Praying Gods’ Restful Spirit over you this Labor Day and always.
Peace be with you,
Your Friends at LOOP
THE GRATEFUL LEPER
Dixie
Read the story a few times slowly. Notice what emotions arise within you as you read it. If you find it helpful, journal about how the story makes you feel.
Luke 17:11-19 Living Bible (TLB)
11 As they continued onward toward Jerusalem, they reached the border between Galilee and Samaria, 12 and as they entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, sir, have mercy on us!”
14 He looked at them and said, “Go to the Jewish priest and show him that you are healed!” And as they were going, their leprosy disappeared.
15 One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, “Glory to God, I’m healed!” 16 He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a despised[a] Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine? 18 Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?”
19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
Read the poem below. Feel free to read it multiple times or even out loud if that helps.
On my face
In the dust
How did I get here?
I was healed
How was I healed?
I was traveling
In one direction
And met Jesus
On the way
He told me
To turn around
Towards
The home of
My enemy
And as I went
I was healed
It was there
On the road
Walking
Side-by-side
With those
I thought
Hated and
Despised me
That I found
My healing
In my joy
I turned again
Towards Jesus
I ran to Him
When I saw Him
I was undone
I fell down
Into the dust
On my face
I was
Unprotected
Unguarded
On my face
In the dust
My gratitude
Spilled
Into worship
Some might say
A posture of
Desolation
But for me
A posture of
Freedom
Of trust
In Jesus
And His companions
Those who
Were
My enemies
Now
Watch my back
As I surrender
At His feet
A voice says
Get up
But I cannot
Jesus gives
Permission
Compels me
To stay
Until the work
Of humility
Is done
Until joy
Is complete
Until worship
Blooms
Into praise
I encountered
Jesus
On the
In-between road
The border
Between His world
And mine
When He sent me
Away
In the opposite
Direction
Towards
My enemy
I found
Healing
I turned back
Towards Him
And found Him
Again
In the demilitarized zone
The space
Of peace
Of obscurity
Between peoples
And ideologies
Between me
And Him
Between my people
And His people
Between my beliefs
And His
Truths
I will
Dwell here
In the
Unclear
Undefined
Land
That belongs
To no one
To everyone
The space
Where people
Can meet from
Both sides
Where people
Feel safe
No matter
Which land
They come from
The space
Where Jesus is
On the margins
With the outcasts
The space
Where
Sick people dwell
Where
Healing begins
The place
Of unknowing
Take some time to reflect on the following questions.
Who is my enemy?
If I were to walk towards or with my enemy instead of away from them, what might that look like?
OR
How do I experience Jesus when I have changed direction in the past, seemingly against His command?
Am I currently facing a decision to change the direction of my life?
List the considerations that should go into play in that process.
OR
In what way do I feel like I am on my face in the dust right now?
Speak the words of joy and gratitude that you are experiencing in this posture of vulnerability.
Consider whether the experience of feeling undone is coming to completion.
What work of God needs to happen within me to complete it.
What are my expectations of what will happen when I get up?
End your time with silent prayer.
Allow the love of Jesus to flow over you.
Worship Him as best you can wherever you are in your relationship with Him.
Are You Available?
“As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.” (1 Samuel 3:19 NLT)
In certain jobs, workers designate their hours of availability. That is, the times they can be scheduled to work. Employers consult these hours of availability to draw up weekly shifts and to determine whom to call to cover shifts for workers who are sick or on vacation or to lend support during times of heavy demand. Needless to say, workers who have a lot of availability are usually popular with their managers.
The same principle applies to the Christian life, with a few important distinctions. First, the Christian life is more than a job; it’s an identity. It’s the single most important priority in our lives. If you’re new to the Christian faith, or if you’ve neglected your faith in the past, you need to understand that, as your faith goes, so goes your life.
And that brings us to the second important distinction. If you’re a disciple of Christ, you don’t get to choose your hours of availability. Committing your life to the Lord means always being available to be used by Him. Our prayer should be, “Lord, You can use me whether it’s my day off or not. I may be out surfing or on the golf course or out snowboarding, but I want You to call upon me. I am available to represent You. Please call on me.”
Availability pleases the Lord. The Old Testament tells the story of Samuel, a boy who served in the tabernacle. One night, the Lord called to him, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10 NLT). Samuel was ready to do anything the Lord instructed. He made it clear that he was available to serve.
Nine verses later, we see the result of Samuel’s availability. “As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable” (1 Samuel 3:19 NLT). God does amazing things in the lives of those who make themselves available to Him.
God doesn’t choose spiritual giants; He makes spiritual giants of people who give themselves to His service. David was a shepherd whose own father couldn’t picture him as a king. Gideon thought so little of himself that he asked God to perform two different miracles just to prove that there was no mistake. But they made themselves available to God. And God took it from there.
It’s been said that ninety percent of success in life is showing up. In the Christian life, the percentage is one hundred percent. If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, guiding and directing you. So “showing up” in the Christian life is a matter of following His prompting, prioritizing God’s will, obeying the commands of Scripture, and living in a way that honors Christ. If you make yourself available to God in those ways, He will use you in ways you can’t imagine.
Are you available to be used by God? If so, let Him know. And then listen for His call.
