Monday, February 23, 2015

Devotions for Week of Feb. 22

Sunday-Ps.25 asks the omniscient God to forget. The one praying does not s wish to be forgotten, but hopes that God forgets sins (v. 7) .At v. 10, the move is toward asserting that all the ways of God are  loving and faithful, so I suppose that would include the overweening mercy desired in v. 7.

Monday-Hope is alive in us. It is not a flashy hope, it is a hope that is present in the little things we do that eventually make a difference. Do not get frustrated because hope does not look like what you expected. Value the little that you do in Christ, because it ultimately makes a big difference.(James Blay) Apply this,please, to your own life this one day, or maybe this week.

Tuesday-"Hell is truth seen too late." (William Sloane Coffin) I like this quote but wonder about it as well. What would be your changed definition of Hell? I recall Woody Allen’s comment that it was eternity with a life insurance salesman.

Wednesday-“The beauty that emerges from woundedness is a beauty infused with feeling; a beauty different from the beauty of landscape and the cold perfect form. This is a beauty that has suffered its way through the ache of desolation until the words or music emerged to equal the hunger and desperation at its heart. It must also be said that not all woundedness succeeds in finding its way through to beauty of form. Most woundedness remains hidden, lost inside forgotten silence. Indeed, in every life there is some wound that continues to weep secretly, even after years of attempted healing. Where woundedness can be refined into beauty a wonderful transfiguration takes place.” ― John O'Donohue

Thursday-“We can see the Divine in each speck of dust, but that doesn't stop us from wiping it away with a wet sponge. The Divine doesn't disappear; it's transformed into the clean surface.” ― Paulo Coelho Work with this a bit. what do you suppose he is getting at? When have you seen the divine transform your perspective of reality?
Friday-"A man ... agitated by evil is troubled with ... suspicions; he is never at peace with himself, nor does permit others to live in peace."  From Imitation of Christ. Now turn this quote around and see its deep promise.
Saturday-Love makes us similar, it creates equality, it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us. Indeed, Jesus “worked with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted by human choice and loved with a human heart.Pope Francis

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