One of the incredible aspects of Jesus’ living among us was He became fully human.
Which means He felt tired, hungry and tempted.
As He journeyed soulfully in the desert for 40 days, the thought of some freshly baked bread must’ve been quite enticing. Knowing His power and He could turn water into wine (and remember, it was some of the best wine) like He did at a wedding reception, those stones could surely satiate His hunger if He turned them into loaves of bread.
But He didn’t. He stayed focused on what God called Him to do.
Temptations can be sorted into three categories: physical need, power and fame. Admit it – the glory for doing something good can be enticing.
But doing the right thing to be seen doing the right thing isn’t doing the right thing at all.
It’s when we do it quietly or alone or not expecting to be seen is when the impact of our work really is seen and felt. Our motivation is true as we follow the example Jesus set.
We get the strength we need when we wrap ourselves in God’s love and peace, just as caterpillars wrap themselves in cocoons. With patience, God transforms.
In one of our hymns today, we sang that one ember on its own burns out, but with others, we gain strength and change the world around us. “We are God’s people”, written by Bryan Jeffrey Leech and sung to music, “Symphony” by Johannes Brahms, is indeed inspiring.
“Alone we die, for on its own, each ember loses fire: yet, join in one the flame burns on to give warmth ad light, and to inspire.” Listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBmD9USzZrY
So take heart: God will give us the strength we need.
But you are also part of the plan to make our world better. Join us in supporting mission work locally and globally with our Butterfly Tree of Hope. Funds support the work of agencies including Youth Haven, the Women and Children’s Shelter and the Barrie Listening Post.
