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MEDITATION:

This devotion is from Worthy Devotions ministry, which provides an online daily devotional.

In the modern world, the work ethic is “achieve and produce by working longer and harder!” The focus is on getting results through human effort — we’ve become product-oriented and the bottom line is……the bottom line! But God’s way runs contrary to this approach — His way is much more oriented toward process and relationship rather than performance and production. He IS interested in results which He calls “fruit”; but not by pushing or egging us on to work harder or longer.

The Lord’s way is to work with and through us so that every result or product comes out of our abiding in Him, since without Him we can do nothing. This is opposed to of the culture we live in today, and to human nature in general. Think about it — we’re constantly bombarded with self-help books promoting self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-control — our society is all about self! But God’s way of success produces the results which He values; results which are not produced by self-effort, but which grow out of an intimate relationship with Him, in which we seek to constantly abide.  The only way we can become abundantly fruitful is to understand the Lord’s fruit-bearing process. As we lay down self-effort, our natural human independence, and seek communion with Him, abiding in the Vine, then His power, His will, and His desires will be realized in our lives, which then, will bear fruit that remains throughout eternity!

PRAYER:

From The Mozarabic Rite, a liturgical rite of the Latin Church once used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal.  Developed during Visigoth (Arian Christian) rule of the Iberian Peninsula in the 500s AD.

O Lord,

let your mercy be upon us,

and let the brightness of your Spirit

illumine our inward souls,

that he may kindle our cold hearts

and enlighten our dark minds;

who abides with you in glory forever.

Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Lloyd John Ogilvie (1930-2019), a Presbyterian minister who served as Chaplain of the US Senate.  This is an excerpt from his book “Radiance of the Inner Splendor.”

When Dante appeared at the Franciscan monastery door, a monk opened the door and asked him what he wanted. “Peace!” was Dante’s one word answer. That eventually became the Lord’s gift to him when he learned to wait, pray, and listen. Later, in The Divine Comedy, he wrote hisoft quoted line, “In His will is our peace.” The refreshment of Christ is peace to replace our impatience. Christ is peace. Christ is patience. We could never produce these graces in our own strength in the quantities they are needed in our families and our world. But we do have access to an unlimited stockpile of patience because the same spirit that enabled Christ is in us.

PRAYER:

Written by Ausin Fleming, a contemporary priest and author.

Lord, it’s likely that sometime today

someone will push my buttons

challenge my good will

misread my intentions

tick me off

try my patience

rattle my cage

judge me in haste

test my kindness

or do all of the above…

Give me the grace I’ll need at such times

to respond with patience

to trust and accept

to listen carefully

to reach out in peace

to be fair and just

to anctipate goodness

in all my words and deeds…

I know this is a lot to ask, Lord,

but I need your help

to do for others

as I’d have them do for me…

Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Edward J. Ferrell, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Gathering the Fragments.”

When was the last time you spent a week with Jesus? Imagine a week – seven sunrises and seven sunsets—resting with Jesus, perhaps wrestling with him a bit, becoming reacquainted with him, with yourself. Like Eucharist, a retreat is a time of remembrance, a time to experience unity and continuity.

PRAYER:

Written by Emilie Griffin, a contemporary American author who writes about religious experience and spiritual life.

Lord Jesus, I want to feel your presence in my life. Teach me to set aside agendas and objectives so that I may spend time extravagantly with you. Let me seek the peace of going nowhere in particular, doing nothing in particular, but resting in your love. And may I know also the love that is reflected in concrete ways, in fellowship and community. Help me to put love at the center of everything. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by James C. Fenhagen  (1929-2012), an Episcopal rector, author, theological educator, seminary president, and lecturer. This is an excerpt from his book “Invitation to Holiness.”

