surely

Opening Prayer: “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6, NLT)

Scripture: Psalm 23:6

Journal: How is God pursuing you these days?  In what ways has he been pursuing you that you might not yet have recognized?

Reflection: “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6, NLT)

You can’t outrun God; he is a relentless pursuer.  Oh sure, you can try, but eventually, no matter how hard you run, he will catch up with you.  It might take pain and suffering, or exhaustion and depletion, or exasperation and frustration, or breakdown and burnout, but eventually his goodness and his unfailing love will overtake you.  The thing that’s so mystifying is why we are so resistant to that in the first place.  Why do we have so much trouble moving from pursuer to pursuee?  Why are we so resistant to a love that cannot be earned, bought, or achieved? 

We can run, but we cannot hide; surely his goodness and his unfailing love will pursue us all of our days.  Which means we can either stop running and do it the easy way or we can keep running and do it the hard way.  The choice is up to us. 

Prayer

Closing Prayer: O Lord, forgive us when we start running so hard and fast for you, that we stop running with you.  Thank you that you never stop running after us.  Amen.

the beauty of the Lord

Opening Prayer: One thing I ask, O Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in your house all the days of my life, to gaze upon your beauty and to seek you in your temple.

Scripture: Psalm 27:4

Journal: What are you gazing at these days?  What is that producing in you?  How is that being embodied through you?

Reflection: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

A very wise saint once said, “We become what we behold.”  Whatever it is that captures our attention and our imaginations, whatever it is that fills our eyes and consumes our thoughts, that is what we will become like.

Maybe King David knew this.  Maybe it’s the whole reason he prayed that his life would be consumed with one thing—gazing at the beauty of the Lord.  He knew that if he was captured by God’s beauty, then he would eventually embody that beauty in this lost and broken world.  He would become an agent of God’s healing and wholeness and peace.  He would be the embodiment of true shalom.

Which begs the question, what am I beholding (gazing upon) these days?  For whatever I am beholding, ultimately, I will become.   

Prayer

Closing Prayer: O Lord, help me to see your beauty, so that I can be your beauty in this lost and broken world.

 

sit and listen

Opening Prayer: Remind me, Lord Jesus, that it all starts with listening.  If it does not, I have gotten the whole thing backwards.  Amen.

Scripture: Luke 10:39-40

Journal: How much are sitting at his feet and listening to what he says a part of your daily life?

Reflection: “She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all of the preparations that had to be made.” (Luke 10:39-40)

Waiting and listening are two of the most important “activities” of spiritual life.  Unfortunately, we are not very good at either.  We are far too easily distracted by all of the preparations that have to be made.  The problem is that unless we sit and wait and listen to Jesus, how will we ever know what it is that he wants us to do?  Are we somehow operating under the illusion that apart from him we have anything of value to give?

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to sit at your feet, this day and every day, and listen to what you say.  For only then will I have any idea what you want me to do.  Amen.

 

journey to the cross

 

Ash Wednesday is only a month away.  If you are looking for a good companion for your church/staff/leadership/small group/family/friends to journey together through Lent and Easter, Journey to the Cross is available on Amazon.