Healing Rays of Righteousness

Sit, Look, Listen

“Sit, look, listen.”  These are the first lessons taught in dog obedience training. Before any training for doing competitive activity or tricks can happen, the dog must first learn to sit, look, and listen on command.

When we took our young puppy for obedience training, the first activity was to train her to “sit” at attention, which meant training her to “look into my eyes.”  At first this was a useless effort, but slowly the “sit” and “look” commands were obeyed. Only after this training expectation was accomplished did the training toward “doing” dog things become possible.

And neither does living the Christian life begin with our “doing” witness or mission. It begins with learning to “sit” at Jesus’ feet, looking into his eyes, and listening to his teachings. We must learn that becoming a fruitful disciple of Jesus begins with sitting and listening to what God has “Done” for us in Jesus, before we are adequately trained to “Do” his Kingdom work.

The apostle Paul knows this and begins his letter to the Ephesian Christians with a statement that God “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (1:3). He then invites his readers to first sit down and enjoy what God has done for them, and not to rush out trying to attain it for themselves in their own strength.

Earlier Jesus had told his disciples, “Apart from (without) me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5). The whole of the New Testament would teach us that Christian living is, from start to finish, based upon this principle of utter dependence on the Lord Jesus. It may sound paradoxical, but is true, that we advance, “bear much fruit” only if we remain in full attention to Jesus’ love and teachings.

Like Mary, we must first be learners and worshippers, by sitting at Jesus’ feet, receiving from him Godly wisdom and understanding, before we busy ourselves with serving him, “doing” his mission in the world. Mary’s sister, Martha, was prioritizing “doing” a good thing for Jesus whereas Mary’s priority was “sitting” with Jesus. And Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better priority. (John 10:42).

The Quaker fellowships remind us of this important need for silence, meditation, worship; of being in God’s presence, of being taught by his Spirit, prior to doing God’s work of being his agent of change in our world.

What does it mean to “sit”? Webster’s dictionary gives two definitions that are applicable to what Paul writes to the Ephesian church.

   1. “To occupy a place as a member of an official body.”  Indeed, we “sit” at Jesus’ feet as a   member of God’s family, for he chose us in Jesus (1:4); in love he predestined us to be adopted as his children through Jesus Christ (1:5); and in Jesus we have redemption, forgiveness of sins, with all wisdom and understanding lavished on us (1:7-8); and we are named as fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household (2:12-13, 19).

   2. “To be in session for official business.”  Yes, indeed, we “sit” at Jesus’ feet as management    associates, princes of the King’s court, because he chose us (1:4); and we know the King’s blueprint, and his secret plan (1:9 and 1 Corinthians 2:7,16); and we are marked with the seal of Holy Spirit, identifying our belonging to the King’s court  (1:13); doing the King’s business as guaranteed inheritors of his eternal Kingdom. (1:14).

God, in Jesus, gives to us position and privilege, inviting us to sit at his feet, to look into his face, to listen to his heart and mind, to consider and receive his wisdom, direction, and power, which is needed enablement for doing Kingdom work in our community and nation.

Our praying “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” will be answered only to the measure that we first give the time and attention to “sitting, looking, listening” to Jesus’ teachings. An unknown author has written the following hymn which continues to remind me to do so.

Sitting at the Feet of Jesus

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,  Wondrous words I hear Him say!

Happy place! So near, so precious!  May it find me there each day.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,  I reflect upon the past;

For His love so gracious,  It has won my heart at last.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,  Is there anywhere more blest?

There I lay my sins and sorrows,  And when weary, find His rest.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,  There I worship and I pray.

While I from His fullness gather   Grace and comfort for today.

Bless me, O my Father, bless me,  All my inner life renew;

Now look down in love upon me,  Let me catch a glimpse of You.

Give me, Lord, the mind of Jesus,  Make me holy through His Word.

May I prove I’ve been with Jesus,  Been with Him, my risen Lord.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – August 31, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Take A Deep Breath

“Take a deep breath and count to ten.” This was the advice that I gave to my children whenever they became upset or angry because of what was said or done to them.  Unfortunately, I did not always follow my own advice and instead said or done things I later regretted. 

