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MEDITATION:

Written by Laura Banning, a contemporary Bible Study teacher and author.

We have a guest here this week who came across country in his electric vehicle. He told us that during his journey he had experienced range anxiety which caused him to slightly modify his planned arrival and departure times. He doesn’t have a battery charger for his vehicle and he discovered that some of the locations he had planned to stop for battery recharge were not compatible with the make of his vehicle. As a result, he reworked his itinerary to include longer times for deep battery recharge at the locations he now knew would accommodate him. I had never heard the term range anxiety before and so I looked it up and, sure enough, the term has actually been around since 1997. Here’s the definition: “Range anxiety is the fear of running out of power before reaching your intended destination and being unable to recharge the battery. It stems from the fact that while a traditional vehicle can be filled up on almost any highway, charging stations aren’t yet as ubiquitous. Therefore, the possibility of running out of power and being unable to plug in is a valid concern.” And there are websites giving tips on how to avoid range anxiety. I found it most enlightening and, of course, a rich spiritual metaphor for us…In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been super busy between guest visits and travels. I was beginning to feel a bit of spiritual range anxiety myself. That is, I was missing my usual times of deep recharge and time alone with Jesus. But the truth is, there is no reason for this. Because I have Jesus with me, in me, all the time. So, if I am sensing spiritual range anxiety, it’s only because I’m not plugging in to Him. So, I want to put into practice these four tips from the ‘how to avoid range anxiety’ website. First, I want to begin every journey, every day, every moment on a full battery. I want to stay plugged in to Him. I want to review and modify my schedule, as possible, to incorporate being still in His presence. I want to slow down. And I want to pack less. I want to lay aside anything that hinders my ability to run with endurance the race set before me. I want to look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith and let Him design my route. Here’s a quote I read this morning from I. Penington: “Retire inwardly; wait to feel God’s Spirit. Discover and draw away from that which is contrary to His holy nature, and lean into that which is acceptable to Him. As the mind is joined to this, true light and life will be received.” Will you plug in to Jesus, even in the busy times? Will you intentionally retire inwardly and wait to sense His Spirit? Will you draw away from anything contrary to His holy nature? And will you lean into that which is acceptable to Him?

PRAYER:

This prayer is from the North America Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican Church.

Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Os Hillman, a contemporary speaker, author, and consultant on faith at work.

Becoming a new person in Christ is part of a life-long journey that begins at conversion. Before coming to Christ, we were living (in a metaphorical sense) in Egypt, in the land of bondage. Just as the people of Israel toiled as slaves in Egypt, we were slaves to sin and worldly ambition. Before we came to Christ, we sweated and toiled to build our career and acquire material possessions. Work was our idol. Greed was our taskmaster. We may have had all the trappings of power in the business world – a corner office, a staff of our own, a key to the executive washroom – but we were living as a slave in the land of Egypt. We didn’t run our career; our career ran us. Jesus once said, “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13). In the original language, the word translated “money” was an Aramaic word, Mammon. This does not refer merely to money as a medium of exchange but also to a demonic spirit designed to promote a mindset of ambition for riches, power and worldly gain. The word is capitalized in the original text because the people of Jesus’ day thought of Mammon as a false god. Jesus was saying that those who spend their lives seeking worldly gain are idolaters. No one can serve two masters. No one can worship both the true God and a false god.  We cannot experience the grace that God gives to His children because we are too busy striving for riches and enslaved to Mammon. The only way we can be free is to turn away from Mammon and allow the one true God to transform us into a different person. Ask yourself today if your life is best represented as Egypt or the Promised Land.

PRAYER:

Written by Janet Breitenstein, a contemporary author.

Lord, help us to both abide in You and engage in the world, so Your Gospel is lived out among us; so it becomes public truth. Holy Spirit, we beg you for revival in our hearts and in this place. Show us our hearts. Bring down the idols among us so You are sovereign over all here. In light of the souls at stake, grant us boldness to take risks and even to fail for the sake of Your kingdom. Breathe that Kingdom to life here. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Richard J. Foster, a contemporary retired pastor, author, and head of Renovare, an organization that focuses on spiritual formation.

