Healing Rays of Righteousness

Whenever I read the conversation, recorded in Luke 10:25-37, between Jesus and “an expert in the law” regarding “who is my neighbor,” l am reminded of my tendency to lean into my biased attitudes and behaviors toward others. Yes, I have biases, both good and bad. And yes, at times I have tried to justify my attitudes and behaviors by redefining “neighbor” according to my own “preferred” (biased) comfort level. But then I read Jesus’ “Samaritan story” response to the “religious expert’s” question about who is “neighbor” and am sternly reminded that such questioning is to be out of order.

The correct questioning is not “Who is my neighbor” but “How can I be neighbor”to every person I encounter each day. And to do so with all biases removed. Yes, even including the neighbor who is frequently at my door wanting something from me.

The Gospel writers consistently portray Jesus as teaching and modeling that being “neighbor” is more about loving the other with acts of kindness rather than simply speaking kindly. Jesus’ story of the “Samaritan who did good,” is only one example. On another occasion he told a wealthy “wanna-be” disciple to “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21).

In Matthew 25:31-46 we hear Jesus describing the end-time judgment and its separation criteria.  In verses 44-45 we read: “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help you?’  He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

In his devotional book, “A Daily Walk Through Romans” Myron Augsburger writes, “There is a cost in love, for when you love someone, their experience is shared with you, their problems become your problems. Love is far deeper than tolerance; it calls for repentance while tolerance doesn’t require change. Love does not select. Love shares totally with the person. When we love we identify honestly, openly, fully. Paul states his admonition simply but profoundly: “Let love be genuine.”

To be like Jesus in being a neighbor of love and compassion is often difficult, costly, and sometimes dangerous. But these difficult experiences are also opportunities for us to deepen our relationship with God as we lean into him for discerning love needed in the moment. We can do so with the assurance that God will always keep his promise. I have found it to be so! In Hebrews 13:5 we read: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Below is a prayer hymn by Elisha A. Hoffman that I love to sing, because it expresses the deep desire of my heart, and I hope of your heart as well. May it be our prayer as we journey with Jesus in this world.

“Lord, I am fondly, earnestly longing 

into thy holy likeness to grow,

thirsting for more and deeper communion, 

yearning thy love more fully to know.”

“Dead to the world would I be, O Savior, 

dead unto sin, alive unto thee.

Crucify all the earthly within me, 

emptied of sin and self may I be.”

“I would be thine and serve thee forever,

filled with thy Spirit, lost in thy love.

Come to my heart, Lord, come with anointing,

showers of grace send down from above.

(Chorus)

 “Open the wells of grace and salvation, 

pour the rich streams deep into my heart.

Cleanse and refine my thought and affection, 

seal me and make me pure as thou art.”

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 8/12/26

In my previous meditation regarding God’s mercy, I referenced Psalm 145:8-9. And since that writing, my thoughts have been awesomely stirred by the psalmist’s description of our God. “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” And earlier the psalmist declared, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” (Psa. 86:5).

These verses and many others remind me that we cannot rightly speak of God’s grace and mercy without first acknowledging that “God is love” and that it is from this amazing, abundant heart of “love” that God’s “grace” and “mercy” flows out to us.

We say and sing that “grace” is the gift of God freely given to all, even though none of us ever deserved it. We say that there is no merit or goodness that precedes God’s “forgiving mercy” which freely and abundantly flows out of God’s gracious love. However, even though we know this to be true, the question remains, are we intentionally and gratefully bathing our minds and hearts in the “deep and wide” waters of this amazing gift of God’s grace. 

I confess to sometimes taking God’s grace for granted or possibly even slipping into thinking that I deserve it. To guard against such tendencies, I find it helpful to pause and pray with the psalmist, “Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” (Ps. 16:5-6, NLT)

I find it also helpful to sing with the apostle Paul, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.

……. “Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. (Eph. 1:3-8 and 2:3b-5).

One of my many favorite hymns is “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” because it words and melody help me to feel and express my thoughts and heart as I think about God’s grace in my daily life.