I am reminded of this good advice whenever I hear the words of Jesus recorded in John 20:21-23, “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”

His words, “Peace be with you” announced to His disciples the offering of his gift of forgiveness and peace, which was the fruit of his sacrificial death and resurrection.  This gift of peace would remove the fear that was holding them hostage.  Remember, it was fear that chased the disciples to hide behind locked doors. And while they are trembling with anxieties and fears, the resurrected Jesus enters the room.

This surprise visit by Jesus was more than just a friendly, neighborly visit to confirm His aliveness.  It was a life-changing mission-sending visit, empowering His disciples to carry on His mission of forgiveness and peacemaking in the world.  In these few verses, I am hearing Jesus say to his disciples and to us, “I am sending you to be peacemakers, so take a deep breath of my Holy breath and receive my forgiving peace, which will enable you to embody the Father’s love and forgiveness for the world.”

Jesus concluded his mission-sending commission by reminding the disciples that if God’s forgiveness is not displayed in their lives than it will not be displayed at all.  Jesus’ Spirit-breath of peace was to enable his disciples to embody and demonstrate the Father’s love and forgiveness (salvation) for the world. 

And as he had told them earlier, their peace-mission will be known by their love for one another, “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  (John 13:34-35).  So, “take a deep breath and count to ten” before you speak or react.

It is important for us to understand that this gift of “peace” is wrapped within a living, daily relationship with God.  It is in this relationship with Christ and his Holy Spirit, that we receive empowerment for both living at peace within ourselves and toward peacemaking with others.  For just as Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit onto his disciples to empower them to carry forward his mission of forgiveness, healing, and peace in the world, so also, in the same manner, he empowers and commissions us.

The secret of daily living in this peace and confidence is often as simple as just “taking a deep breath” of God’s holy breath.  For as we deeply breathe in God’s breath, we become co-creators with God.  And as

co-creators, we are empowered to breathe new life and hope into difficult and threatening situations and relationships by breathing peacemaking responses and solutions into the crisis or difficulty.  So, “take a deep breath and count to ten.” 

As we breathe God’s Spirit-breath, creativity is awakened, and his profound wisdom and love are empowered in us to do his will on earth as it is in heaven. 

What may be your first thoughts as you awaken each morning?  I suggest we first take a few moments to sense the presence of God and of Jesus breathing on us and saying, “Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.  Receive the Holy Spirit and be empowered to breathe the new life of forgiveness, peace, and hope into each relationship throughout the day.” 

Edwin Hatch has written a prayer-hymn that is so appropriate for the beginning of every day.  It is titled “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” and was published in 1878.

Breathe on me, breath of God.  Fill me with life a-new,

that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, breath of God, un-til my heart is pure,

un-til with thee I will one will, to do and to endure.

Breathe on me, breath of God, till I am whol-ly thine,

Till all this earth-ly part of me glows with thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, breath of God, so shall I nev-er die,

But live with thee the per-fect life of thine e-ter-ni-ty.

<><>  AMEN  <><>

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – August 24, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Prayer Changes Things

From my childhood years, I remember this motto, beautifully painted, hanging on the wall in our house. And during the many years since I have learned just how true, important, and marvelous this gift is in my life.  

Yes, I said “gift.” I have learned that prayer is one of God’s majestic gifts to us humans, a gift of gracious privilege, and a gift of tremendous value in daily enabling us through life’s uncertain and often difficult journey.

To be privileged to come into the presence of God Almighty and to speak with Him about whatever is on our hearts and minds is a gift of grace. To be privileged to come into the presence of Almighty God as his children, and to speak with him as “Our Father” is a privilege of unimaginable worth.

And yet, we tend to frequently take “prayer” for granted and fail to appreciate its value to us. We glibly “say a prayer” at mealtimes and begin meetings or special events with a prayer; most often being more motivated by tradition than by a sincere, genuine desire for God’s presence and power in our midst.

The value of prayer really was magnified to me one night while serving as hospice chaplain at Paoli Memorial Hospital. A woman’s husband was in the final hours of dying, and both had previously requested that I not pray in their presence because they were agnostic with no church affiliation. And yet she requested the nurse to phone me at 3:00 in the early morning, asking that I come to the hospital to be with her. Why?