The post-modern person is addicted to haste, hurry, hustle. And the addiction shrivels our soul. Our desperate need today is for a time-full life. When we are fractured and fragmented with ​“muchness” and ​“manyness” we cannot experience a time-full life. When we chaff under the ​“slowness” of our microwaves and our computers it becomes nearly impossible for us to obey the divine Whisper, ​“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). Some things simply will not yield to our perpetual hankering for the instant, the immediate, the sudden. Surely the growth of our soul before God is one of those things. Time … time and space … time and space and stillness … these are the tools God uses to build a patient endurance within us. One of the most repeated counsels given in Scripture is the simple admonition to ​“Wait upon the Lord.” But we will never even see this as a good thing until we enter a time-full life. In one memorable passage, Kelly says, ​“I find that God never leads us into an intolerable scramble of panting feverishness.” May you … may I … enter that stillness of soul which alone can cultivate a time-full life.

PRAYER:

Written by Jan Bentham, a contemporary Christian educator and author.

Lord, in quiet times, we see your face and we feel your holy presence. In busy and hectic times, we tend to run aimlessly away from your help. In our most fatigued and stressful times, we need you most. Send us your calming spirit. Lighten our hearts, Lord. Help us to work in a spirit of wisdom, overcoming the stress that can slow us down Lord. Jesus, may your life always stand before us. You call us to a ministry that is sometimes overwhelming. Slow us dow to see your face and to feel your hand upon our shoulder. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary author and principal writer of Life for Leaders.

I would confess that it’s tempting to skip over 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16: For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last.  I’m well aware that biblical passages like this one have, throughout the centuries, fueled Christian anti-Semitism. And, given the frightening rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and throughout the world, I wouldn’t want to do anything to add fuel to this distressing fire. But today’s passage from 1 Thessalonians gives us a chance to reject anti-Semitism and other forms of bias inconsistent with the call of Jesus. In writing to the Thessalonian Christians, Paul and his colleagues said, “[You] became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews” (1 Thessalonians 2:14). Those “same things” had to do with opposition to the gospel and the formation of the church. The Apostle Paul, of course, had once been a primary Jewish opponent of the church until his encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jewish opposition to Christianity came from its rejection of the basic Christian message. The news that the crucified Jesus was in fact the Jewish Messiah and the Savior of the world didn’t sit well with many Jews, who denied its truth and sensed a threat from this message to their way of life. Some Jews in Judea opposed the Christian mission, as did some Jewish people in Thessalonica, according to Acts 17. It’s important to note, however, that other Jews in Thessalonica were persuaded by what they heard Paul and his colleagues preach (see Acts 17:1-4). Nevertheless, the Thessalonian Christians experienced opposition to their newfound faith in Christ. Sometimes the opponents of the early Christians were Jewish. Sometimes they were Gentiles. Just before Paul and his fellow church planters came to Thessalonica, for example, they experienced persecution in Philippi. Their primary opponents in that city were Gentiles who had the Christian missionaries beaten and imprisoned (Acts 16:16-24). But for a variety of historical and psychological reasons, many Christians throughout the ages used the fact of Jewish opposition to the gospel as a rationale for hatred and persecution of Jews in particular. How sad and wrong for followers of Jesus to use what happened to him and his initial disciples as a reason to justify hate and mistreatment of any kind. Anti-Semitism has no rightful place among followers of Jesus. Nor does any other kind of racial, ethnic, or religious hatred. After all, Jesus commanded us to love, not only our neighbors but also our enemies. Even if we considered the Jewish people to be our enemies, which I do not, we are called by our Lord to love them, not hate or mistreat them.

