March 8
Our subjectivity has been feared (and there are ways we can abuse it in our reading of Scripture), but if we submit to one another and the Spirit, we can find something of God in Scripture and in one another that we have never seen before. (Smith, Mandy. “Unfettered” pg 59)
It is Day 13 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The coverage by every news organization from the AP to Al Jazeera is endless right now. Pictures of this disaster are heartbreaking. The UN now estimates that over 2 million people have fled the country in just under two weeks, continuing to make this the largest and fastest exodus of humans in modern history. And on this side of the planet, life goes on as usual.
Which is no surprise to me. We are such a narcissistic society we would never truly care about a country so far away when it doesn’t affect our daily lives, other than gas companies taking advantage of the chaos and steadily inching the price of gas up each day. Tomorrow I will be sharing a list of organizations that are in Ukraine and seeking financial assistance, if you have be ability to donate financial funds.
But for today, I want to remind you, when the world is falling apart, the Word of God is often the only thing to inspire hope in times like this. I have urged people to read the Bible, like really read the Bible, for the last three years and all I ever hear is excuses about how busy they are. Yet they have the time to watch endless entertainment on their phones, play silly games online, or mindlessly scroll through social media pages. I have given up all forms of social media for Lent (I am not Catholic), and it has been extremely liberating already. What distractions can you give up to focus on what is truly important? If you have never read the Bible; never experienced the life-changing way it speaks to you; never seen the way the Spirit opens your eyes to stories never taught in Sunday School Service; now is the time to invest your time in the Good Book. As Ms. Smith told us in the lines at the top of this post, you will all find something unique about God and yourself when you invest in reading the Word, the whole Word, and nothing but the Word, from start to finish. If the events unfolding around this precious planet are not enough to motivate you to put aside all distractions and jump in now, nothing will ever get you to that point. Just do it, as Nike has told the world for the last four decades, just read the Bible.
I’m still trying to get through all the new music released this week. There is a lot to share. I’ll probably end up linking a bunch of them on Friday. But for today, here is a beautiful song by ReFRESH Worship, featuring Naomi Raine from Maverick City Music. A powerful reminder that even if you don’t cry out, it’s okay, the rocks know better and the rocks will cry out. Don’t be dumber than a rock. Praise the God of Creation and put faith into action to turn this world around.
Common Sense Reborn 