October 13: Tuesday Refocus

 ‘...the submission of all our nature to God, it is the quickening of the conscious by His holiness; the nourishment of the mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose - and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.’ - William Temple

How freely we give ourselves to many things while forsaking the good portion (Lk 10:42).  The dwellings of our mind and imagination, by our words and our surrender, and by what we adore, our heart is exposed.  For from the heart flows life, which is why we are to keep our hearts with all vigilance (Prv 4:23).  If like me, your stomach turns at the way your heart has been exposed already this week, let us join the Psalmist with this prayer:

‘Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.’ Ps 86:11 (NIV)

Amen,

AB

June 30: Tuesday Refocus

‘We cannot go further until we go deeper.’ – E. Stanley Jones

The longer we journey through this pandemic, the more parallels to the spiritual life I find.  I thought it would be different by now, but while cases increase and States open, I have to pace myself for endurance, and long-term faithfulness.

I cannot reach the end of pandemic life by sheer force of will and adrenaline.

Nor can I be found faithful to the end of my spiritual life living off of the spiritual life of another.

I will only endure as…

…my life is rooted, and planted by streams of water so I do not wither (Ps 1:3).  

…my heart daily seeks the face of God (Ps 27:8). 

…I feast on the abundance of His house and drink from the rivers of His delights (Ps 36:8)

…I set the Lord always before me (Ps 16:8).

…I fix my eyes on Jesus and run the race before me with endurance (Heb 12:1-2)

‘So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.’ 2 Cor 4:16-18

Lord, grow our faithful endurance as You go before us, walk beside us and come after us with Your grace and mercy.  In the enduring name of Christ, amen.

Enduring together,

AB