Today, Christians continue to experience opposition, and in many countries throughout the world, outright persecution. Earlier this year, Christianity Today reported on the situation of believers in 50 countries “Where It’s Hardest to Follow Jesus in 2022.” The article found that 1 in 7 Christians today “live in nations with high levels of persecution or discrimination.” Over 5,000 believers were martyred for their faith last year, while millions more experienced other kinds of repression and persecution. Those of us who live in countries where we are (mostly) free to express and live our faith should be aware of what’s happening to our brothers and sisters throughout the world. We should uphold them in prayer and support the efforts of organizations that fight for religious freedom. We should not be surprised when we experience opposition to our faith, even when it doesn’t rise to the level of government-sponsored persecution. It’s not uncommon these days for Christians to be mocked and scorned, especially in the world of social media. (I know this for a fact, given some of the comments my devotions receive on social media platforms.) When this happens to us, we must remember the call of Jesus to turn the other cheek and even to love our enemies. All of our words and actions should reflect the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Because of this gospel, we oppose all forms of hatred and bias. Our Lord calls us to love our neighbors and our enemies. That’s a high calling, indeed. But it is our calling as followers of Jesus.

PRAYER:

Written by Cyprian of Carthage (?-258), a bishop of Cathage and early Christian writer of Berber descent.

We beg and beseech the God whom the enemies of the Church are forever provoking and irritating that he would tame their wild hearts. May their rage subside and calm return to their hearts; may their minds, clouded by the darkness their sins produce, repent, and see the light; may they seek the bishop’s prayers and not his blood.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Macrina Wiederkehr (1939-2020), a nun, spiritual teacher, and author. This is an excerpt from her book “A Tree Full of Angels.”

One of the great lies of our day is that conversion is instant, like fast food. God can zap us and we’re saved. It is all free. It costs nothing. Take it and run. This is what Bonhoffer calls “cheap grace.” Punch in at church. Grab a sacrament and run. Season your conversation with “praise the Lord” and you’re among the saved. One of the great truths of our day is that conversion is ongoing. Conversion is the process in which we are given opportunity upon opportunity to accept the free gift of salvation. Salvation is a free gift, yes, but it’s costly. It’s “costly grace.” It costs us our lives lived passionately. The road to conversion is not a fast food line. When Saul was knocked down by that flash of lightning, that was not conversion. The conversion came as he groped his way in blindness to Ananias, able to see with interior eyes because he had no external eyes to depend on. His conversion continued day after day as he began to give meaning to his new name, Paul. He was still in the process of conversion when he was on his way to Rome in chains.

PRAYER:

Written by Clement of Rome (?-99), considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the church, one of the three chief ones together with Polycarp and Ignatius of Antioch. He was the second or third bishop of Rome, after Peter.

We beseech you, Lord and Master, to be our help and provider. Save those among us who are in trouble, have mercy on the lowly, lift up the fallen, show yourself to the needy, heal the ungodly, convert the wanderers of your people, feed the hungry, release our prisoners, raise up the weak, comfort the fainthearted. Let all the Gentiles know that you are the God alone, and Jesus Christ is your Son, and we are your people and the sheep of your pasture. Through your work you show yourself in the everlasting fabric of the world. You, Lord, created the earth. You are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in your judgments, marvelous in strength and excellence, you are wise in creating and prudent in establishing that which you have made, you are good in the things which are seen and faithful with those who trust in you, merciful and compassionate. Forgive us our iniquities and our unrighteousness and our transgressions and shortcomings. Do not count every sin of your servants and your handmaids, but cleanse us with your truth, and guide our steps to walk in holiness and righteousness and singleness of heart and to do such things that are good and well pleasing in your sight and in the sight of our rulers. Yes, Lord, make your face to shine on us in peace for our good, that we may be sheltered by your mighty hand and delivered from every sin by your uplifted arm.\ And deliver us from those who hate us wrongfully. Give concord and peace to us and to all who dwell on the earth, as you gave to our fathers when they called on you in faith and truth with holiness, that we may be saved, while we render obedience to your almighty and most excellent name, and to our rulers and governors on the earth. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by James C. Howell, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Servants, Misfits, and Martyrs.”

