Conversion

16 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Peter replied, “Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God invites.” With many other words he testified to them and encouraged them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day. The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. ~Acts 2:37-42 (CEB)

“Conversion is going on all the time within us and within the world. The radical change of Christian conversion is also going on within us at all times. While the change of turning toward God may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it is in reality a continual process. We may think that we have turned fully toward God; then we discover another dimension of God, and we now immediately that more conversion is possible and necessary if we are to more Godward in all of life.

Conversion is a lifelong process of turning more and more fully toward God in all that we are, possess, and do. There may be earth shaking moments when we are being formed in the image of Christ at incredible speed and in remarkable ways. But such moments are not the end; there is more to come as we give ourselves to the transforming power of God.

While conversion requires our decision and action, the grace and strength to be changed- to become more than we are- is the gift of God. Conversion is a partnership project. We cannot transform us against our wishes. However, once we invite God’s transforming presence into our lives, the necessary power to change comes with the transforming presence.

It is wise not to try to dictate what our conversion will be like. We cannot know what God has in store for us until we begin to live in harmony and companionship with God. As our understanding of and relationship to God grow, we may begin to see where God is leading us in our conversion. On the other hand, we may experience surprises throughout our lives as God seeks to shape us. It is also wise not to assume that our conversion will look like, feel like, or keep pace with any other person’s conversion. Since we are unique and God is infinite, our conversion experiences will be unique as well. The important thing is inviting God to what the end product will be, but we do know that it will be good when we permit God to be the potter and we agree to be the malleable clay.” A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God, Rueben P. Job

O God our Father, renew my spirit and draw my heart to You, that my work may not be a burden but a delight; and give me such love to You as may sweeten all obedience. Help me that I may serve You with the cheerfulness and gladness of a child, delighting myself in You and rejoicing in all that is to the honor of Your name; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen- adapted from The Book of Worship

Purpose and goal

15 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

We sailed from Troas straight for Samothrace and came to Neapolis the following day. From there we went to Philippi, a city of Macedonia’s first district and a Roman colony. We stayed in that city several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the riverbank, where we thought there might be a place for prayer. We sat down and began to talk with the women who had gathered. One of those women was Lydia, a Gentile God-worshipper from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth. As she listened, the Lord enabled her to embrace Paul’s message. Once she and her household were baptized, she urged, “Now that you have decided that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded us. ~Acts 16:11-15 (CEB)

“The purpose and goal of spiritual discernment is knowing and doing God’s will. We can easily become enamored with discernment definitions, strategies for holding meetings, the emotional rush of doing something new, or even the self-adulation for attempting to do something spiritual. The newness of our endeavor may compromise our vision if we fail to see the urgency of knowing and doing God’s will. Nothing is more urgent in our lives or in our congregations than yearning to know and do God’s will. We must keep our eyes and hearts on our purpose and goal.” ~From Discerning God’s Will Together by Danny E, Morris and Charles M. Olsen

Almighty God, you have called the church into being and have gathered us into one family. By the power of your Holy Spirit help us to live in unity and peace with all Your children. May our actions this day be fruit of our faith in Your kingdom. In the name of Christ. Amen.

Christ’s compassion

08 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

He won’t break a bent stalk, and he won’t snuff out a smoldering wick, until he makes justice win. And the Gentiles will put their hope in his name. ~Matthew 12:20-21 (CEB)

Even though Jesus speaks out against all forms of hypocrisy and is not afraid to attack deception, vanity, manipulation and oppression, his heart is a gentle heart. He won’t break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering wick. He responds to people’s suffering, heals their wounds, and offers courage to the fainthearted. Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor, sight to the blind, and freedom to prisoners (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus considered others in all he says, and thus he reveals God’s immense compassion.

As a follower of Christ I am to have his compassion for the world. Jesus charged us to go out declaring the good news to everyone. (Mark 16:15) To a world that may know more about fear, harshness and misunderstandings by my gentleness I can bring hope. Jesus came into the world to give hope to the world and as his hands and feet we are charged with continuing his work to all corners of the earth. (Luke 24:47)

In my ordinary dealings this day may I remember to show Christ’s compassion to those around me. May I consider others in all I say and do remembering that I may be the only Christ others see. My actions can bring someone to Christ or it may turn them away forever. Today I want to have Christ’s gentleness.

Father in Heaven may I learn to have Your gentle heart showing your compassion to those I meet this day. Amen.

Walking in Jesus’ steps

03 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

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

So then let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, 2 and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. ~Heb. 12:2-2 (CEB)

“When we stand ready to suffer for our faith, we are standing where Jesus stood- and where he stands even now. He stands with one foot in heaven and the other upon earth, his hands and side scarred by nails and spear. He stands at the very heart of human history, human suffering, human death, anguish, and tragedy.

