🦁 Epiphany 5-2

Readings: Psalm 147:1-11, 20c; Job 36:1-23; 1 Corinthians 9:1-16. 

Reflection

Good morning. This is Tim Tribble, broadcasting from Sacramento, California. Today's readings come from Psalm 147, verses 1 to 11, and T.S. Jobe, 36, verses 1 to 23 and first Corinthians nine, verses 1 to 16. Our reading from the Book of Jove today, it talks about God's greatness and kind of a whole different take on Joe, because most people think when they think of the Book of Joe, they think, you know, this was the man, he was abandoned by God, suffered all these horrible things. And but in the end, of course, was redeemed because he never lost his faith in God. But in here, in in the 36 chapter. Guy named Elu de Elias, you extol God's greatness. And this is something that's really important. No matter, you know, we go through bad things, bad times happen. 

Things are out of our control. As much as we'd like to think we're in control, we're really not. And God is still there. It's not. It's not God being bad to us or mean to us or any of that. Things happen, but God is always there and God is great. And when we reach out and ask for God's help, He gives us his help and understanding and guidance. If we take the time to listen to it and, you know, goes in talking about in here in verse 13, the God bless his heart, church anger, we all know people like that. Oh, yeah, But you are full of judgment on the wicked. The judgment and justice seek you in verse 17. 

So there's lots of things in here about how we do things that, you know, we do when you do things that aren't right, we're not seeking God. We're not looking looking for God's favor. We're not going to God and saying, I need some help with this. That's a struggle. I'm not good at that. I'll tell you that right now. I'm not really good at that. I always like to think that I. I can take care of it. I can handle it. You know, that's what we were taught, right? Everybody always went through basic training. We all remember the confidence course that's called the college course. Your reason, reasons to build confidence. You you can do this. We're going to give you all these challenges. You can do them and overcome them. But we also need to realize that we do have limitations and we need to be ready and willing and able to turn to God in prayer and say, God, I need your help in this. I don't know. You know, I don't understand what's going on. I don't see the plan in this. And listen and listen for what God has to say to us. 

And then for others. Reading today comes from the first letter in the first letter to the Church of Corinth that Paul wrote First Corinthians Chapter nine, and this is titled Paul Surrenders his Rights. 

And again, we go back. Paul in the third was one of the first two heads of the church, as we always say, Saint Peter, Saint Paul. Peter was a disciple, Paul was an apostle again, Paul was the one that was Saul. He held the garments of the people who stoned Stephen. 

And then on the road to Damascus, the Lord blinded him. He had the Saul. The Paul moment came out. Now he believes in God and is a great witness for God is an apostle and again, Paul is talking about his ministry. And in here it goes. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus, our Lord remembered? He opened his eyes and saw Jesus and He's saying, This is my defense. Those will examine me. So he's getting questioned and called out. Again, this goes back to him and he had a big ministry with the Gentiles, the non-Jewish Peter, the Jews. It was a sector Judaism. You had to, you know, be circumcised and follow all the traditions of the Jewish religion. Paul's out with the Gentiles. No, you don't need to believe in Jesus and be saved. And going through here, he's talking about these different things in verse seven is one that is who serves as a soldier at his own expense. 

Right? Okay. We can all relate to that. You know, you're when you serve in the military, there is also some kind of compensation for it. So and he's referring to himself as a soldier for Christ and or soldier of Christ. Either way, however you want to look at it and in time he's done things he's made in verse 12. Nevertheless, we have not made use of this, Right? Will we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ? Well, Paul Simon, he didn't take things from people. 

He didn't, you know, to put me up at your house, you got to feed me. You got to give me money. They weren't passing the basket, you know, and all that type of thing you we see going on. And he's a vet. He goes in the end, he's like, I am not made use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provisions. He don't say, Hey, you know, I just wrote this thing, you're helping me. He would rather die than have anyone deprive me of a ground for boasting an interesting statement. But that's what he did. He is living that total sacrificial life to Christ. And the final verse and 16. Or if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting where necessity is laid upon me, woe am I if I do not preach the gospel? Well, again, Paul is living the Christ like life through his example, and that's really, really important. There's a lot of times I know we've all seen this. There's all these people, you know, run around that we call we call them Bible thumpers. You know, I remember matchbook evangelism growing up in the seventies was a big joke. Give someone a match book Light on fire. It burns your fingers. That's what hell's like. 

That's not how you witness two people. That's not living the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is love your neighbor as yourself. 

Are you being loving on your daily life? Are you doing acts of love, random acts of kindness, as they call it? Are we doing things that are making a positive, a meaningful and change, an influence in other people's lives? And it doesn't have to be getting them said it could be giving someone a ride to their doctor's appointment, things like that. There's all these different things that we can do, especially in the veteran community. We have lots of our brothers and sisters that are stuck. You don't have a lot of money. They need help. Do we visit them, Call them, check on them body checks. There is the love of God right there, your neighbor, your brother and sister that turn. So be like Christ lives the gospel. Love your neighbors as yourself. I challenge everyone today. Pick up the phone, call a veteran friend. Somebody served with the have and talk to them all to say, hey, buddy, check. Checking in. How you doing? Amen.