Isn't the devotion of the Cross so precious? Both a sign and a signpost. A givenness and mercy. And fundamentally about healing and reconciliation.
A sign of God's compassionate love, to the point of no turning back.
A sign of baptism and the path to life through surrender of self as a devotion to God.
A sign of God's sharing in the wound and suffering of our world.
A signpost and invitation to follow the Way of the Cross ourselves.
A signpost to all of what devotion as an offering means, on the way to eternal life.
An invitation to share in God's own compassion, a share in the cup, a solidarity in Christ.
A givenness in servanthood, a givenness when we open to the flow of God's Love.
A givenness as sacrifice of self in compassion for the pitiful needs of others.
An invitation to share in God's own givenness and to walk the path of humility.
A mercy which is riven through with forgiveness and healing of hearts.
A mercy that shows the true meaning of compassion in the sharing of suffering.
A mercy that not only heals but helps people break through into life.
To my mind, the devotion and focus of Jesus's life was not primarily about punishment and condemnation, but of covenant and devotion and an opening of the barriers in our lives and world: to the flow and the power of love... and the eternity of God. The ministry of Jesus and his death on a cross are a revelation of who God is - compassionate love we can trust in, because it never turns back and eternally heals and cares and shares alongside... even down in the dust where we live our passing lives.
May we find grace to offer ourselves as 'devotions' as well, and open our hearts to the presence and flow of God's Love... because that is the literal 'crux' of our calling. To undergo the baptism that Jesus underwent, by which He meant His death. To know we are loved by God, to the point of no turning back. In following the Way of the Cross, to share in God's humility and 'devotion', to open to healing, to be given to God and given to others in love and servanthood. Because Love is the fulfilment of the Law. The Cross is the ultimate revealing of love, the wonder, the givenness of God, the grace, the defiance and repudiation of evil, the friendship and sharing, the suffering, the vulnerability, the tenderness and the victory of love.
The Cross is more than an abstract theory. It is personal. It is a supernatural givenness of God in unrelenting love... and just as so many can pray and personally interact with God at the same 'time', so in mystery and wonder God offers sacrificial givenness and goes all the way... for each one of us as individuals too. The Cross is the love that God gives. The tenderness, the longing for all that we can become. It is individual mercy and healing. "I have called you by name. You are Mine." It is that personal and devoted.
The Cross is a provocation of Love, and responding to that Love - that amazing Love of God with which we are loved - to take up the Cross ourselves and open to that Love as well... to its flow and giving, God's giving to others, from the streaming flow of the Holy Spirit whose 'streams of living water' wait to 'flow from deep within' us.
So we are invited to share in that Way of the Cross, share in the mystery with Jesus, share in the sacrifice and offering, be people of the Cross... devotions to God. And to do that day by day, and in the partaking in Communion... to be buried, immersed with Christ... in the outpouring of Love, the overflow of compassionate, practical love. This is The Way. 'Follow Me.'
And then, in God, we may fulfil the whole and best of who we were always made to be... with all our foibles, mistakes, and failures of course. But when we love at cost and in vulnerability, when we give out compassion to others... then we are choosing the Way of the Cross, and God who is Love is present in the flow of that giving, and this Way leads into life with God and in God... forever and ever, and right here in the trembling and marginal now.
A sign of God's compassionate love, to the point of no turning back.
A sign of baptism and the path to life through surrender of self as a devotion to God.
A sign of God's sharing in the wound and suffering of our world.
A signpost and invitation to follow the Way of the Cross ourselves.
A signpost to all of what devotion as an offering means, on the way to eternal life.
An invitation to share in God's own compassion, a share in the cup, a solidarity in Christ.
A givenness in servanthood, a givenness when we open to the flow of God's Love.
A givenness as sacrifice of self in compassion for the pitiful needs of others.
An invitation to share in God's own givenness and to walk the path of humility.
A mercy which is riven through with forgiveness and healing of hearts.
A mercy that shows the true meaning of compassion in the sharing of suffering.
A mercy that not only heals but helps people break through into life.
