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MEDITATION:

Written by Bill Kynes, a contemporary pastor. This is an excerpt from his book “Seven Pressing Questions: Addressing Critical Challenges to Christian Faith.”

Why any creature God created should ever turn away from Him is the great conundrum of the cosmos. And the Bible gives us no answer to that question, perhaps because in the good world God created evil is ultimately irrational and therefore inexplicable. I can’t say why God couldn’t have made a world in which He knew every person would live in perfect faith and obedience before Him. Therefore, I can’t say why there is a hell. But I can suggest what hell does—that is, what it tells us about God. Three things come to mind: First, hell demonstrates God’s holiness. However, we conceive of the love of God, we must recognize that it is always a holy love. It’s only our meager understanding of the utter purity of God’s holiness, and of His absolute abhorrence of all evil, that makes it difficult for us to conceive of the appropriateness of hell as God’s response to it. Our thoughts of God are too shallow, too tame, and domesticated. We have made God too much in our own image, rather than allowing Him to shape our thinking. Consequently, we don’t understand the sinfulness of sin. Instead of thinking, “Sin is not so bad; how extreme of God to punish it in hell,” we should think, “What must sin be like, if it results in sinners justly going to hell?” Hell shows us just how holy God is—such is His revulsion of our sin. Second, we can say that hell vindicates God’s justice. The existence of hell testifies forever that in God’s universe, righteousness rules. Let there be no mistake; evil will get its due. When God says the wages of sin is death, He means it. When God punishes sin, He will be seen to be just in all His ways. God will be glorified even in the display of His wrath. And finally, and perhaps paradoxically, the existence of hell magnifies God’s grace. If I came up to you and said, “I just paid your bill,” you’d be grateful, I’m sure. But the degree of your gratitude would rise dramatically if you discovered that it wasn’t your bill for lunch that I paid, but it was the entire principal of your house mortgage! In a sense, this is what hell says to us. It is the measure of God’s grace; this is the length He went to save us. Hell is the bill He has paid. … If you say, “The God I believe in would never send anyone to hell,” then you will never know the true depth of the love of the God who reveals Himself in the Bible—the God of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the God who in love bore hell itself for us. His is not a sentimental love, but a holy love—a love described by Isaac Watts as being “so amazing, so divine,” that it “demands my soul, my life, my all.”  How could a loving God send people to hell? That’s a question we will all wrestle with to some extent. But the question we should ask is this: how could a holy God allow me into His heaven? That’s the question that points us to the grace of God in the cross of Christ. In Jesus Christ, God rescues us from that broad road that leads to destruction—eternal destruction, and in Him God puts us on that narrow path that leads to life—eternal life.

PRAYER:

Written by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), an early Christian theologian and philosopher. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius (modern day Annaba, Algeria) and is viewed as one of the most important church fathers in Western Christianity.

 God to glorify. Jesus to imitate. Salvation to work out with fear and trembling. A body to use rightly. Sins to repent. Virtues to acquire. Hell to avoid. Heaven to gain. Eternity to hold in mind. Time to profit by. Neighbors to serve. The world to enjoy. Creation to use rightly. Slights to endure patiently. Kindness to offer willingly. Justice to strive for. Temptations to overcome. Death perhaps to suffer. In all things, God’s love to sustain you.

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MEDITATION:

Written by W.E. Sangster (1900-1960), a British preacher. This is an excerpt from his work “What if Calamity Comes?”

Calamity isn’t always the outcome of obvious sin. It overtakes the saints. Untimely death has nipped the life of the noblest souls, and not death merely, but death through agonizing pain … Nor is that the problem at its worst. Hardly a year passes but some great disaster stuns the public mind: the Tay Bridge disaster; the ramming of the Victoria, the loss of the Titanic; the wreck of the R101. No easy answer leaps to our lips. The man who finds in all such disasters the judgment of God on a wicked people is both unconvincing and inhuman. Choice souls perish in such an hour, and these calamities visit a thrifty and industrious people as well as a profligate and frivolous one. Disaster, like the rain, falls on the just and the unjust. The horror of it strikes one dumb, and when speech returns, a tempest of questions rises to the lips. Does God guide us? Is there knowledge in the Most High? Does he lead us to the lip of a calamity and leave us to fall in? The problem demands an attempt at an answer because any day might thrust it on our notice again and because it challenges faith. If anguish comes, can doubt be far behind? It is the opinion of the writer that the perfect will of God is constantly thwarted by human ignorance, stupidity, carelessness, and sin. No other view seems tenable as one looks at this chaotic world. It is a consequence of God’s great gift to men of freedom, and without that freedom, we should be marionettes and not men. We are born, moreover, into a society and a world where the perfect will of God has been thwarted for ages, and we are bound up in the bundle of life with our fellows. We gain immeasurably by these relationships. We can love one another, serve, help, and influence one another; necessarily we can also harm one another as well. We could not have the blessing without the risk of the bane. God took the risk. Everything sweet in this life has come to us from others. Our mothers suffered pain to give us birth. Our fathers worked for us. When we were ill, doctors and nurses bent their strength and skill to make us better, and our dear ones turned night into day as they watched at our side. Nor were we allowed to grow up untutored in mind or soul. We were educated. All that clever men and women had ever discovered, or thought, was put before us in ways we could take in, and the best the world has ever learned in things spiritual was made attractive too. We learned the name of Jesus. The imperishable stories of the Bible were told us, and all along the path of life precious things, the most precious, have come to us from other people. Friendship, counsel, encouragement, and love streaming in on us from others because God has set us here in a great family life and made us so that our lives intertwine. It should not surprise us, in the light of all we gain, that there is some risk of loss as well. When God made us so that we could love and help one another, he exposed his family to the possibility that they would hate and harm one another. Necessarily. The one goes with the other. And sin came in, with its long entail of sorrow and suffering, and we can be hurt at any time by the folly, carelessness, or crime of another. But would you rather live in a world in which that couldn’t happen? Do you wish God had so made us that we could never influence each other, never be friends, never guide, comfort, or help each other … never love? It would be a hateful and unendurable existence, loathsome to us all.

PRAYER:

Written by Aaron Brown, a contemporary writer, teacher, and visual artist.

 Dear God, this season I have experienced and bore witness to the loss of relationships, jobs, and even faith. The news keeps telling me all that is going wrong, and sometimes I just can’t see anything that is going right. In times like these, I think of your servant Job and how for a season of life he lost. He lost a lot…family, friends, and possessions. Job was even stricken with sickness. In the end, though, you restored him. You renewed his strength. Please look upon your servant with mercy and favor. Lord, help me to keep my eyes focused on you. I ask that you either restore what has been lost or help me to find something new, something greater in the end. Please bless me in a way that I can be a blessing upon others during such a turbulent season for many people. If I can maintain my trust and my hope in you, and not give up, you will renew me, God. Please help me to persevere in the hope that better days are ahead. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Norman Shawchuck, a contemporary teacher, University consultant, and author. He has worked and taught in Korea, Indonesia, Egypt, and Israel.

Fear kills a mind and soul by slowly obliterating the visions we hold for our lives. That we should not fall prey to fear is a constant theme in the scriptures. God does not want us to succumb to the chilling and killing aspects of fear; God encourages people not to be afraid of the circumstances in which they find themselves. It seems that one of God’s favorite themes is “Do not be afraid” or “Do not fear.” Perhaps God repeats this theme so often because we so often fear circumstances that confront us in our lives and ministries. God is not suggesting that we will not confront fearful realities in our lives. God is simply promising not to abandon us to fearful circumstances but to go with us through the dark night of fear, danger, and uncertainty.

Fear, left to eat away at us, finally brings us to a “little-death.” We must not deny our fear or avoid dealing with the fearful moment. In scripture, God never suggests an escapist attitude as an antidote for fear. The many “do not be afraid” promises in scripture do not suggest that we shun the fearful prospects in which we find ourselves, but God consistently promises to be with us in the dark and ominous moment.

PRAYER:

Today’s prayer is from Psalm 3, David’s prayer for deliverance.

Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Sharon Betters, Executive Director of MARKINC Ministries.

Since 1994 I have wished I could jump over Mother’s Day.  It’s supposed to be a day of honor, remembering our mothers, being remembered by our children. But in May, 1994 remembering only brought deeper sadness and longing for what was. That was the first Mother’s Day I experienced without our youngest child, Mark. Mark was born on May 11, 1977. He died in a car accident on July 6, 1993. The year of 1994 was a year of dreading every morning and every night. Mother’s Day and his birthday all at the same time seemed more than I could bear. Over twenty years later, I still weep over missing Mark even though I have found purpose and joy as well. My sadness embraces others on Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day…a day that brings great joy to the first-time mommy and great grief to the woman who cannot conceive. A day of satisfaction for the mother whose children are living by faith, a day of deep pain to the mother whose child not only rejects her faith but also her mom. A day of fun for the mommy whose children bring her breakfast in bed. A day of deep loneliness for the mommy who will never see her child again on this earth. A day of contentment for the mom who looks down the church pew at her husband and beautiful children. A day of isolation for the woman who will never bear children or sits in church with her children – alone. A day of “sinful pride” for the mother who thinks she raised perfect children, a day of shame for the mother who wishes she could start all over again.  A day of refusing to think about all the mistakes we made as mothers, a day of remembering all the mistakes we made as mothers. A day of glee when children honor us, a day of hoping our children will honor us, even though they know better than anyone all the mistakes we made. A day for the grieving mother to remember all the things she didn’t do and all the things she wished she hadn’t done.  Mother’s Day is a tough, hard day for so many. And pity the man who doesn’t give the right gift or the child whose gift doesn’t equal the need in his mother to be remembered. Yes, a hard day for some, a spectacular day for others. For me, this is a day of choices that are more easily made than they were in 1994. It’s a day I miss my son but no more than I typically miss him. And it’s a day I thank God for the blessings of sixteen years with Mark.

PRAYER:

This is a Mother’s day prayer by an unknown author.

Dear Lord, I approach you to give thanks to all mothers who so generously and freely give love, comfort, and guidance to their children every day. I ask you, Lord, to give them strength to carry on doing their work. Give them patience and let them see that they are loved, appreciated, and respected. I thank you for the sacrifice each mother makes every day. And I pray you to bless them and through them with your Grace. I pray this in your mighty name, Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Alan W. Jones, a contemporary Episcopal priest, lecturer, author, and Dean Emeritus of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. This is an excerpt from his book “Soul Making.”

For those who profess and call themselves Christians, the lens through which everything else is interpreted is a person: Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection. Just as the lover never plumbs the mystery of the beloved, so we do not exhaust the mystery of Jesus. This, at first, seems a strange claim. But it is no less extraordinary that contemporary “messiahs, saviors, and gurus” possess the consciousness of modern men and women…A walk on a Saturday evening through the streets of a busy city reveals what models, exemplars, and paradigms are operating in the lives of the people. We cannot do without a paradigm to help us live. As a believer, I keep bumping into Jesus. I wander away, and there he is, perhaps in the eyes of someone on the street. There is no escape for me. Nor do I want there to be.

PRAYER:

This prayer is a collect, a short general prayer used in Christian liturgy from the Church of England.

Holy God,

faithful and unchanging:

enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,

and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,

that we may truly worship you,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Brennan Manning (1934-2013), an American author, laicized priest, and public speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “Abba’s Child.”

Living in the awareness of the risen Jesus is not a trivial pursuit for the bored and lonely or a defense mechanism enabling us to cope with stress and sorrow of life. It is the key that unlocks the door to grasping the meaning of existence. All day and every day we are being reshaped into the image of Christ. Everything that happens to us is designed to this end. Nothing that exists can exist beyond the pale of His presence, nothing is irrelevant to it, nothing is without significance to it. 

PRAYER:

Written by Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226), an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. 

God, all powerful, most holy, most high and supreme; FATHER: holy and righteous; Lord: king of heaven and earth; we thank you for yourself, because by your holy will and through your only Son and the Holy Spirit you created all things, spiritual and material. You made us in your image and likeness and placed us in paradise, and we, through our transgression fell away.

We give you thanks because, as you created us through your Son, so by the holy love with which you loved us you willed your Son to be born true God and true man of the glorious and holy Virgin Mary, and through his cross and blood and death it was your will to set us free from our captivity. Also we thank you because that same Son of yours will come again in the glory of his majesty to condemn those who refused to repent and acknowledge you; and to say to all who did acknowledge, worship and serve you in repentance: Come, you whom my Father has blessed, receive the kingdom prepared for you since the world began.

