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MEDITATION:

Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author.

Ten men were cleansed. Ten were given their life back. Only one turned around. Nine ran the wrong way. Only one came back to thank the Giver for the gift. When I read the story of Jesus and the lepers, I wonder why the only grateful one was the Samaritan. I wonder if the fact that he was Samaritan and Jesus was Jewish made him that much more aware of what a gracious gift this was. Having too much can make a person ungrateful. The illusion of gratitude is that we will experience it more if we get new stuff that we really want. We tend to keep score by comparing ourselves to others. When it comes to affluence, for instance, we tend to follow what psychologist Leon Festinger calls the “principle of slight upward comparison.” We chronically compare ourselves with those just a little better off, in the hopes of attaining their level of success. This keeps us from gratitude. It also keeps our eyes off people who are under-resourced so that we don’t think about our need to share. God gives us the gift of the capacity for gratitude. Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It opens us up to wonder, delight, and humility. It makes our hearts generous. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation. Gratitude is the gift God gives us that enables us to be blessed by all his other gifts, the way our taste buds enable us to enjoy the gift of food. Without gratitude, our lives degenerate into envy, dissatisfaction, and complaints, taking what we have for granted and always wanting more. We can have very little and yet be rich. A rich soul experiences life differently. It experiences a sense of gratitude for what it has received, rather than resentment for what it hasn’t gotten. It faces the future with hope rather than anxiety.
 We break rules — we violate God’s will — because we think breaking them will help us win, or at least avoid pain. But what we do not see is that the very breaking of them turns us into the kind of people who are increasingly incapable of the gratitude and purity of heart that makes lasting happiness and meaning possible. The great secret joy of life — the prize that we think getting richer will bring us — is the ecstasy of gratitude. Gratitude is how those rich toward God — rich in being, not just having — play the game. The apostle Paul discovered that whether he was living in luxury or living in prison he had more than enough because he had been freed from the treadmill of having. Are you experiencing the ecstasy of gratitude, or on the treadmill of having?

PRAYER:

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

Liberate us, we pray you, Lord, from the getting and grasping to which we are prone. Teach us the royal way of the law of the gift, that in giving not only things but ourselves we may know even now the life abundant you promise to bring to perfection in eternal life with you. Increase in us gratitude for your gift of yourself and let that gift of gratitude inspire us to the greatness of living our lives as love in response to love. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by James Dobson, a contemporary author and his wife Shirley Dobson, a contemporary author and chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.  This is an excerpt from their book “Night Light for Couples.”

It’s tempting for some of us to view our Lord as a heavenly “Mr. Fix‐It”—a supernatural problem solver who can be manipulated according to our whims. We might make a little wager on our favorite football team and then pray for God to intervene so our team will win. Or on the day of the church picnic, we might pray for a rainstorm, so we don’t have to fix that potato salad we promised to bring. Others see prayer as a negotiating tool. They want to make a deal with God: “Lord, if You give me this promotion at work… or allow me to get pregnant this month…or let that car at the dealership still be on sale… then I promise I’ll do [fill in the blank] for You.” Of course, these are foolish bargains that reveal a misunderstanding of the majesty of God. He is Lord of lords, King of kings, and Creator of all heaven and earth. He is not a deal-maker who allows Himself to be manipulated. Instead, He wants us to carefully consider His will for our lives before we pray. Prayer is a privilege—a direct line to the Lord’s eternal wisdom and love. Let’s not forget what a blessing it is just to come into His presence.

PRAYER:

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

Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of bringing our requests to You. Give us a deep desire for Your will—not ours—and help us to shape our prayers and our priorities accordingly. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Henry Cloud, a contemporary Christian psychologist and author.  This is an excerpt from his book with John Townsend, “Boundaries With Kids.”

A woman complained to me about a coworker who would always interrupt her while she was trying to get her job done. She acted as if her tendency to be behind in her work was her coworker’s fault. “Why do you talk to her?” I asked. “What do you mean?” she replied. “When she comes in and interrupts, why do you get into a conversation with her?”  “Well, I have to. She is standing there talking.” “Why don’t you just tell her that you have work to do, or close your door and put up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign?”  The woman looked at me with a blank stare. To have choices and to have control of her own behavior was a concept that hadn’t occurred to her. She felt that if something happened “to her,” then that was the way it had to be. There was nothing she could do to change it. When I suggested that she had many choices, she quizzed me about them. I gave her five or six suggestions, from talking to the woman about the problem to talking to a supervisor, to asking to be moved to another area. This was a totally new way of thinking for her; she had never learned that she was free to make choices in relationships and in life.

