Month: March 2011 (Page 2 of 4)

Devotions from Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

“Only the power of God’s love, manifest in the lives of ordinary people, can heal our broken world.”  Our highest priority when we know Jesus is to learn to love. Do we want to be remembered as a truly loving person and to live the life of Love as Christ loves us? But our love should not be in just words and talk but show itself in action. ( I John 3:18). Jesus love was a love in action and he touched lepers, shared meals with outsiders, hugged children, fed hungry people, washed dirty feet etc. Love in action is chiefly a matter of the will. When Jesus commands us to love, He doesn’t address our feelings and emotions, for our loving actions are not dependent on good feelings. There are times when we may inwardly decide: No matter how I may be feeling, with God’s help, I commit myself to act in a loving way. Often we may show His love in just very ordinary ways and we can use creativity, kindness, and thoughtfulness. Simple actions connect us with God’s loving presence and are a signs that we are growing in Him. The author suggests that we do an experiment. Begin by asking God for discernment and listing the names of those with whom we share most closely our daily lives.  Write down by their name a practical expression of caring that would most contribute to that person’s wholeness. Then put our intentions into practice and allow our actions to become channels of His extravagant love.  May we be instruments of His love

Devotions from Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

God who loves us is a God who listens and hear our cries, even to those groans we can’t put into words. Listening is one of the most precious gifts we can give to someone we love. We all feel valued for who we are and recognized as a unique human being when we are truly listened to. When we really listen to others we are saying we care and we respect their uniqueness and how they feel. When we make the effort to listen it involves 3 things: respectful silence, total attention, and appropriate response. We need to restrain ourselves from interrupting and become quiet inside. Without concentrating on what someone is saying, genuine listening is probably not happening. Without indicating some understanding of what is being said and felt in our verbal response, the person may not feel listened to. Empathetic listening is not easy and we need uninterrupted time together. For couples it is good to go on a weekly date to have time alone. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because Christians are talking when they should be listening. “

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

“Compassionate caring is the acid test of the authentic Christ-following life.” If our spiritual disciplines don’t result in others close to us feeling more valued and loved then our practices are empty. If our relationship with Him is ever deepening it will show in our care for others. When we belong to His kingdom then we will share with others the same kind of compassion we have received from God. The great commandment to love others as we do ourselves. helps break our ingrained self-centeredness and narcissism  to become instruments of His love for others.  As we love like this we become alive and responsive, and life has fresh meaning.  We are told in Eph. 5:2 “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.”  We can start by loving those closest to us, but we need help from beyond ourselves to do this. Asking for God’s help and sharing our struggles with a faithful friend who will listen to us and pray with us helps tremendously. “Confession-whether it happens in the inner sanctuary of our soul or in the presence of another-opens clogged channels between God and ourselves, allows for the in-pouring of His love,  and provides us with new resources for the work of love.”

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s  book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

If we were to think of one word to describe God, it would probably be HOLY. “God is holy because He loves, and loves because He is holy. The Wholly Other is wholly for us,” says Donald McCullough. When Jesus was here on earth He was his own person. He was the same inside and out, never wore masks, and was his true self.  To be holy like Him, is to put Him first and become more truly ourselves. That  means less self-centered and more concerned about the needs of others. How does this happen? On the one side we are made holy by His Spirit who transforms us. As we are open to Him, we are transformed into instruments of His love and nourished in our relationship with Him. The other side requires our co-operation , as it says in Heb . 12:14, “make every effort to be holy.”  There are activities we can do that place our lives more consciously before God so that we can be changed. Two important ones are making space to be alone in God’s presence and exposing ourselves to the suffering of others. More tomorrow on this.

