maximize

Two things this morning.

We encounter Elijah on top of the mountain praying. During this time of drought, Elijah is praying, interceding for rain. He prostrates low to the ground and seven times he asks his servant to see if rain was on the horizon.

Elijah reveals to us an important lesson on reality. The art of praying is also the art of waiting. Both go hand in hand.
The art of praying is also about the art of humility, coming low to the ground and allowing God to choose his time to respond.
Prayer is often about waiting on the Lord, waiting for his love to be made known in his time.

The art of praying and the art of waiting are united in this life.


Secondly as we look to the gospel this morning, we encounter Jesus speaking those familiar words, "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and pharisees."


Unless it surpasses...

We look into the world of business and finances and often we encounter the insistence on maximizing potential. How often have we heard businesses trying to maximize their profit or maximize their income? How often have we been invited to maximize our tax return or maximize our retirement?

The world longs to squeeze every little bit out until the last drop has fallen.

Jesus invites us to maximize our goodness. This is what it means to surpass the scribes and pharisees.

Jesus doesn't want us to simply get by in life but he wants us to go beyond; he doesn't want us to minimize but maximize, to do more not less.

To maximize our goodness is simply to return the favor we have first received from God who maximizes his goodness toward us in Jesus himself.