When I think of wholeness in my own life, I think of a finely tuned orchestra in which each instrument, guided by the conductor, contributes its part toward a magnificent symphony of sound. There are times – in recent years, increasing times – when I have heard this sound that I know that I am in tune with the Spirit of God who moves within me. Sometimes the sound is discordant, even harsh, but it is nonetheless one sound. This is wholeness. It can include themes of joy and themes of pain, but there is still one sound. This is very different from what happens when the instruments that represent the many-faceted aspects of my personality are playing in opposition to each other. When this happens, I experience inner chaos and confusion – the very opposite of wholeness. The answer is not to play louder, not to pretend we do not hear, but rather to take time to listen to the many sounds so that the message they contain can be brought to light. The inner freedom the Gospel promises is experienced when our identity in Christ is honored and trusted and nourished. It is experienced when our inner lives are in tune, not in the sense of having arrived, but rather in the sense of being able to hear and respond to the themes and rhythms that the Spirit offers in calling us out of ourselves. The journey in Christ is a journey shaped by the biblical story of salvation in which is embodied a will to holiness. Wholeness, when open to the Spirit of God, is a seedbed for holiness. When our center has been reformed in Christ, an environment is created that opens us to the promptings of the Kingdom. In biblical terms.

PRAYER:

Written by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and Christian theologian. He served as the archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1109.

Lord, because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you my whole being. Moreover, I owe you as much more love than myself as you are greater than I, for whom you gave yourself and to whom you promised yourself. I pray you, Lord, make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding. I owe you more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you. Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of your love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all yours, too, in love. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Lifesigns.”

Jesus is a very patient teacher. He never stops telling us where to find our true home, what to look for, and how to live. When we are distracted, we focus upon all the dangers and forget what we have heard. But Jesus says over and over again: “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. Whoever remains in me, with me in them, bears fruit in plenty … I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete” (John 15:4, 5, 11). Thus Jesus invites us to an intimate, fruitful and ecstatic life in his home, which is ours too.

PRAYER:

Written by Eugene Peterson (1932-2018), an American Presbyterian minister, scholar, theologian, author, and poet.  He is well know for his Bible translation  “The Message.”

May this day bring rest to my heart and my home.  May God’s image in me be restored and my imagination in God be re-storied.  May the gravity of material things be lightened and the relativity of time slow down. May I know grace to embrace my own finite smallness in the arms of God’s infintite greatness. May God’s Word feed me and His Spirit lead me into the week and into the life to come. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Martha Graybeal Rowlett, a contemporary Methodist clergywomen and author.  This is an excerpt from her book “In Spirit and in Truth.”

One of the influences on our lives is the presence and call of God. God is with us, exerting an influence on us whether we choose to pay attention or not. When we choose to respond to God’s offer of open communication, we choose to give power or weight to that relationship. We make an intentional move to give attention to the ideal possibilities that God offers to us. Without relinquishing our free will, we can freely choose to be Christian disciples. We can choose to live authentically in dialogue with God. Such open communion with God can creatively transform our lives… In a human friendship, communication and interaction are necessary if the relationship is to survive and grow. I need to know you in order to trust you. The only way we can get acquainted is by trusting each other enough to reveal ourselves. A little trust makes possible the first steps of friendship. So it is with prayer and faith. Faith expressed in prayer opens the way for the Spirit to nurture new faith, which in turn makes possible new adventures in prayer.

PRAYER:

Written by Phil Togwell, a contemporary writer and   leader of the Anglican Diocese of Durham’s Prayer Project.

Jesus, I lay everything before you. I fix my eyes on You and You alone. You are both the author and perfecter of faith — I yield to the story that You are writing in and through my life. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Thomas R. Hawkins, a contemporary author and retired university professor and pastor.  This is an excerpt from his book “The Potter and the Clay.”

The closer we draw to others, the closer we draw to God. The farther away we move from God, the farther we move from others…When we are willing to abandon ourselves and to fling ourselves outward in compassion and in service, we find that we have made room not just for others in our lives but also for God in our hearts. The energy that we had massed in our own little center is spent on others, leaving an open space where God may enter. From this same God-infused center also flows the renewing energy that allows us to keep loving and serving in the world. This is why John Wesley affirmed that true faith issues in good works. It is also why Baron von Hugel ordered his spiritual directee, Evelyn Underhill, to serve several days a week in a skid row soup kitchen when she was having trouble with her spiritual life. True obedience, then is both a listening to what we hear within us and to what we hear beyond us. It is being attentive to those we encounter in our daily lives. It is creating the empty, open space within us where we can hear God speak.

