Category: Sister Judy (Page 258 of 271)

Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and the Beautiful Life

Living in the kingdom of God involves loving others, because He is a God of love. Living in God’s kingdom involves forgiveness because he is a God of forgiveness. Living in God’s kingdom involves hospitality – inviting and including others – because He is a God of Hospitality. God cares about people who are left out and His kingdom is inclusive, not like the world that is exclusive.   The Beatitudes show how Jesus invited marginalized people into the kingdom and hospitality can help us practice this aspect of his kingdom.  Sometimes it makes us a bit uncomfortable and we feel vulnerable but we all need to reach out of our comfort zone and intentionally connect with someone who is “different” in our eyes.  We need to be aware of the people around us and practice really listening to them. We can do a small act of preparation that shows people we care too… like setting a lovely table with candle light or preparing to receive others by shoveling a walk.  It is important to make room for others….for example even simple things like putting down a book to listen to one who is speaking to us.  The Lord can help us become better at welcoming others into our group of friends.  Some may really want to spend time with us, but feel uninvited.  God’s kingdom is so big and so diverse and let us not be exclusive.  I know it has meant a lot to Al and me that we have been so warmly received at our new church.

2-13 Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and the Beautiful Life

In the Beatitudes Jesus invites the down and out to live in fellowship with Him. This is not just concept but He invites us into a vibrant, interactive relationship with Himself.

“He is the kingdom of God. HE is a living, breathing, tangible, touchable, real-life expression and embodiment of the kingdom.”

When He says Blessed are the Poor in Spirit it is like He is saying, “ Blessed are you who are feeling marginalized from God, who have nothing going for you spiritually-for you too are invited to the kingdom.”

He says blessed are those who have gone through loss and overwhelming grief, God will comfort you and you will one day see your loved one again and there will be no  more tears.

Blessed are the meek and those who cannot retaliate when harmed, for God’s kingdom will enfold them and the whole earth is theirs as they need it.

Blessed are the merciful, who give until it hurts, for God will show them mercy and their kindness does not go unnoticed by Him.

Blessed are those who yearn to be pure in heart for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers who are willing to suffer and even die for the cause of peace for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for His sake, who don’t judge others, who fight for peace, for they will see God.

Do we know how poor we are or do we feel so rich and satisfied that we have no need for God?  Wealth, power, and possessions can numb us to our need for Him and make us overlook the needs of others.

These values that Jesus spoke of are so different  from the world but let us claim them as ours. 

Devotions from James Smith book, The Good and Beautiful Life

 I love James section on PLAY and know I must do more of it and realize it is a spiritual exercise that can teach me about living in the Kingdom of God.  Some people think play is silly but God wants us to be full of joy, and play is a way to experience the goodness of God and the richness of life.  Play cannot be controlled and spontaneity is one of the spiritual benefits of play. We learn to let go and we learn to relax and be open to whatever happens.

Many adults have lost the ability to play.  Thirty pastors were asked what they do in terms of recreation and play and none had anything to write down. If we have children and grandchildren we can do what they do and play. If we once played tennis, racquetball etc get out the equipment and play again. IF we have a favorite hobby like painting, pottery etc do it with a sense of play. Or  we can read a book about something we do not know much about. Sign up for a dance class! Rent a funny movie and laugh until our sides hurt etc. You get the picture.  Play is an act of self-abandonment.   The kingdom of God is like  a playground that is safe and our heavenly father watches over us as we are free to let go and play. At the same time we are training our bodies and souls to live with genuine excitement.   That is what the kingdom of God is all about.

Devotions from James Smith book, The Good and Beautiful Life. 

