Moment by moment

04 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , , , ,

These things were my assets, but I wrote them off as a loss for the sake of Christ. But even beyond that, I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for him, but what I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ and be found in him. In Christ I have a righteousness that is not my own and that does not come from the Law but rather from the faithfulness of Christ. It is the righteousness of God that is based on faith. The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his sufferings. It includes being conformed to his death so that I may perhaps reach the goal of the resurrection of the dead. ~Philippians 3:7-11 (CEB)

“The holiest of men still need Christ, as their Prophet, as ‘the light of the world.’ For he does not give them light, but from moment to moment: The instant he withdraws, all is darkness. They still need Christ as their King; for God does not give them a stock of holiness. But unless they receive a supply every moment, nothing but unholiness would remain. They still need Christ as their Priest, to make atonement for their holy things. Even perfect holiness is acceptable to God only through Jesus Christ.” ~From “Christian Perfection” by John Weslsey

Moment to moment, breath to breath is not such a bad way to live if it keeps me in God’s light. It helps me to feel better when some of Christian history’s “great’s” speak of having to live just one day at a time. It is the way we were intended to live so that we never think too highly of ourselves and thus take our eyes of the reason we are able to live in the light in the first place.
Thank You Heavenly Father, for the power of the resurrection and the journey towards eternal life. May I follow in the footsteps of the saints that have gone before me always striving for perfection. Amen.

 

God of the living

03 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by jennifermcintyreblog in Devotions Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Some Sadducees, who deny that there’s a resurrection, came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a widow but no children, the brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother .Now there were seven brothers. The first man married a woman and then died childless. The second and then the third brother married her. Eventually all seven married her, and they all died without leaving any children. Finally, the woman died too. In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? All seven were married to her. ”

Jesus said to them, “People who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to participate in that age, that is, in the age of the resurrection from the dead, won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. They can no longer die, because they are like angels and are God’s children since they share in the resurrection. Even Moses demonstrated that the dead are raised—in the passage about the burning bush, when he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living. To him they are all alive. ”

Some of the legal experts responded, “Teacher, you have answered well.” No one dared to ask him anything else.

Jesus said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son? David himself says in the scroll of Psalms, The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right side until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’  Since David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be David’s son? ” ~Luke 20:27-40

“As we practice the Art of Passingover, we begin to personify the truth of this saying of Jesus. Again and again, we willingly die by ‘letting-go’ and ‘letting-be’ only to discover the rich harvest that awaits us in ‘letting-be’ and ‘letting-grow.’

To face death with such willingness is revolutionary in this culture. Our culture is largely based on the denial of death in any of its form. For most of us, death is the opposite of life, so we deny it in order to live in peace. In the Art of Passingover, however, we experience death and life as organically related parts of a larger whole; we experience them as inextricably wedded to one another within the messianic process of growth and creativity. So, rather than deny death, we affirm it by creatively living through it; in order to become what we are not, we willingly die to what we are. That is how it is in the Art of Passingover.

As we begin to experience the on-going interrelatedness of life and death in practice, our whole approach to human growth, and to how life unfolds, changes. Formerly, we may have thought that the cycle of human life begins with physical birth and ends with physical death. Given the bias of our culture, we may even have graded the stages along the way on the basis of how close they came to death. So, we gave youth a decided ‘plus,’ middle age a perplexed ‘plus-minus with a question mark,’ and old age a definite ‘minus,’ if we considered it at all. ~From The Art of Passingover by Francis Dorff

Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Your Son to defeat death. May I prove to be worthy of that age of resurrection. Thank You for being the God of the living. Amen.

Awaken

22 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children, you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy. It is written, You will be holy, because I am holy. Since you call upon a Father who judges all people according to their actions without favoritism, you should conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your dwelling in a strange land. Live in this way, knowing that you were not liberated by perishable things like silver or gold from the empty lifestyle you inherited from your ancestors. Instead, you were liberated by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a flawless, spotless lamb. Christ was chosen before the creation of the world, but was only revealed at the end of time. This was done for you, who through Christ are faithful to the God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. So now, your faith and hope should rest in God. ~1Peter 1:13-21 (CEB)

If wakeful Christians harbor a wish for heaven to fulfill, they wish not for an escape from reality, but for a deeper acquaintance with reality. When wakeful Christians lament this life, they grieve this world’s trivialization of itself that obscures the more profound reality of the kingdom of God in our midst. Yet, more often wakeful Christians celebrate life, finding the mark of God’s hand in this world and beginning their praise with the discovery of the holy here. ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory’ (Isa 6:3), the seraphim sang. Wakeful vision of other worldly praise reveal angels singing of God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven.” ~From A Wakeful Faith by J. Marshall Jenkins

Awaken my mind O Lord, help me prepare for action with clear thinking. Help me live boldly in this world for You. May I sing loudly Your praises when I see the work of Your hands. All glory and honor are Yours. Amen.

