Wednesday, June 12, 2024

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  I would like to offer you a portion of the first liturgical reading from Saturday, 06/08/2024.

2 Timothy 1-5: 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingly power: 2 proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers 4 and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted by myths.

5 But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

When I listened to this reading, regarding verses 3-4, I thought, “Wow, this this so true.  He (Paul) is talking about our current times.”  Unfortunately, many people throughout our history have probably said the same thing about this passage.  And even more unfortunate, I’m sure many more in the future will also say the same thing. 

Verses 3-4 are exactly why we need to take our commissioning in verses 2 and 5 seriously.  God never said our life, our work would be easy.  He did say that He would always be with us.  Faith is not a convenience; it is a choice that at times can be very challenging to live out.  For most, going to work and earning an income to care for yourself and your family is not always convenient and can be very challenging, but think how much time in our lives we dedicate to work.  Just a fraction of that time and dedication can go a very long way in your faith journey with the Lord. 

Call upon the Lord to speak clearly the commission He has for you, so that you may with confidence and conviction know that you are where God desires you to be, with those He has given you to evangelize to.  Don’t let the word evangelize scare you.  God has already stitched His word into every fiber of your being.  You have it all.  It has been given to you, that you may in turn give it, share it with others. 

Matthew 28: 19-20

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

Amen!

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

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#MattMaher – All the People Said Amen