Scripture Readings
Daily Bible Readings for the Week of April 30
Monday, April 30- James 1:16-21
Tuesday, May 1- Isaiah 29:9-14
Wednesday, May 2- John 21:20-25
Thursday, May 3- Judges 7:15-22
Friday, May 4- Hebrews 5:1-10
Saturday, May 5- 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Prayer of the Week
O God, form the minds of Your faithful people into a single will. Make us love what You command and desire the gifts that You promise, the source of true joy; through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Journey to Hope
What the Parable of the Sower Tells Us About Grief
When we grieve the loss of something dear to us our faith is often tested. We are told in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13) of four areas where seeds fell and subsequently grew. Three areas could not sustain the plants that sprung up—only one could. Going through grief can reveal our spiritual soil type. God made soil to be a natural medium for the growth of plants and we are the God-designed medium through which faith is cultivated.
Letting Go
We might not think that grieving would be an appropriate word to use for the Israelites after they left Egypt. They had been in the land for many years and it had been welcoming and a prosperous time. But under a new Pharaoh life changed drastically. The bible tells us that the Egyptian masters worked the Israelites “ruthlessly” (Exod. 1:13, 14) and made their lives “bitter” (Exod. 1:14) with “hard/cruel” (Exod. 1:14; 6:9) service. As a result, Israel languished in “misery” and “suffering” (Exod. 3:7).