May the mumbling commence!
God give us blessings. That’s true. But we mustn’t allow our head to get too big. God doesn’t bless us because we are good. God blesses us because we are his chosen people through the work of Christ Jesus. Read from Deuteronomy chapter nine:
"Hear, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to occupy the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky! They are strong and tall – descendants of the famous Anakite giants. You've heard the saying, 'Who can stand up to the Anakites?' But the Lord your God will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.
After the Lord your God has done this for you, don't say to yourselves, 'The Lord has given us this land because we are so righteous!' No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is doing it. It is not at all because you are such righteous, upright people that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he had sworn to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will say it again: The Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are righteous, for you are not – you are a stubborn people. (Verses 1-6)
Yes, great obstacles will melt before our Lord. Death itself has been defeated! Boy, aren’t we good.
Not so fast! Wicked people have been jettisoned to open areas for us. We only fill the void.
Israel was a stubborn people. Israel is still a stubborn people. And the church is no different. We are a stubborn people.
When we should be turning to the Lord, we turn to other people and other things. We seek our fulfillment elsewhere. And when we find our fulfillment from somewhere other than the Lord, we will find ourselves wanting. Yes, we still have our idols and little gods – like wealth, money, fame, knowledge.
We are also blessed by God because of the lives of our spiritual ancestors, from Abraham to Peter to Mother Teresa to Martin Luther King to Pope Francis. Let us give thanks for the rich heritage that we enjoy. We stand on the shoulders of spiritual giants so that we may have a greater view… one that takes a step or two closer to the view of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As in the words of the of the Prayer of Teresa,
“Christ be in mind
and in my thinking.
Christ be in my eyes
in everything I see.
Christ be in my ears
and in my hearing.
Christ be in my mouth
in every word I speak.
Christ be in my heart
and in my loving.
Christ be in my life
each moment that I live.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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