Healing Rays of Righteousness

How Do You Say, “Thank you, Jesus”

Ever since the angel announced to the world that “a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Lk. 2:10-11), the followers of Jesus have remembered this amazing gift of salvation with a grateful “Thank you” service of Holy Communion. How do you say, “Thank you, Jesus.”

The apostle Paul never wavered in his deep appreciation of this gift, and in his second letter to Timothy, claims that “of this gospel (good news) I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.” (1:11).

In the prior two verses, Paul gives us one of the most concise and comprehensive summaries of this good news: “He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  (2 Timothy 1:9-10).

Paul unwraps this awesome costly gift of salvation given us in Christ Jesus. God “saved us, called us, graced us, destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to light.”   This is the marvelous content of the angel’s “good news” message in a nutshell.

“God …saved us.”  The “good news” is primarily about being saved from the punishment for sin and being reconciled back into relationship with God. Remembering that our need for forgiveness can only come through God’s initiative, should amaze us that He did so only because He so greatly loved us. We certainly were not worthy of forgiveness, nor His love.

But this salvation gift can only be received by those who first admit to being a sinner, separated from God, and in need of rescue from a self-centered, self-seeking approach to life. The cry for help, for mercy, for forgiveness is the first and only step needed to receive God’s gift of salvation.

“God …called us.”  It is a glorious awakening to ponder the truth that the great God of the universe, the Creator and Sovereign of all authority calls you and me individually and personally by our name. And He calls us “not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”  This is surely unquestionable evidence of His love and care for us. The whole of the angel’s “good news” is rooted and anchored in the hope and promise of a continuing personal relationship with the living God.

“God …graced us.”  The classic definition of grace is “unmerited favor.”  God’s grace means that He relates to us in ways that we do not deserve. Paul says, “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus.”

This was the central issue of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. To live by grace means that we reject any notion that God loves us more when we are good or less when we are bad. The category of “a good Christian” has no place in our thinking. There are only “graced Christians.”

“God …destroyed death.”  It is the power of death, not death itself that is destroyed in Christ. To the Christian, the “sting” of death has been removed (1 Cor. 15:55-57). This means that Christ’s resurrection victory over sin and death is also ours. This is more than “accepting” death. It is more than “thinking” of death as a peaceful transition to heaven. It is a positive trust in Jesus Himself as conqueror of death.

There is nothing beautiful about death. Death is an enemy, the intruder into God’s good creation, and the consequence of human sin. But the enemy has been conquered and at the end of time, will be destroyed by our Savior, Jesus Christ.

“God …brought life and immortality.”  God enters into our suffering and grief and shares our tears. God walks with us in the valley of the shadow of death. God takes our hand and leads us through the powerless door of death to glorious life and immortality with Himself. Our relationship with God, established through Jesus, will never be severed. Our life with God will change in the transition from this world to the Father’s house, but it will never end.

That is God’s Good News. No wonder the angels sang when they announced to the shepherds “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Because of this “good news” of a Savior, we come to the Holy Communion table of bread and cup to remember and rejoice together with grateful heart, thanking Jesus for the Father’s gift of forgiveness of sin, and for resurrection hope into eternal life. How do you best say, “Thank you, Jesus.”

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – September 28, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

“Come Home”

Billy Graham tells the story of a widow and her son who lived in a miserable attic. Years earlier, she had married against her parent’s wishes and had gone with her husband to live in a foreign land. He proved to be irresponsible and unfaithful, and after a few years he died without having made any provision for her and the child. It was with the great difficulty that she managed to scrape together the bare necessities of life.

The happiest times in the young child’s life were those when the mother took him in her arms and told him about her father’s house in the old country. She told him of the grassy lawn, the noble trees, the wild flowers, the lovely pictures, and the delicious meals. The child had never seen his grandfather’s home, but to him it was the most beautiful place in all the world. He longed for the time when he would be able to go there to live.

One day the mail carrier knocked at their attic door. The mother recognized the handwriting on the envelope he brought and with trembling fingers broke the seal. Enclosed was a check and a slip of paper with just two words: “Come home.”

