Tag Archives: Prayer

November 1, 2021 · 12:48 pm

The True Commands of God

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Once the order was given at Scetis, ‘Fast the week.’ Now it happened that some brothers came from Egypt to visit Abba Moses and he cooked something for them. Seeing some smoke, the neighbors said to the ministers, ‘Look, Moses has broken the commandment and has cooked something in his cell.’ The ministers said, ‘When he comes, we will speak to him ourselves.’

When the Saturday came, since they knew Abba Moses’ remarkable way of life, the ministers said to him in front of everyone, ‘O Abba Moses, you did not keep the commandment of men, but it was so that you might keep the commandment of God.’

—-Sayings of the Desert

It is a difficult thing to discern sometimes whether we are acting out of religious piety or truly following the commands of God. Our community, like the community of Scetis, can confuse the two. Men have a way of making so many rules, and often these rules are just a pretense of following God. The practice of His presence is far greater than keeping the commands of a church, a class, or a community. God’s commands are made for the good of His creation. Jesus tells us, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.” The commands of God are not meant to burden, punish or diminish our value, but to allow us to know God’s love and mercy and share it with the world.

PRAYER

Lord, help me discern the true commands that you have revealed. Prevent me from wasting my life in superficial piety and guide me by your spirit to true service and obedience. Let me see that true obedience lifts burdens from my life. Your commands are the key to abundant life in the here and now.

Amen

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Tagged as Commands of God, Prayer

October 6, 2021 · 5:07 pm

Self Discovery

Musings #5

Merton challenges us to look inside of ourselves with great introspection that allows us to see ourselves as God and others see us. Many times we are shocked by the comment of a loved one or friend about something we have said or done. Our first reaction may be to say that we are misunderstood, but we will never really understand until we pause and take a deep look at ourselves. God sees in us what we cannot see in ourselves. The creator made us in his image and likeness with the knowledge that we would never live up to our full potential. Too often we hide behind our accomplishments and never take that voyage to the most difficult destination of all – our true self. Merton reminds us of this, but how do we begin that scary voyage?

Let me suggest a few possibilities.

These three possibilities are not a silver bullet to finding our true selves but some tools that will drive us deeper into that uncharted territory that lies within all of us. As we venture deeper into ourselves, God will give us the wisdom and courage to confront the bad and the joy of the discovery of the good. Remember, the image of God is imprinted in our DNA, and it is the desire of God that it comes out. Spend some time today pondering the possibility that that image can emerge and I know God will bless you.

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Tagged as Prayer, Thomas Merton

September 15, 2021 · 9:32 am

Making Our Peace

Musings #2

How many times have you sought to make peace with someone or even yourself? I would be willing to say that we have gone about this task many times. Unfortunately, we do not seem to be able to come to a lasting peace. That is because we do not understand where to start. Our minds tell us we must start with ourselves and seek a solution that we can understand. I am sorry to say that our solution will likely fail, and many times make the problem worse. Merton points very clearly at the way we must approach this in ordered steps. Peace begins with us, but the source is far outside of ourselves.

We seek peace with others by making peace with God. There are so many promises in the Bible that we receive the moment we make peace with God. Here are just a few:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ~~~John 14:27
Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ~~~Hebrews 12:14
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ~~~Romans 12:18

We begin our journey to peace by making our devotion to God our source of strength. Making peace with God means relying on him for everything. We get a strange sense of warmth and comfort when we turn things over to him. Suddenly, delightfully, we are no longer alone, and peace floods our souls. Let us look at those three biblical concepts of peace.

When God gives his peace to you it is radically different than the peace of the world. World peace is temporary and never given without a price that we must pay. We proclaim peaceful compromise, even forgiveness of offences, but we can never forget. All human forgiveness is merely clemency and not the true forgiveness of God. With true forgiveness comes a peace that surpasses understanding. That is the peace that only God can give. Once we receive God’s peace new avenues of opportunity come our way.

An important one of these opportunities is the ability to pursue peace. Every Christian should have the goal of being at peace with all. Without God’s peace in us, we are not even capable of pursuing peace with others. The word pursue means to chase. God wants us to chase peace with our brothers and sisters throughout the world. A sort of utopian peace is the pinnacle of the Christian life.