Holiness only appears to be abnormal. The truth is, holiness is normal; to be anything else is to be abnormal. Being a saint is simply being the person God made me to be. Saints at the end of the day are not really strange or odd or misfits. They are simply real, or normal. They actually are what we all are made to be, what we can be…Saints do not possess an extra layer of muscle. They are not taller, and they do not sport superior IQs. They are not richer, and their parents are not more clever than yours or mine. They have no batlike perception that enables them to fly in the dark. They are flesh and blood, just like you and me, no stronger, no more intelligent. And that is the point. They simply offer themselves to God, knowing they are not the elite, fully cognizant that they are inadequate to the task, that their abilities are limited and fallible.

PRAYER:

This prayer is from the book “Finding God in All Things: A Marquette Prayer Book” from Marquette University.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O Good Jesus, hear me.

Within your wounds hide me.

Permit me not to be separated from you.

From the wicked foe, defend me.

At the hour of my death, call me

and bid me come to you

That with your saints I may praise you Forever and ever. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Anthony de Mello (1931-1987), an Indian Jesuit priest, spiritual teacher, writer, and public speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “Contact with God.”

Here, then, is another reason why apostles withdraw to make a retreat: they need to be charged with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to those who watch and pray and wait patiently, those who have the courage to get away from everything and come to grips with themselves and with God in solitude and silence. No wonder every one of the great prophets, indeed Jesus himself, retired to the desert for prolonged periods of silence, praying, fasting, wrestling with the forces of evil. The desert is the furnace where the apostle and the prophet are forged. The desert, not the marketplace. The marketplace is where apostles function. The desert is where they are formed and seasoned and receive their commission and their message for the world, “their” gospel.

PRAYER:

Written by Mother Teresa (1910-1997), a nun and missionary who served the poor of Calcutta. This is an excerpt from her book “No Greater Love.”

We cannot find God in noise and agitation.

Nature: trees, flowers, and grass grow in silence.

The stars, the moon, and the sun move in silence.

What is essential is not what we say

but what God tells us and what He tells others through us.

In silence He listens to us;

in silence He speaks to our souls.

In silence we are granted

the privilege of listening to His voice.

Silence of our eyes.

Silence of our ears.

Silence of our mouths.

Silence of our minds.

…in the silence of the heart

God will speak.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Lynette Kittle, a contemporary author.

Our family loves cross-country road trips, causing us to embark on numerous jaunts over the years, including a 7-day, 12-hour daily driving adventure from Western Ohio to Alaska. While crossing the 3,796 miles through the Midwest, Northwestern United States, and regions of Canada, even when closing my eyes at night I still felt the sensation of driving through the mountainous up-and-down route, ever cruising in our van camper even while asleep. However, especially in long and desolated stretches of highways, a sign indicating a designated rest area was a welcomed sight. Anticipating a safe, sheltered stop from the miles of driving, offering us an opportunity to stop, stretch our legs, walk around, and breathe in the fresh air, renewed our strength during the many miles of driving. Whereas rest areas along an extended road trip are necessary for our overall well-being and ability to continue on our route, so are rest stops needed along life’s pathway, too. Like on a long road trip, during life’s journey we may face difficult and tiring situations where the roads become bumpy, narrow, detoured, or even closed at times. Work-related stress, family tensions, worldwide pandemics, inflation, shortages, and more can cause us to want to go into crisis mode. Yet, God encourages us in Psalm 37:7 to, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. And in Matthew 11:28, He calls us to “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Sometimes we forget about His offer to be our rest in life. We overlook how when we are weary, He offers Himself as a safe and refreshing place to take a break when the road we’re traveling is taking a toll on us and wearing us out. He is our safe place to rest and find renewed strength to continue on our journey. Instead of constantly thinking about our situations, trying to figure out what to do next and how to resolve issues, we can stop, take a break, and let Jesus give us His rest along the way, trusting and believing He is working all things out for our good (Romans 8:28). Because God doesn’t ever grow tired or weary, we can turn to Him knowing He’ll be there for us. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom” (Isaiah 40:28). Often in life, like on road trips, we think there isn’t any time to rest if we want to reach our destination. Instead of taking time to stop, take it easy, and put our feet up for a bit, we just keep pushing forward. In going forward, we often tire ourselves out, letting the miles rob us of the joy available during our travels, allowing it to steal our peace of mind, contentment, and more from our lives. But just like a rest area stop refreshes our minds, bodies, and emotions during a long trip, when we decide to rest in the Lord and lay our worries, concerns, fears, and doubts at His feet, we also find refreshment and renewal in body, soul, and spirit. As well, we begin to see God move on our behalf in new and remarkable ways. Instead of feeling like we have to push harder to our destination, we began to see how when we step back from trying to direct our journey, God steps in to work His ways and will in our circumstances. When we choose to stop and rest in Jesus, He brings relief from anxiety, along with the desire to control, redirect, and solve our situations. Like a much-needed roadside stop, His rest refreshes us so we can keep traveling the road of life.

