"Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen." – Hebrews 13:20-21
Reflection:
There is an old, old hymn, written in 1729, that presents a thought which might be timely to consider. The exquisite wording expresses the depth of spirit, while written in the Old King James.
Here's the last section of the hymn, as though a prayer to our Lord:
May I ceaselessly adore Thee,
And in all,
Great and small,
Seek to do most nearly
What Thou lovest dearly.
– Gerhard Tersteegen
Can you imagine what our world would look like if for only one day each of us would "seek to do most nearly" the things that God loves dearly? Every single life on the planet would be different if we lived to please God instead of ourselves. Every home, school, house of worship, hospital, airport, community center, sports stadium and so on, would be radically changed.
And, then, if that one day were, indeed, so peaceful and joyful, wouldn't we all want to continue living that way, never to return to the old, selfish ways?
This splendid, shining autumn month, what if each of us, in our own small corner of the world, set out to live to please Christ above all else?
The benediction verse above informs us that God has already made it possible for us to live this way. Let's challenge each other to accept the power that Christ is producing in us, day by day. From glory to glory.
Autumn blessings!
Beverly Lewis
Writing Update: As I write this blog, I am two chapters away from finishing the first draft for The Stone Wall, releasing Fall 2020, a stand-alone novel set in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, the very heart of Lancaster County Amish farmland. If you have the opportunity to visit there, you will see several beautiful, historic stone walls...and one, in particular, which conceals a 70-year secret (well, it does in my novel, anyway!). Stay tuned for the book cover reveal soon. And thanks so much for your gracious support of my newest novel, The Timepiece, and for your prayers for my continued writing ministry, dear reader-friends!
