Daily Meditations
How much time do we spend caring for others? Do we spend most of our time thinking about ourselves? We all need care. We need kind words, hugs, phone calls, lunch dates, visits and many other things. Those things nourish us and help to grow and be fruitful. When we flourish we can pass on to others the care given to us.
Keep the path open between your house and your friends.
Loving God, you show your love for us in so many ways. Help us to do the same for others. AMEN
I have been a worrier my whole life. My grandmother always told me to “sit down in that chair and worry as hard as you can and then get up and see if it did any good.” Needless to say it never did. God tells us not to worry but to count on him to care for us. If only we could shut off the worry. Each time worry pops to the surface turn your mind to God and his promises and keep doing it!
Amazing God, you have made a promise to us. Help us to take it to heart.
Time is something we take for granted. We think we have an unlimited amount. We don’t. That is a blunt statement but true. Because our time is precious we need to choose our priorities carefully. Do you set aside time for prayer? Do you take time for church? Do you read the Bible? We tend to put these things on the bottom of the list. Make sure you keep your priorities in order!
Gracious Lord, you allotted each of us time to follow you. Help us to remember what is important.
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. —–Galileo Galilei
For a long time religion and science were at odds. Sometimes they still are. Some people find the theory of evolution and god’s creating everything to be in conflict. There is the fear that we will uncover some fact that makes God irrelevant. But I think God gave us not only our brains but also our curiosity about the world around us. I don’t think he is concerned about what we will discover.
Amazing God, help us to use our minds and our curiosity to bring about your kingdom on earth. AMEN
Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand. ————–Mark Twain
“Love your neighbor as yourself. Turn the other cheek. Follow me.” These are passages from the Bible that I do understand. There are many more. The trouble is that they call me to be a better person. Who they ask me to be seems impossible. How can I learn to be the Christian you want me to be?
Lord help me! I do understand these words you have given me, but I don’t seem to be able to follow through. Help! AMEN
A faith of convenience is a hollow faith ——Father Mulcahy in MASH
Christianity did not begin as a belief of convenience. In fact, it was very inconvenient as the early Christians were persecuted and killed. Now that it is an “accepted” religion we take it for granted. We can conveniently choose to go to church or not. the number of Christians is declining in our country but increasing in the places that Christians are persecuted. Maybe we are too comfortable.
Patient God, move us out of our comfort zone and help us to not take you for granted. AMEN
“Science is a belief —a belief in only what you can see and touch —I believe in more.”            from the TV show Grey’s Anatomy
For quite a while science has been king. People believe in science. It can be proved. Yet, there are things that cannot be proved. Things that we just have to accept or reject. I also choose to believe in more. I believe in love. I believe in miracles. I believe in God.
None of these can be proved but I choose to believe. Do you?
Gracious God, I cannot prove your existence and yet I choose to believe in you. Help us to get up each day and make that choice. AMEN
Prayer is not a pious decoration of life but the breath of human existence. —–Henri Nouwen
Prayer is important. Prayer is not something we do lightly. We need to pray. We need to thank God for everything that he has given us. We need to praise him and tell him so. We should never think of prayer as just an opportunity to ask for things that we want. This is too often what we do. As Nouwen tells us prayer is the breath of life. Remember that.
Amazing God, let our prayers be as incense that rises to you. AMEN
…when you pray, you are not starting the conversation from scratch, just remembering to plug back into a conversation that’s always in progress. —–Anne Lamott
God is always with us. God is always aware of us. When we choose to stop and enter into prayer with God it is nothing new to Him. He has been waiting for us to continue the conversation and may be hopeful that we might even listen for Him to speak.
Infinite God, thank you for always being with us. Help us to stop, look, and listen for you. AMEN
Hear God in Other Voices 