Reality, Hope and Proof

20 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith. By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible. ~Hebrews 11:1-3 (CEB)

“Many of our tame hopes are fulfilled on a daily basis: the hope that the sun will shine, of that the pay check will arrive as planned, or that we will get sufficient nourishment for the day. Though one is disappointed once in awhile, our anticipation of these ‘small’ things though not insignificant, is frequently realized.

By contrast, some of these same issues for people in other cultures are ‘wild hopes.’ Many of our sisters and brothers do not receive a salary nor do they get three square meals a day nor does the sun of freedom shine in their lives. Born into poverty or oppressed by social systems, these people find little joy and peace. If they are fortunate in avoiding violence they still must struggle with resentment and bitterness in their awareness of the consumption and materialism of the wealthy.

We must pray like Jesus that hope might be restored and that the earth might be recast. Only the gift of the Holy Spirit can empower us to trust in the future and to assume our rightful responsibility for the common good. Renewing the face of the earth is the work of the Holy Spirit through those people who say yes to being the Spirit’s agents of knowledge, love and kindness. Our hope, wild or tame, is grounded in God’s promise of presence. Herein is our joy and peace.” ~From Resurrection to Pentecost by Robert F. Morneau

I thank You Heavenly Father, for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through Its guidance may we renew the earth. May I be the Spirit’s agent of knowledge, love and kindness. May it embolden me to hope and to dream wild dreams for Your Kingdom. Amen.

Certainty

19 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. ~Isaiah 38:20 (KJV)

“It has been said that Charles Wesley’s hymns always begin on earth and end in heaven. So it is with John Wesley’s theology. He was firmly convinced of the coming day of Christ, which is not yet, but toward which humankind, with the whole creation, is moving. For Wesley, it was necessary to stress God’s ultimate victory; but it was also important to affirm the penultimate reality of God’s presence, now experienced as life that is drawn to God in increasingly focused love. John Wesley had a doctrine of final things, an eschatology, in which God’s kingdom is being presently realized even as it points toward a consummating future. The Christian lives with the lively hope that God, who has begun a good thing, will fulfill it in the day of Jesus Christ.” ~From Practical Divinity by Thomas A. Lanford

I am certain that God, who began the good work within me, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Phil. 1:6) And I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

Thank You O Lord for the hope you instill in me. I thank You for Your word that tells of Your ultimate victory. Thank You for beginning a good thing… in me. Amen.

That which has no end

18 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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Shout triumphantly to the LORD , all the earth! Serve the LORD with celebration! Come before him with shouts of joy! Know that the LORD is God— he made us; we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep of his own pasture. Enter his gates with thanks; enter his courtyards with praise! Thank him! Bless his name! Because the LORD is good, his loyal love lasts forever; his faithfulness lasts generation after generation. ~Psalm 100:1-5 (CEB)

Indeed, the Church has a future; it has the future. This is the eighth day which passes description and cannot be foreseen, the day on which God will complete his work of creation, the Church will reach the goal of its pilgrimage and the world will recognize its Lord. And that seventh age will be our Sabbath, a day that knows no evening, but is followed by the day of the Lord, an everlasting eighth day, hallowed by the resurrection of Christ, prefiguring the eternal rest not only of the spirit, but of the body as well. Then we shall have holiday and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall praise. Behold, this is how it shall be at the end without end. For what else is our end, but to some to that kingdom which has no end?’ ~From The Church by Hans Kung

Heavenly Father, I thank you for Your loyal love that lasts forever. Help me to have the courage to live with my eyes on the eighth day to that time that I will finally be able to walk through Your gates with a joyful heart and enter Your courtyards singing Your praises. Amen.

Looking at my “self” again

16 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ~1John 4:1-4 (NRSV)

At times my heart is drawn away from your loving purpose and way. My spirit leans toward the unloving though, the unloving word. I am prone to turn away from you and to embrace those things I know to be wrong and harmful.

