We have had a great night of sleep; having arrived in the dark, we were surprised to find that the home we are staying at is set in the midst of a beautiful jungle area. The boys were especially happy to find a playful pet monkey who likes to eat their American snacks... The monkey had spent most of the morning on Paulson's shoulders.
We are spending time as a team this morning in the passages of Matthew 5 & Luke 6, the recounting of two different but similar sermons (on the mount and on the plain). We will go through each of the groups addressed by Jesus and prayerfully consider how we will meet these people as we begin our work today.
It's interesting to note that Matthew is sure to recount how Jesus qualifies each group whereas Luke does not (either does not recount it or Jesus does not qualify them)... Poor in spirit versus poor, hunger and thirst for righteousness versus hunger.
Perhaps this is less of an incongruity in the scriptures and more of a lesson in how Christ sees people differently that we do - he sees the deep spiritual condition, but he also sees the very real physical needs... And he meets them both with mercy, compassion and love.
Pray for our team today that we may see the physical and spiritual needs around us, and that we may step into those needs as Jesus would have done. Pray to for cultural adjustments for our team - food, language, interactions, etc.
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Doug please check Paulson's bags before you leave to make sure the monkey stays there!!!
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