Someday a similar experience will be shared by all who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Someday a loving hand will be laid upon our shoulder and this brief message will be given: “Come home.”  Even better, Jesus promised to personally escort us into our eternal home, “…I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (Jn. 14:3).

The above story reminds me of Jesus’ “Come home” invitation in Matthew 25:34. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’”

Whenever I read this verse my soul is filled with a renewed sense of God’s love and purpose for me. And three words of this invitation lead me into worshipful meditation. The first word is “Come!”  Say it audibly to yourself. I hear King Jesus, the judge of the living and the dead, saying to you and me, “Come home!”

Have you ever paused to ponder what it means for you to anticipate hearing Jesus inviting you to come home with him to the Father’s house. Imagine, after years of striving to be Christ-like in all your relationship with others, of serving and helping those in need, many times with little thanks or commendation, imagine coming to life’s end and hearing Jesus’ glorious invitation, “Come! Come home to the Father’s house.” 

But there is more. “Come, you who are blessed by my Father.”  The second word is “blessed.” I hear Jesus saying that the favor of God rests on me, because of what Jesus has done for me in his death and resurrection. The empty cross and the empty tomb loudly shout that we are blessed beyond description or imagination. Oh, what amazing grace!

Yes, you and I are blessed in so many wonderful, often taken for granted, ways. But most wonderfully  “blessed” we are in the relationship we enjoy with God because of all that he has done for us through Jesus. Because of Jesus’ we are now redeemed, adopted, and loved as children in God’s family.

But there is yet even more. Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance.”  This third word, “inheritance” reminds me of God’s gracious and glorious goodness toward me and you. We inherit, not a gold watch, generous retirement funds, or the family farm/business. Rather, we inherit the world, “the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”   

On that glorious home-going day, we will join with all of heaven in singing the eternal song: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”(Revelation 11:15). Wow! This makes Jesus’ invitation to “Come” even more majestic and awesome.

The apostle Paul confirmed this truth in his letter to the Roman Christians. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17). We are so blessed by God! Let us never take it for granted. AMEN!

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – September 21, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

The Table of Life

Whenever we sit down to eat, we have two options about the way we partake of what is put before us. We can approach the meal with a negative spirit, wishing we were at a different table, critical of the way the food is cooked, unhappy about what we are being served.

Or we can sit down with gratitude and appreciation that a meal has been provided for us, and thoroughly enjoy what we have been given. And the choice we make from these two options, most likely, says a lot about our attitude toward life in general.

We have the same two options when we sit down at the table of life. We can either partake of life events and experiences with resentfulness and bitterness, or we can respond with confident trust and gratefulness to these same realities.

We humans are never free to determine what table fare will be set before us, but we are free to decide how we will partake of it, whether with resentment or with gratitude. And our choice makes a vast difference in our spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being.

Our life is a daily challenge in choosing the right response to disappointment and difficulties. Every pain has the potential for gratitude or resentment. Every problem provides opportunity for creating a stronger faith and discovering new relationships.

The need for surgery can make us dread the pain or thank God for the surgeon’s            skills. Stormy weather can create dreary complaints or gratitude for the sunny days. The death of a spouse can produce a terror of the future or a song of thanksgiving for ten thousand shared joys. A grateful heart discovers possibilities and blessings in what others cannot see or overlook.

I heard of a psychiatrist who prescribes a simple cure for the depressed persons who come to him seeking help. He instructs his patients to say “Thank you” whenever anyone does them a favor during the next six weeks, and to emphasize their words with a smile.

He reported that the patient usually replies, “But, doctor, no one ever does anything for me.” To which he responds, “That’s why you are sick, because you don’t look for reasons to be thankful.”

The psychiatrist reports that two results flow from this treatment: One, the patient becomes less discouraged and, most importantly, persons who associate with the patient become much more active in their affirming words and deeds toward the patient.

This treatment confirms a principle of life. Grateful thanks sincerely expressed usually returns to the giver as grateful appreciation received. It also confirms the biblical principal of doing to others what you would want done to you.

