The gifts and call of God are irrevocable.

"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."  (Romans 11: 29).

Which gifts?

"The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide."  (Isaiah 11: 2 - 3).

Which call?

"I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last."  (John 15: 16, 19).

"To this end, we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith,
 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ."  (2 Thessalonians 1: 11 - 12).

"I will bear a witness to you in the world,O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers and sisters, Alleluia!"  (Psalm 17: 50; 21: 23).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Do you want to be like the little one? Ask Jesus.

"Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom."  (Matthew 11: 25).

How do you see yourself before God?  Wise and learned or childlike and little one? 

Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.  (1 Corinthians 8: 1).  God prefers to reveal the secrets of the Kingdom to the childlike.   You may call this: Preferential option for the little ones.

What are these secrets?  They are mysteries which the mind of man cannot fully understand.  Yet once they are revealed are found to be reasonable.  The Lord gave the little ones the gifts of Understanding, Knowledge and Wisdom.  With these core gifts they are able to understand the mysteries of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus the Christ, the Church, Sacraments, etc.

St. James writes of two types of wisdom:  Wisdom that comes from above and the earthly wisdom.  The wisdom that comes from above bears the marks of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.  While earthly wisdom bears all the signs of Satan, Father of lies. (James 3: 13 - 18).

Do you want to know some of these little ones, check them out by googling "Doctors of the Church" and "Church Fathers".

Dear Jesus Christ, I want to be a little one. If You want me to be a little one, You have to make me one Yourself.  Remember Lord that all things are possible for You and nothing is too marvelous for You to do for me. Amen.

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Give an honest try to Praise and Thanksgiving.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever."

His mercy endures forever.  Absolutely true!

"Who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever." (Psalm 136: 1 - 4).

What do you know about the power of praise and thanksgiving? Praise and Thanksgiving is probably religion's best kept secret of all times. Just a few of the things that Praise and Thanksgiving can do for you:
#1.  Banish depression.
#2.  Wipe out the threat of opioid.
#3.  Heal marriages.
#4.  Fill your soul with contentment.
#5.  Put joy and smile on your face.
#6.  Renews your youth like the eagle's.

The word of God Never underperforms. Why do people refuse to check it out completely and then share their honest testimony?

"Bless the Lord, my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name!Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts."  (Psalm 103: 1 - 2).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.

"Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’  Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan."  (Matthew 18: 26 - 27).

This servant certainly knew how to beg for relief. He knelt down and asked his Lord.  He knew something else for which we commend him.  He knew his master was compassionate and kindly.  How much do we know the Heart of Jesus?  The Sacred Heart waiting for us to come and to shower us with His forgiveness and love.

"Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan." (Matthew 18: 27).

Forgive the wasteful servant probably something like a million dollars?  If the master had forgiven 50% of the debt, he would be hailed as a most generous man.

"You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.  Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ (Matthew 18: 32 - 33).

Do not miss this very important phrase: "I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to." Asking for forgiveness is very important.

Look! This unforgiving servant is me and you. Consider how much God has forgiven us throughout our lives. Yet we bear all types of grudges. Lord have mercy!

Remember the ABC of Mercy?
A.  Ask for Mercy.
B.  Be Merciful.
C.  Completely trust Jesus for Mercy.

Do this and you will never have to fear this:
"So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”  (Matthew 18: 35).

SeekFirstcommunity.com

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth.

"Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!"

If God fills your soul with fire, what would you do?

If God fills my soul with fire, I will
Shout joyfully to God; sing praise to the glory of his name; I will proclaim his glorious praise.
and say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”

I will say to you my brothers and sisters: Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
I will urge you: Bless our God, you peoples; loudly sound his praise.

I will always remember: Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!

I will shout like a crazy man: Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.

Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire.
(Adapted from Psalm 66)

Seekfirstcommunity.com

Her Feast Day O Most Blessed Virgin Mary on Solemnity of your Assumption.

 “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"  (Luke 1: 42 - 43).

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist greeted Mary thus on the occasion of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.

Today, August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.  The Church throughout the world celebrates and rejoices in Mary's prerogatives and privileges.  What Mary enjoys today shall be ours sooner or later.  Mary is "Mother of the Lord" to be sure. Let us remember that this title was first given to Mary by Elizabeth when she was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out as a prophet.  (Luke 1:  41-42).

The Church Fathers had seen Mary as the Woman of Revelation 12: 1.
"A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

Mary did not seek her extraordinary privileges.  They were conferred by her Son Jesus the Christ for our sake. We rejoice in this truth.

Happy Feast Day O Most Blessed Mother.  Your Son Jesus Christ has made you our Queen, Mother and Teacher.  Your children will continue to love you Now and Forever!  Who dare say nay?

SeekFirstcommunity.com

You too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.

"For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes,  who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10: 17 - 18).

Who should you share your bread with?  The orphans, widows and immigrants.

"So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt."  (Deuteronomy 10: 19).

Whom should you not persecute?
Those you insult as illegal immigrants.

"The Lord, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve; to him hold fast and by his name shall you swear.  He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you those great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.  Seventy strong your ancestors went down to Egypt, and now the Lord, your God, has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven."  (Deuteronomy 10:  20 - 22).

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

SeekFirstcommunity.com