Lenten Thought for the Day. Wednesday, 12th March 2014 ‘Jesus said: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them.”’ (Mathew 7.16-16) Last month Preston, the Northwest, England and indeed the world of football mourned the death of one of the worlds greatest footballers, the Preston Plumber Sir Tom Finney, and it was great to seeing so many great footballers paying tribute to him was very fitting, he was a footballers footballer, naturally gifted and ahead of his time in many ways. I had the great pleasure of meeting him on a couple of occasions and it is so true that he was a lovely humble gentleman. I cant help wondering how he would have coped with the modern game and all the wealth that the current stars have at their fingertips, would it have changed Sir Tom, the man that so many knew and loved? We will never know, but so many involved in the great game these days are undoubtedly motivated by what they can get out of it financially for themselves, we see that not only in the vast wages paid, but in the current match fixing scandals as well. It’s hard to resist the temptations all around us, to seek, power, wealth or prestige. Jesus uses the image of the Wolf in Sheep’s clothing to warn us to look beyond outward first appearances, to what’s under the skin, and people will do that with us, the basic fault of the false prophet is self-interest. Whereas the true shepherd cares for the flock even at great personal cost, the wolf cares for nothing but to satisfy their own gluttony and greed. The false prophet teaches not for what they can give to others, but for what they can gain for themselves, what are our motives in following Jesus? Of course we need to recognise false teachers, but he bigger challenge is for ourselves to become; “trees that bear good fruit, people who not only say ’Lord, Lord’ when it suits us, but who apply ourselves to the much harder task of discerning and doing God’s will.” (Ref. page 21 Lent for everyone, Matthew Year A, Tom Wright). Suggested reading: Matthew 7 (main focus 15-23) Prayer: Gracious Lord, draw our roots to yourself, the living water, sustain us, strengthen us for the work you have for us, and may our lives bear fruit for the glory of Your Kingdom.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 08:41:26 +0000
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