To my mind, the devotion and focus of Jesus's life was not primarily about punishment and condemnation, but of covenant and devotion and an opening of the barriers in our lives and world: to the flow and the power of love... and the eternity of God. The ministry of Jesus and his death on a cross are a revelation of who God is - compassionate love we can trust in, because it never turns back and eternally heals and cares and shares alongside... even down in the dust where we live our passing lives.
May we find grace to offer ourselves as 'devotions' as well, and open our hearts to the presence and flow of God's Love... because that is the literal 'crux' of our calling. To undergo the baptism that Jesus underwent, by which He meant His death. To know we are loved by God, to the point of no turning back. In following the Way of the Cross, to share in God's humility and 'devotion', to open to healing, to be given to God and given to others in love and servanthood. Because Love is the fulfilment of the Law. The Cross is the ultimate revealing of love, the wonder, the givenness of God, the grace, the defiance and repudiation of evil, the friendship and sharing, the suffering, the vulnerability, the tenderness and the victory of love.
The Cross is more than an abstract theory. It is personal. It is a supernatural givenness of God in unrelenting love... and just as so many can pray and personally interact with God at the same 'time', so in mystery and wonder God offers sacrificial givenness and goes all the way... for each one of us as individuals too. The Cross is the love that God gives. The tenderness, the longing for all that we can become. It is individual mercy and healing. "I have called you by name. You are Mine." It is that personal and devoted.
The Cross is a provocation of Love, and responding to that Love - that amazing Love of God with which we are loved - to take up the Cross ourselves and open to that Love as well... to its flow and giving, God's giving to others, from the streaming flow of the Holy Spirit whose 'streams of living water' wait to 'flow from deep within' us.
So we are invited to share in that Way of the Cross, share in the mystery with Jesus, share in the sacrifice and offering, be people of the Cross... devotions to God. And to do that day by day, and in the partaking in Communion... to be buried, immersed with Christ... in the outpouring of Love, the overflow of compassionate, practical love. This is The Way. 'Follow Me.'
And then, in God, we may fulfil the whole and best of who we were always made to be... with all our foibles, mistakes, and failures of course. But when we love at cost and in vulnerability, when we give out compassion to others... then we are choosing the Way of the Cross, and God who is Love is present in the flow of that giving, and this Way leads into life with God and in God... forever and ever, and right here in the trembling and marginal now.
guys sorry for interupting y'alls flow, i'm neurodivergent and im having a huge christian mythology phase rn. I made this, i don't know where to put it. I'm agnostic.
I hope y'all like the picmix, bc it's not very likely ill use it lmao :3
‘The temptation of Jesus in the desert.’ (Matthew 4:1-11)
When we find ourselves in bleak and seemingly unfruitful circumstances, it is easy to lose hope and trust, and be tempted to not believe.
Discipline in prayer and life and fasting/moderation can expose us both to ourselves and to the temptation to give up because it all seems too hard. But there is a fulfilment and an opening up to God which is more satisfying than food and indiscipline.
Don’t look for miraculous signs to prove faith in God. Look to God, and learn trust and relationship, and rather, seek signs of grace and goodness.
It is folly to wish for fame and power in this world, or to place high value on selfish desires of this passing world. They are gone in an eye-blink for eternity. And we only have eternity in God, and yet that is huge treasure, deep reality. Do not give easy or uncritical allegiance to those of any party who promise power. Do not get taken up in the rush of that power or influence. Instead, seek quiet spirit and the company of God, and open to God’s compassion and healing mercy.
Remember that eternity is very close, and the reality for ever of God’s sovereign country and good estate. It is just waiting to break through into our lives through the flow of love. Be aware that God’s presence and angels – protective agents of God – and the prayers of the saints may break into our lives and our world. We should be open to their interaction, as we pray ourselves. Our own world is a passing shadow on a sunny day. God’s country lasts forever. It is always there.
When we find ourselves in bleak and seemingly unfruitful circumstances, it is easy to lose hope and trust, and be tempted to not believe.
