Aaron Hufty – Page 59 – The Everyday Prayer

A Great Mystery

Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 3 (day two)
“In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.” (vs. 4-5)

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I love mysteries. There is something very rewarding about piecing together clues to try and figure it out. Good writers and directors know there are people like me, and they are constantly trying to give false clues to throw you off the scent. God’s love for humanity is a mystery. There is no way we could comprehend the vastness of plan. Therefore, he gives us parts to the whole so we can catch a glimpse of the bigger picture. As the pastor said in his Time for Teaching this weekend, “some people say if they will just see a miracle, they’ll believe…that’s just not true”. It wasn’t true in Jesus’ time, and it’s not true now. God has revealed all of himself that we need to understand and believe. Look at the clues, and come to the right conclusion. He is the only way.

Temple Building

Re: Verse reading – Ephesians 2:11-22 (day two)
“In him the whole building in joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which god lives by his Spirit” (vs. 21-22).
This is an incredible metaphor that creates a marvelous picture of how we all fit together in the unity of faith. Imagine this as a real structure, Jesus is the chief cornerstone (vs. 20) and those who have joined in this legacy of faith have helped to construct this temple in which God will reside. Each of us, with our unique gifts and backgrounds are knit together to create the Church. Unity doesn’t always mean SAME, it means together. God knows what he is doing, we don’t look the same, talk the same way, prefer the same things, but we all have the same God who uses that uniqueness to create his beautiful Temple.

Wrath to Riches

Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 2:1-10 (day two)
The story of the Gospel has been one of incongruous logic. Think about it: rich shall be poor, the meek will inherit, the humble exalted, the last shall be first. It is further proof that God’s ways are not ours. We, who were not only dead in sin, but also objects of his wrath, are also objects of the riches of his mercy. Isn’t grace amazing? How could we possibly go from not being able to escape his wrath to riches without earning it? How could we who were all dead in sin, be brought to fullness? This is the grace and mercy of the blood of Jesus. Unmerited favor indeed.

Sealed with a Promise

Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day two)
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (13-14)

This has always been one of my favorite passages of scripture. The promise of eternity invested in us. Nothing that we have done can either claim it or lose it. It has been sealed by the Spirit so that we are marked for eternity.

We have all done some sort of financial planning for our future; whether it be for our retirement or for our posterity. We look for things that say-great return on your investment, or guaranteed pay out after x number of years. We want security. We have worked long to be able to provide for ourselves and our families.

God’s investment was the eternal kind. One we could never afford, and one we can never lose. Isn’t that an encouragement?

Powerful Worship

Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (day two)
When confronted with the majesty of worship that surrounded the throne, Isaiah was shaken to his core. The beauty of the scene made him very aware of how small and inadequate he was. This, however, did not end his worship experience. It called him to repent…and then to serve. When was the last time worship caused you to have this kind of reaction? When we meet together do you enter that gathering with an expectation to be filled? Before Isaiah could be sent out he had to first recognize his frailty. That kind of vulnerability is difficult to encounter without at least a modicum of willingness to acknowledge God’s sovereignty. What do you expect worship to be like? Is it up to the Pastors? I want to challenge each of you to come into worship with an expectation that God will move, call us to repent, and send us out to do his good work. Let’s meet him together.

You are Beautiful

Re: Verse reading – Romans 10:8-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (day two)
Paul, in this letter to the Romans, maps out for us the road to salvation. Consider these questions he poses starting in verse 14: How can they call on the one; how can they believe; how can they hear; how can they preach…without someone?

The beginning of this letter gives an answer to these questions.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20)

And in Luke’s Gospel Jesus speaks to the Pharisees about what his disciples were teaching: “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40

So, now, back to Paul’s questions, does this give us a pass on witnessing? Certainly not. God has made himself clear about that as well. Go, teach, baptize. This command, or commission as we like to call it, is our call to arms. Even with these marching orders, however, we are called beautiful for obeying.

Think about that. God made himself clearly evident through creation. He doesn’t need us, but he calls us to action to spread the good news of Jesus, and as we go, we are called beautiful. That’s Good News affirmation!

Praise, Praise, Praise!

Re: Verse reading–Psalm 103, Luke 17:11-19 (day two)
Isn’t it a privilege to read the Word? The text from Psalm 103 washes over you like a comforting blanket. These words not only give reassurance, but also reminds us of the Lord’s provision and strength. Look at the many promises and words of action listed in this song: benefits, forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, love, compassion, satisfies, renews, justice, compassionate, gracious, removes transgressions, and righteousness. This is the kind of God we serve. This kind of comfort is available to those who seek after his heart. Re-read this text, gain strength from these promises, and then return all the praise that is due a God that is so good.

Making the most

Re: Verse reading–Deuteronomy 8:10-18; Matthew 25:14-30 (day two)
Recently I read an article of a former classmate of mine who has just been named to a highly esteemed position in the early music world in New York City. I was delighted to hear of his success, but then the inner voices began; you know the ones. He’s younger than you…this will bring him fame, and fortune…look at all his success. It is so easy to covet and lose sight of what God has done for each of us. As I reread the Parable of the Talents, I was quickly reminded to make the most of what God had given to me. God’s measure of success is vastly different from mine, and it would be folly to think that I know how to better use my gifts than the Lord. God has uniquely blessed each of us, and we are to find a way to cultivate it, so there will be a great return on His investment.

Wally

Re: Verse reading–Mark 10:35-45; John 13:12-17; James 2:14-17 (day two)
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

My first HS job in Texas was at O’Connor High School here in San Antonio. The head band director and Fine Arts Chairman was Wally Dierolf. Most of you know that 5A band directors rank almost equal to 5A football coaches; it is a lofty position at the school. Even though he had 400+ students and the largest program in the district, every day at lunch he would take brown paper bag and sit on the floor at the front of the “M” building to make sure no one entered the building during those lunch periods that wasn’t supposed to be there. He could have easily requested another duty, and frankly could have requested to not have one at all. He did this lunch duty so that the rest of the fine arts teachers could have a break. He worked so we could rest. He sacrificed so that we could do our jobs better.

He was a tremendous band director, but I will never forget the lessons of servant leadership that he learned from Jesus and taught to me.

Visible

Re: Verse reading – Psalm 24:1-6; Ephesians 5:1-16 (day two)
But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.

Just having returned from the land of the midnight sun, I certainly have a new appreciation for light. If you have ever spent time in the far north where you get 16, 18, 20 or more hours of sunlight a day, it changes you. I saw a child’s birthday party happening in a city park…at 9:45 at night!! But there it made sense. The sun was up, and you wanted to be out and in it. I couldn’t believe the amount of energy I had at 11:00 PM, simply because there was light.

When things are visible and seen they have energy from the light that shines on them. This is the same for us. When Jesus’ light shines on us, the darkness is driven away and we are made visible. Be in the light!