The Lord Jesus gives us guidance to lead our lives wisely. As Christians, we are baptized into a threefold mission. Thus, we are priests, prophets, and kings. We are called to prophesy, heal the sick, and perform miracles. Exercising these gifts is necessary to bring the kingdom of God among the people. The Lord Jesus is giving us a warning. If we take the glory that is due to God in exercising these gifts given by the Holy Spirit, it is sinful. We need to exercise them in humility and in love. In the first reading, we see that living an evil life led the king of Israel and the people to captivity and slavery. Though we may not have realized it, we too may be living in captivity in some areas of our lives such as anger, reactions, jealousy, pride, and greed for material things, leading us to be slaves to sin. Let us examine ourselves: are there any areas of captivity in us? If so, let us give that truth to the Lord Jesus and claim his forgiveness and salvation.

PRAYER: Abba Father, empower us with your Holy Spirit to build our lives on your Word. Amen.