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Opportunity knocks, can you hear? – 3 July 2008
Recently in our small group we have been working through the course “An Ordinary Day with Jesus” and there is a lot of good material in there. Throughout each day we have opportunities to interact with other humans (call them strangers if you like – I like the definition that a stranger is just a “friend we haven’t met yet”).
In the busyness and “hurry sickness” of our daily walk, we can sometimes overlook the opportunities to show God’s love to the people we meet. Since completing the course I have made an effort to take life at a slower pace and leave space for opportunities to be a listening ear or a helpful hand to others.
On a couple of occasions I have realized that my kindness has been severely lacking and I have stood back to allow others to step in where I could have been the one to act. I feel like the Pharisee who “passed by on the other side”. How easy it is to think “actually I am busy and I need to be somewhere in 10 minutes”.
When I was in London recently, I noticed a family of American tourists struggling up the stairs from the subway to ground level with some heavy luggage. The thought came into my head saying “they could do with some help – you could carry one of the bags” – but somehow I ended up walking past them up the stairs exchanging an empathetic smile. I still can’t understand why I couldn’t at least have offered to help.
Never mind, there is always a next time. You can be sure that if the same thing happens again in the next few weeks I will react differently!
How can we be consistently obedient to the voice of the Spirit today? |
Dave MacLellan, 02/07/2008 |
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| | | John Hunt (Guest) | 03/07/2008 15:16 | I suggest that you join our Soup Kitchen team, there you cannot fail to 'walk the talk'and help people didn't Jesus say what you do for the least of my People you do for me, I refer you to Matt ch25 verses 35- 40 and 1John 3: 17 If you see some Brother or Sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turns a cold shoulder and does nothing what happens to Gods love ? it disapears and you made it disappear.
| | | | Dawn Leverton (Guest) | 06/07/2008 18:38 | Thank you Dave, so often i can look the other way and pretend not to see (even when i am on the soup kitchen team!) But Gods spirit is helping me to grow in compassion, however i don't always get it right and doubt i ever will, i just keep praying to do the next right thing. Thank you for the encouraging devotionals and also for your compassion in the mission work you do along with all the other unsung deeds i know you perform to an audience of one! - well done!
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| Fri 18 July 2008 - Protection | | David was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years
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| Wed 16 July 2008 - Support | | .. Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house.
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| Mon 14 July 2008 - David, the Wilderness Years | | Whatever Saul gave David to do, he did it—and did it well. So well that Saul put him in charge of his military operations. Everybody, both the people in general and Saul's servants, approved of and admired David's leadership.
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| Mon 7 July 2008 - Community of All Ages | | Society should be a community of all ages, young and old. Unfortunately though, older people are normally ignored by younger ones, and they in turn find it difficult to understand the language of youth culture today
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