Wednesday March 30, 2022

Today is Wednesday, March 30 and this week we are exploring what the Bible says about growth in discipleship.

I begin this day with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I quiet my mind and still my body. I breathe slowly and deeply as I focus on the presence of the God who loves me.

Pause and Pray

Steadfast and Holy God, I long to hear the message you have for me. I seek you in the quiet of the morning and ask you to help me recognize your voice. Speak to me through the power of your Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

I seek God my Savior and call on him with the ancient words of Psalm 85.

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Psalm 85:6-9

Pause and Pray

Our quest is to be a new church for a new world and pursue real Christianity. In Romans 13, Paul challenges disciples of Jesus to do two things. Live a life of love and understand the present time in which they live. The world in which I live. This new world. I penetrate the outer shell of the old passing existence and discern the new reality that is taking shape. I invite this emerging actuality to shape the pattern of my life, but first I need to wake up from my complacent slumber. Paul uses the image of a person rousing from sleep at the onset of dawn. It is time to get up, slough off my sleepy attachment to the past, shake off the slumber of my complacency, and open my eyes to the reality of the new day about to dawn.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:8-12

My continuing objective is to love God, obey God’s commandments, and love my neighbor. I commit to doing no harm and to do all the good I can in this lifetime. Love fulfills the law. I can never repay the debt for my sin nor can I repay the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood shed for me upon the cross. I can only love and serve others in my joy and deepen my intimate relationship with God through Jesus. The more I am loved by God the more love fills my soul and spills out onto those around me. I am to love others and also gain a clear understanding of this present time. The hour has come for me to wake up from my spiritual slumber. My salvation is nearer now than ever before, it grows closer every day since I first believed. My night is nearly over, my day is almost here. Wake me up Lord so I can walk as a child of the light and live a life of love.

Ask: When I am filled with God’s love, how am I better able to observe God’s law and truly love my neighbor? From what current slumber might God want to awaken me?

Pause and Pray

God of love and light, wake me up! Fill me with your love to overflowing and mature me through your sanctifying grace. Reveal places where I have done harm, times when my love failed, relationships I have bruised, and deeds of darkness I have sustained. Rouse me from my spiritual slumber, draw me near to your salvation, clothe me in the armor of light as your day approaches. I read the words from Romans again and listen for the message you have for me.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:8-12

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

Paul lists four out of the Ten Commandments – you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, and you shall not covet. I consider how breaking these commandments inflicts harm on people. Loving others prevents me from harming them. I reflect on past times when I have hurt someone whether intentionally or unintentionally, and ask for forgiveness. I want God to help me grow in my love for him and others. John Wesley, the eighteenth century founder of Methodism, taught that through the power of the Holy Spirit we can mature in holiness of heart and life and increase in perfect love. I consider the circumstances of today, the present time in which I live. How might God help me understand this new world? How might God want to awaken me from my current state of slumber? Do I even realize that I am asleep?

Pause and Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, I invite you to awaken my lethargic soul, rouse my sleepy spirit, stir my comfortable spiritual siesta and disrupt the dreams of my dormancy. I do not want to miss anything you have for me but fully embrace life with you with eyes wide open. Shine the light of your dawning day into the darkness of my heart and clothe me with your brightness. Amen.

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:13-14

As I leave this time of prayer I go, awakened by the Holy Spirit and filled with abundant love and joy to share with everyone I meet.

Amen