September 14, 2022 8:00 pm
At the end of a meal to mark Passover, a traditional Jewish holiday that celebrates and remembers the greatness of God’s saving work, church members expressed their joy by dancing together in a circle. Barry stood back, watching with a huge smile. He remarked how much he loved these occasions, saying, “This is my family now. This is my community. I’ve found somewhere where I know I can love and be loved . . . where I belong.”
In his childhood, Barry suffered cruel emotional and physical abuse, robbing him of his joy. But his local church welcomed him and introduced him to Jesus. Finding their unity and joy infectious, he began following Christ and felt loved and accepted.
In Psalm 133, King David used powerful images to illustrate the far-reaching effects of the “good and pleasant” unity of God’s people. He said it’s like someone who’s anointed with precious oil, the liquid running down over their collar (v. 2). This anointing was common in the ancient world, sometimes as a greeting when one entered a home. David also compared this unity to the dew that falls on the mountain bringing life and blessing (v. 3).
Oil releases a fragrance that fills a room and dew brings moisture to dry places. Unity too has good and pleasant effects such as welcoming those who were alone. Let’s seek to be united in Christ so that God can bring about good through us.
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm Amy Boucher-Pye and today's reading I called Where I Belong.
At the end of a meal to mark Passover, a traditional Jewish holiday that celebrates and remembers the greatness of God's saving work, church members express their joy by dancing together in a circle. Barry stood back, watching with a huge smile. He remarked how much he loved these occasions, saying, This is my family now. This is my community. I've found somewhere where I know I can love and be loved where I belong.
In his childhood, Barry suffered cruel emotional and physical abuse, robbing him of his joy. But his local church welcomed him and introduced him to Jesus. Finding their unity and joy infectious, he began following Christ and felt loved and accepted. In Psalm 133, King David used powerful images to illustrate the far-reaching effects of the good and pleasant unity of God's people. He said it's like someone who was anointed with precious oil, the liquid running down over their collar. This anointing was common in the ancient world, sometimes as a greeting when one entered a home. David also compared this unity to the dew that falls on the mountain, bringing life and blessing.
Oil releases a fragrance that fills a room and dew brings moisture to dry places. Unity, too, has good and pleasant effects, such as welcoming those who are alone. Let's seek to be united in Christ so that God can bring about good through us. Today our scripture reading is from Psalm 133. How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Herman were falling on Mount Zion, for there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. Let's pray. Jesus, help us to show your love, not only to those we find easy to accept, but also to those we find challenging. We anticipate with joy how you will answer this prayer, which we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you for listening. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-02-25 15:28:30 / 2023-02-25 15:29:50 / 1
