Well done, good and faithful servant!

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

Everyone loves to hear words of affirmation.  Whether it be from a parent, spouse, boss or whomever, we long for and drink in those words.  Perhaps the ultimate praise we want to hear is from God as He welcomes us into heaven.  We often associate this with the words of Jesus in the parable of the talents:

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" (Matthew 25:21)

Come and share in your master's happiness.  Just reading those words takes the tension out of my body.

This morning as I listened to my Bible on the way to work I came across another wonderful passage like this.  Somewhat surprisingly it comes from the book of Job.  His friend Eliphaz the Temanite says these words to Job:

Think how you have instructed many, 

   how you have strengthened feeble hands. 

Your words have supported those who stumbled; 

   you have strengthened faltering knees. (Job 4:3-4)

In the words of Henri Nouwen (priest, writer) "the spiritual life is a life in which you gradually learn to listen to a voice that … says, "You are the beloved .…" It is not a very loud voice. … It is soft and gentle."

Let's listen for that voice today - the voice of God telling us how much He loves you.  We do not need to wait for heaven to hear it.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

I pray, Father, that out of your glorious riches you may strengthen me with power through your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. 

And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within me, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! 

Amen. [Adapted from Ephesians 3:16-21]

(http://www.dougbrittonbooks.com/onlinebiblestudies-selfworthandrespect/godsloveforusandgodsloveforme.php)

Bruce MacPherson  macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address. Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.