Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to
be still before God.
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us the grace and the strength
and the courage to follow your invitation downward—to the place where there is
only you and nothing else. In your name
and for your sake we pray. Amen.
Scripture Reading for the Day: Mark 10:35-45
Reading for Reflection:
In our day and in our
culture the language of ascent has indeed become a popular one. Success, productivity, power, independence,
and competition seem to be held up, even in the Christian community, as
characteristics to be valued and pursued.
But when we listen carefully to the voice of Scripture and the words of
our Savior, we begin to get a sense of a language and an attitude that is very
different from that of the world around us.
Jesus, in fact, used a completely different vocabulary to talk about
life and faith. He used words like
service, fruitfulness, humility, dependence, and compassion—most of which run
directly against the grain of both the culture and the day. In fact, when it comes to the language of the
Kingdom it seems that the word descent might actually be a more
appropriate choice. Hence, if we really
wish to follow Jesus’ example and his teaching, we may find that the way
actually leads downward.
Reflection and Listening: silent and written
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Closing Prayer: Lord, how great is our dilemma! In Thy Presence silence best becomes us, but
love inflames our hearts and constrains us to speak. Were we to hold our peace the stones would cry
out; yet if we speak, what shall we say?
Teach us to know that we cannot know, for the things of God knoweth no
man, but the Spirit of God. Let faith
support us where reason fails, and we shall think because we believe, not in
order that we may believe. In Jesus’
name. Amen. (Knowledge of the Holy
by A. W. Tozer)
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