Chorus:     

“Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea;

higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me;

broader than the scope of my transgression, greater far than all my sin and shame;

O magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise His name!”

And, most importantly, the amazing truth we often overlook is that not only does God’s grace make possible our eternal redemption and relationship with God, but it also, and I repeat, “also” provides for our every daily need, be it spiritual, material, emotional, or physical. The apostle Paul lived through some very difficult experiences, and yet he declared, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things and all times having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8).

Wow! Do we really believe and live with such confidence? I am reminded of a children’s song that we would often sing during the various activities in churches I was privileged to pastor.

“God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, he’s so good to me.

He cares for me, he cares for me, he cares for me, he’s so good to me.

I love him so, I love him so, I love him so, he’s so good to me.”

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13@wordpress – 7/21/26

Healing Rays of Righteousness

(Fifty-Eight Devotional Meditations)

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When I am burdened or distressed by difficult events and prone to question God’s presence and power, I remember the story of blind Bartimaeus shouting out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mk.10:47). The story continues with Jesus stopping in his journey and asking Bartimaeus what “mercy” he was needing and Bartimaeus makes his plea for the healing of his blinded eyes.

The trusting faith of Bartimaeus in believing that Jesus was both infinitely powerful and endlessly merciful always challenges and encourages my own belief and faith in Jesus as my merciful Lord and Savior.

I remember reading the historical story of a mother who approached the emperor, Napoleon, seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed the same crime twice and justice demanded death. “But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained, “I plead for mercy.” “But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied. “Sir,” cried the woman, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all that I ask for.”  The emperor responded, “Well then, I will have mercy.” And he spared the woman’s son.

This story encourages me to listen more intently to the apostle Peter as he launches into a thankful hymn of praise to God for his gift of mercy. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. (1 Peter 1:3-4).

To say “In his great mercy” is key to understanding the more complete, grander meaning of our salvation. With these words, Peter reminds us that our “new birth” comes to us not as a reward but as an undeserved gift.

Many years earlier, David wrote a psalm of praise which suggests and expands our appreciation for God’s mercy. “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. … “The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (Psa. 145:8-9, 14). This psalm is so reassuring and refreshes me with grateful joy whenever I read it.

David also wrote a prayer psalm which appeals to God’s mercy. “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psa. 86:15). This truth was certainly confirmed in Mark’s story of Bartimaeus’ plea to Jesus for mercy.

This verse also inspired Frederick W. Faber (1814-1863) to write the hymn, “THERE’S A WIDENESS IN GOD’S MERCY,” which is one of my many favorite hymns. Here are the words. Read them slowly and meditate on them. I think verse three is a particularly important truth for us Jesus-followers in today’s confusing, religiously violent world. (Voices Together, p.156)

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea.

There’s a kindness in God’s justice, which is more than liberty.

There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good.

There is mercy with the Savior, there is healing in his blood.

But we make God’s love too narrow by false limits of our own,

and we magnify its strictness with a zeal God will not own.

For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind,

And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.

If our love were but more simple, we should rest upon God’s word,

And our lives would be illumined by the presence of our Lord.

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress – 6/18/26

JOY came into the world long before the angels announced the birth of Jesus with “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Lk. 2:19). Many years earlier Nehemiah told his people, “Don’t be sad, because the joy from the Lord is your strength!” (Neh. 8:10). And the prophet Isaiah promises, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isa. 55:12).

And according to John, after Jesus had told his disciples many things in preparing them for his imminent death and departure, he said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (Jn. 15:11).

The English word “joy” translates at least thirteen different Hebrew words, which suggests the richness of this “joy” among the Hebrews. This richness is expressed as pleasure or delight in persons, in things, in events, and includes delight in God’s law, God’s word, God’s saving activity, as well as God’s coming Kingdom reign on earth.

