September 5, 2010

9-5-10 Sunday, 6:15 am Springfield, 54 degrees, clear.

Kendall Waller is bringing the morning message today, and I so appreciate his work. He was the district superintendent that suggested that I might be a great fit for Wesley, and he was right. Yesterday I spent time hosting a younger pastor who is considering an appointment as a church-planter. We had a great flight over the Springfield area, with a most helpful and accommodating air traffic controller who gave me a lot of freedom in circling the area. Audrey met us for lunch with his family.

II Cor 8:1-15

The apostle Paul commends the Macedonian churches for their sacrificial giving in their offering for the believers in Jerusalem who are suffering economic hardship. He says that “their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.”(verse 5) Paul goes on to suggest that the Corinthian church should continue what it started the previous year, in receiving the offering for Jerusalem Christians, reminding them that Christ, who was rich became poor for their sakes, and that currently they have ample resources.

Reading this reminds me of the inequities in the world today, especially among those who follow Christ. Here in the United States there are adequate resources. In third world economies there is often barely enough to eat. Guide me Lord as I live and lead in this environment, informed by this epistle of another era.