Message of 2-28-11
Published: Wed, 02/23/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
- - -
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
The nominal Christian pays homage to something about Jesus, rather
than worshipping the man himself. For this reason, nominal
Christians will extol the moral teachings of Jesus, the faith of
Jesus, the personality of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus, the world
view of Jesus, the self-understanding of Jesus, etc. None of these
worships Jesus as the Christ, but only something about him,
something peripheral to the actual flesh-and-blood man. This is why
when the almighty God came into the world in Jesus, he came as the
lowest of the low, as weakness itself, as a complete and utter
nothing, in order that we would be forced into the crucial decision
about him alone and would not be able to worship anything about him.
- Robert L. Short, "Gospel According to Peanuts"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Sir 17:20-24; Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7; Mk 10:17-27
R. (11a) Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of
God!"
Having material possessions is not the source of damnation. The
problem is not in the having; it's in the obsessing, coveting or
hoarding that often accompanies the attainment of wealth. If we put
our possessions and the attainment of more at the forefront of our
lives, then, indeed, we'll have a hard time entering the kingdom.
We'll have little time for anything other than the vicious cycle of
gaining and maintaining wealth and status. God gives us good things
as a means, not an end. We must be willing to give it back, or if
necessary, give it up in order to follow the Lord.
"Lord, let us recognize that all good gifts come from you, we pray."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SPIRITUAL READING
The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage
by St. John of Rusybroeck (1293-1381)
Spiritual inebriation is this; that a man receives more sensible
joy and sweetness than his heart can either contain or desire.
Spiritual inebriation brings forth many strange gestures in men. It
makes some sing and praise God because of their fulness of joy, and
some weep with great tears because of their sweetness of heart. It
makes one restless in all his limbs, so that he must run and jump
and dance; and so excites another that he must gesticulate and clap
his hands. Another cries out with a loud voice, and so shows forth
the plenitude he feels within; another must be silent and melt
away, because of the rapture which he feels in all his senses. At
times he thinks that all the world must feel what he feels: at
times he thinks that none can taste what he has attained. Often he
thinks that he never could, nor ever shall, lose this well-being;
at times he wonders why all men do not become God-desiring. At one
time he thinks that God is for him alone, or for none other so much
as for him; at another time he asks himself with amazement of what
nature these delights can be, and whence they come, and what has
happened to him. This is the most rapturous life (as regards our
bodily feelings) which man may attain upon earth. Sometimes the
excess of joy becomes so great that the man thinks that his heart
must break. And for all these manifold gifts and miraculous works,
he shall, with a humble heart, thank and praise and honour and
reverence the Lord, Who can do all this; and thank Him with fervent
devotion because it is His will to do all this. And the man shall
always keep in his heart and speak through his mouth with sincere
intention: "Lord, I am not worthy of this; yet I have need of Thy
boundless goodness and of Thy support." In such humility he may
grow and rise into higher virtues.
- Chapter 19: Of spiritual inebriation
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
- - - -
Please help support Heartland Center's Internet ministries:
- For more info on tax-deductible donations, see
http://shalomplace.com/seed/donations.html.
Thanks for your consideration!
_________________________________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed