Daily Meditations
Being Christian is more than dying with Christ it is living with him. Suzanne Boyd
Sometimes we focus on the death of Christ and the resurrection. These are important parts of the story but not all. Christ calls us to live with him…..to live like him. His words tell us to seek the kingdom of God and then he shows us how to do it.
Loving Christ, you show us so clearly how to live to find God’s kingdom. May we seek your way always. AMEN
When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing – just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle or children playing in the park? Ralph Marston
We are so busy all the time. Our life is spent with electronics. Phones, computers, etc. How often do we sit in silence and do absolutely nothing. God says “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Take the time to be silent.
Patient God, you wait for us to sit in silence and wait for you and yet we seldom slow down. Help us to seek you in silence. AMEN
The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. Albert Schweitzer
Are we ready to do what Jesus did? Are we willing to put ourselves out there and help the poor, the homeless, the disenfranchised? Can we really see the dirty, ragged man on the street? Do we turn away in disgust? Do we judge?
I think at times we do all of those things. It is not easy to live the life that Christ did. He is still the babe in the manger but soon…..very soon he will be on his journey to teach us how to live. Get ready!
Compassionate Jesus, we don’t always understand that you have given us a map for our lives. Help us to live it out.
Matthew 1:23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
With the birth of Jesus the journey begins. We will follow Him through his life, ministry, betrayal, death and resurrection. His life gives us a path to follow.
Loving Jesus, thank you for your life and ministry. Help us to follow your path and change the world. AMEN
The birth of Christ begins the journey. We will follow Him through His life and ministry. We will see Him loving all mankind, betrayed, executed and resurrected. His life is our guide book for living.
Lord Jesus, thank you for your life and ministry. Help us to follow your path and change the world. AMEN
I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens
Here is the core of Christmas. It is not just a special day in the year. It is not a holiday to give gifts. It is not about Santa Claus and reindeer. It is not about trees and lights.
Christmas is about the amazing love of God and his gift of his son. On Christmas day we have “God with us.”
Amazing God, we need to focus on the reason for this holiday. Christ must be the center of our thoughts. Help us to not forget. AMEN
Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson
I is so easy to be overwhelmed by fear. So much is going on in the world. People are shot by people with emotional problems. Terrorists set off bombs. There is illness and problems with insurance to cover it. Children (and us also) are more stressed than ever. The news is depressing. What can we do?
There is only one thing. Turn to the Lord our God. He is our strength. He places us on a rock that is higher. We are safe from the raging floods. He is always with us.
My favorite author, Madeleine L’Engle says: “Comparisons are odious.” This works in several different ways. Do we spend time comparing ourselves to others and falling short? Do we compare to prove that we are better than. Comparisons hurt. It hurts us if we end up feeling unworthy. It hurts us in a different way if we see ourselves as better than others. In this country our founding fathers said the “all men (women also) were created equal and endowed with their creator certain inalienable rights…..etc.
Lear not to make comparisons. They hurt no matter what.
Creating God, you planned for to stay away from comparisons. You know their power to create pain. Help us to see all mankind as equal. AMEN
The most painful state of being is remembering the future. Kierkegaard
Remembering the future is remembering something that didn’t happen. It is grieving over a plan that we had that didn’t come about. We constantly make plans and some of them go awry. God has plans for us and they may be vastly different that ours. We don’t need to grieve things that didn’t go our way. God’s plan is the right plan.
Giving God, we need to learn to live in the moment and not in the future. Help us to be thankful for each second of each day. AMEN
Music is well said to be the speech of angels. Thomas Carlyle
I love music. Hymns and songs of praise can take me away from the world. Music can move me to tears and bare my soul. St Francis says that those who sing pray twice. Pay attention to the words of hymns. They tell a story of God. Sing praises to him!
Giving Lord, thank you for the gift of music. Remind us let the words of the hymns enter our hearts. AMEN
Religion is about fellowship and community….The task of religion is the maintenance and extension of human community. John Macmurray, The structure of Religious Experience, 1936
It is difficult, if not impossible to be a Christian in isolation. I have heard people say “I find God best outdoors alone.” That is finding God and listening for him in beauty and silence but it is not being a Christian. A Christian is called to do more than that. We are to live in compassion and love toward others. Jesus tells us to feed the sick, clothe the naked, and aid the homeless. We see His love best through the eyes of other Christians so meeting him outside and alone is good but not enough.
Loving God, you are a community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Help us to see the importance of sharing with other Christians. AMEN
Hear God in Other Voices 