The religious desire and effort of the soul to relate itself and all its
interest to God and his will, is prayer in the deepest sense. This is essential prayer: uttered or unexpressed, it is equally prayer. It is the soul’s desire after God going forth in a manifestation, ... the soul striving after God. This is a prayer that may exist without ceasing, consisting, as it does, not in doing or saying this or that, but in temper and attitude of the spirit.
... P. B. Brown This spirit of prayerfulness is what we mean by "recollection," and it is the fruit of spiritual practice. Keep on praying, that it might grow and deepen.
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Deuteronomy 4:1,
5-9
Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20 Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not
one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’
Reflection on the Scriptures
Palm 147 reinforces the need to praise God while following His statutes and ordinances. We are reminded that doing so provides God’s protection. The protection that blesses our families, as well as all the unborn children.
This continually reminds us that God’s Words are as relevant today as they were in Moses’ time. God’s truth has indeed spread swiftly throughout the world. That truth is reinforced in the sixth chapter of John, where we are reminded by God that His words are Spirit and Life – the words of everlasting life. Jesus himself specially addressed the power of His
absolute truth in the 5th chapter of Matthew. He reminded us that He did not come to abolish the law or prophets, but that He had come to fulfill them. Jesus goes on to remind us how important the entire Bible is to each of us, which of course includes the Old Testament. He clearly stated that “until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place”. This truth, of course, holds
me accountable today to continually study God’s Word. That is the secret to better enable us all to follow and observe all of God’s statutes and decrees. I can only know what God requires if I spend time drawing closer to Him and His Word – which is the profound answer to our world’s troubles. Dear Heavenly Father, we all seek your blessings and guidance. Your
absolute truth provides all that we need to follow you and to experience your incredible blessings. Help us to overcome whatever might stand in the way of our growing closer to you and faithfully following all that you have taught us. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen. -by Larry Hopp
The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A. Kempis https://amzn.to/40FrikB Paperback and Kindle versions available BOOK
ONE: Thoughts Helpful in the Life of a Soul
The Sixteenth Chapter: Bearing With the Faults of Others If you cannot make yourself what you would wish to be, how can you bend others to your will? We want them to be perfect, yet we do not correct our own faults. We wish them to be severely corrected, yet we will not correct ourselves. Their great liberty displeases us, yet we would not be denied what we ask. We would have them bound by laws, yet we will allow ourselves to be restrained in nothing. Hence, it is clear how seldom we think of others as we do of
ourselves. If all were perfect, what should we have to suffer from others for God's sake? But God has so ordained, that we may learn to bear with one another's burdens, for there is no one without fault, no one without burden, no one sufficient to himself nor wise enough. Hence we must support one another, console one another, mutually help, counsel, and advise, for the measure of every
person's virtue is best revealed in time of adversity -- adversity that does not weaken us but rather shows what we are.
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