This “joy from the Lord” was expressed with singing, shouting, playing of instruments, accompanied with dancing, leaping, and stomping of the feet. It appears to me that expressing “joy” by the Hebrews was much nosier, and more physically active than I have experienced during worship times in many of the churches I have attended. In fact, the prophet Nehemiah writes that during the dedication of the completed wall surrounding Jerusalem, the joy-filled worship was so great and noisy that, “The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” (Neh. 12:43).

Most importantly, I note that “joy” in the Old Testament was something to be shared, whether it be recovery from illness, gathering of the crops, deliverance from death or from a human enemy. Every significant life event in the community had a festive quality that needed to be joyfully expressed by the community.

In the New Testament, “joy” rises to a new crescendo as it comes to a focus in Jesus Christ. Throughout the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles, “joy” flows from the coming of Jesus and his gift of salvation which is announced with a shout of “good news.”

And wherever Jesus went, his presence and words brought “joy.” But this “joy” finds its richest expression in the resurrection story. And Luke ends his “good news” reporting with Jesus’ ascension into heaven and his disciples returning “to Jerusalem with great joy” and staying there “continually at the temple, praising God.” (Lk. 24:52-53).

Three observations emerge for me from these brief reflections regarding “joy” in the New Testament.

1. “Joy” is centered in Jesus’ as person and spiritual presence, and not just in the events or circumstances surrounding him.
2. “Joy” is based not so much as a feeling or emotion, but more as perception, that is, a way of seeing persons or things. This includes a way of seeing the person of Jesus as being the meaning of life lived in relationship to him.
3. “Joy” is a gift of God, given to us as fruit of his Holy Spirit living in us. This makes it possible for the New Testament writers to speak of experiencing “joy” even in adversity, suffering, and persecution.

These few biblical insights regarding “joy” should remind us, as a Christian community, to give attention to the quality and quantity of “joy” being expressed in our conversations and corporate worship times.

And we must not forget that the “joy” that flows from Jesus is very dependent on our nurturing a daily relationship with him as our Savior and Lord, for he is the source of all life and joy. I suggest that we frequently examine our “joy” with the question, “How grateful am I to God for loving me?”

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Most importantly, the biblical story makes it clear that “joy” is a community-shared experience. As we gather weekly, each Sunday morning, we need to be remembering that God created us in love and for love. And he created us to be nurtured in a community of meaningful fellowship and joy-filled worship.

God intends for us to be his children of joy. And when the church is a singing, praising, pilgrim people marching together toward its heavenly kingdom and eternal home, the ugly deceptions of Satan are exposed. May it be so!

“God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to out King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.” (Ps. 46:5-7).

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress – 5/7/26

The last week in the life of Jesus as a human being on this earth was the most emotionally and physically painful days of his life. If you read the story slowly you soon begin to wonder if Jesus would be able to endure the pains of mockery, flogging, slapping, and the bloody nailing of hands and feet to a wooden cross. Death by crucifixion was one of the worst forms of dying and reserved only for Rome’s enemies.

Yes, Jesus knew beforehand just how bloody painful the two long days would be and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me: yet not my will, but yours be done. An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”(Luke 22:42-44).

The grand “good news” is that Jesus did remain steadfastly faithful to his Father’s mission of redeeming humankind back to himself. And as he was nakedly hanging from that torturous cross, with his life-blood bleeding out from head, hands, and feet, he prays “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34).

I am often eager to let my heart and thoughts jump quickly from the story of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his glorious resurrection on Easter morning. But I have discovered that the more I slowly walk with Jesus through this difficult and painfilled week, intentionally sharing in his feelings and thoughts, the more grateful I am for his gift of forgiveness, and the more enthusiastic I am in celebrating his resurrection on Easter morning.

Many writers have told us that gratitude reveals a loving heart. And I know that the more I love someone, the more grateful I am for their friendship. And yet, the epidemic of ingratitude is so prevalent today. We are prone to be like the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother said to the boy, “What do you say to the nice man?”  The boy thought for a moment and handed the orange back to the man and said, “Peel it.”

