Once upon a time there was a king who yearned for words of wisdom to rule by. So the king summoned his counselors and said, “Please give me truth, some wise words, that no matter what I’m going through, they will sustain me, give me hope, and keep me from discouragement. I need wisdom to rule my people, to face war, and carry me through times of trial.”
The next day one of his wise men returned, holding a scroll and said to the king, “Upon this scroll are written the words that you will call to mind in good times and in bad, words of great wisdom to never forget.” So the king opened the scroll and written in large letters were, “AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS.” And in the days to come, whenever the king struggled with difficult times, he would open the scroll and remind himself, AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS. And the wise men were right. All that came into the king’s life did surely pass. And then one day, the king himself passed.
All things on earth pass. Everything that people strive for – wealth, fame, power, position, it shall pass. What we hold dear will also pass – loved ones, family, friends. When all is said and done, when we’ve journeyed through this fleeting and transitory life, when the dreams are over and the years have ended, when eternity beckons, what then?
Just two things which haven’t passed – you and God. And when the veil is lifted and we are in God’s presence, then we will understand what really mattered in life, what really counted here on earth. You will see that this God, who all of a sudden is everything to you there, should have been everything to you here.
“Lord, remind me just how brief my time here on earth is, that my days are numbered and my life is fleeing away.” Psalm 39:4
Cell phone addiction. Likely the biggest addiction in this country
Prayer Focus This Week – a response to 1 Timothy 2:1-3 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers and intercession be made for all men but especially for kings (national leaders), for all those in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God out Savior.”
- Pray for our nation; it feels like we are on the verge of civil war; in my lifetime there’s never been such hatred and hostility toward a sitting president and his administration; I completely understand and fully support very strong disagreement but there should never be this level of vitriol and rancor, verging at this point on violence.
- Pray people on both sides of the aisle might be able to engage in respectful, thoughtful, courteous and polite dialogue.
- Pray people dial down anger, cursing, threats, coarse tweets that only inflame and exacerbate feelings.
- Pray people will not be personally attacked, targeted for their political beliefs, whether liberal or conservative.
- Pray for peacemakers, level-headed, sensible, moderate, pragmatic people to emerge who can bring both sides together.
- Pray for God’s intervention in our country. This is what’s most needed.
- Finally pray against the sudden and dramatic rise of anti-Semitism in the world; there are places in Europe where it is unsafe to walk down the street if you are a Jew.
Needed Quotes At This Time From Martin Luther King Jr…
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
“I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
Pastor Jay