When we think of the Good News of the kingdom, we may think of it summarized in a single sentence, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near”. But the kingdom of God is more. It is an interactive life with God. It is like Jesus saying to us, “Change the way you have been thinking- a life of intimacy and interaction with God is now in your midst.” The Bible is full of passages about the kingdom of God and Jesus spoke about it over 100 times in the gospels. He said we must enter it  through humility, trust and a willingness to begin working on aspects of our soul – like integrity, gentleness, respect, mercy etc. ( Matt. 5:20 says our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees who did everything for show!)   We also need to become like a child in dependence, trust, innocence,  etc. ( Mark 10:15 says to receive the kingdom as a child)   We must also be born of water and the Spirit and surrender our lives to the leading of the Spirit.  ( John 3:5) Isn’t it wonderful that we are invited into His kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ( Romans 14:17).  Wow!  Let us not think this is all in the future but begins now. 

We made it here safely to San Antonio with good roads and weather. Thank you fo prayers.

Devotions from James Smith book, The Good and Beautiful Life

Each day we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue or vice.  If we choose to take Jesus words to heart and arrange our lives around them it leads to the good life and a life that withstands the storms we all face.

We can’t find joy apart from a life of obedience to the teachings of Jesus.   C.S. Lewis wrote, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. “ God is not being stingy and withholding joy apart from Him; there simply is no joy apart from a life with and for God. The enemy tries to rob us of our joy and  tells us life will be boring if we follow the Lord. But when we do follow the Lord, we experience the highest form of pleasure, laugh with the depth of joy, and enjoy His goodness.  The question is not, What will I have to give up to follow Jesus? But rather, What will I never get to experience if I choose not to follow Jesus? 

Every day we must begin anew. Though the past is written in stone and cannot be changed, the future is like wet cement, pliable, smooth, and ready to be affected by what we do. No one is past redemption. All of us have the chance to change our minds, hearts, and behavior, and to follow Him. When we say yes to Him, we can be sure that a good and beautiful day awaits us.

Devotions from James Smith book, The Good and Beautiful Life

“The meaning of earthly existence lies not, as we have grown use to thinking, in prospering….but in the development of the soul.” Solzhenistsyn

We all want to be happy but happiness is based on external circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, is an inner disposition not based on external circumstances.

The world gives us a false meaning and wants us to adopt the narrative that happiness comes from sex, money and power.

Our author gives 6 ways to ruin your life without even trying. Based on Romans 1:18-32

1, The turn away: I want to be God.. This is when we refuse to let God be God and do not honor Him

2. The mind darkens. It becomes dim as it rejects the truth and reality that God gives.

3. Idolatry: We must have a god and it can be anything we invest our lives in, in order to gain pleasure, happiness and a false senses of purpose. The idol serves us by giving us our desire, and we serve it by sacrificing our life energy to it.

4. God leaves us alone: Unless we turn back to God we push forward in our idolatry and God gives us up to the lusts of our hearts.

5. Pleasure is pursued at all costs. Disconnected from reality and on our own, we find the way to fulfillment through temporary things like sex, pornography, food, drugs etc. Each time we engage in these activities, the pleasure decreases and then it requires greater frequency.

6.  Sin reigns. Sin and wickedness become the normative behavior.  When we reject God we try to replace Him with things that cannot satisfy like what is found in Rom. 1:28-31

“Sin is ugly; genuine virtue is always beautiful.”  A virtuous person is a light to everyone around them. Virtue leads to life and greater strength.

Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and Beautiful Life

We were designed to be in fellowship with a loving and holy God.   Our religion is not just to get us to heaven…no, it is to get heaven into us!  If you remember this author from past devotionals, he talked all about having the right narratives. How do we see God?  How do we see ourselves?  Do we see ourselves as someone in whom Christ dwells, as sacred and valuable? If we do we will treat people differently too.

 What we think determines how we live. The Spirit helps us change our narratives by leading us into truth, helping us in our practice of Spiritual disciplines, and binding us together in community. Others help us to see who and whose we are.  Without the Spirit’s help transformation won’t take place in our lives.

Let us move forward with the assurance that we can and will be changed, and as we do those around us will see it and be inspired.  May God change our minds, our hearts, and our lives,  to change the world.

Devotions from Haase’s book, Living the Lord’s Prayer

When we pray, Deliver us from evil,  “we will never be delivered from evil until our egos are willing to put God back where he belongs and take a backseat to God’s will and kingdom.”

