Morning Lord. Well, another week is drawing to a close and only another four weeks remain before Easter and the next school holidays. I’ve noticed the appearance of Easter Eggs and hot cross buns on the supermarket shelves which is a sure sign Easter is nearly upon us. I can’t believe how fast the year is flying by already.
Thank you for the blessing of Bible Study yesterday. I really enjoyed the study Libby had prepared about being salt and light. It prompted a lot of discussion about the difficulties of sharing our faith with other people – what to say, how much to say, the whole living-by-example thing – and it was (from my perspective at least) most relieving to know that I’m not the only one who finds this area a huge challenge. I’m not sure how relieving that is from your perspective, though, Lord.
Libby made some very interesting points about the nature of salt, how it adds flavour, how it preserves, but she also pointed out that in food a concentrated amount of salt has the ability to turn a flavoursome meal into an unpalatable one. She suggested that some ‘bible bashers’ probably do more harm than good by just being too salty for their message to be ingested. Instead she talked about the many references to good deeds there are in Scripture and the power that doing good deeds has on the world. I was taken by one verse in particular (1 Peter 2: 12) that says:
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Libby also talked about how this relates to sharing our faith with our children and about the whole principle from Deuteronomy of talking about Scripture when we sit at home, when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up. I couldn’t help thinking that this is an area of weakness for me, perhaps compounded by the fact that I come from a non-Christian family and never saw this sort of example in action. Not much of an excuse I suppose.
I also thought about whether my ‘good deeds’ would do much to convince even you of my sincerity, let alone the world’s roaming pagan population. Even those things I do manage I execute under a small cloud of moaning and groaning. It’s all food for thought, that’s for sure, but at least it was some small comfort to know that I’m not the only one who feels a bit pathetic as either salt or light. In light terms I’m probably more of a ten watt bulb than a 100 watt bulb, but then, as Libby pointed out, we do all need to remember that you are the power source.
I had better get a move on now, but before I close I want to bring Caroline before you today, Lord, and ask for that miracle to occur so she can stay in her house. I pray you would help her to remain as calm as possible through the day and leading up to the auction at 5 p.m. tonight. I don’t want to deliberately wish ill on others, Lord, but if there is any chance of thwarting any potential buyers from getting there that would be great…a sudden (quickly recoverable) illness, a missed bus, a small (harmless) fender bender, a paper cut…anything really. I pray in your name…Amen