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

I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from “The Cloud of Unknowing,” an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in the latter half of the 14^th century.

O God unto whom all hearts lie open

unto whom desire is eloquent and from whom no secret thing is hidden;

purify the thoughts of my heart by the outpouring of your Spirit

that I may love you with a perfect love and praise you as you deserve. Amen.

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Today’s meditation is from the Lead Like Jesus website.  Lead Like Jesus was founded by authors Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges to provide a transformational leadership model based on Jesus.

What are you passionate about? Passion is important in life. Passion for the things of God motivates and inspires. Jesus was known for His passion, His zeal, for God’s reputation and God’s people. Yet passion alone can mislead, and unchecked, can tempt us to choose based on what feels good in the moment. Passion inspired by God will be grounded in and guided by God’s Word and God’s Spirit. Is your God-given passion flagging? Fan it into flame through prayer.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from the author of today’s meditation.

God, my passion for You can ebb and flow like the tide, deleted by the demands of life and servanthood, or fanned by success. Don’t let me put my trust in passion, but in You. Fan my passion and strengthen me to walk in Your way through Your Word, Your Spirit, and prayer. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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Written by Kayla Stoecklein, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “Fear Gone Wild.”

Have you ever tried to walk around your house in the dark?… It’s easy to lose our way when our eyes can’t see. I wonder if the same can be true about our wilderness seasons in life. Those times when we feel like we are aimlessly wandering around in the dark, and the divine presence of light feels far out of reach. As we wander, we wonder, where is He? Why isn’t He showing up for me here? Why did He allow this to happen? What now? We all face seasons in our life and our faith journey where the distance between Heaven and Earth, Him and us, feels endless… The reality of our humanity is that none of us are exempt from the pain and brokenness of this place. We all walk through tragedies and trials, seasons of life where God seems more like a distant elusive entity, rather than a close loving Friend… Truth is, sometimes the lights go out in life and we feel left alone in the dark with our pain. So how do we find our way back to the light? How do we take the next step forward when our eyes can’t see? How do we live with the pain? I don’t have all of the answers, but what I’ve discovered through my own season of deep pain and grief is that the light is always there, we just have to be searching for glimmers of it. God wants nothing more than to be close to us in our pain… He is “bringing light into your night.” Keep holding on. Keep asking Him to help you live with the pain, keep putting one foot in front of the other even when you cannot see where you are going. He is preparing a way and strengthening you along the way. You are not alone. You are loved. Keep going.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from the Saram Primer, a book of prayers and Christian worship resources from the 1500s, collected at the Salisbury Cathedral. 

Shine your light on us, O Lord,

so that, being rid of the darkness of our hearts,

we may attain to the true Light;

through Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the World. Amen.

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Written by Bonifacio B. Mequi, Jr. (1934-2018), a pastor and author. This is an excerpt from “Faith in the Balance.”

Yet for Christ to become our light, we must do one thing: “Repent.” Repentance always requires us to turn around, change directions, quit walking away from God and begin walking the walk of faith toward him who is God-with-us. Our continued efforts to stay on God’s side and to go in God’s direction encourage us in our living until that way of life becomes as natural as breathing. Our life in Christ takes a lifetime both to learn and to live out.

Prayer:

Written by Jennifer Waddle, a contemporary author, speaker, and musician.  

Gracious God, we come before You today, with contrite hearts and willing minds. Lord, thank You for your loving-kindness that leads us to repentance. Help us to be quick to acknowledge our sin before You and even quicker to turn from our sinful ways. Show us, Lord, what it means to have godly sorrow instead of the shallow sorrow of the world. Let our sin grieve us when we have dishonored You so that we will be diligent in repentance. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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Written by Michael E. Wittmer, a contemporary theology professor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”

Rather than plot our next evangelical encounter, what if we ponder what it means to follow our crucified Christ as we close a deal, type a report, sort the mail, care for our employees, or prepare a lesson? For starters, one who has died with Christ will refuse to cut corners but will build houses up to code even if it means that his bid comes in higher than his shoddy competitors’.  She will always speak the truth to her clients even if it means losing their business. He will honor the promises he’s made to his employees even when it hurts the bottom line. She will resist the temptation to “phone it in” but even though she’s taught the course a zillion times, will continue to stretch for fresh insights and innovative ways to present the material. When we allow Jesus Christ to change our work, he becomes so much more than someone we merely talk about at work. He becomes the reason why we work. Perhaps best of all, when others observe our commitment, the foolish way we deny ourselves for the sake of Christ, they are bound to wonder about us. Consequently, we will likely enjoy many more quality opportunities to speak about our faith in Christ than if we had come to work with only that goal in mind.

Prayer:

Written by Rachel Dawson, a contemporary author. 

Father, I come before you thankful that you have made work a part of life and given me the opportunity to glorify you in my work. Thank you that I can work hard and go to bed tired each day. Thank you for the good days and the difficult ones, and for the gifts you have given me to help this world be a better place through my work. Establish the work of my hands by helping me to be productive, patient, focused, and insightful. Keep me from distractions and from technology hindering my work instead of helping it. May your Spirit lead me in my work and help me to be joyful, creative, and worshipful–constantly reminding me of your love and that you’re the reason I have breath in my lungs. Teach me to align my work, family, church life, and rest in a way that would maximize your glory and allow me to bear the most fruit for your kingdom. Amen.

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Today’s meditation is from the Women of Faith Bible Study “Embracing Your Strengths.”