As long as I continue to fight against those things with the power to destroy my life, I know that you are with me and living in my heart. I want you to take complete control of every aspect of my life. What a strange thing to be new and old at the same time, to be recreated by your love and yet continue to struggle with my old self. You have freed me from the guilt and power of my own brokenness, but inner healing requires a long process of divine therapy. ~From Praying in the Weslyean Spirit by Paul W. Chilcote

Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that You are greater than the spirit of the antichrist. When I find myself in darkness help me not to be led astray by unloving words or to embrace those things to be wrong and harmful. Protect my heart during times of wandering. Help me as I struggle again with my “self”.  Help me to find my way back into Your light. Amen.

A walk in the darkness

15 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal Live ~Jude 20-21 (CEB)

“As our insensitivity to our own feelings grows, our lives often begin leaking all kinds of negative emotions. Without even realizing it, we go about feeling frustrated, unappreciated, resentful, exploited lonely, put upon, needy angry, and acting in ways that let these negative emotions overflow toward others. If we were in touch with our feelings, these emotions could be moments of truth for us, warning us that we are heading for trouble. They could be the raw material for soul-searching and meditative exploration of what is going on in our lives. When we are out of touch with our hearts, however, we fail even to notice our feeling, much less to receive and act on their important messages.” ~From The Journey from Misery to Ministry by Francis Dorff

I know personally what happens when I start shutting down my emotions. I begin to not know the truth in situations and begin to perceive harm coming from all directions. I become more and more isolated and begin to think myself a victim. I cannot be about God’s work if I am playing the victim. If I cannot be in touch with my own heart how can I reach out to other’s?

Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me so much that You bring me out of the darkness. I also know that You allow the darkness to come again when I need to make the space to seek You once more. In those dark moments I know that You are with me walking beside me, wanting to show me the way, if only I ask. Help me to not be afraid of the darkness but to realize it is just a signal that it is time to search for Your light once again. Amen.

The back of the line

14 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement: Love your neighbor as yourself,  But if you bite and devour each other, be careful that you don’t get eaten up by each other!

Two different ways of living

I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires. A person’s selfish desires are set against the Spirit, and the Spirit is set against one’s selfish desires. They are opposed to each other, so you shouldn’t do whatever you want to do. But if you are being led by the Spirit, you aren’t under the Law. The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, ~Galatians 5:13-20 (CEB)

“Unfortunately, our error is ‘to want to do it our way,’ ‘to feel ourselves to be somebody,’ ‘to trust in our own plans,’ ‘not to give due weight to the Father’s plan.’ It is frightening, my sister, the extent to which hidden pride burns the soul and dries up everything. And pride is all the greater in spiritual people: in us. I can understand why Jesus took a bitter line when dealing with us (the professionally religious): sinners and prostitutes will take their place ahead of us.

It’s because we don’t want to be little! On the excuse that the religious life is a great, very great thing, we no longer dream of becoming nothing, nothing, nothing.” ~From Letters to Dolcidia: 1954-1983 by Carlo Carretto

Lord, help me this day to not stray from Your path. Help me to not seek my own desires or follow my own pride. Help me to be led by Your Spirit and not by selfish desires this day. Amen.

 

A dangerous disease

13 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

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I’m not saying what I’m saying because the Lord tells me to. I’m saying it like I’m a fool. I’m putting my confidence in this business of bragging. Since so many people are bragging based on human standards, that is how I’m going to brag too. Because you, who are so wise, are happy to put up with fools. You put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone places themselves over you, or if someone hits you in the face. I’m ashamed to say that we have been weak in comparison! But in whatever they challenge me, I challenge them (I’m speaking foolishly).

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. ~1 Cor 11:17-22 (CEB

We have an inborn persisting tendency to attribute to ourselves the success of our spiritual life, the resistance we offer to temptation, the devotion we achieve, the discipline we keep and the good works we do. Surely we thank God for all that, but in our heart of hearts we congratulate ourselves on our exploits, and secretly worship our sword and our bow. We take as done by us what is done by God in us; even obvious graces from heaven stick to the soul and seem after some time to be connatural to us and springing from us. That is spiritual pride of the worst kind, and if it really takes hold of a soul, is enough to stop any spiritual progress at all. The disease is as dangerous as it is common. ~From Faith for Justice by Carlos G. Valles

May I give all the glory to You O Lord, for not by my power but by Your power have I been enabled to go about Your work for the Kingdom. Thank You for working through me, empowering me to be more than I ever could be on my own. Amen

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