The writer of Romans gives us the charge and the reality of living life as a peace pursing follower of Christ. He tells us to expend all of the resources and energy that we can muster to live in peace with the world. A lack of peace should never be our choice. We must always do everything we can to achieve that goal. The ultimate goal of every Christ follower is to live peaceably with all.

Let us all try to make the lyrics of the familiar chorus become true. “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me; let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.” We are called to do our part to lead this world to where God meant it to be.

LORD, lead me this day to be an instrument of peace to the world. May I trust you enough to truly have your peace in my heart. With your peace in my heart, I know that I can make a difference. Please give me opportunities and means to be your spokesman to the world. I trust in you and your ability to lead me this and every day.

Amen

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Tagged as Peace, Peace With God, Prayer, Prayer of Saint Francis, Thomas Merton

May 18, 2021 · 9:39 am

This Week–LOVE

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THIS WEEK –LOVE

Love – A state of feeling with regard to a person which manifests itself in concern for the person’s welfare, pleasure in his or her presents and often also a desire for his or her approval.

(Oxford Dictionary)

Four Types of Love

Today, love is overused and undervalued at the same time. We love everything from various foods to cars, from movies to retailers, from people to God himself. We may not consciously distinguish one use of love from another in part because our speech is becoming more and more informal, but it is important to be intentional about the differences. As we know, Scripture tells us that love is the highest attribute. So, let’s look at the four types of love found in the Bible that Lewis helps to draw out in The Four Loves, published in 1960.

I Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

Affection (storge)

This type of love covers a lot of different circumstances of love. All mothers, human and otherwise, possess a natural affection toward their offspring. Affection intermingles in many of our relationships. We are kindly affectioned toward our spouses and our coworkers. Affection walks in step with the other loves and often is an outgrowth of another. It is not possible to maintain a romantic or friendship love with someone and never feel some level of affection towards them. Affection for the people around us on a daily basis is very natural.

Friendship(philia)

Friendship love is often dismissed by our culture. “To the Ancients, Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves,” says Lewis, “the crown of life and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it.” Why is that so? Perhaps it is because true friendship is time consuming and rarely celebrated. Romance leads to conception and families, Affection makes us feel accepted and cared for, and charity (God love) leads to redemption. We develop this love when we spend quality time with people who mean a great deal to us.

Romantic (Eros)

Lewis says that romantic lovers are absorbed with each other. One thinks that the absence of the other means the end of their lives. The romantic bond of two people is the most fulfilling love that you can experience. Lewis says, “The event of falling in love is of such a nature that we are right to reject as intolerable the idea that it should be transitory.” This type makes us whole. The bond between two people in marriage has been celebrated from Genesis onward and is a picture of God’s love towards us. This love is far greater than the drivel that is promoted by our culture.

Charity (agape) -God’s Love

This is the chief aim of our lives – to be loved by God, to love him and to share that love with the world. The other three loves, according to Lewis, are training ground for the love of God to grow. We are created to love and desire to be loved. We must lay ourselves out, just as Jesus did, and take the chance that we will be rejected. It is in that rejection that we come to understand the love of God. His love is ultimately shown by His death on the cross.

There is no safe investment. All love is costly, perilous, and risky. To love is to be vulnerable and exposed. Love anything and your heart will be taxed and possibly broken. If you want to be safe you must give yourself to no one, not even an animal. You can wrap yourself safely in the things you do, the fun you experience and work you pursue. Doing this is almost like placing yourself in a coffin of selfishness. You will never be broken hearted, because you have developed a heart of stone. If we protect ourselves by never loving, do we know and experience the love of God?

When we give ourselves and our children to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and promise to make disciples of all nations, we are committing to love in every way.

Let us ask God to awaken such an abandoned and reckless love to come alive in us.

When one loves, one does not calculate.

~~~Thérèse of Lisieux

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.

~~~Sophocles

The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved.

~~~Victor Hugo

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.

~~~Elie Wiesel

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

~~~Martin Luther King Jr.

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

~~~William Shakespeare

Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.

~~~Alfred Lord Tennyson

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.

~~~Mahatma Gandhi

We love the things we love for what they are.

~~~Robert Frost

The spiritual meaning of love is measured by what it can do. Love is meant to heal. Love is meant to renew. Love is meant to bring us closer to God.

~~~Marcus Aurelius

To see the universal and all pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all creation as oneself.

~~~Mahatma Gandhi

Your giving and searching for ways to give is love in action. This is the evidence of Spirit at work.

