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MEDITATION:

Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British author, professor, and lay theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “Mere Christianity.”

I know the words ‘leave it to God’ can be misunderstood, but they must stay for the moment. The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ: trusts that Christ will somehow share with him the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself and, in a sense, make good his deficiencies. In Christian language, He will share His ‘sonship’ with us, will make us, like Himself, ‘Sons of God’. . . . . If you like to put it that way, Christ offers something for nothing: He even offers everything for nothing. In a sense, the whole Christian life consists in accepting that very remarkable offer. But the difficulty is to reach the point of recognizing that all we have done and can do is nothing. What we should have liked would be for God to count our good points and ignore our bad ones. Again, in a sense, you may say that no temptation is ever overcome until we stop trying to overcome it—throw up the sponge. But then you could not ‘stop trying’ in the right way and for the right reason until you had tried your very hardest. And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying. To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus, if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.

PRAYER:

Written by James Taiwo, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from this work  “Book of Prayers.”

Father, I realize that you will perform great wonders for anyone who faithfully serve and obey your instructions. Therefore, I want to obey you and maintain good a relationship with you. Please help me to shun every form of ungodliness so that I can enjoy you deeply. Let me love and serve you well, and let me qualify to receive your undaunted blessings on earth and in heaven. For in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.