PRAYER:

Written by Izwe Nkosi, a contemporary South African author, passionate about worship and prayer.

Lord, I yield to your invitation to be one of your donkeys. To embrace being unimpressive. To make space for the gentle power of your presence with me in the ordinary moments of my day. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Tilden H. Edwards, a contemporary Episcopal priest, author, and founder of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. This is an excerpt from his book “Living with Apocalypse.”

Spiritual awareness for Christians, at its fullest, means seeing life through God’s sound eye. We could use other senses to describe this awareness: hearing life through God’s ear, touching life through God’s strength, feeling life through God’s compassion Jesus revealed our incredible intimacy with the infinite one we call God, so we can dare to speak of being God’s senses in the world. Paul called us to live in the mind of Christ so fully that we can say with him, “Not I, but Christ, lives in me.” The “I” that no longer lives then is the one that sees itself as an ultimately self-willed, self-centered being. The new “I”: is one that lives moment by moment in the awareness that we are an intimate and unique expression of God’s joy and compassion, living freely by grace, called to reverberate the joy and compassion, utterly interdependent with Creator and creation. 

PRAYER:

Written by Brigid of Kildare (451-525), one of Ireland’s patron saints, a nun and foundress of several monasteries of nuns.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength:

God’s power to guide me,

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s eyes to watch over me;

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s word to give me speech,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to shelter me,

God’s host to secure me. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John Calvin (1509-1564), a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant reformation.

Nearly all wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But, while joined by many bonds, which one precedes and bring forth the other is not easy to discern. In the first place, no one can look upon [oneself] without immediately turning…thoughts to the contemplation of God, in whom [one] “lives and moves.” For, quite clearly, the mighty gifts with which we are endowed are hardly from ourselves; indeed, our very being is nothing but subsistence in the one God.

PRAYER:

This prayer is from the Gallican Sacramentary, an historical version of Christian liturgy withing the Latin church in the 1st millennium.

O Lord, give me purity of lips, a clean and innocent heart, and rightness of action.

Give me humility, patience, abstinence, chastity, prudence, justice, courage and self-control.

Give me the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, and of your fear.

Always lead me to seek your face with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind. Let me have a contrite and humble heart in your presence—to prefer nothing to your love.

Most high, eternal, and ineffable Wisdom, drive away from me the darkness of blindness and ignorance. Most high and eternal Strength, rescue me. Most high and eternal Courage, help me. Most high and incomprehensible Light, illuminate me, Most high and infinite Mercy, have mercy on me. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Today’s devotion  is from the “Our Daily Bread” Mountain Life devotional.

The reason we often lack peace is that we are prone to put our eyes on everything but God. God wants us to experience His peace at all times. Isaiah 26:3 lets us know that the way we access God’s peace is by keeping our mind on Him. We all have times when the circumstances of life are overwhelming to us; at these times we will instantly lose our peace, unless we have anchored our souls on God. A steady gaze on God will steady us when the problems of this life are seemingly too much for us. One of the greatest reasons to renew and restore our faith in God is that our problems are not too big for Him! As we fix our gaze on Him, and in so doing realize how big He is, our problems shrink in comparison and our souls are endowed with His peace.

So what one problem or challenge has you in a state of anxiety or undue stress these days? Can you name it? Whatever it is, the promise of God’s peace through God’s presence is exactly what most of us need right now. Let’s all slow down and put our mind on God and His greatness! His Love! His goodness! His mercy! His grace! His kindness! His righteousness! His holiness! His justice! His majesty! I have a hunch that when we do, our anxiety will greatly shrink, or disappear completely, in the wonderful reality that it is our BIG God, Who IS with us, who WILL see us through, and Who WILL give us a peace beyond human understanding! May the Peace of Jesus be yours today!

PRAYER:

Written by Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009), a Christian cleric and writer.

Open, we pray you, heavenly Father, our eyes to see and our ears to hear your Word, who is Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Send your Spirit upon us. Embrace us and hold us close within the Trinity of your love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thus, may we, according to your gift of faith, trust the fulfillment of all your promises. Amen.

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