And because we are all wretched sinners, unworthy to speak your name, therefore let Jesus Christ himself, our Lord and your beloved Son in whom you are well pleased, give thanks to you for everything, together with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, as it pleases you and pleases him. He always satisfies you in everything, and through him you have done so much for us. Alleluia!

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MEDITATION:

Written by Debbie McDaniel, a contemporary writer.

In John 16 we find Jesus speaking to his disciples of events that would soon unfold. They needed to hear His words of encouragement and Truth more than ever, for He knew the darkness of the hour still to come. He taught them about the power of praying in His name. He told them how they would soon be scattered, but that those who belong to Him would never be alone. For God is always there, close. He reminded them that they should not be surprised at the tension they would feel in an unbelieving world.  “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace (security, safety, undisturbed, blessed state). In the world, you have tribulation (trouble, oppression, pressure, affliction), but take courage (be of good cheer, take heart), I have overcome (carried off the victory, conquered) the world.” John 16:33 

Words that have such meaning, that hold such power still today. These were some of the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before his journey to the cross. Last words always contain rich meaning. These are important for us to hold onto today. He reminds us that only in Him can true peace be found. He reminds us that in spite of the struggles we will face in this life, we never walk alone, for He is with us. He will never abandon us in our trials or leave us to work it all out on our own. He reminds us to take courage. He reminds us He has overcome. He has won the victory, and through Christ, we too are more than conquerors. Jesus never called us to embrace the world and all it offers. But He calls us to follow Him, to be salt and light, and to walk in love. It’s a whole new day ahead. And He has plans for you, for me, to make a difference in these days, in the life of another soul, for His purposes. To be a friend. To encourage. To offer care and show compassion in a world that is broken. Praying that His huge grace, wisdom, and strength cover us today. And that in Him, we will find freedom from worry, letting go of the stress that clings too tightly, the pressing needs of tomorrow, and struggles we battle today, and fully embrace His peace. Take courage my friends…For He’s the Overcomer. And we are never alone. Peace.

PRAYER:

Written by Thomas A Kempis (1380-1471), the author of “The Imitation of Christ,” one of the most popular and best-known Christian books on devotion. 

Grant me Your grace, O most merciful Jesus, that it may be with me, and work with me, and remain with me to the very end. Grant that I may always desire and will that which is most acceptable and pleasing to You. Let Your will be mine. Let my will always follow Yours and agree perfectly with it. Let my will be one with Yours in willing and in not willing and let me be unable to will or not will anything but what You will or do not will. Grant that I may die to all things in this world, and for Your sake love to be despised and unknown in this life. Give me above all desires the desire to rest in You, and in You let my heart have peace. You are true peace of heart. You alone are its rest. Without You all things are difficult and troubled. In this peace, the selfsame that is in You, the Most High, the everlasting Good, I will sleep and take my rest. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Chuck Swindoll, a contemporary pastor, author, and radio personality. This is an excerpt from his book “Living the Proverbs.”

You may have heard the expression “green with envy” or envy referred to as “the green-eyed monster.” In the Bible, however, envy had the Hebrews seeing red. The Hebrew word translated “envy” and “jealousy” is quanah, which means “to be intensely red.” This word vividly pictures someone seething with red-faced anger as a surge of blood flushes one’s skin, signaling a rush of fierce emotion. To demonstrate the grim irony of language, zeal and ardor and envy all come from a common linguistic root. The same emotion that “enrages a man” (Proverbs 6:34) also floods him with passionate zeal to defend his country or adore his wife and children. The Bible most often uses quanah in the negative sense. Every instance in the book of Proverbs warns against coveting the wealth and possessions evil people gain through dishonest means: “Do not envy a man of violence” (3:31); “Do not let your heart envy sinners” (23:17); “Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them” (24:1); “Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked” (24:19). I find these warnings extremely significant, although this source of envy shouldn’t surprise us. A favorite unguarded mind game so many folks play is to imagine how stimulating it would be to throw restraint to the winds, to live without the inconvenience of ethics, do anything, go anywhere, and let it all hang out. Let’s face facts: sin has its sensual and seasonal pleasures. They may be short-lived and passing, but they’re certainly not dull and boring! English and Hebrew assign different colors to the monster called “envy,” but they acknowledge the same ultimate outcome of this destructive emotion. Envy leads to sin, and sin leads to shame, an emotion represented by the color red. When the Russians were caught spying in England, Margaret Thatcher said, “They were caught red-handed, and now they are red-faced.” So it is with those who indulge the temptation of envy. So, beware the green of envy. It will eventually have everyone seeing red.