Discipline in prayer and life and fasting/moderation can expose us both to ourselves and to the temptation to give up because it all seems too hard. But there is a fulfilment and an opening up to God which is more satisfying than food and indiscipline.
Don’t look for miraculous signs to prove faith in God. Look to God, and learn trust and relationship, and rather, seek signs of grace and goodness.
It is folly to wish for fame and power in this world, or to place high value on selfish desires of this passing world. They are gone in an eye-blink for eternity. And we only have eternity in God, and yet that is huge treasure, deep reality. Do not give easy or uncritical allegiance to those of any party who promise power. Do not get taken up in the rush of that power or influence. Instead, seek quiet spirit and the company of God, and open to God’s compassion and healing mercy.
Remember that eternity is very close, and the reality for ever of God’s sovereign country and good estate. It is just waiting to break through into our lives through the flow of love. Be aware that God’s presence and angels – protective agents of God – and the prayers of the saints may break into our lives and our world. We should be open to their interaction, as we pray ourselves. Our own world is a passing shadow on a sunny day. God’s country lasts forever. It is always there.
‘Having been warned in a dream, Joseph withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.’ (Matthew 2:22)
Joseph took the Holy Family away from central power, withdrawing to Galilee. Sometimes God draws people into a kind of withdrawal: to live in a low profile routine. In a quiet and hidden cycle of faith and work and prayer.
Hidden life in fidelity, and little acts of unseen love, may be as precious to God as grand gestures.
Joseph took the Holy Family away from central power, withdrawing to Galilee. Sometimes God draws people into a kind of withdrawal: to live in a low profile routine. In a quiet and hidden cycle of faith and work and prayer.
Hidden life in fidelity, and little acts of unseen love, may be as precious to God as grand gestures.
We are called to open our hearts to the Love of God, and let God's Love flow through us to others. It is our primary imperative - the greatest commandment - and how often we avoid really doing that... going through the motions when really if we want to devote ourselves to God then we need to let the Love of God flow through us. Then we become more of who God created us to be, and we find God flowing through us. Our faith is a devotion of ourselves, just as Jesus devoted himself, to the point of no turning back. A devotion to love and compassion. Jesus showed us that in his life and actions. We are asked to follow that example. If you want to know how spiritual a person is, look first at their love... or to be more precise, at God's Love at work in a person's life.
"If people are thirsty, let them come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within them."
The Love of God is like a flowing stream. God longs for us to open our hearts, more and more, to the Holy Spirit and to open to love.
God offers us that flow, that love, because of God's givenness to us. We see that givenness in Jesus Christ: a givenness to the point of no turning back.
And God invites us to share in that givenness: to give ourselves to God, and to give ourselves to others in love and compassion and service.
The flowing stream can't just be kept for yourself. It flows as we open to others as well. That's love in action. The Spirit in action. A stream in flow.
"You have sent Your Spirit," the psalmist writes, "to renew the face of the earth..."
The dry and barren places of people's hearts, the loneliness, the lives hardened by hurt, the desolate and forsaken.
As Isaiah wrote: "Water will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert."
If only we would open our hearts today, and let the Love of God flow through us to others. For as we do, the prophet also promises: you will also drink from the wells of salvation.
When we open to the flow, the power, the compassion of love. When we open to God.
The Love of God is like a flowing stream. God longs for us to open our hearts, more and more, to the Holy Spirit and to open to love.
God offers us that flow, that love, because of God's givenness to us. We see that givenness in Jesus Christ: a givenness to the point of no turning back.
And God invites us to share in that givenness: to give ourselves to God, and to give ourselves to others in love and compassion and service.
The flowing stream can't just be kept for yourself. It flows as we open to others as well. That's love in action. The Spirit in action. A stream in flow.
"You have sent Your Spirit," the psalmist writes, "to renew the face of the earth..."
The dry and barren places of people's hearts, the loneliness, the lives hardened by hurt, the desolate and forsaken.
As Isaiah wrote: "Water will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert."