But he stands there like a rock! He stands there having endured everything- every human suffering in thought and body. And he says to us, ‘This is where you must stand, not in a dreamland of faith that deceives you into thinking you can float into heaven on a billowy cloud. No, if ever you are to enter heaven, you will do so at the cost of serving God at the vortex of human suffering and tragedy, and your only earthly reward will be that people curse you for it.’

In offering this to you, Jesus is merely suggesting what he already has endured. Saint Paul points to this truth when he suggests that we ‘run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God’ (Heb. 12:1-2)

So it is! If we follow Jesus closely enough we may experience all that he endured. Do you remember the poignant question that he put to his disciples, ‘Are you prepared to drink of the cup from which I shall drink?’ ‘Yes,’ the giddy disciples responded. And so they did.

This must be our answer also. Then when suffering and sacrifice are required of us, we must respond like Isaiah. ‘Whom shall I send?’ inquired the Lord, ‘Here!’ called Isaiah, ‘Here I am, send me.’ Like a sheep among wolves. Like the Son of God among broken humanity, send me, O Lord, send me! ~Norman Shawchuck

Help me this day O Lord to discern what race is marked out before me. Give me the strength to fulfill my promise to go out into this world for You. Surround me with Your peace and power all day long and help me to find rest at the end of this day. Amen.

Piece by piece

25 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

“Even when God intervenes mightily, such as melting a tumor within minutes or pouring miraculous spiritual comfort on breathtaking pain, healing is still a process, one that continues as long as you are alive to God’s presence. You can expect an awareness of God’s presence to break into your life many times. God continually invites you to yet another step toward wholeness.” ~From Ashes Transformed by Tilda Norberg

Step by step I have gathered back up the pieces of my life. Some heart breaks were not my fault. Some were. Enough time has passed that I have begun to appreciate how God has used all these pieces. Allowing His presence to illumine my brokenness has created a beautiful mosaic that I can now look on in wonder. If I continue to allow Him to work through my hurts and my sorrows He can restore to me a peace that goes beyond all my understanding. He is a God of restoring lives. I can’t put my life back together and find peace and joy… but He can. He has even been known to do a miracle or two.

Thank You Heavenly Father for the miracles You have created in my life. Thank You also for the times that You knew greater healing would come from working through the hurt and the pain. May I step out into this new day with the sure knowledge that every active step I take brings me closer to Your wholeness. Amen.

 

A great adventure

22 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” ~Matt. 28:16-20 (CEB)

“Many priests today are said to be abandoning prayer. One simple reason for this is that they have never experienced the power that prayer brings. Those who have once experienced that prayer is power will never again abandon prayer for the rest of their lives. Mahatma Gandhi put it well: ‘I am telling you my own experience,’ he said, ‘and that of my colleagues; we could go for days on end without food; we could not live a single minute without prayer.’ Or, as he said another time, ‘Given the type of life I am leading, if I ceased to pray I should go mad!’ If we ask God for so little it may well be because we feel the need for him so little. We are leading complacent, secure, well protected mediocre lives. We aren’t living dangerously enough; we aren’t living the way Jesus wanted us to live when he proclaimed the good news. The less we pray the less we are likely to life the risky, challenging life that the Gospels urge us to; the less of a challenge there is in our life, and the less we are likely to pray.” ~From Contact with God by Anthony de Mello

Sometimes I wonder… what if Jesus really meant what he said. If so than I am not living dangerously enough. There are no risks that I take no challenges that I have taken up for the good news. It would be easy to put Jesus in the box of “another good teacher”. That would be a safe place to put him. That would be the easy path to take.

Lead me on a wild adventure O Lord. May I never ask so little from You that I cease to live. Help me to see in this day how I can really live for You. Amen.

Awareness

18 May 2013 Leave a comment

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It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. ~Isa. 25:9 (NRSV)

“God is the one who teaches to listen and pray. We must pray for the gift and pray for the gift to be taught. They say that mature writers have ‘found their voice.’ I think we need to ‘find our ear’ –our best way of recognizing God’s voice, knowing that, once we have found our ear, God may decide to speak in a different language.

Some people simply cannot listen to God in scripture. Some find God most readily in music or in the outdoors. Contemplation in the Jesuit understanding is paying attention to the reality of God. Whether God be in scripture, music, the other person, or in nature. Whenever we get beyond our own small preoccupations, whenever we have some degree of self-transcendence, whenever we are aware of the reality of God, contemplation has begun. If you are absolutely unable to find God in your Bible, go outside, listen to music, do whatever you do that puts you in touch with Something More.” ~From Spiritual Awakening by John Ackerman

You have started my heart to beating, given me eyes to see, set my feet in motion… Help me to love You more dearly, see you more clearly follow You more nearly this day, O Lord. Amen.

