Grant Me Wisdom Oh Lord

In today's readings we learn that Solomon asked God for one thing out of anything that he could have received from God and that was WISDOM. Solomon asked the Lord for the Wisdom to understand and know that which he needed to know and understand. This was extremely important for a King who was to lead the people both in the political realm and most importantly in the way of the faith. Solomon prayed and God granted him the wisdom to understand and Solomon learned to love the Lord's commands. There is no doubt that we too must stop and pray when we face a decision in our life time. There are choices that we must make every day, some being larger than others. However, each decision that we make we make it and it has some kind of consequence, hopefully good. Well, without the guidance of the Lord we cannot really make a wise or even good and solid decision. Through prayer and asking God for Wisdom to make a choice there is no doubt that we do receive the grace that we need, as the Lord provides the Holy Spirit to speak to us and give us an answer. "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened" Matthew 7:7. How difficult is it to choose what to do, it can be extremely difficult. How difficult is it to take some time to pray and ask the Lord for the Wisdom to understand and make the best decision possible, now that does not have to take much time but the benefit of doing so is not measurable. It is unfortunate that we do not trust in the Lord more to sit down with him and say, "Jesus I am confused, I do not know what to do, please grant me the wisdom to understand and the ability to make the best possible decision." We have been touched by God and are continuously blessed by Him each day. Love is what the Lord pours out to us and we have been granted this gift of life, both physical and the life that will never dwindle which is eternal. Eternal Life is where our names are written in the Book of Life, thanks be to God through the glorious sacrifice and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The grace has been given to us, the faith is the gift we have received, now what we do with it is our choice and we must ask the Lord for help in order to live life in a great way. How we live our lives on a day to day basis, our relationship with our fellow man and our Lord God is the way we can display and witness our faith in Christ. Sure, we are not perfect and never will be. However, we must remember that it is much more difficult to make decisions and choices on our own, as we certainly do not know what is best. God does know, we were in his care even before we were born. It is very simple but extremely important and vital to our daily lives, to just take the time to ask for guidance and the wisdom to understand. Not only will this please our Heavenly Father, but it will grant us the grace and blessing to do the right thing. So dear Christ please grant us Wisdom Oh Lord to understand the things that we need to understand, to make the best choices that we can make, and to trust you that our future is unfolding and going to be a culmination of your will lived out by us every day. Make us wise that we may be able to live out the Gospel and witness to the world through our actions. We are predestined and called by God thanks be to grace, help us to understand and have the wisdom to make the choice to continuously follow the Word and make Christ present in what is often a dark and despairing world. Let your light shine upon us and we thank you for calling us and pray that you continue to call all our brothers and sisters whomever and wherever they may be. Wisdom Oh Lord so that we may understand. Help us Oh Lord to love your commands.

Saved By Grace: The Josh Hamilton Story

Josh Hamilton is the prime Example of a man Saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ. Certainly nothing is too big for the Lord to overcome as Drug Addiction and Alcoholism could not conquer Hamilton who turned his life over to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After Josh hit rock bottom and had no where else to go, he turned his life over to God and everything from then on out was much different. He no longer needed the alcohol or the drugs when times were tough or when he was depressed, but turned to the Lord who drove him to happiness through prayer and the Word. Now Hamilton, a disciple of Christ and a member of the Texas Rangers is not only a reconciled man off the field but on as well. Josh certainly has the potential and stardom for a possible MVP award after a stellar first half of play, but more importantly he is a happy father and husband who knows that he is complete. Josh is not only sending balls out of the yard but spreading the news of the Lord Jesus to kids, youth, and adults by his ministry both on and off the field. The way that he conducts himself now is incredible as he has become a prime role model for people of all ages. Josh is not proud of the decisions that he had made in the past, however he knows that he has been granted a clean slate thanks be to God who saved him by Grace through the Cross and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The past is what Josh Hamilton uses to teach children and adults of how the Lord can help one achieve victory over any addiction, problem, or test in life. This incredible man was touched by the Lord and said yes to the call, and has never been the same. Josh realizes that by being born again to new life in Christ he is the person that he genuinely was made to be, a man who loves and does does everything now for the Glory of God. Recently Josh set a record by hitting 28 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby. He proclaimed this feat to be a dream come true, however he knows that winning over the fans with his game is good, but his change or heart and love for God far outshine the distance of any long ball. Josh Hamilton is a committed athlete, but more importantly a dedicated disciple and proud believer in Jesus Christ. Saved by Grace, Josh knows that it took only one swing, to trust God and allow the Lord into the batters box of life so that he could hit the curve balls of evil and sin out of the yard, to round the bases and reach an Eternal Home.

Seed for Eternal Life

In todays Gospel we hear about the different kinds of seed that are sown. Some seed falls on rocky soil, some on unfertile soil, some in vines, and some in rich soil. The seed that is the faith which we have received from the Lord is sown in our lives by what we do, the choices we make, and how we live in relation to both God and our neighbor. There is no doubt that at times we make bad decisions and thus our seed is choked by the vines and cannot grow further for a while. There are other times when we talk and do not walk, thus our seed falls into rocky soil. There are also times when we plant our seed in unfertile soil, where we have good intentions but the results do not follow. Although we all face hardships, temptation, and difficulties in this lifetime, there is clearly a rich soil which we also plant our seed and must continue to do so. The rich soil is where our faith blossoms and grows each day, the rich soil is Jesus Christ. Christ is our light he provides the nourishment, the waters of peace and truth, and most of all the unconditional love and friendship that we need to overcome the tough soils of the world. When we plant our seed in the rich soil we find that life is most complete and full because we become our genuine selves and are able to live a life that is holy and righteous. Through this rich soil in Christ, we who were once a tiny plant and dead because of our sins are brought to abundant life through the one who paid the price to die so that we may live. We are raised up and grow to become faithful and loving children of God who waters us each day and keeps us safely rooted in the promises of the Heavenly Kingdom. It is important for us to remember that we have been blessed with this faith and that we must trust the Lord Jesus to lead us through our earthly lives, that we may reach our Homeland with God in the world to come. St. Paul always said, "Thanks be to God for the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." May we too rejoice because we are rooted in the rich soil of Life that is our Lord and Savior. May we take courage and know that God is there all the time and that we must continue to strive for life in all we do. There are numerous soils, but only one that leads to growth, happiness, love, and life, we we choose to be planted always in Christ so that we may be complete in this world and the one to come.