If only we would open our hearts today, and let the Love of God flow through us to others. For as we do, the prophet also promises: you will also drink from the wells of salvation.
When we open to the flow, the power, the compassion of love. When we open to God.
It is approximately the year 2790. The most powerful nation on earth occupies a large territory in Central Africa, and its citizens speak Swahili. The United States and other English-speaking countries have long ceased to exist, and much of the literature prior to 2012 (the year of the Great Conflagration) is not extant. Some archaeologists digging in the western regions of North America discover a short but well-preserved text that can confidently be dated to the last quarter of the twentieth century. It reads thus:
Marilyn, tired of her glamorous image, embarked on a new project. She would now cultivate her mind, sharpen her verbal skills, pay attention to standards of etiquette. Most important of all, she would devote herself to charitable causes. Accordingly, she offered her services at the local hospital, which needed volunteers to cheer up terminal patients, many of whom had been in considerable pain for a long time. The weeks flew by. One day she was sitting at the cafeteria when her supervisor approached her and said, “I didn’t see you yesterday. What were you doing?” “I painted my apartment; it was my day off,” she responded.
The archaeologists know just enough English to realise that this fragment is a major literary find that deserves closer inspection, so they rush the piece to one of the finest philologists in their home country. This scholar dedicates his next sabbatical to a thorough study of the text and decides to publish an exegetical commentary on it, as follows:
We are unable to determine whether this text is an excerpt from a novel or from a historical biography. Almost surely, however, it was produced in a religious context, as is evident from the use of such words as devoted, offered, charitable. In any case, this passage illustrates the literary power of twentieth-century English, a language full of metaphors. The verb embarked calls to mind an ocean liner leaving for an adventuresome cruise, while cultivate possibly alerts the reader to Marilyn’s botanical interests. In those days North Americans compared time to a bird—probably the eagle—that flies.
The author of this piece, moreover, makes clever use of word associations. For example, the term glamorous is etymologically related to grammar, a concept no doubt reflected in the comment about Marilyn’s “verbal skills.” Consider also the subtleties implied by the statement that “her supervisor approached her.” The verb approach has a rich usage. It may indicate similar appearance or condition (this painting approaches the quality of a Picasso); it may have a sexual innuendo (the rapist approached his victim); it may reflect subservience (he approached his boss for a raise). The cognate noun can be used in contexts of engineering (e.g. access to a bridge), sports (of a golf stroke following the drive from the tee), and even war (a trench that protects troops besieging a fortress).
Society in the twentieth century is greatly illuminated by this text. The word patient (from patience, meaning “endurance”) indicates that sick people then underwent a great deal of suffering: they endured not only the affliction of their physical illness, but also the mediocre skills of their medical doctors, and even (to judge from other contemporary documents) the burden of increasing financial costs.
A few syntactical notes may be of interest to language students. The preposition of had different uses: causal (tired of), superlative (most important of all), and partitive (many of whom). The simple past tense had several aoristic functions: embarked clearly implies determination, while offered suggests Marilyn’s once-for-all, definitive intention. Quite noticeable is the tense variation at the end of the text. The supervisor in his question uses the imperfect tense, “were doing,” perhaps suggesting monotony, slowness, or even laziness. Offended, Marilyn retorts with a punctiliar and emphatic aorist, “I painted.”
Moises Silva, God Language and Scripture
God chose to disclose divine love, in Jesus Christ. Christ was the visible image of the invisible God. His life and ministry and death and resurrection was a way God showed us the extent of holy love.
Love is a key nature of God. The bible says it: God is love. And in Jesus we can learn about the nature of that love, in the way Jesus gives himself: in ministry to others, and even in giving himself as sacrifice and covenant with us. Death on a cross.
That's the nature of God's love. That's how far God will take that love for us: to the point of no turning back.
Jesus doesn't just love us a little bit. Jesus cares about us so much, that he gives himself to the point of no turning back. He goes all the way.
When we try to open our own hearts to the love of God, that it may flow in and through us to others, we can learn a lot from Jesus - the visible image of who God is and what God's like.