Have you ever been in a relationship with a “victim”? Victims feel as if they have no choices in life. Life is something that happens to them, and whatever comes their way is their lot. Joe was such a victim. His company was imposing some new policies that he found difficult to handle, and he was very depressed about the changes. “What are you going to do about it?” I asked him. “What do you mean, do about it?” Joe asked. “I mean what are you going to do about your being stuck in something you don’t like?” He just looked at me. It took a long time before he realized that he could choose to get his resume out to some other firms and not be a victim to the fifty-hour workweek he hated. Adults and children raised with good boundaries learn that they are not only responsible for their lives, but also free to live their lives any way they choose, as long as they take responsibility for their choices. For the responsible adult, the sky is the limit. We live in a society of victims. People today act as if they have no choices in life and that everything should be done for them. If it’s not, they can’t do it themselves or make changes. This presents a big opportunity for the future: If you learn to take control of your own life, you will be so far ahead of everyone else that success in life is all but guaranteed!

PRAYER:

Today’s prayer is 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.

Look on us and hear us,

O Lord our God,

and help us to please you

as we do the work you have given to us.

As you have given the first act of will,

so give the completion of the work.

Give us strength to finish

what you have moved us to begin;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, author, and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church.

Those who follow Jesus’ commandment entirely, who let Jesus’ yoke rest on them without resistance, will find the burden they must bear to be light. In the gentle pressure of this yoke, they will receive the strength to walk the right path without becoming weary.…Where will the call to discipleship lead those who follow it? What decisions and painful separations will it entail? We must take this question to him who alone knows the answer. Only Jesus Christ, who bids us follow him, knows where the path will lead. But we know that it will be a path full of mercy beyond measure. Discipleship is joy.

PRAYER:

Written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, author of today’s meditation.

Lord Jesus, only you know where my path will lead, but I trust that, even if I do not know either the way or the destination, you are with me and before me, and I follow you with joy.

MEDITATION:

Written by C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. This is an excerpt from his work “the World’s Last Night.”

Just as the Christian has a great advantage over other men, not by being less fallen than they nor less doomed to live in a fallen world, but by knowing he is a fallen man in a fallen world; so we shall do better if we remember at every moment what Good Work was and how impossible it has now become for the majority. We may have to earn our living by taking part in the production of objects which are rotten in quality and which, even if they were good in quality, would not be worth producing – the demand or “market” for them having been simply engineered by advertisement. Beside the waters of Babylon – or the assembly belt – we shall still say inwardly, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget it’s cunning.” (It will.)

PRAYER:

Written by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), an English Baptist preacher, known as the “Prince of Preachers.”

We bless You, O God, as the God of our redemption, for You have so loved us as to give even Your dear Son for us.  He gave Himself, His very life for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and separate us unto Himself to be His peculiar people, zealous for good works. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Timothy Keller, a contemporary pastor and author.

Fools live in a dream of metaphysical self-sufficiency. They think they have everything sorted, and the complacency leads to disaster. But the opposite of complacency – anxiety – is no solution. We can lose our overconfidence and still be at ease, without fear if we remember that we have the omnipotent, sovereign Lord of the universe as our Father. If God did not spare us His own Son, how will He not give us whatever we need in Him through the power of the Holy Spirit?

PRAYER:

Today’s prayer is from the PC-USA Book of Common Worship.

God of love,

as in Jesus Christ you gave yourself to us,

so may we give ourselves to you,

living according to your holy will.

Keep our feet firmly in the way

where Christ leads us;

make our mouths speak the truth

that Christ teaches us;

fill our bodies with the life

that is Christ within us.

 In his holy name we pray. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Anne Graham Lotz, a contemporary evangelist, author, and daughter of Billy Graham.

When the Holy Spirit comes into you at your invitation, you receive as much of Him as you will ever have. You do not get a little bit of Him then and a little bit more at a later time. Since He is a Person, you cannot get Him in pieces. You either have all of the Holy Spirit or you have none of the Holy Spirit. Why is it, then, that He seems to get us in pieces? He comes to us unconditionally, while we surrender to Him conditionally.

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.

Whoever shall observe these things may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the most high Father, and may he be filled on earth with the blessing of his beloved son, together with the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, and all the powers of heaven and all the saints. We adore You, O Lord Jesus Christ, and we bless You, because, by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. Amen.

MEDITATION:

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

Your welcome into God’s family turns everything upside down. God not only forgives your sins and guarantees you a seat in eternity but welcomes you to a radically new way of living. This new way of living is not just about submitting to God’s moral code. No, it is about God covenantally committing Himself to be faithful to you forever, unleashing His wisdom, power, and grace for your eternal good. Think about this. The One who created and controls the world, the One who is the ultimate definition of what is loving, true, and good, and the One who alone has the power to finally defeat sin has chosen, because of His grace, to wrap His arms of faithful love and protection around you, and He will not let you go. He can be trusted even when you cannot. He will be faithful and good even when you’re not. Rather than giving you license to do whatever, this truth is a great motivator to continue to invest in the one thing that will never come up short, and that one thing is the faithfulness of your Lord.

PRAYER:

Today’s prayer is from the Gregorian Sacramentary, a 10^th century illuminated Latin manuscript ascribed to Gregory I.

O God,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

you poured the gift of love

into the hearts of your faithful people.

Give your servants

health of body and soul

that they may love you with all their strength,

and moved by love, do what pleases you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Paul Estabrooks, a contemporary author and speaker. He has written extensively about persecuted Christians.

