One Walk

Dear Lord God, doubt, fear and failure run through my mind, but today St Theresa words standout, ‘how often I have failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer!’ Yes I have sinned, failed myself, my family, my responsibilities and most of all You my Lord God, but I must rest in the words of Jesus today, for it is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven,’ than say, `Rise and walk’. Forgiveness is Your gift to me (us) Lord, I need do nothing but ask, the price, the debt, the sacrifice has been paid and made by My Lord Jesus Christ. But to rise and walk a new person, born in Jesus Christ, aware of my mortality and weak fallen nature is a heavy burden that only Jesus can help me bare. So I must take His yoke, and through constant prayer seek whatever is needed to do what eve the Holy Spirit directs me to do. And when doubt, fear of failure enter and try to control my thoughts, let me stop and drop what I am doing and turn to You in prayer and renewal of spirit. And in this prayer let me find what is missing to do Your will, while fulfilling my obligations and responsibilities under the sun. O Lord that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory; keeping me from evil and from causing pain. These things I ask and pray in the name of Jesus. Amen

How often I have failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer!

— St. Theresa of Avila                     

Genesis 22:1-19

1 After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." 2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori’ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the ass; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." 12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place The LORD will provide; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided." 15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

Bible Study: [1] God put Abraham to the test: to prove the firmness of Abraham’s faith in God’s promise that through Isaac all the nations of the earth would find blessing; cf Genesis 18:10, 18; 21:12. [2] Only one: uniquely precious, especially loved; therefore the same term is rendered in Genesis 22:12, 17 as "beloved." [14] Yahweh-yireh: a Hebrew expression meaning "the Lord will see"; the reference is to the words in Genesis 22:8, "God himself will see to it."

Psalm 115:1-6, 8-9

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to thy name give glory, for the sake of thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 8 Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them. 9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.

Bible Study: [Psalm 115] A response to the enemy taunt, "Where is your God?" This hymn to the glory of Israel’s God (Psalm 115:1-3) ridicules the lifeless idols of the nations (Psalm 115:4-8), expresses in a litany the trust of the various classes of the people in God (Psalm 115:9-11), invokes God’s blessing on them as they invoke the divine name (Psalm 115:12-15), and concludes as it began with praise of God. Psalm 135:15-18 similarly mocks the Gentile gods and has a similar litany and hymn (Psalm 135:19-21).

Matthew 9:1-8

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — he then said to the paralytic — "Rise, take up your bed and go home." 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men

Bible Study: [1] His own town: Capernaum; see Matthew 4:13.  [3] Scribes: see the note on Mark 2:6. Matthew omits the reason given in the Marcan story for the charge of blasphemy: "Who but God alone can forgive sins?" (Mark 2:7).  [6] It is not clear whether "But that you may know . . . to forgive sins" is intended to be a continuation of the words of Jesus or a parenthetical comment of the evangelist to those who would hear or read this gospel. In any case, Matthew here follows the Marcan text.  [8] Who had given such authority to human beings: a significant difference from Mark 2:12 ("They . . . glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this’ "). Matthew’s extension to human beings of the authority to forgive sins points to the belief that such authority was being claimed by Matthew’s church.