(CLICK THE PICTURE) Good morning and praise the Lord for another day and another chance to seek growth in our spiritual life. As we move forward, we should be maturing in the gospel. Do a heart checkup on yourself today. Is it beating for the one who gives you breath?
Today’s Prayer
Our most gracious heavenly Father, as we acknowledge Your sovereignty today, help us to remember that as Christians we have committed ourselves to living by Your rules, and not by our generational whims or desires. You created us, male and female to procreate, nurture and enjoy our families, that we might continue to be Your people. Through Your Son’s sacrifice, You loved us, You taught us, and You saved us. Jesus taught that we were to seek and follow Your will, that we were to show sensitivity to sinners, but that we were not to condone their sins! Forgive us, Lord, as a nation, as a denomination, as a church, and as individuals for too often condoning what You have called sin.* Give us courage as we try to remain faithful to Your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
The Coming of the Kingdom
Luke 17:20-37
20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God isn’t ushered in with visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, `Here it is!’ or `It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is among you.
22 Later he talked again about this with his disciples. “The time is coming when you will long to share in the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t be able to,” he said. 23 “Reports will reach you that the Son of Man has returned and that he is in this place or that. Don’t believe such reports or go out to look for him. 24 For when the Son of Man returns, you will know it beyond all doubt. It will be as evident as the lightning that flashes across the sky. 25 But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation. 26 “When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah’s day. 27 In those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to destroy them all. 28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business–eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be `business as usual’ right up to the hour when the Son of Man returns. 31 On that day a person outside the house must not go into the house to pack. A person in the field must not return to town. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever clings to this life will lose it, and whoever loses this life will save it. 34 That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken away, and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.” 37 “Lord, where will this happen?” the disciples asked. Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”
Quote of the Day
Jesus evidently felt deeply the emptiness and futility of much religious talk. He was interested only in those emotions and professions which could get them translated into character and action. Words have always been the bane of religion as well as its vehicle. Religious emotion has enormous motive force, but it is the easiest thing in the world for it to sizzle away in high professions and wordy prayers. In that case, it is a substitute and counterfeit, and damage to the Reign of God among men.
Walter Rauschenbusch
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
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James H. Taylor Sr. – Kankakee City News has published my Daily meal message for a decade.