living in the wilderness, but God is with us to keep us safe and healthy in our  own wilderness, as He was with the Israelites. Let us sing our praises in thanks for God’s wonderful patience and steadfast love for us. Let us revel in this beautiful relationship.

What do we truly own? No matter how wealthy we think we are, our possessions mean nothing to us after we leave our mortal bodies to return home to God. For this reason, I have adopted the concept that I can do nothing out of greed, conceit, or selfish ambition. What I have is a gift from God and cannot be garnished for my own use. There are many people in this world who need more than I need; there are many people in this world more worthy than myself. I have sworn to look to the interests of others, instead of thinking how my actions benefit me.

What I have comes from God; I may think that I have worked hard to be where I am, but I am where I am for the grace of God. I have promised to treat others as family and turned my heart to the needs of those around me. I believe that this is God’s wish for me in my remaining years as a mortal man. When I rise, I thank the Lord for the blessing of the new day, knowing that His light shines upon me and all his children. Even though a darkness seems to be settling across the world with gloom and worry occupying minds, I know that the glory of God will prevail. Nations may be on the wrong path, with this path leading to violence, but the darkness will pass; it always does. When it does, a new world rises, closer to God’s wishes.

People laugh when I say this, but the alternative is too dark to believe in. the goodness that God offers will re-appear to humankind. Without it, we will perish. As the psalmist asks God, “Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your welling” (Psalm 43:3). The spirit of God is with us; all we must do is recognize this as an unavoidable presence within us.

The knowledge I have is a gift; a gift that I cherish and share with those around me. Before my ministry really took hold, I thought I was a success as a teacher and then a college professor. The praise I received meant a lot to me. However, now I understand that what I offered as a teacher, came from God. He made me the teacher I was and still am, and even though I no longer tread the halls of higher education, He has taught me to share the wisdom I have with others through the words I write.

I trust what I have been given, and I trust that my sharing this will benefit many people. In my daily work as a teacher and now in the church I attend, I have not sought the leadership position; this always seemed to me to be more of a titular position. I have always been able to work to support what I think is important to my congregation. I learned this humility through discernment and studying how men and women greater than myself sought a better world for humanity. My prayer is that God will allow me to continue in my ministry, as I pray the same for others.

Listen for His Voice

His word enlightens my path

He guides my feet to goodness

He surrounds me

He is the focus of my existence

His voice is my strength and joy

I serve Him with gladness

I am victorious listening, for

His voice shortens the time

I am in darkness

When I falter,

I fall upwards

into His arms

His truth is my life

The Psalmist writes:

“For the Lord is Good,

His mercy is everlasting.”

God’s Love is for All

The same message is in Luke and Deuteronomy for this Sunday’s readings; we must look deeper into the meaning to know God’s love. Jesus admonishes us “. . . none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. This is a stiff requirement to follow Jesus. Give up everything; Jesus mentions ties to family; wow! Most of us will not turn our backs on our families.  Our Christian upbringing teaches us that love and care of family is paramount in our pleasing God.

It does seem possible to do both; we cannot ignore our upbringing in the church and follow Jesus. In Deuteronomy, Moses presents the Israelites with the Ten Commandments, which require us to honor our father and mother. The commandments come from God; yet God is telling us to give up all to follow Him. It is no wonder that there are so many people confused by what God wants us to do.

I want to look at this philosophically. When I married, I left my parents to follow a different path. Yet, I still honored them. If I had been so inclined to enter the ministry, would have left my parents to follow God. In both instances, I gave up my ties to my birth family. But, by raising my children in the church, I was following the path that God set out for me. If I look at it this way, I am faithful to both the Ten Commandments and the call of Jesus for me to follow Him, God.

I sometimes think that our religious communities place stumbling blocks to faith before us. I believe that Jesus’s message is to remove these stumbling blocks and accept all people of faith who respond to the extraordinary love of God. It is God’s gratitude that calls us to faith; God opens the door for us to travel His lighted path, accepting all His children, enabling us to deepen our relationship with this Loving God and our relationships with each other.

We are here because of His Love and Mercy; His grace allows us to experience the eternal life that only He can give. I pray that this higher mercy than we can ever truly know will open our hearts to the people that do not look or pray as we do. We need to reach for the higher good that God invites us to share. This world does not belong to us; it belongs to God. I pray we can leave this world to allow our children a better, safer future, basking in the light and love of God.