Tested, expanded, redefined

15 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. I gladly agree with the Law on the inside, but I see a different law at work in my body. It wages a war against the law of my mind and takes me prisoner with the law of sin that is in my body. I’m a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse? Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I’m a slave to God’s Law in my mind, but I’m a slave to sin’s law in my body. ~Romans 7 21:25 (CEB)

“As we mature in faith, our willingness is tested, expanded, and refined. We become more conscious of our limitations and turn to God. The necessity of God’s grace becomes clearer as we become more attuned and accurate in our recognition of our dependence on God and less sure of anything that causes us to describe ourselves self-righteously. At times, when confronted by the less-than-ideal behavior of others, we may recognize that we are capable of similar actions and give thanks to God for helping us avoid unwelcome pitfalls. Scripture instructs us to be holy as God is holy, yet we increasingly realize the impossibility of holy behavior unless it is brought about by the Spirit’s empowerment and our willing responsiveness and cooperation. Many people use spiritual direction as a window through which to notice and attend to their own expectations and expressions of willingness and willfulness.” ~From Holy Invitations by Jeanette A. Bakke

Almighty God, you have created me, called me, chosen me to be Your child. I wait now to receive Your word of guidance and blessing. Grant unto me ears to hear, eyes to see, and faith to respond to Your love and leadership. In the name of Christ. Amen.

Waiting…

12 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

Theophilus, the first scroll I wrote concerned everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, right up to the day when he was taken up into heaven. Before he was taken up, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus instructed the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom. While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ~Acts 1:1-5 (CEB)

“Most of us do not wait well. A checkout line at the grocery store, a registration line at school, a doctor’s appointment, or holiday traffic can quickly make us impatient, uneasy, and irritable. We want things at one and do not like to wait. Further, our culture thrives on instant responses from fast food to computers- we want everything fast. So waiting is often a hard lesson for us to learn. My young grandchildren planted watermelon seeds with the dream of eating their own red, juicy watermelon. Despite frequent reminders that the melons would take eighty days to ripen, the children could not resist picking a couple of melons long before they matured. They were disappointed when the cut melons delivered far less than the taste treat they had dreamed about. As we grow older, we sometimes find waiting easier, but we still want God to respond to our requests with speed and accuracy.

However, deep in our hearts we know that many things cannot be hurried without endangering the results for which we wait. Friendship, character, personal transformation, pregnancy, ripened fruit, and sprouting seeds all take time. Each has its own schedule. While we may encourage a peach to ripen, it still requires a certain number of days on the tree and in the sun. Trying to hasten the process can lead to less than desirable results.

Jesus asked the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promised power to meet all that lay ahead of them as well as an advocate to teach them all that they needed to now. It must have been hard to wait. They were under suspicion by the authorities. They wanted to get on with their lives; and how did they know that waiting would make any difference? The disciples were obedient to the command of Jesus, though, and their obedience was rewarded with power and with a companion.

That power and that companion have been with Christians ever since. We claim the power of the Holy Spirit today to strengthen us for living fully, faithfully, and joyfully. We claim the companionship of Jesus Christ to guide, instruct, and sustain us day by day. Sometimes we wait for that power to become active or for that kind of companionship to blossom in our relationship with God in Christ. As we learn to earnestly seek and patiently wait- in God’s perfect timing- the gifts are given. Then we now it was worth the wait.” ~From A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God Rueben P. Job

Almighty God, you have called us, chosen us to be your people. We want now to receive your word of guidance and blessing. Grant unto us ears to hear, eyes to see, and faith to respond to your love and leadership. In the name of Christ. Amen.

Ordinary sacredness

11 May 2013 Leave a comment

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

What do workers gain from all their hard work? I have observed the task that God has given human beings. God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in their hearts, without enabling them to discover what God has done from beginning to end.

I know that there’s nothing better for them but to enjoy themselves and do what’s good while they live. Moreover, this is the gift of God: that all people should eat, drink, and enjoy the results of their hard work. ~Eccl. 3:9-13

It is easy to overlook everyday life and everyday experiences and think that there is nothing special to them. They are just ordinary. But even in the ordinariness of life I can find sacred moments. Letting a dog out for a friend, “refueling” my son with a hug, coffee with a friend or a walk with my husband can all be sacred moments. Joan Puls in her book, Every Bush is Burning recognizes these moments in her life too.

“I feel an urgency at this stage of my life to name the human expressions and vivid manifestations of our life in the Spirit. I believe that nothing human is foreign to the Spirit, that the Spirit embraces all. Our mundane experiences contain all the stuff of holiness and of human growth in grace. Our world is rife with messages and signatures of the Spirit. Our encounters with one another are potential sites of the awakening and energizing that characterize the Spirit. But the light that shines through the tiny chinks and the dusty panes of our daily lives. We are too busy to name the event that is blessed in its ordinariness, holy in its uniqueness, and grace-filled in its underlying challenge.”

Heavenly Father, help me to see the sacredness of everyday life. Help me to see the simple encounters with others as moments with you. May I not be too busy to see the blessings You send my way today. Amen.

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