In his book, The Robe of God, Myron Augsburger shares the story of Abraham Lincoln, as a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, taking a trip down the Mississippi River to visit New Orleans. While there, he went to a slave market and watched as people of color were brought out and auctioned off to the highest bidder. When they brought a young woman out, with clothing awry, hair disheveled, and eyes flashing anger as men examined her to decide on their level of bidding, Lincoln suddenly became so incensed that he began to bid.

     Lincoln kept bidding as one bidder after another dropped out, and he bought her. He walked down to the platform, took the rope that bound her wrists, and led her to the edge of the crowd. There he stopped and untied the rope. The young woman rubbed her wrists to relieve the pain and promote the circulation. Lincoln looked at her and said, “You are free to go.”

      She looked at him in amazement “What’s that, Massa?”

     “You are free to go.”

     “You mean I can go where I want to?”

     “Yes,” he said, “you are free to go.”

     “Do you mean that I can say what I want to?”

     “Yes,” he replied, “you are free.”

     “I can think the way I want to?”

     “Yes, you are free to go.”

The tears began to run down her cheeks. She fell to her knees, clutched his ankles, and declared, “Then, Massa, I want to go with you.”

Myron then writes that “This is the moral response of the thankful person who recognizes God’s wonderful grace in releasing us. To be forgiven is to be set free. To be forgiven calls us in turn to walk in this freedom; that means walking with the One who forgives us.” (p.109-110).

While preparing for a communion service in 1707, Isaac Watts wrote his personal expression of gratitude for the amazing love that Jesus’ crucifixion death revealed to him in “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross.” The third verse calls us to “See, from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down; did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown? And verse four is his overwhelming grateful response. “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” 

This hymn resonates with my thoughtful pondering of this week’s events in Jesus’ life and challenges my sometimes-lackadaisical response of love and gratitude to Jesus for his very cruel and costly sacrifice in my behalf. These few days are so critically important to my being forgiven and given an eternal future. The last verse of above hymn echoes my present thoughts. Will you join me in such a response?

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 4/1/26

Pontius Pilate wanted a simple, quick “yes or no” answer from Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus stood there, ragged, bruised, bleeding, and exhausted after a long night of questioning and abuse. He certainly did not look like a king. There was nothing royal about him. At least nothing that Pilate’s eyes could see.

And after Jesus briefly describes his kingdom, he answered Pilate, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:33-37).

When you think of yourself as being a child of the king, do you think of it more often as a costly duty or as a treasured gift? Does being a child of the king seem to you to feel more like dutiful enslavement or privileged royalty? These are good questions to ponder during these weeks of Lenten meditations.

Today we live in a culture that is hostile to the idea of kingship. Kingship is directly opposite the thought of being my own boss, doing what I want to do in disregard to the rights and desires of others. But even though the idea of kingship may be countercultural to our society, the biblical scriptures assure us that it is a gift to those who claim to be Christian, that is, Jesus followers. Those scriptures repeatedly remind us of who Jesus Christ is as the King of Kings, and furthermore, it is because of God’s love and mercy that we are invited to be in relationship with Jesus as a child of the King.

Listen to the apostle Paul telling us that “All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry ‘Abba, Father.’  The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:14-17, ACB).

As children of God, and together with Jesus, we are co-heirs of God’s glorious eternal kingdom, and we would enrich ourselves by thoughtfully meditating on all the heavenly treasures that are presently ours to enjoy, as well as what awaits us throughout eternity. And as children of God, should we not be daily enjoying the rich blessings that belong to us as heirs of God’s riches? I think “Yes!”

Harriett Buell wrote a hymn while walking home from her Methodist church service that encourages us to think more intentionally about our relationship with God. The hymn is titled “A CHILD OF THE KING.”

My Father is rich in houses and lands; He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!

Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold, His coffers are full – He has riches untold.

Chorus:   I’m a child of the King, A child of the King!

With Jesus, my Savior, I’m a child of the King!

My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men, once wandered o’er earth as the poorest of them;

But now He is reigning forever on high, and will give me a home in heav’n by and by.