~~~Marshall Vian Summers

You can never love another person unless you are equally involved in the beautiful but difficult spiritual work of learning to love yourself.

~~~John O’Donohue

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.

~~~1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,

for in you I put my trust.

Teach me the way I should go,

for to you I lift up my soul.

~~~Psalm 143:8

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

~~~Colossians 3:14

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

~~~1John 4:16

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

~~~John 15:12

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

~~~1 John 4:12

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

~~~John 15:13

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness

will find life and honor.

~~~Proverbs 21:21

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~~~Romans 8:38-39

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

~~~Psalm 103:8

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

~~~Romans 13:10

When I thought, ‘My foot is slipping’,

your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

~~~ Psalm 94:18

Lord, Help me to be able to love in all the ways that you have revealed to me. Give me the courage and understanding to learn to love and be loved in risky and outlandish ways. Give me the opportunity to share God’s love with others today, not simply a love that saves but a love that sustains and guides every day. Our world is crying for love that only you can give.

Amen

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Tagged as CS Lewis, Prayer, Quotes

March 30, 2021 · 10:28 am

Tuesday with John Wesley

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On this Tuesday of Holy Week, I call your attention John Wesley. He was a great preacher and founder of the Methodist movement. John Wesley had but one goal, and it was to bring the message of the grace of God to all people. He was an Oxford Don and an Anglican priest who gave his long and productive life to that cause. I will share some quotes from Mr. Wesley that communicate his calling.

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.

Give me one hundred preachers (Christians)who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.

Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences.

I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God’s creational intentions.

When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me.

Our main doctrines, which include all the rest, are three: That of repentance, of faith, and of holiness. The first of these we account, as it were, the porch of religion; the next, the door; the third, religion itself.

A PRAYER FROM JOHN WESLEY

O merciful Father, do not consider what we have done against you;

but what our blessed Savior has done for us.

Don’t consider what we have made of ourselves,

but what He is making of us for you our God.

O that Christ may be “wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption”

to every one of our souls.

May His precious blood cleanse us from all our sins,

and your Holy Spirit renew and sanctify our souls.

May He crucify our flesh with its passion and lusts,

and cleanse all our brothers and sisters in Christ across the earth.

Amen.

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March 10, 2021 · 9:34 am

Life in the Storm

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.

~~~Mark 6:45-51

Sometimes it seems that our lives are a series of storms. We try to live with stormy marriages, stormy relationships with our children, stormy connections with extended family, stormy job situations, and stormy financial conditions. On and on, the storms rage in our lives. We find ourselves tossed about, overrun, confused and frightened. We desperately try to hold back the waves and still the vicious winds in our lives. Finally, with a sense of helplessness, we realize that we can’t control the storm.

One night, Jesus’ disciples found themselves at the mercy of the violent winds and churning waves of the Sea of Galilee. Just as they were about to abandon hope of controlling their small boat, they say Jesus walking on the sea toward them! Talk about confused and frightened! They thought they must be seeing a ghost! But Jesus spoke to the disciples over the roar of the storm and said, “Cheer up! I’m here, don’t be afraid.” He gave them hope, and then he stilled the storm for them!

Jesus walks on the stormy seas of our lives even today. Just as it seems we are about to be overcome by the hurt, the stress, the fear of our own personal storm, we can see Jesus as He calls out to us, “Cheer up! I’m here, don’t be afraid.” Just as He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee for Peter and the other disciples, He will still your storm as well. Jesus is the answer to your problems – whatever they are. He still speaks to His people, cheers them, and gives them hope. He will still walk on the troubled sea of your life and rescue you from the storm.

Monica Boudreaux

Father – Help me depend on you when I face one of life’s storms. Thank you for your great faithfulness to me.

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Tagged as Jesus, Lenten devotional, Prayer, Storms

March 9, 2021 · 2:46 pm

This Week – FAIR

Fair- Of character, reputation, conduct: free from moral stain, unsullied, spotless. Of a person, action argument, etc.: just, unbiased, equitable, impartial; legitimate, in accordance with the rules or standards.

(Oxford Dictionary)

Early in my life I was taught that I must be fair with all people. I have yet to meet someone who does not want life to be fair. We want things to be fair for us first and then, of course, everyone else. I can still hear the school yard echo, “No fair!” looming over the playground. Fair defined as equal treatment is what I want to muse about today. Let us look at some ways that we can learn what it is to be fair and how to react to unfairness.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the word fair is equitable. We all feel that we deserve equitable treatment at work, in our relationships and in our business dealings. Everyone wants to feel that they are of equal value to the next person. Discomfort arises in us when we feel we are being ignored or in some way neglected. We want to be valued by others, and we feel that is the way to be fair.

There is a Crown Royal distillery billboard that reads, “Live generously and life will treat you royally.” That is what can happen if we are overtly fair to all that we encounter. We learn the art of generosity, because we are always intentionally and freely doing the absolute best for others. Such fair generosity brings a reward of liberty from always speculating what is fair.

Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist, Bill Gates, reminds us that, “Life is not fair; get used to it.” That is particularly important point coming from a man who gives away billions of dollars a year. Life is not always fair, but it is our responsibility to make it so. Our behavior is a key to creating fairness around and within ourselves. I have always believed that life is about as fair as you make it. I do, however, wish that the unfair were sometimes in my favor.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be scrupulously fair to all persons we meet. That is our role as the salt and light of the earth. There are times when we are tempted to level that playing field. We are the authors of fairness, and we bring it to the rest of the world because we are the recipients of the generosity of Jesus when he redeemed us.

This week be fair, go the second mile, share from the heart, and help bring true fairness to the world.

We don’t need to be good. But let’s try to be fair.

