a heart for your problem-people
" 'I see how stiff-necked this people is,' continued the Lord to Moses. 'Let Me alone, then, that My wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.' " —Exodus 32:9-10
God offered Moses the chance to be free from the unfaithful people he led (Ex 32:9-10). These people, the Hebrew nation, continually provoked Moses, yet Moses loved them deeply. Moses spent forty years in the desert loving and leading his people, but they often rebelled and grumbled against him. However, instead of gaining freedom from this burdensome people when God gave him the chance, Moses interceded for their salvation and asked God to be merciful to them (Ex 32:11ff).
Jesus likewise acted like Moses. His people turned their backs, not their faces, to His love. Although Jesus could have returned to the bliss of heaven and left us to a future "without hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:12), He pleaded before God on our behalf (1 Jn 2:1), a Priest representing His people before the throne of the Father (Heb 2:18; 4:16). Jesus even offered His life as a sacrifice on behalf of His sinful, ungrateful people.
What about us? Is there a person in your life who is a burden to you? What if God offered to kill your current spouse and give you a loving, tender spouse who would appreciate you? The same offer could apply to a parent, sibling, or child. Could you act as did Jesus and Moses and remain sacrificially faithful to that burdensome person?
Fall on your knees in gratitude before the Lord (see Lk 17:15-16). Thank the Lord forever for His never-failing love. Then ask Him for the grace to love others as He loves us (see Jn 15:13).
Prayer: Father, bring me to the next level of sacrificial love. May my love for the people in my life reflect Your love for them.
Promise: "These very works which I perform testify on My behalf that the Father has sent Me." —Jn 5:36
Praise: Besides giving money, Robert prays with beggars.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 8, 2019
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