I once was an outcast stranger on earth, a sinner by choice and an alien by birth; but

I’ve been adopted; my name’s written down – an heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown.

A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They’re building a palace for me over there!

Tho exiled from home, yet still I may sing: All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.

Amen, and Amen! THANK YOU, JESUS!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 3/19/26

The six weeks of Lent are for remembering and meditating on the goodness of God as we make our annual worship journey with Jesus toward the bloody cross and empty tomb. This journey is meant to annually remind us of the incredibly significant, costly, and awesome act of God’s love in rescuing us from the dark pit of sin and reclaiming us as his beloved children.

I confess to sometimes viewing my Christian privilege lightly, unintentionally forgetting the immense debt of sin that enslaved me and the unimaginable immense love of God in rescuing and setting me free. I truly need these annual weeks of Lent to keep reminding me of how easy it is to forget from where I have come in my journey of trusting dependence on God, how dramatic my many rescues have been, and the many great reasons I have for heartfelt gratitude and singing. I recently was reminded that the good news of Jesus Christ and singing are inseparable. Jesus’ birth was announced with angelic singing.

For that reason, I like to read Psalm 40 as appropriate for my Lenten meditation. In this psalm David lists the many reasons he has for singing. I am encouraged by David’s sharing of his time of crying out to God and God’s hearing response, which caused him to sing, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” (Psa. 40:2-3). I invite you to read the entire psalm, inserting yourself as the writer.

In this psalm, David is seeing the world from a different perspective, that is, of trusting God and being lifted up and out of the slimy pit of fear and doubt. David does not reveal the nature of his horrible pit, but he does say that when he cried out to God, the Lord heard him and delivered him from his pit of despair, giving him a new song of praise to sing.

I remember God hearing my cry and lifting me out of sinking sand to solid rock, from shades of night to plains of light, from terrible bondage to marvelous freedom. And with each deliverance, the Lord also put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. One of those songs was written by Charles Gabriel, who died a few years before I was born, but his song always fills my heart with worshipful praise.

                                             HE LIFTED ME

In loving kindness Jesus came my soul in mercy to reclaim,

and from the depths of sin and shame thru grace He lifted me.

               He called me long before I heard, before my sinful heart was stirred,

               but when I took him at His word, forgiv’n He lifted me.

His brow was pierced with many a thorn; His hands by cruel nails were torn

when from my guilt and grief, forlorn, in love He lifted me.

               Now on a higher plain I dwell, and with my soul I know ‘tis well;

               yet how or why, I cannot tell, He should have lifted me!

                                             Chorus:               

From sinking sand He lifted me; with tender hand He lifted me;

From shades of night to plains of light, O praise His name, He lifted me!

David’s song was a song of confidence in God for provision, protection, and deliverance. With his feet firmly placed on God’s solid foundational rock, he can sing with joyful confidence, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psa. 23:4).

I can assure you that the joy of the Lord produces music in the soul and a need to sing it. What new song has the Lord given your soul that needs to be sung?

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” (Psalm 98:1). <><><><><> 

Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 3/4/26

To nurture and deepen our confidence in God is to experience its fruit of contentment and joy.

We memorize Psalm 23 and love to quote its beautiful and comforting words in times of serious illness, loss, and grief. This is good, but I cherish these verses as a declaration of my Christian faith and confidence in God.

Psalm 23, along with the whole book of Psalms, recount all sorts of human troubles, despair, and fears, but like a compass needle that keeps swinging back to the north, they keep coming back to the confidence we gain in knowing that God is always with us and for us.

The psalmist begins by declaring, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” And concludes with this declaration of faith, trust, and confidence, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  The first word, surely, is a strong word of confidence in God’s faithful love, power, and presence.

Many years later, King David wrote another song of confidence, declaring God’s presence, power, provision in his life. “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:1-3).

In every event of life, confidence in God makes the difference between hope and despair, between victory and defeat. That is why the Hebrew writer, after giving us reason to persevere in faith, urges us with this strong admonition, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” (Hebrews 10:35).