~~~Holly Black, The Cruel Prince

Being good is easy, what is difficult is being just.

~~~Victor Hugo

Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need.

~~~Rick Riordan

In the end we are always rewarded for our good will, our patience, fair-mindedness, and gentleness with what is strange.

~~~Friedrich Nietzsche

You cannot be fair to others without first being fair to yourself.

~~~Vera Nazarian

God hates violence. He has ordained that all men fairly possess their property, not seize it.

~~~Euripides

As for doing good that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover, I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may seem, am satisfied that it does not agree with my constitution.

~~~Henry David Thoreau

Life is not fair; get used to it.

~~~Bill Gates

Fairness is not an attitude. It’s a professional skill that must be developed and exercised.

~~~Brit Hume

It is always wise, as it is also fair, to test a man by the standards of his own day, and not by those of another.

~~~Odell Shepard

It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.

~~~Eleanor Roosevelt

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

~~~Oscar Wilde

I know the world isn’t fair, but why isn’t it ever unfair in my favor?

~~~Bill Watterson

He judges the world with righteousness;

he judges the peoples with equity.

~~~ Psalm 9:8

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to the skilful; but time and chance happen to them all.

~~~Ecclesiastes 9:11

A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

but an accurate weight is his delight.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace;

but wisdom is with the humble.

The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

~~~ Proverbs 11:1-3

You shall not render an unjust judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor.

~~~ Leviticus 19:15

Speak out, judge righteously,

defend the rights of the poor and needy.

~~~ Proverbs 31:9

Happy are those who observe justice,

who do righteousness at all times.

~~~Psalm 106:3

Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

~~~Colossians 4:1

If a king judges the poor with equity,

his throne will be established for ever.

~~~Proverbs 29:14

But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

~~~Amos 5:24

Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;

all the weights in the bag are his work.

~~~ Proverbs 16:11

LORD, Our great longing in life is to be treated with fairness. Teach us that the road to fairness is to treat all as we want to be treated. Keep us honest and truthful in all our ways so that we might be fair to all we meet. We pray that you would give us the wisdom to be fair in all our dealings.

Amen

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Tagged as Fair, Prayer, Quotes

March 8, 2021 · 9:45 am

Wise Become Foolish

The 40 Days of Lent

Day Seventeen

Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,

‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’,

and again,

‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,

that they are futile.’

~~~1 Corinthians 3:18-20

Lord, Many of us spend a great deal of time trying to fool ourselves about our behavior. We submit ourselves to you and ask that you show us the way we must go. Grant us the grace to move forward and live a life that is wise and true and brings glory to you.

Amen

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Tagged as Lenten devotional, Prayer

March 5, 2021 · 8:00 am

Holy Ground

The 40 Days of Lent

Day Fifteen

‘Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, “Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

~~~Acts 7:30-33

Lord, You are the light of the world. You have promised to bring light into our darkened world, and we claim that promise this day. Let your light shine brightly in all the places of our lives so that me may rejoice in your glory.