Encouragements for prayer
There is no true, deep conversion, no true, deep holiness, no clothing with the Holy Spirit and with power, no abiding peace or joy, without being daily alone with God. What an inestimable privilege is the institution of daily secret prayer to begin every morning. Let it be one thing that our hearts are set on.
- Andrew Murray
and
It is impossible to live the life of a disciple without definite times of secret prayer. You will find that the place to enter in is in your business, as you walk along the streets, in the ordinary ways of life, when no one dreams you are
praying, and the reward comes openly, a revival here, a blessing there.
- Oswald Chambers
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1 KGS 18:41-46; PS 65:10, 11,
12-13
MT 5:20-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and
Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa (an insult),
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, 'You fool,' will
be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into
prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."
Reflection on the Scriptures |
Jesus tells us today
that anger toward other brothers gets us in trouble with God, as does insulting other people or threatening to stamp them out. He reminds us of this after he recites the commandment “You shall not kill.” In this message, he is telling us that these behaviors are accelerations to hostilities that often result in killing. Rather than escalate tensions, we need to deescalate them by reconciling ourselves to our brother as soon as we experience differences. Jesus tells us
today that just because we do not go so far as to kill someone, we are guilty before God if we set the conditions into motion.
- by Barbara Dilly
Revelations of Divine
Love - by Julian of Norwich
Fourteenth Revelation, Chapter 51
“He is the Head, and we be His
members.” “Therefore our Father nor may nor will more blame assign to us than to His own Son, precious and worthy Christ” The Lord that sat stately in rest and in peace, I understood that He is God. The Servant that stood afore the Lord, I understood that it was shewed for Adam: that is to say, one man
was shewed, that time, and his falling, to make it thereby understood how God beholdeth All-Man and his falling. For in the sight of God all man is one man, and one man is all man. This man was hurt in his might and made full feeble; and he was stunned in his understanding so that he [was] turned from the beholding of his Lord. But his will was kept whole in God’s sight;—for his will I saw our Lord commend and approve. But himself was letted and blinded from the knowing of this will; and this is
to him great sorrow and grievous distress: for neither doth he see clearly his loving Lord, which is to him full meek and mild, nor doth he see truly what himself is in the sight of his loving Lord. And well I wot when these two are wisely and truly seen, we shall get rest and peace here in part, and the fulness of the bliss of Heaven, by His plenteous grace.
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