Withholding or Sharing

Are you used to the concept to share with others what you have? Or do you prefer to withhold and accumulate for yourself? Time, knowledge, joy, peace, possessions, talents, wisdom, know-how and many more, they all can multiply by being shared.  We can learn from how Jesus himself lived in this temporary world: he did not accumulate possessions, rather shared blessings and joy. He brought healing to body, soul and mind, and he provided wisdom about eternal matters. Do you prefer to withhold or to share? Let's pray: Lord, we thank you for all the good things that you provide, most of all eternally, but already here you give us more than we are often aware about. Help us to use your gifts wisely in sharing possessions, time, knowlege, joy and your peace with others. Teach us to give in a useful way, so that your good news of reconcilation and hope may reach all. Guide us throughout this temporary world towards your eternal kingdom. To you be praise and glory and honor forever. Amen.

On what do you fix your eyes? The next holiday or promotion? Possessions or influence? Your hobby or good food? There are so many things that try to grab our attention and easily we can loose focus. It may not be wrong to pursue all those things but primarily let's focus on what is really important. Let's fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.  And how do we fix our eyes on him? After all there are duties in life such as work and many more things, which of course also need to be done. Yet, let's give him the priority, for example by setting daily routines, such as making prayer and silent time the first thing being done in the morning as well as using free time and Sundays to his glory. 

Do you have peace? Many have no deep peace in the heart, easily being tossed around by other opinions, by new fashions and upcoming trends, by impacts from other people and spirits, easily falling into various kinds of destructive behaviors such as using bad language, taking wrong decisions, starting unhealthy habits and so on, all kinds of negative behavior triggered by the enemy and that will be regretted in the future. By contrast, a person who has found peace in the faith in the almighty Lord can be reflected and take wise decisions that help to build up lives, to contribute to good, for example to have useful advice for others or to start positive routines etc. The foundation for that is the peace that is found in the faith in the heavenly Father. Let's pray: Lord, we thank you that we can turn to you, no matter where we come from, no matter what background we have, you listen to every earnest prayer, and you know what is best for us, as you have a good long term plan for everyone individully, so we can find real peace in you. We thank you for the amazing gift of undeserved grace, for your gift of salvation that you offer to everyone who humbly puts trust in you. Show us to whom we shall forward your wonderful good news. Thank you for the peace that we find in you. To you be praise and glory and honor forever. Amen.

Usually young people are strong and have a lot of energy and plans.  So how does the title make sense?  Even young people might be exhausted and not have any positive outlook, no way forward.  But the psalmist prays that the Lord makes young and strong like an eagle flying above.

What does God see in you? People look at the great actions, positive as well as negative and tend to judge each other by that. But God looks at the heart and motivation. For example your contributions may look too small to matter. But the Bible reveals a countercultural truth: God measures your giving not by its size, but by the heart behind it. Whether time, resources, or love is given, what is the motivation behind? Whether you have much, little or hardly anything to give, God sees the love behind your actions. Whether it is a kind word to a neighbor, a prayer for a friend, or a portion of your income to organizations that share the word and love of the Lord, what matters is that it flows from a heart that trusts God’s provision. When you give freely, without fear or calculation, you reflect His generosity and by that he can prepare your soul for his eternal kingdom of love and mutual support. Let's pray: Father, reshape my heart to give like David with gratitude, and like the widow with total trust. Help me to see every small act as an offering to You. Thank you for your wonderful gift of salvation. To You be praise and glory and honor forever. Amen.

What is your attitude towards your village, towards your city, and to your country, even to the world as a whole? Do you think and talk negatively about them, complaining about the things that go wrong? Many do not care at all or even wish negative things, just taking in selfishness as much as they can get or creating conflicts that others have to solve. Rather than cursing, the bible encourages us to bless the villages, cities and countries, to seek their welfare and to pray to the Lord on their behalf, Jeremiah 29 [7] reminds you to seek the prosperity of the city where you stay. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper. Pray for peace in the place of your dwelling and work hard to make it prosperous. The more successful that nation is, the better off you will be.  So even if we do not like many of the circumstances, let's not only complain, curse and talk negatively, rather let's intercede in prayer for the cities and countries, for example praying for good decisions by those in authority. And where possible one or the other suggestion or initiative for improvement can be made. Jesus even refined that and said about his followers: you are the salt of the earth, Matthew 5 [13]. Think about the positive effects that salt has, e.g. in food: to preserve and to make it tasty and nice. We are called to be the salt of the earth, your village, your city, your country by the grace of the Lord.

