There is a fable, you may have heard, about an American banker taking a vacation and encounters a fisherman in a small Caribbean village. The banker was impressed with fisherman’s catch, and asked how long it took to catch the fish. When the fisherman said, “not too long,” the banker asked what the fisherman did with his extra time. The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends”

As the story goes, the banker suggests that the fisherman work a little harder, save some money to get a larger boat, grow his business, move to a larger market, and eventually after 15-20 years of working hard building his business, he could sell it for lots of money. The fisherman asked what would he do then, and the banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”

I am not advocating being lazy, or providing less than our best to the marketplace, but the story makes us stop and think about our priorities.

1 Timothy 6:9-13, says, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”

Dear Lord, you have provided us so many opportunities to contribute and things to experience in our lives, help us find the balance You desire for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I am sitting here reflecting on the amazing blessings that I have and continue to experience. I am blessed with an incredible wife, amazing parents, children and siblings, wonderful sister and brother in-laws, great friends, wonderful life in the USA, a church and church family that is vibrant and supportive. It is humbling, and almost challenging to find anything to complain about, and for all that I am incredibly thankful, and strive to be joyful.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul writes to the believers there, “Always be joyful, Always keep praying, No matter what happens, be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I am sure some of the folks Paul was writing to had wonderful lives, and some had problems like we do. Arguably, their problems were more dire than we can imagine in the developed world of 2021. But he tells them, and us, to be joyful. God is always there for us, and whether things are going our way, or we are struggling, God knows, and is there with us.

Dear Lord, Help us remember Pauls words, and be Joyful and Thankful. Joyful because we are saved and we know you will support us through our problems, and Thankful in for this amazing gift. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

As Christians we believe and frankly we know that God hears our prayers and answers them.

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Never stop praying.”

James tells us in James 5:16, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

I know many of you need prayers for help and healing. I pray specifically for those of you whom I personally know are facing struggles. I would also encourage you to let your Pastor’s and churches’ know your needs so that they may also pray for you.

Dear Lord, we know you hear our prayers, we know that you have complete control of all things. Give your physical and emotional healing to all those we pray for now. May their recovery bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think one thing that many of us get wrong, when we come to God for help with the difficulties in our lives, is complaining and looking for God’s sympathy. We sometimes think if we show God how difficult things are for us, out of pity, he will help us. The problem with that approach is, it is not what God tells he responds to.

God responds to our faith. In Hebrews 11:6 we are told, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

God knows the challenges we face in our lives. In some cases he is allowing these difficulties to occur to bring us closer to him. So complaining to God about these things will not influence him. He tells us is to respond to our challenges with faith. When we want God to help us, we should come to him with a faithful petition like:

Dear Lord, You know the challenges we are facing, whether these are things we brought on ourselves, or they are trials you are allowing us to experience, to make us better, we come to you with no doubt that you will bring us through these trials better, stronger and more confident in your unlimited power. For this we thank you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

John 2 Begins with the story of Jesus’ first miracle, when he changed the water into wine at the wedding in Galilee.

John 2:11-12 says, “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him. After the wedding he went to Capernaum for a few days with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.”

After this miracle, the small group went away for a few days. What do you think the conversation was during those few days in Capernaum? They probably had many questions about how Jesus did this miracle, and what this meant for them and for the world. We might call it reflection and analysis of the events.

I think there is a lesson for us in this story. There are times when we have seen God’s goodness, or His intervention in our lives; like protection from a tragedy, relief from an illness, or some coincidence that makes things go well for us. Maybe the lesson for us in this story is to take a moment to reflect and analyze what God has done and what it means.

Dear Lord, Thank you for working in our lives, and the lives of those we love. Help us remember to take time to see your work and blessings, and take time to acknowledge and give You thanks. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.