PRAYER:

Written by Kristyn Mayden, a contemporary author.

Dear God, when we are anxious, restore peace for our souls and calm for our restless minds. Thank you for restoring peace for broken relationships, situations, and hearts where there is division. Restore peace to our homes, workplaces, schools, and the world. When we are at the end of our own strength and chaos is all around us, may your peace calm and cover us. Thank you for restoring peace to our spirits and reconciling our hearts back to You.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Howard L. Rice, a contemporary author, professor of Ministry, and Chaplain Emeritus at San Francisco Theological Seminary. This is an excerpt from his book “Reformed Spirituality.”

Discipline in the Christian life is not a luxury. Without it we become confused, lose our way, compromise our principles, and discover that we are not the people we had intended to be. No one is so sturdy in the faith that the temptation to surrender bit by bit does not erode conviction. Days go by and we discover that, instead of growing in grace in these days, we have wasted them. These “means” to whose use we are tied…are a positive set of directions for the Christian life, often called the “means of grace.”…These means of grace are not a method of deserving God’s grace, but a pattern by which we enable ourselves to be receptive to grace and remove the barriers that God permits us to erect as the price of our freedom. These tools, or aids, are ways by which we open ourselves to God’s free grace. In using them, we shape our lives in order to become open to God’s presence. They give our Christian pilgrimage a definite shape, in an age in which there is a general sense of loss of direction and confusion about right and wrong, along with an accompanying sense of God’s absence.

PRAYER:

Written by Betty Scott Stam (1906-1934), an American Christian missionary to China, who was executed with her husband during the Chinese Civil War.

Lord, I give up my own plans and purposes, all my own desires, hopes and ambitions, and I accept Thy will for my life. I give up myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships; all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me now and seal me with Thy Spirit. Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, for to me to live is Christ. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary teacher, writer, speaker, and founder of Reflections Ministries. This is an excerpt from his book “Handbook to Wisdom.”

When we contemplate the gracefulness of a flower or the grandeur of a tree, we properly respond with aesthetic admiration. Similarly, we respond to our pets with personal affection, and at times to other people with self-giving love. If nature is worthy of admiration, animals of affection, and human beings of sacrificial love, how then should we respond to the infinite and personal Author of all biological and spiritual life? The biblical answer is clear – God alone is worthy of worship. Blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever belong to the Creator and Redeemer. He has given us many precious and wonderful promises in Scripture about His principles, presence, provision, protection, plan, and preparation. And one of them is this: God is preparing a place for you and for me so that we can live with Him forever.

PRAYER:

Written by Ken Boa, the author of today’s meditation.

Lord Jesus, Your love and care for me is beyond my imagination. I can barely comprehend that You have prepared a special place for me in Your Father’s house. As I pause throughout the day, I will dream of the warmth and beauty of my heavenly home and with joy and excitement, I will anticipate the day when I shall meet You there and speak with You face to face. Amen.

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