Reflection question: How can you make yourself available to the Lord?
A Gentle King Who Makes Peace
Centuries before Jesus, the prophet Zechariah had spoken to a defeated, downtrodden Israel, promising a king who would come not in power or might but humbly, on a donkey. That king would establish peace, not by force, but by the Spirit.
When the crowds welcomed Jesus during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, convinced He was this king, they hoped He would overthrow Rome and restore Israel’s independence. But Jesus didn’t meet their expectations. Instead of raising a sword, He surrendered peacefully. He endured mockery, injustice, and the cross with humility and love.
Jesus wasn’t just any king; He was the King who makes peace—peace between God and humanity and, through Him, peace among people. His kingdom isn’t about power plays or revenge but about reconciliation and grace.
Jesus’ gentle reign challenges us to love even our enemies, just as he loved us.
TRAVELING ON MY KNEES
Carl
Last night I took a journey to Israel across the seas.
I did not go by boat or plan. I traveled on my knees.
I saw so many people there with scars and wounds within.
But God told me that I should go – there was oil to pour from him.
I replied, “Lord I cannot go and work with such as these.”
He answered quickly, “Yes you can. By traveling on your knees.
He said, “You pray. I’ll meet their need. You call and I will hear. Be concerned about the fate of those both far and near.
And so I tried it; knelt in prayer. Gave up some hours of ease.
I felt the Lord right by my side while traveling on my knees.
As I prayed on and saw them helped, and badly wounded healed.
I saw God’s workers’ strength renewed while laboring on the field.
I said, “Yes Lord I have a job – my desire Thy Will to please.
I can go and
heed Thy Call; by traveling on my knees.
BROTHERLY LOVE
I, myself, am a great believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, and I tell you, it saddens me when I see people, even Christians, turning their backs on those in prison, even their own family members. As a great believer of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior of my life; I often ask the question: how can a Christian turn his or her back against another Christian brothers or sisters and still call himself or herself a Christian! Can we be united with our Christian brothers and sisters? Jesus and the Father are united.
My dear brothers and sisters, do you not know that we all have been given a commandment not to do each other wrong, but that we should love one another as He did? How easily we forget that our calling is to be like Jesus Christ in the everyday situation of life. “Follow God’s example, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a sweet fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph: 5:1-2). In four different chapters of the Bible we read of God’s command to us to love one another. Rom: 12:9-10, Rom: 13:8, and 1 John 3:11. The gospel account, John records the words, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The apostle Paul tells us that God’s love is at the core of how we live, and He reminds us that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, and neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, and neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom: 3:38-39). God has given us more than we deserve through His son Jesus Christ. We deserve death because of our sin (Rom: 3:23). Yet, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We were unworthy, and yet Jesus – sinless and holy – gave up His life so we could escape the penalty for our sin and one day live forever in heaven with Him and His Father. God’s love is so strong and available to each individual alive today.
The central message of this invocational speech lies in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, love. There is much more, of course, to our salvation. “Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of our sins (Col: 1:13-14). Our life prior to salvation was darkness, but we have been made “light in the Lord”. Brothers and sisters, we are no longer aliens outside of God’s family, but we have been “accepted in the beloved”. Having been “made strong with all strength” through “His glorious power” we are then enabled to comply with the commandment that God has commanded to us on earth. Jesus Christ has set the highest standards in history. For example: As a believer in Jesus Christ, we are not to grow angry with our brothers and sisters in Christ (Matt: 5:22). We are not to act, speak, or even think in anger, and furthermore, we must take the responsibility to be reconciled with those who are angry with us, even if we are not angry with them. Moreover, we must do this right away, or we will be punished (Matt: 5:22-25). Also, this is only one area in which Jesus Christ calls us to meet supernatural standards. Along with these highest standards, He provides the super-abundant grace for us to be free of anger and full of love. So let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brothers and sisters way (Rom: 14:1-13). So let us keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and brotherly love. As a Christian believer and a follower of Jesus Christ to continue in the way of faith that He came to show us – that our salvation is by His grace and not by works. Brothers and sisters, often our Lord calls on us to give of ourselves in selfless ways so that others may learn from our example. Remember, brothers and sisters, we are merely serving in this world as “ambassadors for Christ”, and our commandment here, to love another representing the court of heaven, is to urge all men and women, in Christ stead, be ye reconciled to God. “And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). Brothers and sisters, let’s love our fellow brothers and sisters, and let us fellowship in brotherly love with one another as God commanded us. God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ…for by grace are we saved through faith…it is the gift of God.
Dearly beloved brothers and sisters, I’ll leave with you this Bible quoting out of Matthew 5:34-45: “Ye have heard that it has been said, thou shall love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy (vs. 44). But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (vs. 45). That you may be the children of your heavenly Father which is in heaven.
Thank you very, very much for letting me share this invocational speech with you. Before I leave or close; I like to pray: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Much love always to you, and peace, blessing, and love!
Sincerely written by Brother Willie Watson on January 23, 2017
I like to say a prayer: Father, give me a divine love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. We can share in unity. Amen!
Do you have an inspirational story or poem you would like to share? Please send to Jenny Eversole, LOOP, 15187 Palmer Road, Etna, OH 43068