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1 Kings 3.5-12

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ 6 And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart towards you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’ 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

 

REFLECTION 

Solomon was a young man and given an open cheque to God's blessings. It is like the tree in the garden of Eden. Was God tempting Solomon? In this opportunity Solomon shows an understanding of the faith of his father and God's blessings to his father. Even the amazing fact that he is now king. In light of this his heart's desire is to be a good king. I have written it before and I hold to my beliefs that it is about the faith of the person. Solomon had an amazing faith. I do not think it was just about him though, but the Holy Spirit was present. We see in response to Solomon's faithfulness that God blesses him abundantly. God is ready to pour out blessings to faithfulness.

 

 

Psalm 119.129-136

 

129 Wonderful are your commands:

and therefore my soul keeps them.

130 The unfolding of your word gives light:

it gives understanding to the simple.

131 I open my mouth and draw in my breath:

for I yearn for your commandments.

132 O turn to me and be merciful to me:

as is your way with those who love your name.

133 Order my steps according to your word:

that no evil may get mastery over me.

134 Deliver me from my oppressors:

that I may keep your precepts.

135 Make your face shine upon your servant:

and teach me your statutes.

136 My eyes gush out with streams of water:

because they pay no heed to your law.

 

 

 

Romans 8.26-39

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?
33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;
    we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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REFLECTION   

Paul writes about God's abundant blessings in light of the Holy Spirit. I find it interesting that if we think about this idea that we do not know what to pray, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. What if we put Solomon's situation into this understanding. Solomon's request directed by the Holy Spirit.

I love that Paul starts with, 'For those whom he foreknew...' (v 29) I believe that this means God knew my heart and what I would be like and therefore looked to move in a way that I would respond to. That I am predestined, is that God is working in God's plan. This is hard to explain because God is working in all humanity, but it is like working through a willing worker, as working with a reluctant worker. God will call into my willing heart. As I am obedient my actions are justified, and glorified. In this life lived to God there is no worldly fear as God and Jesus are the only ones to fear. It does not mean an easy, rich, popular life, in fact it may mean a life of hardship. Those who live into this are blessed not by the world by God and nothing will separate them from God and the blessings of God.

 

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Matthew 13.44-58

44 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 ‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ 52 And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’ 53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place. 54 He came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?’ 57 And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house.’ 58 And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

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REFLECTION   

There appears to be a lot in this reading:

• parable of the treasure in the field

• Parable of the pearl of great worth

• The sorting of the fish

• Comparing the scribes to the master bringing out wealth of the old and new

• Jesus rejected by his own home town.

What is the common thing to share out of this reading?​

if you have read the first two reflections it is for me God's blessings. Those looking for God's blessings will do anything to have them. At the end of time those who have sort the blessing will receive it and those who don't will not. The scribe is a unique point as the writers and knowers of the scriptures they hold a treasure of great wealth about the kingdom and to record the movement of God's blessings. They are meant to share it. The events in his home town for me show the impact of rejecting the blessing. Not by God rejecting the people, but those doubting it and not wanting it. 

For me, we are asked today to reflect on how we value God's gift of Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God's blessings/grace. 

Would we sell everything for it, even though we don't have too?

If we believe we are foreknown and predestined and called, are we living into that call empowered by the grace and the Holy Spirit, fearing nothing because we have everything in God?

It is not about pass or fail, it is about wanting and not wanting, about our choices and what God's promises mean to us. 

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