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

The kingdom of God has come near and we are urged to repent and believe ( Mark 1:15). Repentance involves a complete turnabout of our mind and outlook that turns us in a new direction, changes our distorted attitudes, and gives our lives a new center.  It is a turning toward Jesus and accepting the gifts of the kingdom that He offers us. As He changes our distorted attitudes which block us from living free and joy-filled lives, He gives us new vision. We begin to think differently about ourselves, about material things, about what is sacred etc. God wants to transform our whole lives! Repentance gives us a new center where God is at the hub of our lives. From early childhood we think that we are the center of the universe and it’s all about our desires and needs. But as our lives become part of His kingdom. He becomes the center of our lives. Belief also opens us to receive God’s gift of the kingdom. It means committing ourselves  to Him in surrender.  It means learning from Him how to live and entrusting ourselves to Him as Lord. This is not done as a one time thing but is a life time experience of shifting from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. We cannot rely on our own strength but we need His constant presence in our every day lives to live out the Kingdom.

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book Discovering our Spiritual Identity

 Growing deeper in our Christian lives requires community. When we say Yes to Christ we are also saying yes to His family, for we cannot be His followers alone. Within this community we gradually become the people God wants us to be. We are interdependent in our growth into wholeness as we accept one another, serve one another, bear one another’s burdens etc. ( Rom. 15:7) We can also learn from the lives of those who have gone before us who leave us their example and treasures. One of  God’s gifts to us is to be grounded in our local congregations  to experience Koinonia…the Greek word for fellowship. This refers to life- sharing with God and one another at the deepest levels. Such times give us mutual encouragement, care, and celebration. These groups should create a safe, spacious, and sacred space for us to share ourselves in honest disclosure. We all need support and the gift of real friendship from those who accept us as we are, listen to us attentively, and are committed to mutual interaction. Of all the gifts He provides for us, what is better than the presence of faithful friends?  Without them we block the road to wholeness, and fail to become all that He intends for us. “Faithful friendship is God’s disguised way of befriending us with His encouraging, life-enriching presence”.

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32) The kingdom is wherever the loving will of the Father reigns.  We don’t have to wait until we die for the kingdom, but it’s all about learning to live as beloved daughters and sons of the King. We can begin learning what it means to live within its presence.  We can experience its gradual transformation in our everyday lives.  His kingdom is a gift that we must receive.  We live either with clenched fists or open hands.  Clenched fists distance us from intimacy with God as we try to keep Him outside our lives at arms length. We say no to God and the gift of His kingdom. But if we live with open hands we are saying yes and our desire is to receive all that He desires to give us. We are saying we are willing to let God be God in our lives and to let Him lead and guide us. It also opens us up to those around us. If this is our desire we can express this by opening our hands as we pray today.

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering Our Spiritual Identity

Daily reflection is another way we develop a Christian memory and as we practice this it keeps our remembering up to date.  No day is empty of God’s presence! God is always trying to get our attention and give us fresh glimpses of His loving presence. He uses the people we meet, the work we do, the difficulties we face etc.  If we would just pause a few minutes before we go to sleep it would create space for us to reflect on how God has been with us over the past day and how we have responded. The author calls it his daily reflection. It is simply going over our day to see where we need to be thankful for. Then ask the Spirit to show us what He wants us to see and to reveal where He has been present in our day. What is has He been asking of us?  We can reflect on our moods during the day to see if we need to ask the Lord for forgiveness when we didn’t respond to His love. WE can ask God for help and guidance for the next day.

As we do this reflection time, it helps us sense the promptings of the Spirit and to get a better picture of where the Lord is leading us. What better way to spend the last 5 or 10 minutes of our day?

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

Another dimension of Christian memory is the remembering of our own personal stories.  Our lives are never secular. They are sacred journeys in which God is constantly involved, always wanting to show us His word and love.  It is good to reflect on our life journey and remember the people who have touched our lives with kindness and warmth. Through these experiences, God has been working in our lives before we were even aware of Him. God has been present within them!  We may also have painful memories that are hard to bear. If we push them under the carpet it will cripple our capacities to live and love fully. Henri Nouwen said, “Forgetting the past is like turning our most intimate teacher against us.”  We probably all need a human wailing wall- a person who can sit with us alongside our pain and be an embodiment of His compassion and comfort. Christ fully understands and shares our suffering, and His living presence is at work in every painful memory of the past, seeking to bring forth another Easter. The resurrection power of God’s love cancels the power of the hurtful memories.  If we expose our painful past to the light and power of Christ, healing will come to the wounded child within us. Isn’t that good news!!