Devotion - June 18
Psalms 86-90 / Proverbs 18 / Hebrews 3:1-13
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts ...
(Hebrews 3:7)
Today.
Over the past couple of weeks, seeking refreshment for soul as well as body, I found myself returning to a classic of Jesuit spiritual formation -- Self Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. I love that title. I can picture one of my nephews as a small boy launching himself off the front porch in a flying greeting, completely confident that I would catch him. Abandoned, in that moment, in complete trust. Today -- what if we launch ourselves, fully, into the waiting arms of God's goodness and grace in this present moment?
At one point de Caussade says:
“To escape the distress caused by regret for the past or fear about the future, this is the rule to follow: leave the past to the infinite mercy of God, the future to His good Providence, give the present wholly to His love by being faithful to His grace.”
Today. We only have the choices of today. And today, God is present in every moment, every encounter, every situation of joy or distress, peace or anxiety, abundance or need. Today.
Hebrews 3 calls us to keep our hearts receptive and responsive to God's voice Today -- not to let our hearts be hardened by the deceptiveness of sin (Heb. 3:7, 12-13). Sometimes I wonder if sin's deception is especially effective as a distraction from Today -- turning our attention away from the one time and place where we can make any difference -- where God can make us different.
Today. God's providence is in full operation Today.
Today. Jesus' power made perfect in weakness is fully present Today.
Today. The Holy Spirit who moves like the wind, able to revive and restore, lives in you Today.
I don't know what or who is before you on this sunny morning in Seattle, but I do know that Jesus is fully present to you Today.
“The best preparation for the future, is the present well seen to, and the last duty done.”
― George MacDonald
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts ...
(Hebrews 3:7)
Today.
Over the past couple of weeks, seeking refreshment for soul as well as body, I found myself returning to a classic of Jesuit spiritual formation -- Self Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. I love that title. I can picture one of my nephews as a small boy launching himself off the front porch in a flying greeting, completely confident that I would catch him. Abandoned, in that moment, in complete trust. Today -- what if we launch ourselves, fully, into the waiting arms of God's goodness and grace in this present moment?
At one point de Caussade says:
“To escape the distress caused by regret for the past or fear about the future, this is the rule to follow: leave the past to the infinite mercy of God, the future to His good Providence, give the present wholly to His love by being faithful to His grace.”
Today. We only have the choices of today. And today, God is present in every moment, every encounter, every situation of joy or distress, peace or anxiety, abundance or need. Today.
Hebrews 3 calls us to keep our hearts receptive and responsive to God's voice Today -- not to let our hearts be hardened by the deceptiveness of sin (Heb. 3:7, 12-13). Sometimes I wonder if sin's deception is especially effective as a distraction from Today -- turning our attention away from the one time and place where we can make any difference -- where God can make us different.
Today. God's providence is in full operation Today.
Today. Jesus' power made perfect in weakness is fully present Today.
Today. The Holy Spirit who moves like the wind, able to revive and restore, lives in you Today.
I don't know what or who is before you on this sunny morning in Seattle, but I do know that Jesus is fully present to you Today.
“The best preparation for the future, is the present well seen to, and the last duty done.”
― George MacDonald
Posted in Devotions