Pastor Joseph Bondarenko sat on the sunny deck of the Russian river boat as it pulled out of Tyumen in Siberia and headed north up the river. The leaves on the trees were already changing color in a blaze of autumn beauty. But this was no Love Boat. On board this old river scow were over one hundred and fifty other Christians joining this adventure. The passengers were there to assist in a one-month evangelism outreach in northern Siberian cities—places where the gospel had not been preached before. As Joseph soaked in the beauty of the sun and God’s creation, he thought back on his early ministry years in the nineteen fifties and sixties. His aggressive evangelism in those days resulted in imprisonment three times. Yet there in those filthy prison cells, God was still present, and his ministry continued. Joseph led so many to Christ in prison that they kicked him out each time. In total he lived nine years in a prison cell, isolated from his beloved wife, Mary. He smiled to himself as he recalled that eventful day in 1989 when the KGB agent who had him imprisoned came to talk. The officer had been watching him for years and now articulated his desire to know Jesus too. Joseph’s spirit leaped with joy as he thought back on the day that KGB agent and his family were baptized. Nothing is impossible with God. He relived the many crusades in recent years when Open Doors provided as many as twenty thousand Russian Scriptures for new believers who responded to the call of God on their life. And now with a group of musicians, preachers, and follow-up personnel his vision for evangelism was continuing to be fulfilled; one whole month stopping and preaching at twenty cities along the main rivers of Siberia. At the end of the month, Joseph’s “cruise-ade” had seen over 10,000 people pray the sinner’s prayer and commit their lives to the Lord! And even more exciting is the fact that Christian young people were left behind in sixteen communities to do follow-up training and establish new churches. On the walls of a hall in Joseph’s church is the missionary journey history of this local body and the missionary vision maps. Joseph becomes very animated and excited as he traces the color-coded missionary journeys for the past summers that young evangelists he is training had made into Siberia and onward toward the Far East. But more exciting for him are the dotted lines that lay out next summer’s trip plans. They reached right to the Pacific Ocean! Like his Master, Joseph went through much suffering and deprivation in his life. But like his Master, nothing gives Joseph more joy than knowing the angels in heaven were rejoicing.

PRAYER:

Written by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and Christian theologian.

O Lord Jesus Christ,

our redemption and our salvation,

we praise you and give you thanks.

Though we are unworthy of your benefits,

and cannot offer to you the devotion you deserve,

let your loving-kindness complete whatever our weakness tries to do.

Before you, O Lord, we lay all our desires,

and whatever our heart rightly wishes, it is because of your gift.

Help us love you as you command.

Do not let your gift be unfruitful in us.

Complete what you have begun,

give what you have made us desire,

convert our lukewarmness

into fervent love of you;

for the glory of your holy name. Amen. 

MEDITATION:

Written by Trevor Hudson, a contemporary South African pastor, author, and speaker.

The picture of the prodigal son’s father shows his heart being filled with compassion. When something is full, there is no room for anything else. So, whatever else there is in God’s heart will flow compassionately towards us, whether it be God’s anger for our inhumanity to one another … I think God responds to that with anger because of God’s compassion. I’m not going soft here in the sense of, you know, a kind of “anything kind of goes.” Because God’s heart is filled with compassion, that has profound consequences for God’s response to injustice and to our own deceptive ways of living that hurt others. But we must never think, well, God is compassionate towards us until we go too far and then his compassion turns into something else. Even his justice is an expression of his compassion and his love. He doesn’t bid us to come and die so that we can then become lovable. He bids us to come and die because he loves us and wants to free us from that which enslaves us. It’s always that. The direction is always from love…Think of Paul’s saying that God has flooded our hearts through the Holy Spirit with God’s love. So, I’m living much more fully than ever before, and I want to invite the reader to do this, to remember that God’s compassion is already in us. Our hearts have been flooded by God’s compassion. And so, there is already, in my life, a reservoir of compassion. So, there’s not a case of: I have to make myself compassionate. But could I come at this a little bit differently? I don’t have to manufacture compassion. I don’t have to try to be compassionate. But maybe I can notice what blocks it, and then just let it flow, naturally. I don’t have to change gears, and now switch on God’s compassion in this encounter, but what does it mean to let the reservoir of compassion flow?

PRAYER:

Written by Scott Cairns, a contemporary American poet, professor, librettist, and spiritual essayist.

Beloved Lover of humankind, soften our hearts so that we too may have compassion for those who suffer, so that we too may give gladly of our time and treasure to those in need. May nothing we do be done in strikfe, but in confidence and in  peace. May nothing we do be done in foolish pride, but in lowliness of mind let us esteem others as greater than ourselves. May we esteem the needs of others as greater than our own. May we look with kindness and compassion upon their burdens. May our hearts become as tender wombs prepared to receive your grace, that in due time may we bring forth the joyful fruit of your Spirit. May this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus. That being God he made himself impoverished, and took upon himself the form of a servant, humbled himself, and was obedient unto death — yet a death that has brought all to life. May we suspect our own power to say yes to whatever our God asks of us. We ask this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.