Daily Meditations
Nature is perfect, wherever we look, but man always deforms it. ———J.C.F. von Schiller
God made us stewards of the earth. He made us and then expected us to care for everything else. Instead we listened to the part about being in charge and forgot the rest. If we can’t learn to be stewards (dictionary: manage or look after another’s property) before long there will be nothing to manage.
Abundant God, your plan was for us to care for your creation. Help us to do just that. AMEN
In California everyone goes to a therapist, is a therapist, or is a therapist going to a therapist. —–——Truman Capote
It seems in earlier generations we needed less therapists. Some might say it was because less people were diagnosed. I have a different idea. Many of us lived in small towns and had more people to talk our problems over with. I think we also depended more on God than on science. We shouldn’t discard the science but more time spent with God may solve some of the things that confront us. God is always there…waiting on us…ready to listen…ready to help. Spend more time with God.
Loving God, you are the perfect listener for our troubles. AMEN
I don’t think God is as concerned about right doctrine as he is about the shape of people’s lives.-———————-unknown
God’s concern is how we live our lives. Can we be kind to others, love the unlovable, feed the hungry, house the homeless and see the pain in others. This is the bottom line. Other things are trivial compared to this.
Understanding God, you know that we can concentrate on the minor things and let the real issues go. Help us to see the needs of others and respond. AMEN
If God seems far from you who has moved? ————-Suzanne Boyd
God is with us all the time. The problem is that we are not always with God. It is so easy to think that God is not listening to us or doesn’t answer our prayers. We begin to think that maybe God isn’t there at all. In actuality, God has not moved at all. We are the ones who have stepped away.
Patient God, we often stop paying attention and feel distant from you. Remind us that we are the ones who moved. AMEN
There we no functional families in scripture. ———-an insight
We think that there is so much that we have to do or be before we can be of any use to God. Absolutely not true. If you just look at the people God used in scripture you can see that they were not who you would expect. David–an adulterer, Joseph’s family sold him into slavery, Rahab was a prostitute. There are many other examples. God knows we cannot be perfect. He chooses who he wants to do his work.
Quirky God, you seem to pick the most unlikely people to do your work. Help us to see that we don’t have to be perfect but just follow you. AMEN
Praying shapes believing.-—————— Lionel L. Mitchell
Praying not only shapes believing but it also enhances it. The more time we spend in prayer the closer we become with God. Too often we think that prayer time has to be planned and formed. This is so wrong. Prayer can be just a moment where we want to thank God or tell him something….just like speaking to a friend. Rmember God is always there and hears us.
Nurturing God, you hear our every thought and prayer. Help us to tell you our thoughts at any moment. When we pray you hear. AMEN
Jesus is God translated to us as a book is translated into a language that we can read and understand. –————–unknown
In Jesus God is visible. We can see and understand how God would behave…it’s how Jesus behaved. Don’t just read the Bible for the things that Jesus said. Look carefully at the things he did. He taught and loved and healed. He sat down with outcasts and sinners. He lived against the norm. He was God in action. Follow his steps.
Lord God, you sent Jesus to show us the way. Help us to follow in his footsteps. AMEN
I profess to aim at perfection but in practice I like the way of perfection to be mapped out by me and not by God.-——————Pope John XXIII
This is so very true. I want to make my own plans and set my own path. It will be my idea of perfection. God has other plans. He sees the way clearly that we need to go. If only we would follow his path instead of ours.
Infinite God, I am sure you get tired of us wanting to be in charge of everything. Help us to listen for your voice and follow your path. AMEN
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. –——Corrie ten Boom
I think tonight I will just refer us to Matthew about worry.
27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?[a] 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
Worry is a waste of time.
Lord, you care more for us than we can ever imagine. Thank you. Help us to know that you will be with us each moment. AMEN
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. ———————Charles A. Beard
Sometimes our lives can be filled with darkness. Nothing is going right. Life seems unmanageable. But it is true. When we can go outside, away from lights, we can see the stars to clearly. The trick is that we have to trust enough to go out and look up. God’s light will be visible to us if we just look. It only takes a little bit of light to change everything.
Amazing God, you created the light and the darkness and are present in both. When all we can see is darkness help us to look for your light. AMEN
Hear God in Other Voices 