Devotion
Toothpaste and Talking
David Jacobs
I remember my school principal proudly performing a demonstration on the destructive nature that words can have on one another. This example has been performed in the west for generations. It is very simple. The leader presents a crowd with a tube of toothpaste. He deliberately squeezes the tube clean, spewing forth striped minty foam into the hand of a willing participant. Once he is satisfied that everyone can see the volume of toothpaste on the participant's hand, he asks them to put the toothpaste back in the tube. It is impossible. The participant may successfully put some of the toothpaste back in, but certainly not all of it. It is a mess that takes a whole lot of work to clean up. This is to demonstrate how hard it is to take back something once we have said it. Perhaps we can take back some of it, but not all of it. It is messy and unpleasant.
'Watch your mouth!' is often something you may hear of one who speaks out of turn. Whilst this may arise in some heated argument, David here asks this of God himself, to stand guard at our mouths, which are like gateways to our hearts. We can injure or heal, spread joy or confusion with simple words. But what God seeks is clear communication with him, for we often lose our own selves in Him and become immersed rather in the message of the Lord.
Prayer
When we entrust the Lord with our lips, we think before we speak.
Night Prayer
The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
Inspiration
When a king rules with fairness and justice, his kingdom will flourish. If the same king accepts gifts or bribes, his kingdom will fall. We've all observed a person in a leadership position who acted wrongfully. Perhaps a boss did not discipline employees fairly, or a political leader accepted kickbacks for legislation decisions. These corrupt actions lead to their demise. Scripture advises leaders to maintain justice with fair decision-making. As leaders, we must reflect on the mercy and grace God shows to us and lead others in the same fashion.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for coaching us in our leadership endeavors. We have faith in Your Words and will lead Your people accordingly. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotion
The Widow of Naim
Frances Taylor
This story of Jesus' raising the son of the widow of Naim gives us some information that lets us know just how important it was for this widow. At that time, women had no way to earn a living. They were property of their parents until they became property of their husbands, and actually moved into the home of the husband. Now that this widow's son had died, she had no one to take care of her. The compassion that Jesus showed meant life to that widow. I'm sure the leaders weren't too happy that the power of God to raise someone from the dead rested in Jesus. There must also have been those who were saying, "Why her and not me?" We all will die and we will all lose someone we love including those of us who have and will lose children. We can easily read this passage and question. It can be difficult to understand God's plan for us, even though we keep trying. It is better to concentrate on the positive than the negative. A priest I once knew lost ...
