Scripture:‘You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked’.’ (Revelation 4.17-18)Reflection:When things are reaching a crunch point in our lives, it is often prudent to ‘say it as it is’ - not to sugar coat our words. The above verse comes in the last book of the Bible - some would say the Book of Revelation is a foretaste of what lies ahead of us. This verse says it as it is - a warning to people who are ‘comfortable’. The problem with being ‘comfortable’ is that we live on the ‘surface’, seeing no need to plumb the depths and ask the big questions of life. We are in danger of missing the bigger picture. Often it is only at ‘crunch points’ that we look deeper and try to figure things out. There is a common quote in faith circles that says ‘It is only when God is all we have left, that we realise that God is all we need’. Don’t wait until life becomes uncomfortable to seek God - see the bigger picture. Read on in the chapter above and you will find this verse. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.’ God desires to be in every moment of everyday with us, not someone we turn to at the crunch points, and turn away from when we are comfortable. Vicki Young
Scripture:“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6.8)Reflection:Justice? In a world where so much seems unfair, where people do terrible things? We all seem to be born with an inbuilt moral sense of what is fair, of the way in which others ought to behave towards us. How should we deal with those who break the code? Low-level infringements may be cleared up with apologies and simple reparations, but at the other extreme some offences seem unforgiveable. The prophet Micah gets to the heart of the message of the Bible, and Jesus dramatically lived it out – kindness, mercy, love go hand-in-hand with justice. Justice may require punishment, but we will fail ourselves, our principles and our God if we cannot combine that with compassion. David Harmsworth