Most of us have experienced at least one tragedy in life where we asked, “Where are you God?”  Maybe we have felt abandoned by God and experienced the dark night of the soul, as Mother Teresa. But whether we feel times of desolation or consolation, the truth is that He remains as close to us a father to his children.  Our feelings are not a barometer of our souls for they can be an unreliable gauge of what is going on in our relationship to God.

Our trials can be a blessing as they wean us away from the ego and allow God to do his transforming work in our lives. Jesus bowed before the mystery of suffering and gave himself into the hands of his executioners. He embraced the cross. We can also find joy as we surrender to the acceptance of the trials that come to us. We do not have to protest, justify and defend ourselves when others speak against us. We can absorb the trial of what others do and know that the Lord has the final word.  We can  trust God and renounce our ego’s agenda!

“When we actively embrace the cross and allow it to try our faith like gold tested in fire; when we allow its pain and sorrow to move us beyond self-pity to sensitivity for the suffering of others, we are transformed into our truest selves.”

Let us remember that God can transform our testings, trials, and tragedies into moments of amazing grace!

  Devotions from Haase’s book, Living the Lord’s Prayer
As I wrote yesterday when we pray, Lead us not into temptation, we acknowledge that we all experience temptation that comes in different degrees but is always enticing and seductive.
John Cassian, describes 8 thoughts Satan confronts us with in our spiritual lives. They point toward our obsession with self- concern, self- image, self-preservation and self-gratification

5.Dejection and Diligence  When we turn our angry thoughts inwards it leads to sadness and thoughts of dejection. Diligence can be an antidote as we do a particular task with full attention on it and not focusing our ourselves and the gloomy clouds over us.

6.Acedia and perseverance.  Acedia, is laziness, sloth,or  boredom because we don’t see immediate desired results in our spiritual progress.  But perseverance is the persistent opening to God’s grace and the spirit of endurance that never ceases to respond.

7.Vain glory and humility.  Vain glory promotes a belief in self-sufficiency and self-satisfaction of a bloated self-image.  We have little need of God. But the virtue of humility dissolves vainglory and keeps our feet on the ground as we recognize God as the giver of everything we have in life.

8. Pride and charity. Pride coaxes us into thinking that we are better than others, that we are on a pedestal above everyone else.  Charity  takes the focus off our self and on God and service to others, where it belongs.

We need mindfulness and vigilance to resist these temptations. We must let go of thoughts that come down the stream of our consciousness and scrutinize the motivations behind feelings and desires. We have the choice of whether or not to feed these desires and focus our attention elsewhere. Let us become aware of these 8 tempting thoughts and resist them as we  confront the power of evil which stands in direct opposition to God.

Devotions  from Haase’s book, Living the Lord’s Prayer

As we pray, Lead us not into temptation, we acknowledge that we all experience temptation that comes in different degrees but is always enticing and seductive.  We often rationalize and justify our actions when we yield to the temptation.
John Cassian, describes 8 thoughts Satan confronts us with in our spiritual lives. They point toward our obsession with self- concern, self- image, self-preservation and self-gratification.

1.. Food and self-control ! We don’t realize how our comfort food often disguises our discomfort and represses painful emotions.  Food can become a form of self-medication. Even hoarding food can point to a lack of trust in the loving care of God. The saving virtue or discipline for food is self-control.

2.  Sex and chastity!  Thoughts of sex can ignite the passion of lust and entice us to make selfish decisions etc.  The saving virtue of chastity reveres physical boundaries as well as attitudes.   Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit

3. Things and generosity!  When our lives are bloated with superficial things it betrays a deep spiritual hunger that is being improperly nourished with junk food. The virtue of generosity counteracts thoughts of greed.

4. Anger and patience!  Anger is our knee-jerk reaction to unfulfilled desires or unmet expectations. We lose our peace when we stoke the fires of anger.  The virtue of patience is the deliberate, measured response of an accepting heart that allows a situation to unfold in its own way.

Maybe I will write the next 4 for tomorrow as these 4 things give us enough to think about.