Bishop Wills' Life Journal Entry for May 4, 2008 -- "Making Room In The Center Of My Life"

S: Matthew 21: 42-43 (The Message)
The stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone. This is God’s work; we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it! This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom of life.

O: Jesus is talking to the religious leaders. They have been living a life where everything is in the hands and nothing is in the heart. This is a story of many today.

A: I and others live in a time when out standard of living is so high, our ability to possess is so well developed, and out claims to ownership are so conspicuous, and yet so many feel burdened with anxiety, guilt, emptiness, and boredom.

In a strange way I and others can end up living in the church playing the role of the wicked tenants in the vineyard. But despite our sin, God is still here in love and forgiveness, exercising his gracious rule over our lives.

For me the warning is this: If I refuse to acknowledge the ownership of God and my position as a steward of life, there will be no meaning or beauty or fullness in anything I do.

This morning I get the point: God wants me (and each of us) to enjoy all that he has given us. But I (we) can’t do it unless I (we) enjoy God at the center. Every joy radiates from that central joy, just as the rays of life-giving light radiate from sun.

P: Father this morning I give to you everything I have and all that I am. I simply ask for you to be the center of my life so my life can be filled with joy. May I always point to you as the source of everything gift in my life. Help me never take credit for anything I might do which is good. Love, Dick

Y: I give to God and center place in my life.