Our lives have become incredibly fast-paced. We’re racing from work to practice to dinner with friends and back home to finish up chores and check e-mail while watching TV before hitting the bed much later than we planned. We’re exhausted and we’re too tired to do anything about it. But think back to before cell phones, online social networks, e-mail, and a dozen blogs to check daily. When you spoke to people face to face rather than online, did you feel a deeper connection? It’s easy to feel isolated in the “communication age” because we’ve become so accustomed to communicating with people that we have little relationship with. As we spread ourselves thin relationally, even our deepest friendships can feel the strain.

Prayer:

Written by Kathryn Shirey, a contemporary author.

Almighty Father, I give thanks today for the friendships in my life. Lord, this life isn’t meant to be lived alone, so I am grateful for the people who walk alongside me, supporting me, loving me, and encouraging me. For we cannot do it all alone but are better together. Help me to be more aware and gracious to my friends, appreciating them and accepting their help. Help me to be a better friend, too, supporting, loving, and encouraging others. Lord, lead me to find and cultivate deeper friendships and be a good friend in all that I do. Shower your blessings upon those I call friends, that you may ever be in our midst. Bind us together, Lord, for a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Amen.

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Written by Paul David Tripp, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “New Morning Mercies.”

My functional theology of my life as a child of God was that I knew that by grace I had been granted God’s forgiveness and I knew that I had been graced with an all-inclusive pass into eternity, but I thought that between now and then, my job was to just gut it out. It was my responsibility to identify sin, to cut it out of my life, and to give myself to living in a much better, more biblical way. I tried this, trust me; I tried it and found it didn’t work. I messed up again and again. It seemed that I failed more times than I succeeded. I became more and more frustrated and discouraged. I finally cried out to God, “I can’t do what you’re asking me to do!”…Then I read Romans 8. “for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (v 13). They were like fireworks going off in my head. God knew that my need as a sinner was so great that it was not enough for Him to just forgive me. He had to come and live inside me or I would not be what I had been re-created to be or do what I had been reborn to do. I need the presence and power of the Holy Spirit living inside me because sin kidnaps the desires of my heart, blinds my eyes, and weakens my knees. My problem is not just the guilt of sin; it is the inability of sin as well. So, God graces his children with the convicting, sight-giving, desire-producing, and strength-affording presence of the Spirit.

Prayer:

Written by Jessica Van Roekel, a contemporary author and speaker. 

 Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to comfort us in our weaknesses. You give us strength when we cannot take another step. Guide us into all truth, remind us of your ways, and give us boldness to testify about what you’re doing in our lives. You shape and mold us into a purer reflection of your Son. May you guide our steps, our thoughts, and our attitudes as we partner with you in faith, in obedience, and in submission. You are wholly trustworthy, and we praise you that you sparked the flame of faith in our lives and that you keep it going by your power. Pour out your Spirit on us so that we might testify about you to those who need your transforming power in their lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Written by G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. This is an excerpt from his book “Everlasting Man The Demons and the Philosophers.”

Christianity does appeal to a solid truth outside itself; to something which is in that sense external as well as eternal. It does declare that things are really there; or in other words that things are really things. In this Christianity is at one with common sense; but all religious history shows that this common sense perishes except where there is Christianity to preserve it.

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. 

 O God, You Who are the truth, make me one with You in love everlasting. I am often wearied by the many things I hear and read, but in You is all that I long for. Let the learned be still, let all creatures be silent before You; do You alone speak to me. Amen

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Written by Dawn Wilson, a contemporary author, publisher, and director of Heart Choices Today.

If you want to change your future while greatly influencing or helping others, champion worthwhile causes. Championing a cause might include giving to a cause ourselves, raising funds to support the cause, promoting it, or even becoming an active participant or volunteer. We all have so much to share. Be proactive. Go all out; don’t hold back. It’s never too early to champion a worthy cause—like young Preston Sharp who organized the placement of more than 40,000 American flags and red carnations on soldiers’ graves. It’s also never too late. Many compassionate senior citizens volunteer for causes and ministries. Christians are never meant to retire from practicing the “one anothers” of Scripture. What captures your interest and grabs your heart? Consider becoming a champion for: a missionary or mission group, a revival-oriented ministry, a Christian school, university, seminary, or student, a rescue mission or homeless shelter, a home for the elderly, an orphanage or adoption center, or an organization combating social ills like sex trafficking or addiction. Opportunities are endless. Be compassionate and take action.

Prayer:

Written by Helen Moriarty, a contemporary writer.

Lord Jesus, you fed the hungry,

you shared your bread with all.

Your people hunger now,

and we are called to share your bread.

May rains fall upon the dry and broken earth

and quench your people’s thirst,

so seeds grow tall and flourish,

producing a bountiful harvest.

May we share the blessings you give us

and bring comfort to those in need.

May we show love through our actions

so all have enough to eat.

We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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

The pressure of hard places makes us value life. Every time our life is given back to us from such a trial, it is like a new beginning, and we learn better how much it is worth, and make more of it for God and man. The pressure helps us to understand the trials of others and fits us to help and sympathize with them. There is a shallow, superficial nature, that gets hold of a theory or a promise lightly and talks very glibly about the distrust of those who shrink from every trial; but the man or woman who has suffered much never does this, but is very tender and gentle, and knows what suffering really means. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Death worketh in you.” Trials and hard places are needed to press us forward, even as the furnace fires in the hold of that mighty ship give force that moves the piston, drives the engine, and propels that great vessel across the sea in the face of the winds and waves.

Prayer:

Written by Scotty Smith, a contemporary American pastor.

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to see pain and suffering with eyes of grace. Father, sometimes looking at the crucibles and crises, and cruel stories and crushing blows of life makes me want to run and hide, fix or deny. When overwhelming need is staring me down; hard things over which I have zero control; and stories which seem to contradict your goodness and sovereignty, help me to see from the perspective of eternity. Thank you, Father. I pray in Jesus’ kind and healing name. Amen.

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