PRAYER:

Written by Shelby Turner, a contemporary speaker and author.

Lord, I lay my heart and my desires before you. Search my heart, know my thoughts and see if there is any grievous way in me. Show me where envy has caused me to pursue more over pursuing you. Realign my heart with your will for my life!  I want to be content in you! I want to think about serving others and bowing low as often as you did. Today, show me how to give of myself to those around me as I am at work, at home and everywhere in between. I recommit this part of my life to you, Lord. My belongings, my success and my reputation are no longer the most important things to me. You are the most important thing. Help me to live like I mean it! Amen. 

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MEDITATION:

Written by L. B. Cowman (1870-1960), an American writer and author. This is an excerpt from her devotional “Streams in the Desert.”

I once thought that after I prayed that it was my duty to do everything that I could do to bring the answer to pass. He taught me a better way and showed that my self-effort always hindered His working and that when I prayed and definitely believed Him for anything, He wanted me to wait in the spirit of praise, and only do what He bade me. It seems so unsafe to just sit still and do nothing but trust the Lord, and the temptation to take the battle into our own hands is often tremendous. We all know how impossible it is to rescue a drowning man who tries to help his rescuer, and it is equally impossible for the Lord to fight our battles for us when we insist upon trying to fight them ourselves. It is not that He will not, but He cannot. Our interference hinders His working. Spiritual forces cannot work while earthly forces are active. It takes God time to answer prayer. We often fail to give God a chance in this respect. It takes time for God to paint a rose. It takes time for God to grow an oak. It takes time for God to make bread from wheat fields. He takes the earth. He pulverizes. He softens. He enriches. He wets with showers and dews. He warms with life. He gives the blade, the stock, the amber grain, and then at last the bread for the hungry.  All this takes time. Therefore, we sow, and till, and wait, and trust, until all God’s purpose has been wrought out. We give God a chance in this matter of time. We need to learn this same lesson in our prayer life. It takes God time to answer prayer.

PRAYER:

Written by Lori Freeland, a contemporary author.

Lord, I miss the way we used to be. It’s my fault, I know. I haven’t had the patience to rest at your feet and meditate on your Word. I’ve been too impatient to wait on your will. I’ve gotten used to making things happen right now instead of waiting on you to guide my steps.  Bring me back to those days when I hungered for your plans. Give me the patience to linger in your presence. Pause my racing thoughts and self-imposed time limits. Thank you for being the only one who can truly take away my urge to do life by myself. Thank you for showing me that putting you first is what’s best for me.   Amen.

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MEDITATION:

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

We are called to share in the ministry of Jesus Christ in and through the world. In the Sacrament of Baptism this call is incarnated, giving us both a clear identity in the world and a sense of purpose about what our lives are ultimately for. Sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ involves living in the world as an expression of the holiness we see in him—a holiness expressed through his compassion, his concern for justice (righteousness), and through his healing and reconciling presence in the world. The relationship he offers to us—when entered into with seriousness—results in those qualities we see in him being expressed through us, sometimes even despite ourselves. We cannot, therefore, limit this expression to a particular profession or a particular role or a particular job.

PRAYER:

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary teacher, writer, speaker, and President of Reflections Ministries.

Dear Lord, I ask for the grace to be winsome and attractive to others who wish to know You better. May they sense the fragrance of Christ in me and see increasing evidence of the fruit of Your Holy Spirit in my life. I know this is only possible as I pursue You and apprentice myself to Jesus by following Him wherever He leads. Show me the people You want to touch through me, and grant me the willingness to love and serve them with no hidden agendas or manipulative expectations. I wish to impart what You have so freely given me to the people You have called me to bless. May I become a conduit of Your love and grace and never an end in myself. I know that as I give myself to others, I will discover the true satisfaction and spiritual wealth that You encourage me to pursue. Amen.

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