[Mcgregorpage] (no subject)

[RMcGregorAlbq at aol.com]

Pentecost 7 – June 29, 2008  
</center></b></h3><b>
 
Genesis 22:1‑14
Psalm  13 
Romans 6:12‑23
Matthew 10:40‑42
 
 
Whoever Believes in the One God
 
Whoever believes only in the one true God receives the  reward of God.   
Although Abraham demonstrated  his faith in the one true God by leaving all to 
follow God's leading, it was not  clear that he believed only in God.  His fear 
of the Pharaoh led him  to believe not in God but in his own cleverness, 
passing off his lovely wife as  his sister.  (He could do that since she had no  
children.)  If his fear damaged the integrity of his faith, perhaps  his passion 
for a son, even for the promise of God, might also compromise his  belief in 
the only God.  So God set up a test, and  Abraham passed.  Abraham had grown to 
be a man of  integrity, a man with only one God.  But oh the price of that  
integrity!  Inestimable what it cost Abraham, what it cost Sarah,  what it cost 
Isaac.  Isaac becomes like a stammer in  the story of great men, Abraham, 
Jacob and Joseph.  What would it cost you to believe only in the one true  God?  
You would pay the price of any fanatic.  The only difference between a fanatic 
and an Abraham is  which god is their only god.  Don't bother having one god 
if  that one isn't the God of Abraham.  Diversify your devotion to  minimize 
the downside.  You'll blend into the social  fabric and save yourself a lot of 
grief.  But, if you think that integrity is for you -- that is,  that the one 
true God is for you -- "No longer present your members to sin as  instruments 
of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been  brought 
from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of  
righteousness."  (Romans 6:13)  And receive the reward of God:  " But now that you 
have been freed from sin and  enslaved to God, the advantage you get is 
sanctification. The end is eternal  life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free 
gift of God  is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 6:22-23)  
Faith in God is primary, but to live is to wed faith  and action.  Whoever 
believes only in the one true God receives the  reward of God.  
 
Integrity doesn't require that we have no competing  passions, no competing 
allegiances.  It means that these competing  passions and allegiances never win 
over our passion for and allegiance to  God.  Abraham didn't proceed to 
sacrifice Isaac because he  had no love for him, no passion, no allegiance.  Of all 
there was to his life, his son was his greatest  passion except for one.  
Biblical faith is for people who  are passionate about life.  Jeremiah reminds us 
that all the  prophets had a passion for the demise of the enemies of 
Jerusalem, but the  genuine prophet would have an even higher allegiance:  "The 
prophets who preceded you and me from ancient  times prophesied war, famine, and 
pestilence against many countries and great  kingdoms.  As for the prophet who 
prophesies peace, when the word  of that prophet comes true, then it will be 
known that the LORD has truly sent  the prophet."  (Jeremiah 28:8-9)
 
Where  is grace in all of this?  Where is the Gospel?  That you and I should 
be given the privilege and the  power to respond to the one true God with 
integrity.  "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes  me welcomes 
the one who sent me ...  and whoever gives even a cup of  cold water to one of 
these little ones in the name of a disciple‑‑truly I tell  you, none of these 
will lose their reward."  (Matthew 10:40,42)
 
 
May these thoughts strengthen  you.  
An Open Letter to Fellow  Pastors  
>From Roland McGregor, United  Methodist Pastor  
(an e-mail  service)  
[See Web Page address below for  a Children’s Message coordinated with these 
lections.]  
_http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/_ 
(http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/)   
Multiple Sermon Starter Essays  are available at  
_http://www.webspawner.com/users/McGregorPage/_ 
(http://www.webspawner.com/users/McGregorPage/)   
Children’s Sermons coordinated  with McGregorPage  available free to your 
email  inbox  
To subscribe, write the word  SUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and send it to 
_childpage-request at intenex.net_ (mailto:childpage-request at intenex.net) .  
To unsubscribe simply send an  email to 
_mcgregorpage-unsubscribe at intenex.net_ (javascript:parent.ComposeTo("mcgregorpage-request at intenex.net",%20"");) . 
(no text  needed) 
You may contact the author at _RMcGregorAlbq at AOL.COM_ 
(javascript:parent.ComposeTo("RMcGregorAlbq at AOL.COM",%20"");) .  
--Copyright 2008, Roland  McGregor, all rights reserved—  
You  have permission to share this material with any individual provided that 
you  include the source with e-mail  address.




**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for 
fuel-efficient used cars.      (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)