Are you poor or rich? It always depends on the point of comparison, usually there is always someone else more rich on planet earth, but also someone poorer. The bible does not promise us riches of money nor abundance of physical possessions. In fact by contrast, the word of God prepares us that there might be times of scarcity and shortages. Yet even in and through times of hardship, we can rely on the Lord and we can know that he has a good longterm plan through this life towards eternity, so even when being poor and facing scarcity, we can be joyful and give spiritual riches to others. The apostles report in 2. Corinthians 6 [4, 10] that in everything they show being God's servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties and that although they are poor, yet they give spiritual riches to others.  And since we have everything that we really need, so we can sing aloud to God our strength as the psalms encourage us, for example Psalm 81 [1 - 3 + 6 - 10]. The heavenly Father has not only rescued his people by that time, he also offers salvation to everyone today, everyone of every background is invited to humbly turn to him in prayer and to participate in his victory. We might be poor and go through difficult times, but God offers heavenly riches, and we can forward that good news to others, to family, friends, colleagues and many more, making them rich in possessions that last in eternity, as the apostles did. Let's pray: Lord, we thank you for your gift of salvation, even as we go through times of shortages and scarcity, facing hardships of many kinds, yet you have a good long term plan for everyone of us individually. Thank you for your offer of forgiveness and grace. Show us to whom we shall forward your good news, so that we all may live to your honor, to your glory and to your praise. Amen.

Who are "those on high"? They are the most powerful and influential elites, the rulers and leaders. It is amazing how much power and influence some people can exercise, some obvious, others not so obvious. Those on high could also be the most intelligent, or those who think they are the smartest, the haughty and those who look down on others. But no matter how high, even if someone went up into space, still God is the ultimate judge, higher than any person can ever be. The wisdom, power and influence of the almighty God is still bigger than of any human, so it is good that we learn from him, not the other way, noone can teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest as rhetorically asked in Job 21 [22] Who can tell God what to do? He judges powerful rulers, even those in high places. So there is no need for us to aim at reaching the top. Rather what counts is the love of the merciful Lord which we are called to pass on to others. Also Romans 12 [16] reminds us to live in harmony with one another, not to be haughty. And that counts. Whether we are among the successful and influential elites on high, or whether we are deep down in trouble or loneliness.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by life's challenges, yearning for a sense of peace that seems just out of reach? The word of God offers profound wisdom on finding and maintaining peace, even in the midst of turmoil. In Haggai 2 [9b], God makes a powerful promise of his presence and peace. This divine peace finds its fullest expression in Christ. In Colossians 3 [15], Paul exhorts to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. The peace of Christ is not just a feeling, but a governing principle that should direct your thoughts, decisions and actions. So true peace comes from the relationship with God and is realized through relying on Christ who has won eternal salvation on the cross for all who humbly trust in him. This peace is not dependent on external circumstances but on your relationship with God. It is a peace that can reign in your heart even when the world around you is in chaos. In your daily life, you can cultivate this peace by prioritizing your relationship with God, practicing gratitude and allowing Christ's teachings to guide your interactions with others. Remember, you are called to be a peacemaker, reflecting God's peace to those around you. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, "There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe." This reminds us that embracing God's peace often requires stepping out in faith, trusting God even when the path seems uncertain. Let's pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the peace you offer through Christ already here and once fulfilled in eternity. Help me to let this peace rule in my heart, guiding my thoughts and actions. May I be an instrument of your peace in this world, trusting you even in uncertain times. To you be praise and glory and honor forever. Amen.

Have you noticed the difference between people with bright shining eyes, a face expressing hope and confidence, and those with dark eyes of bitterness, whose mind is filled with hatred, often even hatred towards their own family and colleagues, they live lives filled with selfishness, greed and seek priorities in life that are other than God, sometimes they even involve in occult practices. The bible tells us that the commands of the LORD are radiant, giving joy to the heart and light to the eyes. Psalm 19 [8] says that the precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.  Lord, your Law is perfect, you revive the soul; your testimony is trustworthy, you make wise the simple. You give hope to those who rely on you, no matter of the circumstances of life here on earth. May your light of grace brighten our eyes, that we may go through life with hope and confidence towards your kingdom, may you show us where we shall help others so that they may get hope and confidence from your word as well.