Today’s Readings:
Genesis 44:18-29,45:1-5
Psalm 105:16-21
Matthew 10:7-15
Christianity prides itself on a religion of peace. It is a civilization that thrives on love – the love of God (Creator of heaven and earth) and love of creatures as created by God. So, we approach persons and things with care, with love and an ambience of peace. When we find people who claim to be Christians who neither love nor care but basically act out of selfishness, they are turning Christianity on its head; they give a bad impression about the Christian faith. What does this have to do with anything?
If anything is to change in the world, there have to be people who patronize, promote and propagate it. Say for instance, if a new phone or an app becomes the rave of the moment, people have to get behind it and promote it, subscribe to it and sell it. They have to let people know how good it is for more people to jump on the bandwagon. The same thing happens with Christianity and faith. People will subscribe to the Christian life if the lifestyle of its believers and propagators popularise it. Its effect has to be lasting because Christianity deals with not just this world but also the lifeafter this world. So, faith for us Christians is more than just a trend. We are bearers of the truth about God’s loving plan for the world. When we encounter people, we ought to leave them with the best understanding of our own conviction. They should see that God is at the centre of our desires, choices and decisions. They should reckon us as people of integrity and self-respect like Christ our model.
Let us be like the Apostles. Jesus equips them with power to go forth and proclaim the reign of God’s kingdom. They received the power to cure sicknesses, heal diseases, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out devils and to do so for free. The catch is that they have received divine power for free and so they should give freely to others. This means that, for you and I, since we have freely received the gift of faith, then we ought to show others that the joy we feel in life’s chaos is given to us by God. And they can experience it too.
Our lives can transform people if it is honest, grounded on faith and love and on a desire to see positive change in the world. Please cooperate with the grace of God. Do not be vengeful because others have wronged you. Do not pay others back with evil because they have wronged you. See every good and bad experience as an opportunity to grow, be refined and become a channel of divine blessings just as Joseph was when he saved his family’s life, although he was sold into slavery in Egypt. If you lead with love, you will help others come to God and to the realization that He loves them. God bless you as you do this today.
JUDE-MARY OWOH
Prayer:
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
O Lord my God, how great You are!
You are robbed with honour and majesty
You are dressed in a robe of light
Thank You, Lord, for showering me with Your love and Your power, in Jesus name.
Help me to abound in Your love and mercy today, and always, in Jesus name.
Heal me of all pain, physical, mental and spiritual, in Jesus name.
Help me to share Your love with the people in my life and everyone I come in contact with today and always, through Christ our Lord.
Unite the body of Christ with Your to awake to their divine commission to propagate the Gospel of Jesus Christ with action and boldness, in Jesus name.
O Lord, by Your mercy and with great power rule in our nations, in Jesus name. Amen.
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