Morning Devotions - My Sacred Center - Evening Devotions
Daily
Devotions
May 26 – May 28, 2009
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Thursday
May 28
Today in our prayers we remember Rob, Cathy, Hannah and Haley Klein. |
Scripture Reading: Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
Who made heaven and earth.
May he never allow you to stumble!
Let him sleep not, your guard.
No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,
Israel’s guard.
The Lord is your guard and your shade;
At your right side he stands.
By day the sun shall not smite you
Nor the moon in the night.
The Lord will guard you from evil,
He will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming
From this time forth and forevermore.
Joy does not come from a sense of optimism about the world. It does not
rely on the vicissitudes of our lives. Joy comes from the knowledge that God
is present, active, and trustworthy with our lives. Jesus said it very
clearly before he is crucified, “In the world you will have trouble, but
rejoice, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Our joy is not based on some notion that everything is going to turn out
better than expected. Joy knows that God’s light is more real than
darkness, that God’s truth is more powerful than all human lies, that God’s
forgiveness is greater than our guilt, and that God’s love is stronger than
death. |
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Wednesday
May 27
Today in our prayers we remember Dorothea Klein |
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:35-38 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him (Jesus) and said to
him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he
said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to
him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your
glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are
you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied….
It is so easy to misunderstand what discipleship means. It is easy to
misconstrue what greatness is. James and John were looking for places of
honor. They were not prepared for what sitting in those places of honor
entailed. In this lesson, Jesus redefines greatness. Greatness is not
about power and control. It is about drinking from the cup of Jesus. The
cup from which Jesus drank was the cup of suffering love for the Kingdom of
God.
Jesus’ question for us is always the same “Are you able to drink the cup
that I drink?” And your reply is…. |
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Tuesday
May 26
Today in our prayers we remember Lynn Klair.
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Scripture Reading: I Timothy 4:7b-8 & 15 Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value,
godliness is valuable in everyway, holding promise for both the present life
and the life to come. Put spiritual things into practice; devote yourself to them so that all may see your progress.
Before we can be a disciple of Jesus, St. Paul tells us we need inner
training in “godliness.” It is not, however, our work that changes us
interiorly, it is God’s work. We cannot “make ourselves godly!” Only God
can do that. After all, it makes sense. We are not godly or holy by nature.
We can only become godly or holy if God, the Holy one bestows the gift. St.
Paul persistently maintains that holiness and righteousness are gifts of
God. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, confession, study, fasting,
meditation, and service put us on the path to inner transformation.
Furthermore, it is essential to remember that the path itself does not lead
to this transformation. The spiritual disciplines put us in a place where
God can work the change in us.
This inner transformation generates love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
hope, etc. It also creates disciples. Regardless of our employment, God
calls us all to be disciples. Discipleship is both an honor and a
responsibility. It is an honor to be called by our Creator and Redeemer.
It is a responsibility because we always represent more than ourselves.
Disciples represent Jesus. It is also dangerous work, because the work of
God’s people is so often counter cultural and the world will neither understand it nor respect it. |
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