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- Apr 25, 2006
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3 July 2008
Word on the Web
Obadiah 1 v 15-16
The LORD's day of judging is coming soon
to all the nations.
The same evil things you did to other people
will happen to you;
they will come back upon your own head.
Because you drank in my Temple,
all the nations will drink on and on.
They will drink and drink
until they disappear.
Edom played its part in the destruction of Israel, and they too will now be destroyed. The implication in this passage (and also in verses 5-9) is that God will use other nations to bring Edom down.
There is always a temptation to expect God to bring about his purposes supernaturally, and yet doesn't it make sense that God should use people to do his work here on earth? We aren't now talking about destroying nations, but about bringing the kingdom of heaven a little closer to being a reality on earth. There is a poem (wrongly) attributed to Teresa of Avila, which starts:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Some people object to this poem, as it appears to deny that God has any supernatural power, but I think that we do well to take it to heart. After all, if we wish a blessing on someone in need but do nothing to meet their need, what good have we done? If we are to truly serve God, our actions must match our prayers, hopes and words. As Mahatma Gandhi once said "Be the change you want to see in the world".
Lord Jesus, please help me to be willing to do your work here on earth, to be a blessing to others, and to bring glory to Your name. Amen
Word on the Web
Obadiah 1 v 15-16
The LORD's day of judging is coming soon
to all the nations.
The same evil things you did to other people
will happen to you;
they will come back upon your own head.
Because you drank in my Temple,
all the nations will drink on and on.
They will drink and drink
until they disappear.
Edom played its part in the destruction of Israel, and they too will now be destroyed. The implication in this passage (and also in verses 5-9) is that God will use other nations to bring Edom down.
There is always a temptation to expect God to bring about his purposes supernaturally, and yet doesn't it make sense that God should use people to do his work here on earth? We aren't now talking about destroying nations, but about bringing the kingdom of heaven a little closer to being a reality on earth. There is a poem (wrongly) attributed to Teresa of Avila, which starts:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Some people object to this poem, as it appears to deny that God has any supernatural power, but I think that we do well to take it to heart. After all, if we wish a blessing on someone in need but do nothing to meet their need, what good have we done? If we are to truly serve God, our actions must match our prayers, hopes and words. As Mahatma Gandhi once said "Be the change you want to see in the world".
Lord Jesus, please help me to be willing to do your work here on earth, to be a blessing to others, and to bring glory to Your name. Amen
