ORDINARYmoments
During these pandemic days, one of the many things we all have had to learn is to cook. Whether it is fine dining cuisine or easy home cooked meals, we need to eat in order to survive. If you want to take care of your body, you must eat and drink regularly. Similarly, if you want to take care of your spiritual life, you must spend time reading the Bible every day. The other day I “accidentally” cooked a pot of delicious oxtail stew, which really delighted my soul. Interestingly, not long ago, I also ate “a five-star meal” in my daily devotion. It was like God speaking to me loud and clear.
That was a morning devotional time with the co-workers. The passage we read was Luke chapter 9. As I read, I noticed some obviously relative words (Opposite words). Take an example, in the incident of the miracle of five loaves and two fishes. When the disciples saw so many people who appeared to be hungry and tired, they suggested disbanding the people quickly so that they could plan for themselves and their meals. But Jesus told his disciples to arrange them to sit down in rows and feed them. We drive people away, but our Lord Jesus invites people to sit down.
During the miracle of the transfiguration up on a mountain, while Jesus was praying with his face brightened, his disciples were dozing off. Our hearts are dull, but our Lord Jesus is glorious. Next, the disciples quarrelled on the road to fight over who would be the boss. The bosses in the world are the most powerful and enjoy the most rights and benefits, but Jesus said that to do the greatest thing, one must be the least and humbly serve others. What we want is to be the head, but our Lord Jesus became the tail for us.
Later, Jesus and his disciples went to a Samaritan village, but the people there did not want to receive Jesus and his disciples. Full of rage, James and John wanted to command fire to come down from the sky and burn them to death. Jesus rebuked the disciples. You see, for those who contradict us or do not cooperate with us, we want them to disappear in front of us and leave. Our attitude is hostile, but our Lord Jesus is tolerant.
We really don’t understand the heart of our Lord Jesus, do we? We often confront evil with evil; we cannot overcome evil with good by our own efforts. Oh Lord have mercy, help us to be more like you.