I never felt so helpless and useless. I knew that audible prayer was not valued by her and thus not appropriate. They had no children and very few friends. I remember agonizing, how sad, how lonely it must feel to not value prayer in such times of loss. I wanted to assure her that God was present and loving her. I wanted to audibly pray with and for her, but I was not permitted to do so. All I could offer her was my human presence. And with little conversation I waited with her until her husband died several hours later, for which she thanked me. 

In Mark 9:14-29, we read that it was late morning when Jesus, with his three disciples, came down from the high mountain where the three disciples had witnessed Jesus being gloriously transfigured. But now, at the foot of the mountain, there was a crowd of excited people, and amid the crowd stood the other disciples, humiliated by their failure to cast out the evil spirit that possessed an epileptic child.

After Jesus had healed the boy and the crowd left, his disciples asked him, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  Jesus’ reply touches one of the deepest mysteries of the Christian life. “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Mark 9:28-29). Thus, Jesus proclaimed that prayer is a force in the universe, a super-natural force, that God’s people are privileged to tap into.

We tend to forget that our God is all-knowing and knows the opportunities and hazards of the future like the back of his hand. He is also all-powerful and able to steer and energize us through the shadowy and uncertain events of life.

Prayer brings God into our life and work, making us more conscious of his presence. And that awareness fills us with God’s enabling power in decision-making, conversation, and doing. It is the privilege of every child of God to have the super-natural power and energy of God in their life and work.

Prayer connects us to the energy of God. Isaiah said, “…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (40:31).

Prayer is relational.  It is inviting God into conversation.  Jesus said, “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20). And, most amazingly, you can talk with Him at all hours of the day and in every situation or event in our life.

As a pastor/chaplain, prayer has been and is the strength undergirding my ministry, my one and only remedy for the healing of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Without the gift of prayer, I would have nothing to offer those in distress – the sick and dying person, the bereaved family, and their friends, the fearful, the troubled in spirit, and others.

Yes, prayer changes things and persons. I believe in the healing, enabling power of prayer because I have witnessed and experienced its healing balm so many times and in so many different circumstances.

Yes, God’s foremost desire is to relate to us as his sons and daughters. Jesus affirms this in saying, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – August 17, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Love God, Why?

Loving God is the highest pleasure a human being can ever know. Please read that again, slowly.  Loving God is the highest pleasure a human being can ever know.  Now pause a few moments to let the thought saturate your present relationship with God.

I think it was during my seminary training that this truth was planted into my soul and it has never stopped growing and shaping my life.  This is what I hear in Jesus’ response to the Pharisee expert in the law who asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the Law.  We have memorized Jesus answer – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” – but have we ever asked why?  Why would Jesus say the loving God was the greatest thing we could ever do?

It was because He created us especially for this relationship, and He knew that there would never be another person, possession, or activity that would ever come close to giving us the fulfillment and satisfaction that surpasses being in the awesome presence of God.

I would like to share three pictures from my memory file of a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to attend a Mennonite Health Assembly during March 1999. I had shared these three pictures in a devotional I presented in a meeting several days after my return home, and I share them now with you as confirmation of my opening statement.

The first picture is viewed from the fourth-floor meeting room of the Colorado Springs Sheraton Hotel while eating brunch. Looking out through a wall of glass I view the rugged grandeur of the Rocky Mountain range and Pikes Peak piercing the blue sky with its snow-capped brilliance. In worshipful awe, I muse about the God of ancient past, and His creative imagination in shaping the mountains for my present enjoyment and challenge – and with grateful eyes I humbly worshipped the Creator God of yesterday.

The second picture is a wide-angle view as seen from the window of a jet flying several miles above the earth and at a speed of more than five hundred miles per hour. Far below farms, small towns, and cities rapidly slide by in an ever-changing pattern of fields, forests, roads, and rivers. From such heights I can see for miles in every direction.

The changing panoramic views invite me to come and explore their life and beauty. And then a question forms in my mind and searches for an answer – Is this the way God sees the world? Intrigued, I remember that although invisible, each farm, town, and city is alive with human life, — the young and old, the strong and weak, the happy and sad, the healthy and the sick — many, many hundreds of thousands of people invisibly fill the moving landscape below. How can God ever see me and think of me?