We can learn that devotion (to God and to others) is about opening up to the flow and the power of love... and giving ourselves... really giving ourselves to others and to our God.
It's a wonderful thing that wherever we go, through the good times and the very hard times, God does not give up on us. God does not turn back. God wants to be there for us, waits for us, cares about us even when we mess up. God goes all the way.
Love is a key nature of God. The bible says it: God is love. And in Jesus we can learn about the nature of that love, in the way Jesus gives himself: in ministry to others, and even in giving himself as sacrifice and covenant with us. Death on a cross.
That's the nature of God's love. That's how far God will take that love for us: to the point of no turning back.
Jesus doesn't just love us a little bit. Jesus cares about us so much, that he gives himself to the point of no turning back. He goes all the way.
When we try to open our own hearts to the love of God, that it may flow in and through us to others, we can learn a lot from Jesus - the visible image of who God is and what God's like.
We can learn that devotion (to God and to others) is about opening up to the flow and the power of love... and giving ourselves... really giving ourselves to others and to our God.
It's a wonderful thing that wherever we go, through the good times and the very hard times, God does not give up on us. God does not turn back. God wants to be there for us, waits for us, cares about us even when we mess up. God goes all the way.
Today I happened to read Exodus 17 and I believe I found a perfect foreshadowing of the eternal sacrifice of Christ.
Exodus 17:1-7 esv
All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah[a] and Meribah,[b] because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Summary of the verse
( Read more...Collapse )I think many of us witness the attacks on Christians in other countries with horror and dismay, when they defend and stand up for what they believe in. We share their beliefs, and of course, we deplore bullies.
I do think one way God sometimes intervenes is to come to us about a particular prisoner and give us a sort of compulsion to pray. I have known that on a number of occasions, where I suddenly knew I had to engage in intercession and spiritual warfare, accompanied by tongues, for a prisoner. Now I can have no idea exactly what God was doing in that, but I think prisoners sometimes have particular times of crisis in captivity (speaking as a former prison governor myself, which may be part of why I get prompted about prisoners – I don’t know).
Anyway, while we should be open to taking practical action as well, the least we may do is pray (and that is no small thing to be dismissed).
While some persecution is driven by religious fundamentalism (for example in the north of Nigeria) it’s important to recognise that a lot of persecution is because of a leader’s political agenda, and desire to eliminate opposition. They censor the media, they oppose true Christian values of decency and kindness, they are scared that true Christians may call them out. Therefore I think it’s also important for Christians to stand up for democratic principles, including the right to express opinions freely, and to oppose censorship.
There are helpful organisations who can keep us informed of persecution, murder, oppression, so we can pray for the individuals concerned.
Let us pray for ALL people being persecuted at this time. God have mercy.
I do think one way God sometimes intervenes is to come to us about a particular prisoner and give us a sort of compulsion to pray. I have known that on a number of occasions, where I suddenly knew I had to engage in intercession and spiritual warfare, accompanied by tongues, for a prisoner. Now I can have no idea exactly what God was doing in that, but I think prisoners sometimes have particular times of crisis in captivity (speaking as a former prison governor myself, which may be part of why I get prompted about prisoners – I don’t know).
Anyway, while we should be open to taking practical action as well, the least we may do is pray (and that is no small thing to be dismissed).
While some persecution is driven by religious fundamentalism (for example in the north of Nigeria) it’s important to recognise that a lot of persecution is because of a leader’s political agenda, and desire to eliminate opposition. They censor the media, they oppose true Christian values of decency and kindness, they are scared that true Christians may call them out. Therefore I think it’s also important for Christians to stand up for democratic principles, including the right to express opinions freely, and to oppose censorship.
There are helpful organisations who can keep us informed of persecution, murder, oppression, so we can pray for the individuals concerned.
Let us pray for ALL people being persecuted at this time. God have mercy.
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(Edit, sorry this is so long)
Currently my prayer life is ramped up, and I hope it continues that way.
It's also full of difficulty.
You talk about the flow of…