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Written by Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Making All Things New.”

The spiritual life is a gift. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who lifts us up into the kingdom of God’s love. But to say that being lifted up into the kingdom of love is a divine gift does not mean that we wait passively until the gift is offered to us. Jesus tells us to set our hearts on the kingdom. Setting our hearts on something involves not only serious aspiration but also strong determination. A spiritual life requires human effort. The forces that keep pulling us back into a worry-filled life are far from easy to overcome.

If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.  [Matthew 16:24]

Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary author.

Fruitfulness is central to our purpose as beings created in the image of God. God has made us so that what we do really matters, not only for human benefit, but also primarily for God’s own glory. As we help the world to be fruitful through our own fruitfulness, we are fulfilling God’s purpose for all things, including us. 

God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. [Genesis 1:27-28]

Written by Ole Hallesby (1879-1961), a Norwegian theologian and author.    This is an excerpt from his book “Prayer.”

Helplessness is unquestionably the first and surest indication of a praying heart. As far as I can see, prayer has been ordained only for the helpless. It is the last resort of the helpless, indeed, the very last way out. We try everything before we finally resort to prayer. And this is not only true of us before our conversion. Prayer is our last resort also throughout our whole Christian life. I know very well that we offer many beautiful prayers both privately and publicly without helplessness as the impelling power, but I am not at all positive that this is prayer. Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only the one who is helpless can truly pray. Listen to this, you who are often so helpless that you do not know what to do. At times, you do not even know how to pray. Your mind seems full of sin and impurity. I never grow weary of emphasizing our helplessness, for it is the decisive factor, not only in our prayer life, but in our whole relation to God.

I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [2 Corinthians 12:7-9]

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

Joan Didion once wrote, “We tell stories in order to live.”  The stories that we believe shape our understanding and interaction with the world. It doesn’t matter if the story is true, but it does matter, a great deal, if we believe it to be true. People are meaning making machines. We can’t help ourselves. We are able to ascribe truth and meaning to just about anything… But we must be careful with this ability to make our own meaning. If we are not mindful, we might end up putting too much meaning on something toxic, corrosive, or untrue. Then the toxicity of those stories will seep into every part of our lives and create a deep sense of unease. Right now, the world feels uneasy (which is putting it lightly), but the truth is that life has always felt uneasy. There has never been a time in human history without conflict or confusion (humans are also pretty good at doing that too). It is foolish to try to avoid that uneasiness because it will always be with us, but it is also foolish to believe stories that try to convince us that life is completely unmanageable. What we need are stories of preparation, not panic. We need inputs, reminders, and communities that reinforce virtuous stories that inspire actions of faith, hope, and love. We also must accept our own failures and move through life with humility and honesty about our limitations ready to correct our errors and confess our sins. For there is a freedom that comes when we focus on what we can control and let go of that we cannot…Being prepared is about the small daily decisions that keep us from panic. There is so much we can’t control, but we can control how prepared we are to respond to life’s uncertainties the way Jesus would.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. [Philippians 4:8]

Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

What a privilege to be a child of God, a partner with Him in His work in the world, a follower and friend of Jesus His Son. What a privilege to know the fellowship of His Spirit, of His people, of trusted spiritual mentors and friends. What a privilege to hold His Word in our hands, to meditate on His truth, to have a firm foundation for life. What a privilege to be able to talk with the God of the Universe, to know He hears and answers when we seek Him. What a privilege to be able to model our lives and leadership after the One in whom there is no falsehood, no error, no missteps.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! [1 John 3:1a]

Written by Thomas Kelly (1893-1941), a Quaker mystic, teacher, and author.. This is an excerpt from his book “A Testament of Devotion.

The Loving Presence does not burden us equally with all things, but considerately puts upon each of us just a few central tasks, as emphatic responsibilities. For each of us these special undertakings are our share in the joyous burdens of love. We cannot die on every cross, nor are we expected to… By inner persuasions He draws us to a few very definite tasks, our tasks, God’s burdened heart particularizing His burdens in us.”

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. [1 Corinthians 3:5]

Written by Teresa of Avila (1515-1582]. A Carmelite nun, Spanish mystic, and religious reformer.

Christ has no body on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Ephesians 2:10]

Written by John Mark Comer, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his course on Practicing the Way.

As you are going about your ordinary life, live with your eyes wide open to see what the Father is doing, all around you, and then to partner with him…Jesus had this uncanny ability to see people—to see what God was doing in them, right then, right there—and to unleash God’s power and purposes for them in each moment. To see like Jesus will likely require that we slow down, that we become present to the moment, that we breathe. And as we breathe, we look for where the Father is at work and join in.

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [John 5:19]

Written by Maria Skobtsove (1891-1945), known as Mother Maria of Paris. She was a Russian noblewoman, poet, nun, and member of the French Resistance during World War II.

The bodies of our fellow human beings must be treated with more care than our own. Christian love teaches us to give our brethren not only spiritual gifts, but material gifts as well. Even our last shirt, our last piece of bread must be given to them. Personal almsgiving and the most wide-ranging social work are equally justifiable and necessary. The way to God lies through love of other people, and there is no other way. At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked if I was successful in my ascetic exercises or how many prostrations I made in the course of my prayers. I shall be asked, did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners: that is all I shall be asked.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. [Matthew 25:35-36]

Written by Kallistos Ware (1934-2022), an English Eastern Orthodox bishop and theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “The Orthodox Way.”

In the [Apostles] Creed we do not say, “I believe that there is a God;” we say, “I believe in one God.” Between belief that and belief in, there is a crucial distinction. It is possible for me to believe that someone or something exists, and yet for this belief to have not practical effect on my life. I can open the telephone directory for Wigan and scan the names recorded on its pages; and, as I read, I am prepared to believe that some (or even most) of these people actually exist. But I know none of them personally, I hae never even visited Wigan, and so my belief that they exist makes no particular difference to me. When, on the other hand, I say to a much-loved friend, “I believe in you,” I am doing far more than expressing a belief that this person exists. “I believe in you” means: I turn to you, I rely upon you, I put my full trust in you, and I hope in you., That is what we are saying to God in the Creed. Faith in God, then, is not at all the same as the kind of logical certainty that we attain in Euclidean geometry. God is not the conclusion to a process of reasoning…To believe in God is not to accept the possibility of his existence because it has been “proved” to us by some theoretical argument, but it is to put our trust in One whom we know and love. Faith is not the supposition that something might be true, but the assurance that someone is there…Faith signifies a personal relationship with God.

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. [Hebrews 11:11]