October 14th - Reflection

Video
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=7d8acc736d3cb33774a6

Readings
Jeremiah 23:21-25:38
Jeremiah 24:7 - I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD; and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
2 Thessalonians 2:13 - But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
Psalm 84:1-12
Psalm 84:12 - O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
Proverbs 25:15

Reflection
I remember a tidbit of teaching about Luther that comes to mind each and every morning that I reflect on the Word. All Scripture points towards Christ. The Word was made flesh and dwells with us. God gives us a heart to know that He is God. We have it wired within us to know that He is God and we are His people. With this instinct wired within, we know that when we run away from God, we must return to Him. But it doesn't always appear to be happening that way in society today. It seems that I can look around and see so many people who are not returning to God, they are running away and have no intention of return. They reject that wired relationship and worship something else instead. Their lives are not pointing to God as the scripture points to Christ. The joy of these people seems to be no more and no less than the joy of those that do follow God. So what's up? What's that all about?

Throughout Jeremiah, and throughout life, we receive warnings. We receive warnings by scripture and by word that we must follow God. We must give up on self salvation and trust in God to save us. This is a common theme that can be found throughout history and throughout life. And it comes to trust in the truth. What is truth? Sounds like a familiar question that was posed to Jesus before His crucifixion. Truth is Christ. We are admonished to trust in God, the real truth and we will be happy. A happy that is beyond what we know as happy in the worldly sense. Happy in Spirit...happy in Truth...happy in Christ...happy in the Father and happy with the Creator that we have now received the resurrection into a new life. A resurrection each and every morning. A resurrection that daily relives our baptism with the drowning of our sins and our face shining in the glory of the Son as we come up out of the waters of death and open our eyes to the Light of the Son and the wind from the wings of the Dove to serve God today in that resurrected life so freely given to us.

Happy is everyone who trust in the Word made flesh...happy in a new sense of the word. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, drown my sins this day. As I see the Word made flesh, I know of my sin and turn to You. You are the One I can trust. You are my salvation. Drown my sins in Your death and give me that wild and wet resurrection to a new life. To a life with the special fruits You have granted me to use this first day of new life in my resurrection. ---Amen