As Jesus followers, we are repeatedly encouraged to grow in gaining a greater confidence in God. But we must begin by first acknowledging that our confidence is not based on who we are, but on who Christ is within us. Then, we soon learn that this confidence in God grows best within an intimate, trusting, loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And in doing so, we discover a new and stronger confidence that blesses us with contentment, joy, and peace.

Some years ago, I had a desk calendar with these words on it: “In the presence of trouble, some people grow wings; others buy crutches.”  Those words remind me of God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah in 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”

This promise is to all who choose to use the many and varied experiences of daily living to nourish and strengthen their confidence in God’s presence, power, and love always and in every situation. And so, I pray for myself and you, eagle WINGS of confidence and contentment.

Please join me in the following declaration.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”  He makes me … He leads me … He refreshes me …  He guides me … He is with me … He comforts me … He anoints me … My cup overflows.  “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  THANKS BE TO GOD!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 2/12/26

In her book, Bring Us Together, Marjorie Holmes writes this yearning prayer for community. “Oh, God, we go through life so lonely, needing what other people can give us, yet ashamed to show that need. And other people go through life so lonely, hungering for what it would be such a joy for us to give. Dear God, please bring us together, the people who need each other, who can help each other, and would so enjoy each other.”

If you are old enough to remember the TV series, THE WALTONS, you may remember one of the programs in which a small black boy, named Josh, is in conversation with Jim-Bob and says, “You were born belonging. That must be a great feeling – to belong.”

God created every human being with the need to belong, to be accepted, included, loved, and cared for in communities with other human beings. More importantly, God commanded us to live together in communities of loving, within which all these human needs are provided.

When Jesus was asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law he answered by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” And then he added this, “And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39).

Most sadly, our present society’s emphasis on individualism has diminished any sense of need for community. Instead, much of our society’s advertisements and appeals are primarily focused on satisfying me and my desires. But why do we would-be Jesus followers so easily slip into this comfort zone when we know that such ungodly focus on individualism leads us away from God and his intention for every human being to live in communities of loving others.

Jesus clearly teaches that we must use the biblical language of “community” rather than the cultural language of “individualism.” And to experience the abundant life he promised us, we must use the language of “mutuality,” of caring for one another, providing for one another, and being accountable to one another. Jesus daily modeled this truth during his ministry on earth.

As part of their Pentecost baptism, the first Christian community caught this vision and became a fellowship of sacrificial love, sharing life at all levels of spiritual, social, and economic relationships. This included the sharing of shelter, clothing, food, and wealth. They “walked their talk,” publicly displaying their sincere and generous “I care for you” love for one another.

And their New Testament stories give evidence that they “lived and walked their gospel talk” with a public display of sincere and generous “I care for you” love. This display of loving others is what biblical scholars have named “the ministry of shared pilgrimage.” This priestly role fits well into Anabaptist theology and its belief in the priesthood of all believers.

Myron Augsburger, a highly regarded Mennonite theologian and pastor, who is deeply rooted in the Anabaptist tradition, defines this biblical understanding of “love in community” in his book, “The Robe of God.” In chapter 11, page 227, he writes, “In summary I highlight three things:

• First, love personalizes relationships rather than institutionalizing them. We are to look at people as ends in themselves and never as a means to some other end.
• Second, love energizes relationships rather than legalizing them. Jesus moves us beyond codes to compassion. As we care for people, we regard the law only as a means of treating others with justice and mercy.
• Third, love immortalizes relationships rather than temporalizing them. We have been called to always look beyond the need of the immediate, to share the quality and the extension of the eternal. We are not to make our decisions solely on the basis of the needs of the moment. With eternity in view, we share to invest in a life.”

Myron Augsburger’s definitions of love, help us to “walk our talk,” that is, to act out our Christian beliefs regarding community in the way we care and provide for others. It is about transforming our work and worship into the Christian ministry of offering “belonging” to all others in my family, work, and church relationships.

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9).

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 01/28/26