It is interesting to discover that whenever the Gospel writers depict Jesus as eating a meal, they describe him as doing what he would later do at the Last Supper; “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, … Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, … (Mark 14:22-23).

This was more than just an ancient Jewish ritual. It is a portrait of the way Jesus sat down to the banquet table of life, and of how he related to what God was setting before him.

Jesus was not resentful of the fare that was placed before him. He did not mistrust the intentions of his Father. Rather, a grateful acceptance of every event undergirded his whole life, and this opened his life to the joy and peace that so beautifully filled and characterized him.

The way Jesus took the bread, blessed it, took the cup, and gave thanks, is a model of how life is to be lived at its deepest level. I am convinced that here is the real secret of joyous and victorious living, and that it is within the grasp of every one of us. We are not free to determine what experiences of life will be set before us on the banquet table, but we are free to decide how we will respond to them.

Jesus took the bread and blessed it. He took the cup and gave thanks. And therein lies the secret, open to all who will learn it. Our reconciliation to God which Jesus came to bring to us consists of sitting down to the table of life with a thankful heart. And what better time is there to begin living with trustful gratefulness than right now?

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:5-6, NIV).

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – September 15, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

A Shriveled Hand Made Whole

The Story

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. … Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”  Then Jesus asked them (Pharisees), “Which is lawful on the sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”  But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. (Mark 3:1-5).

The Teaching

This man, with his shriveled hand, was just there, in the synagogue, the place of worship. He was not there begging for money or shouting for healing. He was just there to learn of God and worship him.

I believe Mark would have us understand that when Jesus entered the synagogue and saw this man with a shriveled hand, he saw an opportunity to not only heal the man’s shriveled hand, but also to teach an important truth about appropriately caring for others, wherever they may be, whatever their need may be, and on whatever day it may be.

If we carefully observe and listen to how and what Jesus’ does and says, we will be reminded of the Kingdom work God calls us to do. To begin, Jesus told the man to “stand up in front of everyone.”  It is “show and tell” time to answer the crucial questions regarding Sabbath activity. When is it appropriate to respond to human need? When is it the right time “to do good, … to save life?”  When is it “lawful” to serve others?

Then Jesus angrily looked around at the Pharisees stubborn silence and responded with a dramatic teaching moment. Deeply distressed, Jesus acted out the Kingdom lesson he wanted to teach. He had the man standing up in front so that everyone could see him and his shriveled hand dangling beside him. Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” 

And when the man obeyed Jesus’ instruction, the miracle happened. His hand, previously shriveled and useless, is now “completely restored.”

The Lesson

The lesson we hear is this; God’s amazing grace in sacrificially and abundantly loving us, demands that we respond in healing ways to human need whenever and wherever the need presents itself. And the Kingdom truth that shouts from within the lesson is that religion without love is a most ugly thing in the world.

Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus taught and modeled a lifestyle of providing for the needs of others as a basic principle of daily Christian living, and of doing Kingdom business.

 A second level of teaching may not be as apparent, but it is also heard in the story. The shriveled, withered hand was “completely restored” when the man obeyed Jesus’ command to “Stretch out your hand.”

There is substantial non-biblical evidence from studies of human nature, that persons who keep their hands close to themselves, selfishly clutching their accumulated treasures and refusing to share their divinely endowed abilities and skills, soon experience a withering of their spirit and a shriveling of their lives in every way. They soon become fearful, unhappy, and handicapped spiritually, socially, physically. Like a shriveled hand, they are of little use or benefit in society.

These same studies would confirm the biblical stories of complete healing and restoration whenever and wherever Jesus’ commands are obeyed; “love one another as I have loved you, love your neighbor as yourself, be a servant in serving the needs of others, do good deeds to all, even your enemies.”

The miraculous cure for a shriveled life remains the same today as in Jesus’ day, “Stretch out your hand” in sharing and helping others toward wholeness. For when we do, we discover and experience healing for ourselves.

I pray that our love for God, because of what he has done for us, will grow and transform all of us from selfish grabbing to generous giving, and our daily work from greedy labor to being a joyous Kingdom privilege of caring for and serving others in Jesus’ name.

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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – September 7, 2022

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley