Podcasts

Suffering Through Lent

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Hebrews 5:8  Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.

The Lenten practices of fasting and almsgiving can sometimes be thought forms of suffering. Giving up sweets and social media are hard enough. Fasting from worry and gossip are certainly difficult. Fasting detaches us from our comforts and ourselves. Giving as the first expense item in our budget helps us prioritize our spending. Giving sacrificially, as we are called to do, may require giving up certain activities or luxuries. 

By fasting and almsgiving, we intentionally acknowledge God’s authority in our lives. This small-scale suffering helps us learn obedience to His will.

We admit that God is God and we are not. He is in control and we do well to be obedient to His commandments. Whatever suffering comes from these practices we offer up for the good of others and for the benefit of His kingdom. 

So – put God first in your life, including in your finances. Pray, fast, and give alms first in your budget. It is in this obedience that we begin to realize the peace, contentment, and joy that we truly seek. 

Photo credit: Bob Davis

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What is the Best Gift You Ever Received?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Take a moment to think about the best gift you ever received. Now consider – how does it compare to eternal life? We read in John 3:16,  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Eternal Life!  No more stress and aggravations. No more pain or sorrows. No more “what ifs” or “if only’s”. Just simply life in heaven with God, wanting nothing. 

How awesome is that?! And it is ours for the asking. In fact, we can not do anything to earn this marvelous gift. All we have to do is believe in Jesus – for by grace we are saved through faith (Eph. 2:8). When we truly grasp the reality of this gift, it is overwhelming. “Thank you” seems so small and weak. Still, what else can we say but in utmost humility, “Thank you, Lord.” 

God so loves us that He gives Himself to us. Receiving such an extraordinary gift invites a response. Our best response is to love in return. We do that with joyful praise. We do that by receiving God’s gifts gratefully, managing them to the best of our ability, and then sharing them with those most vulnerable amongst us. God gives us everything including eternal life, and so, we can’t help but give back of our Time in prayer, using our Talents to serve others, and giving our Treasure in support of the mission of the church – thank you, Lord.

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The Law of the Lord is Trustworthy

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Psalm 19:8-11   The law of the LORD is perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, pure, and true. When we embrace God’s laws, our soul is refreshed, we gain wisdom, our hearts rejoice. We know deep down that His laws are more desirable than gold, than a hoard of purest gold.

We often think that rules and regulations hem us in, that they can sometimes infringe upon our freedoms. Think about it, how do you feel when something you want to do seems to go against the rules? Do you become indignant when someone else issues an order, thinking to yourself, “No one can tell me what to do.” Do you cringe at having to obey? 

Yet, we know that laws allow us to live in relative safety. Just so, God’s laws lay a foundation for a safe and just world. Obedience to His word refreshes us and brings us joy – more so than having a hoard of assets. His laws are perfect, trustworthy, right, pure, and true. 

Trust that God knows you, loves you, and wants the best for you. Believe in faith that His commandments are for our good. As good stewards, we believe that being obedient to His word is how we find the true sense of peace, joy, and contentment that we seek. 

Photo credit: Robert Davis

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God Calls You

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

 How do you respond when God calls you? Are you quick to say, “Here I am” as Abraham said in Gn 22:11 and Jacob in Gn 31:11? Or, do you cringe a little, and worry about what His call might mean, what it might cost?                                                                                                                                                                                                           

We hear a great message from St. Paul in Romans 8:31-32 where he tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?”

God calls us to be good stewards of all of His gifts. That means we recognize and admit that everything we have is from God. We are to receive His gifts gratefully, develop them and manage them well, and share them with others. We are to be more concerned for others’ needs ahead of our own. And we are to be obedient to God’s commands, believe with faith and hope that He loves us and wants what is best for us, and trust that He will provide. 

So, what will your response be? Does your response change if you think the call will take too much time and effort? Do you hesitate if that call costs you money? Could you sacrifice your only son? That’s a tough one – to have to choose God over my children.

Living stewardship and giving courageously requires our unqualified, heartfelt response to God, “Here I am, Lord. Count on me.” And why wouldn’t we? After all, if He is for us, who could possibly be against us. We can trust that He will give us everything else along with Him! 

Photo by Robert Davis

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In the Desert with Jesus

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Jesus was driven into the desert as we read in Mark 1:12-13, “At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” And this – right after being baptized. He trusted that God would provide for Him during those 40 days. To help Him get through it, surely He clung to the words God said to Him on coming up out of the water, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased (Mk 1:9-11).” 

Living a stewardship way of life, putting God first in every area of our life, giving courageously of our Time, Talent, and Treasure, requires that we trust God. To live stewardship requires that we believe in our core that we are His children. And so we cling to His promise to provide, even in the midst of our desert, our trials and temptations. We know that God does not tempt us. Rather, we are tempted by our own desires (Jas 1:13-14). To help us stand firm and be confident that we can, in fact, trust God, we too hear Him say, “You are my beloved.” 

So, don’t give in to the temptation of thinking you can’t afford to give, or that you need to buy things to be happy. Instead, be courageous, give generously. Be confident in your position as a child of God, and trust in His provision for you. Give and be a part of the majestic mission of the church to serve the poor and make an impact in your community. See if in doing that you don’t begin to have the sense of peace you truly seek. 

                                                                                                                                                                               Photo by Marion from Pixabay

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