MAY 25, 2023

   “The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” 

― Winston S. Churchill

1 CHRONICLES 14-16

 8Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

9Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

10Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11Look to the Lord and his strength;seek his face always.34

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

35Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;

gather us and deliver us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praise.”

36Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

JOHN 9:24-41

35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

37Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

38Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

39Jesus said,^a “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

JOURNAL 

The Pharisees are desperate to discredit Jesus. They just cannot believe that someone that is not one of them could be ordained by God. They also refuse to believe that someone with Jesus' background could ever be the Messiah.

I love how time and time again throughout the Bible, it is often the least likely who are called to do the miraculous. God continually turns human opinion and traditions upside down. It reminds me that many times my worries and hopes are far from future reality. I cannot know the future or tomorrow. Yet time and time again I find that my mind wanders forward and seeks to find refuge in the unknown. It is a temptation that is not ordained by God. It serves no purpose other than to distract me from the present and the gift of today. 

I also find that there is often such anxiety in getting through moments and tasks rather finding the joy in them. From exercise, to reading the Bible to doing work. Too often I just try and get through it as quickly as possible instead of trying to find the joy...instead of being thankful for every single moment. Today, this moment, right now is an amazing gift. Be grateful for it and find great joy in the mundane, in the difficult, in the monotonous. For what I can know is God's love...TODAY...this moment and by finding the joy in each moment, I honor God and make the world a little bit brighter.

16“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” 

- MATTHEW 20:16