Then I remember that God can see and know me because He came down from lofty heights and lived among us humans, experiencing life, pain, and death as we do. And yes, He still comes down to live with us as the indwelling Holy Spirit – and with grateful eyes I joyfully with tears, worshipped the Compassionate God of today.

The third picture is a very close-up view as I sit in a large, cushioned chair on the fifth-floor maternity suite of the Chambersburg Hospital. Carefully cradled in my arms is my newly born granddaughter. Her sweet one and half day-old innocence speaks to me as I gently stroke her face, trying to visualize the future, while a myriad of feelings wash over me. Forming a circle with grandma, mother, and dad, we thankfully pray – and with grateful eyes I confidently worshipped the Sovereign God of tomorrow.

I think it must have been similar experiences by the psalmist David that caused him to write, “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep.

You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”  (Psalm 36:5-9).

During the past twenty-three years, those three pictures have replayed in my life through many experiences, and they continue to encourage and inspire me toward deepening my love for God and to daily enjoy His awesome, loving presence in His beautiful world and in His gracious provisions to me for life, family, and labor. Thank you, Jesus!

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – August 10, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

Freedom to Share Wealth

Last week I said that God’s gift of FREEDOM does not give me a personal right to gain and store wealth for my own comfort and pleasure. Let me try to briefly explain why I made such statement.

Have you ever looked around your home and wonder why God has entrusted you with all the stuff you have accumulated in your house, attic, and garage? Have you ever looked at your bank account, investments, and retirement portfolio and wonder why God so blesses you? Could it be that you have not done so because you think you worked for it and deserve it. Deserve it? I think not!

Henri Nouwen said, “Wealth takes away the sharp edges of our moral sensitivities and allows a comfortable confusion about sin and virtue.”

The biblical answer is grounded in what God said to Abram in Genesis 12:2-3, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  This tells me that all of us, like Abram, are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.

In fact, Peter tells us that we have been called to use the gifts God has given us to serve others. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  (1 Peter 4:10). I read “wealth” being included in Peter’s “whatever gift.” 

Listen to Jesus’ unexpected, extreme response to the rich, young ruler, who asked Jesus what he must do to inherent eternal life. “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  Luke says the young ruler “became very sad, because he was very wealthy. (Luke 18:22-23).

Why was Jesus so extreme in his response? Because Jesus knew this man’s wealth made him comfortable in life and gave him power and prestige. By telling him to sell everything he owned, Jesus was touching the very basis of his security and identity. And let us not forget that accumulated wealth represents and displays a person’s pride of accomplishments and self-efforts.

This man’s love for wealth was a barrier that would keep him out of the Kingdom of God. Why? Because it would make him unable to obey God’s first and greatest commandment, “Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37).

And so, Jesus is saying that the rich, young ruler, must get rid of anything and everything that has become more important than God in his life. Is this not the first assignment that Jesus gives to all of us who desire to follow Him and gain eternal life?  

Those that find it difficult to generously love and share with their neighbors are those who are not completely sold out to obeying God’s first commandment. This must happen before we can obey the second commandment of loving my neighbor as myself.

There are many differing responses to what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  I propose a very simple, easily understood meaning to be “to love my neighbor means caring for and providing for my neighbor in the same manner and to the same degree that I care for myself.”  Did I hear you gulp?

I recently read that few people are more attractive and appreciated than those who find happiness in generosity. It is unfortunate that so many people find the two words “enjoyment” and “giving” to be mutually exclusive. Because our society is so preoccupied with “getting,” we often fail to personally experience the truth of Christ’s saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35); or to believe that “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:8).

In the previous two verses, Paul writes, “Remember this:  Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

Matthew records Jesus teaching His followers “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21).

The story is told of a missionary who was witnessing to the chief of a very primitive Indian tribe. In response the chief tried to impress the missionary with gifts of horses, blankets, and jewelry. But the missionary said, “My God does not want the chief’s horses, blankets, or jewelry. My God wants the chief himself.”  Then the chief smiled and said, “You have a very wise God, for when I give him myself, he also gets horses and blankets and jewelry.”                                                                                                      

Undoubtedly, the chief had a much better understanding of “total commitment” than many who claim to be Christian today. So, the issue is not simply how much we have or do not have; the issue is what we do with what we have. Are we free to share our wealth confidently and generously with those in need?

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – August 3, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley