Motivation

Stop for a moment and think about something that you really enjoy doing. For me, I enjoy coaching sports... Baseball, softball, or basketball mostly. I enjoy teaching kids the proper technique and fundamentals, along with seeing them improve throughout the course of the season. I learn a great deal from the experiences and it motivates me to continue.

Have you ever stopped to wonder what motivated God to send his only son, Jesus into the world? It would have been so easy to give up on the filthy sinful world... but He never has. As John 3:16 so blatently puts it...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If you really stop and think about this statement for a moment... I don't know about you, but this blows me away. God loves us so much that He was motivated to go as far as sending Jesus to help save us. That's how far gone we were. There was no other lever to pull. Jesus had to come down to provide us with the opportunity to save ourselves. That's right... for us to save ourselves. I say this because God doesn't send us to Hell, He gives us the path to Heaven. He respects our free will and we, by our choices, beliefs, and motivations send ourselves to Heaven or Hell. Of course, God has the final say in everything, but my point is we can either be motivated to propel our ourselves (and the people we interact with on a daily basis) on the path to Heaven or toward the path to Hell.

What is your motivation?

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Simplicity

Have you ever stopped to think why we make bad choices? Is it that we are just caught in the moment, is it deliberate, or even premeditated? In any case, I believe that self discipline is a critical safety net that we can use in any of those three scenarios.  Lately, I've been trying to focus on simplicity.  I've found that over complicating a problem tends to make it harder to solve. When caught in a moral dilemma, I try to reflect on one basic principle:

"What is the right thing to do?"

Taking this principle one step further... I would ask myself, "do I think (what I'm about to do) would be pleasing in the eyes of God?"

If the answer is "no," the appropriate choice is to cease and desist the course of action.  Small wins of resistance will increase self confidence, resiliency, and discipline.

You can read this short passage in Ephesians 6:10-18  "The Armor of God" to hear what the Bible says.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Unlimited...

Unlimited mercy.
Unlimited love.
Unlimited chances.
Unlimited grace.
Unlimited blessings.
Unlimited power.

The Lord God almighty, the One who sits on the throne, has no limits. With this being understood, I'd like for you to think about all the times you've placed limits on God. Think about a time when you've asked God for something small. Something that is achievable, but might just be a bit out of your reach. Thus, you need God's help to get you across the finish line.

Now think about the concept of risk versus reward.

What if you really went out on a limb and asked God for something that you know you cannot obtain without his intervention. Perhaps it's getting a ridiculous promotion that you thought you could never achieve. Or getting over an illness that you've been fighting for an extended period of time. Or maybe it's to help you turn around a relationship that's gone down hill for years. Financial setbacks, hard times, mistakes, etc. the list goes on and on.

With that I say that we should ask God for those unimaginable blessings. Ask and believe and it shall be yours.

 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
-Mark 11:24 

Ask God for those things that you cannot achieve on your own. For many requests have earthly boundaries. However, I tell you that we serve a God that has no boundaries. He is a God that can do anything, at anytime, for anyone.

Take the limits off the Lord and allow Him to show you His supernatural power. Increase your faith by unshackling the early chains you place on the Lord. Do this and He will show you great blessings.

Think about the unwavering faith the paralyzed man had as he his friends carried him to meet Jesus. When the paralyzed man came to the place where Jesus was teaching, it was overly crowded and they could not get in.

So what did the man have them do? He had his friends cut an opening in the roof and lower him to see Jesus. That, my friends, is unimaginable faith. That is taking the boundaries off our Lord and saying... "Here I am Lord, I believe that you can heal me."

Here is the passage from Mark 2:

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Go forward today with great faith in your heart. Allow the Lord to show you His unlimited love, mercy, and power. Take the boundaries off the Lord and He will shower you with great blessings.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Your faith has made you well

I recently realized what it truly means to have faith in God. It sounds strange even writing this, but there is a big difference between saying something and "hoping" it will come true versus saying something and BELIEVING it will come true.

On a personal level, I've determined that the word "Faith" equals "Trust". Meaning that you must put all of your trust in the Lord and believe that what the bible says is the absolute truth. The bible comes from the breath of God...  and God's Word does not change nor does God lie.

Far too many times we (as a society) attempt to create our own destiny. We think that we must have complete and total control over our lives in order to be successful or get what we need or want. However, the bible tells us that God understands all of our needs and God also allows us to ask Him for favors, blessings, etc. For it is out of prayer that we talk to God.

The one verse that I've really talked openly to God about this week comes from the Book of Mark.

Believe in your heart 

I've recently prayed for something that I never thought was possible and I spoke this verse to the Lord (as a reminder) of what He has promised... "what you ask in prayer, believe it and it will be yours." God has come through with his promise and in my mind it is a miracle. However, to the Lord, I'm sure it was effortless.

This same situation held true with the woman that touched Jesus' robe.

Healed by faith

My message is very simple today. When you pray, remove yourself of any earthly boundaries and maintain complete trust and belief in God's power. When you pray, believe that you will receive God's gifts. Not out of arrogance, but out of trust in God's Word from the bible.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Goals

Regardless of age, we've all heard the saying... "You can do anything you want to do, if you put your mind to it."

I, for one, believe that once we make something a priority (meaning it is important) we get it done. For example, how many times have you heard (or seen) weight loss transformations? People lose large amounts of weight, firm up, become healthier and fitter. How do they do it? They do it by making it a priority in their life.

I also believe that a large part of this "thought process" is being able to visualize the end state. Having a clear vision for what is not there. The same level of determination revolves around people we call "over achievers." They are people who place large amounts of self induced pressure on themselves to accomplish one or many goals. I'm not saying this is misplaced or wrong (it depends largely on the goal), only that this exists in our society and most likely has always existed since the time of Adam and Eve.

However, the problems that can surface with placing our own needs above the needs of others or the obedience to God's Word from the Holy Bible are limitless.  Many times we point our internal compass toward selfish goals in an attempt to rectify or obtain what we feel is important. This is exactly the type of deception that the devil wants us to buy into. Lack of making time for God... due to our "busy schedules" is nothing more than an excuse. It's hard to hear this even for myself. But, I'm as guilty of this as anyone and am not ashamed to admit it. The important thing is to get ourselves back on the right track. There may be many roads to Heaven, but they all end with meeting Jesus and our mutual goal is given to us in the Book of Matthew to "Seek first the Kingdom of God."

Simply put, this means placing God first. I'm not saying this is not difficult to do... I'm saying it's nearly impossible... but with God all things are possible - Matt 19:26 

That is why we are constantly "seeking." Yet, one day we all will "find" ourselves before Jesus and will give account of our actions and goals. God loves all of us and wants everyone to get to Heaven. If you make Jesus a priority, your life will change. It's not something that I am promising you. This is something that the Lord promises.

Remember... "You can do anything you want to do, if you put your mind to it." The only question is... what are you going to do next?

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

In good times and in bad

I recently watched a move titled Facing the Giants. It had many solid Christian messages and a few things that still leave me thinking about my daily actions. One of the biggest lessons I learned from this movie was to glorify God in both good times and bad. You see, the Lord has the (immediate) ability to change your situation. He can give or take away at any time. If you've read Job, you might recall Job's wife telling him to curse God for all the terrible things that has occurred to him...

 

His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

And Job replied...

"You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

I think this is a classic, real life example for all of us. We tend to forget about thanking God during the good times and have more of a tendency to turn to Him for help when we are in trouble. My message today is to always gives thanks to the Lord, even for the smallest of things. Remember, everything we have is a gift from God. Our sight, hearing, smell, ability to walk, talk... the list goes on and on. We could spend hours listing out everything God has gifted us with and still never have a complete list. 

I guess part of it is that we expect things to go our way. Don't we? We expect things to go well and if they don't then we get frustrated, angry, or depressed. Does that help us? No. It only adds to our anxiety and plays into the hands of the enemy. 

I'd encourage you to stay strong in the goodness of the Lord. For the Lord will test all of us in our own time. Even so, I pray that we all have more good times that bad and during our good times let's remember to thank the Lord for every blessed moment we receive. We are never promised tomorrow, so let's give him thanks in all situations and never lose hope. Remember the Lord is the final decision maker and can override any situation. Do not lose hope or faith. 

Remember... God has no limitations and nothing is impossible with God.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Kirk Cameron

Here is a short comment from Kirk Cameron from www.livingwaters.com I hope it inspires you and keeps your heart and mind on Christ. "Some have referred to seeing things with "the eye of faith". In my natural state, I always seem to revert to favoring the trusty eyeballs I've used since birth. But now, even those are starting to dim (glasses are just around the corner), and I am seeing the value of a better pair of eyes. Eyes of faith are able to believe what they cannot see, but know for certain because of the Word they have heard. When you and I believe the voice of God in Scripture, we can stand on His promises of being fully forgiven, totally accepted, deeply loved, and complete in Christ- no matter what happens to us in this life. Anything that happens in this life, including "losses and crosses", are obliged to "work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) When things look gloomy through those windows above your nose, close them and look instead through your eyes of faith to see God's victory over your trial!" God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

One hundred years from now

One hundred years from now it won't matter what type of fancy new gadgets we bought or what type of cars we drove. All that will matter is what we did with the time we had. By human nature we are are so focused on tomorrow, that we don't even realize we are doing little more than wishing our lives aways.

What are we in a hurry to do? Where are we in a hurry to go? Heaven? I would guess that most people don't even think about Heaven on a daily basis. For many people, Heaven is a place far away. A place that old people or dogs go when they die.

That might be true; however, Heaven is so much more.

Heaven is God's Kingdom. And for those blessed enough to be granted access, I believe it will be like nothing we could ever imagine. It will far surpass our wildest expectations.

Heaven is not some distant destination. It is THE destination. It is THE place to be. I once saw a book titled, "1001 places to see before you die." And I would remind anyone that Heaven is the only place you want to SEE when you die.

Serving the Lord for all eternity is both a privilege and a blessing. It is a honor bestowed based on what you did with the little time you were given.

Don't put off tomorrow - what you can do today. Ask the Lord for guidance in all that you do and think about Him in all your actions.

Verse of the day:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7
New International Version (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Accountability and Resiliency

How many times can a person backslide? How many times can a person continue to make the same mistakes over and over and over again? How many times can a person continue to sin - day in and day out? How many times can a person ask for forgiveness - over and over and over again?

The answers to those questions don't really matter. What matters is that God's love is measureless. How do I know this? I know this because of John 3:16.

I know that all men sin and all fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

However, once we sin there is typically time for retrospection. During this time, we can choose to do one of two things. 1) Ask for forgiveness and pray. 2) Do nothing

It's a given that we are going fail in being pleasing in God's eyes. We all fall short. Thus, our responsibility should be to focus on accountability and resiliency.

Be accountable for our actions and ask for forgiveness by humbling ourselves toward the Lord. And being resilient by allowing the past to stay in the past. What we've done, we cannot undo. However, we can move forward and learn from our mistakes and become stronger. It's not about how many times you fall down. Its' about how many times you get up and what you do next.

If you allow it - sin will invite you to give up your relationship with God. That is the focus of the enemy - to plant seeds of doubt and deceit so that we feel unworthy or even too depressed to speak with God. This is how the enemy builds momentum... you sin and the enemy wants to keep the wheels moving. Put the breaks on this momentum by speaking a simple prayer, be accountable and resilient.

Jesus showed tremendous resiliency during his walk to Calvary. He was whipped, beaten, spit on, nailed, etc. and still He continued to His destination: The cross.

Jesus took accountability for our sins. The next time you sin, take accountability for yours. Then move forward. Don't dwell on it.

Prayer:
Father forgive me for my sinful ways. I know that I am unworthy of your love. I pray you have mercy on me and allow me to be an instrument of your Will. Help me to lead myself, my family, and others into your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Choices

The current drought in Africa is another reminder of just how blessed we are. There are starving Somali families that are forced to travel 50 miles just to wait in line at a overcrowded relief center. Of course, there are no guarantees - just hope.

With millions starving and tens of thousands seeking aid, it's a never ceasing ocean of need. Many families are forced to make a choice that most of us could never fathom. That choice to decide which child to take to the relief center and which to leave behind. Thousands of families must determine which child is most likely to survive the 50 mile journey. The rest - they are forced to leave behind. They do this not out of cruelty, but out of necessity. It is a choice of save one or save none.

The United States has a malnourishment rate of 5%, which is one of the lowest in the world. Especially when you take into consideration the Dem. Republic of Congo that has close to 42 million malnourished people and Ethiopia 31.6 million.

It's easy for us to forget the extreme hardships that many in the world face daily. In a domesticated society where we dwell in "excess" it's unavoidable to take things for granted. How many of us get irritated when we run out of milk and then must get into our car for a (probably less than 5 mile ride) to the local grocery store? Sound familiar?

Our most difficult choice for the day might be "Do I get the milk now or wait until later?"

We are blessed.

Please remember to pray for those who are less fortunate in this world and thank God for the wonderful gifts He has allowed us to have. Everything we have comes from the Lord. Nothing is given in mistake, nothing is overlooked, nothing is given without a reason. Also, everything we have is a temporary gift from God - because nothing is forever except God.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord for all the wonderful gifts and blessings that you have bestowed upon us. I pray that you bless and comfort those who are less fortunate and help us to stay humble and pleasing in Your eyes. In the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

God Bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Bystander turned Believer

For a few moments picture yourself living as a local in the small village of Bethany a little over 2,000 years ago. The village is slightly less than 2 miles from Jerusalem and you have made the trip back and forth many times. As is the case with most days in this part of the world, it's scorching hot. The blinding sun is beating down on you and all you really care about is finding a nice shade tree to sit under and eat your figs.

Just as you find a good spot on a hillside, you notice a dusty disturbance in the road below. More than a dozen people have gathered and are making their way toward another group walking into the village. The last thing you want to do is lose your shady spot, but Bethany is small and rarely has much excitement.

Even though it's probably nothing, seeing the crowd in the distance is enough to peak your curiosity. Thus, with a surrendering sigh you take the last bite of your fig, rise, and head back out into the baking sun to see what all the commotion is about.

As you make your way closer to the crowds you notice many familiar faces. Everyone in Bethany knows each other... there are no strangers in this paltry town and not a day goes by that you question why you haven't moved to Jerusalem yet.

As you are pondering your life circumstances a women abruptly bumps your shoulder and falls to her knees weeping to a man whom you do not recognize.

Instantly, you recognize the women. She happens to live in a small abode directly diagonal from your small home and her name is Mary. She and her sister, Martha, had recently buried their brother, Lazarus. Both sisters were still in deep mourning and you had just stopped by their home two days earlier to give your condolences.

In a quivering voice, you hear Mary say... "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Clearly, he must be physician of some sort, you reason.

As you look closer at the man (whom you still do not recognize), you see a deep compassion in his eyes and you can tell that he is deeply saddened by this situation.

“Where have you laid him?” The man asked.

There was something in his voice that made you stop in your tracks. It was as if everything around you went into slow motion and for a moment... you gave him your full attention.

“Come and see, Lord,” another replied.

Thus, Mary and her sister, Martha, led the stranger up the road and over some rocky terrain. Not knowing exactly what to expect, you decide to follow the crowd. It's not like you had a lot of other options anyway.

Walking up the hillside you recognize the tree that you sat under just a few moments ago. Curiously, you also realize the intense heat from the sun doesn't seem to bother you like it had earlier. Looking up, you see the stranger briefly look toward the tree, then to you, then back to the tree. For a moment you wonder if he saw you sitting under the tree as he approached Bethany. You quickly dismiss the notion, chalking it up as a coincidence and nothing more.

After a few more minutes of walking the crowd stopped. They had reached the tome of Lazarus... which happened to be carved into the rocky hillside.

There was complete silence and strangely, the wind was calm as you stand at the top of this hill.

Now what? You wonder.

As if he had read the question in your mind you hear the stranger say...

“Take away the stone."

If it could have been physically possible, your jaw would have hit the ground by your sandals.

Then Martha replied... “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

You begin to interject in agreement, but instead you hesitate... your lips still slightly ajar.

Then the stranger said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone and the stranger looked up to the sky as if praying. Once finished, he cried out in a loud voice...

“Lazarus, come out!”

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

You hear yourself gasp as you fall to your knees.

The stranger said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”


Jesus raises Lazarus from the Dead

In a matter of a few short moments you went from being bored and hot, to curious, to witnessing Jesus glorify God by raising Lazarus from the Dead.

Can you truly picture the actions of the crowd as Lazarus walked out of that tome? I can't even begin to imagine what that would have felt like if I had seen it with my own eyes.

That day in Bethany started off like every other typical day. Yet, after a few short minutes of Jesus' arrival a miracle occurs. Not only did He raise Lazarus from the dead... He turned many from being lone bystanders to believers!

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Roadmap to Heaven

Abbreviations and Buzzwords seem to be everywhere these days... I can't seem to get through the day without someone emailing me a "LOL", "IMHO", or "BTW". It's even worse when there is direct dialog, because there's about a 99% certainty that someone's going to throw out a "Leverage", "Best Practice", or "Think outside of the box". Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, right? :)

Oops... there I go with the famous and greatly overused smiley face. :) :) :)

OK, at this point you might be asking yourself, so how does this relate to Jesus Christ?

Well, Jesus had his own arsenal of buzz words that He "leveraged" on a daily basis. Unlike the buzz words of today that enter and fade with the passing of fads, we have the comfort of knowing that the words of Jesus will endure the test of time.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mark 13:31

Jesus frequently used one word in particular... "Blessed"

If I were to look up the word "Blessed" in the dictionary, I would run across this definition:

Blessed: divinely or supremely favored; fortunate.

Wouldn't everyone want to be blessed in some way? I can't reasonably say that I know anyone who wouldn't want to be blessed.

Now the question becomes... How do I find favor with God? What do I need to do to remain obedient and be pleasing in the eyes of God? Well it's easy to get overwhelmed with trying to find a single answer to this question. Let's face it, the Bible is big book and there are thousands of passages we could underline, highlight, and memorize that would help. However, there is one particular event in the Bible that, to me, sums up the path to Heaven. Let's call it the "Roadmap to Heaven" as they would probably say in the business world.

This one significant event was The Sermon on the Mount. It's where Jesus preached of the Kingdom of Heaven. It's the third decade of the Luminous mysteries of the Rosary. "The Announcement of the Kingdom."

During the Sermon on the Mount Jesus introduced the Beatitudes (which means blessed or happy in Latin) to all of us and each teaching begins with the word "Blessed."

Here are the Beatitudes:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matt5:3-12

In conclusion, when I think of a question like, "What's the roadmap to Heaven?" I think of the Beatitudes. This is because Jesus clearly outlines the way we should act, think, and live in nine loving statements. He shares the secret with us.

Personally, I felt the Beatitudes were so important that I memorized them and now recite them on a daily basis. It really doesn't take long to memorize, it just takes some determination and a little repetition. IMHO :)

See you can't get through anything these days without an abbreviation/buzz word!

God Bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Two for the price of one

A man in Lisbon, Portugal, was suffering from Parkinson's disease. As the creeping paralysis rose from his lower limbs, eventually closer and closer to the heart, the patient was plunged into deep melancholy. His wife pleaded with him repeatedly to go to another Mirian shrine like Lourdes, which was only 90 miles away.

One day, in mockery, because he knew that, like himself, his attending physician did not believe in miracles, he said to his wife in his doctors presence: "I'll go if he does." It occurred to the doctor that a trip to the church at Fatima might cheer his patient, or at least it would be a temporary distraction, so he surprised the ill man by saying: "Alright, let's go."

The day they arrived at the shrine was the 13th of the month, so there was a large crowd of pilgrims. The non-believing doctor and his non-believing patient were among the first in the rows of invalids. A man beside them was carrying a canopy over the Holy Eucharist as it was raised by the priest to bless the patient. Suddenly, the ill man pushed himself up from his wheelchair, trembling, he began to move and feel his legs. Then, over and over he pleaded to those around him: "Am I not dreaming? Am I not dreaming?"

The doctors mouth fell open in amazement and he slowly sank to his knees. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. "This is not for you." He exclaimed through his sobs. "This was for me."

A true story by John M. Heffert

Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima photos

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Allow others to see Jesus through you

At a very old age, St. Francis of Assisi was blind and in poor health. During the same time a nearby village was in an uproar about their priest and had called for St. Francis to help them. You see, the priest of this village was living in sin. He had a woman living with him in the rectory and the people of the village were absolutely furious about it.

St. Francis hobbled into the village, came up to the door of the rectory, and when the priest opened it... St. Francis looked at him through blind eyes, fell to his knees, grabbed the hands of the priest and said... "All I want to know is that these hands bring me Jesus."

The priest was instantly converted on the spot and from that point on he turned his life around.

St. Francis could have easily condemned, disheartened, discouraged, or warned the priest of his sinful ways. Instead, St. Francis humbled himself and through his actions, showed the priest Jesus.

Take from this story what you will... but one thing to remember is that all of us should be a light for others. Each day find one person who can see Jesus through you.

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:2

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

A short prayer on Pride

Lord, help me to come to grips with any pride I might have in me that separates me, like a chasm, from the people I just don't feel comfortable with. You had to work on your disciples to get them over the problem of always wanting to be first by teaching them that, in the Kingdom of God, the "first" is last. Work on me, too, Lord. With your help, I can overcome any obstacle to serving You when you come to me hungry. Grant me some of the humility that prompted You to enter our human race as an infant in poverty, hungry and homeless. Amen.

-From the book... "When did I see You, Lord?"

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Reflections

As we prepare to enter into a new year, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the past and also get into the appropriate state of mind for the future.

As part of our ongoing growth as Christians (followers of Christ), the short meditations written (below) are to help us overcome barriers in recognizing Jesus in our midst, so that we can serve Him. Specifically, the seven Capital Sins serve as reference points for our meditations because so often, those common failings in our lives prevent us from seeing Jesus all around us, and moving into the mode of serving Him.

Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust are among the principal hazards of the spiritual life that prevent us from seeing and serving Jesus. There are others as well - for example, Ignorance and Fear. You may wish to add whatever else should come to mind as you consider these barriers.

However, with the grace of Christ, we are able to overcome these hurdles. Each hurdle we overcome, each struggle that we succeed, each small victory over sin that we achieve, brings us one step closer to preparing us for the heavenly reward that awaits those who see, follow, and act according to His words.

Meditations:

There is never a moment when God does not come forward in the guise of some suffering or some duty, and all that takes place within us, around us and through us both includes and hides His activity.

-Jean-Pierre De Caussade, S.J.
(Abandonment to Divine Providence)


If we do not recognize Jesus in the poor, he will not be able to recognize us at the Day of Judgement.

- St. Teresa of Calcutta


The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry;
The garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked;
The shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
The money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor;
The acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.

-St. Basil the Great

Many excerpts are from the book "When did we see You, Lord?" by Bishop Robert J. Baker and Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Routines

We all have a routine. In fact, many of us have several. Some routines may only last a few weeks, others a lifetime.

There are many types of routines (yep, we can be very creative)...

Some are essential in order to function in modern society like - showering regularly, brushing teeth, combing hair, etc. Other routines are self created like... needing to drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Or even reading a few pages in a book in order to help fall asleep at night.

We were made in God's image, but that doesn't mean we are consistent in doing what we should be doing. You see, just like us, God has a few routines of His own. The one difference is that His routines are not selfish or self imposed. However, God's routines ARE essential for our eternal salvation.

If I were to guess, I'd say here are a few of God's top routines:

1. Forgiveness
2. Mercy
3. Love
4. Patience
5. Kindness

You see, without God following these daily routines we would have absolutely no chance of eternal life. Salvation would be lost.

So, tonight begin a new routine for yourself. Begin the routine of prayer. Take time to speak to God through daily prayer. It will be something you will never regret.

I know that God won't break His routine.

Will you?

"The miracle is not that I finished. It's that I had the courage to start."
-John Bigham


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

A Prayer of Humility

Dear Lord,

I admit that I am a sinner.
I admit that I am unworthy of your grace, your mercy, and your love.
I admit that I am weak in spirit, perseverance, and patience.
I pray that you show kindness to me even though I don't always show kindness to others.
Oh Lord, please forgive me of my sins.
Help me to always see the face of Jesus in others.
Help me to fight the projection and deceitful lies from the evil one.
Help me to be a pillar of Christ.
Help me to be a rock, just as Simon Peter.
Help me to be relentless in praising your name as Paul.
Help me to trust in you as Abraham trusted in you.
Help me to have the wisdom to discern right from wrong such as Solomon did.
Help me to love just a fraction as much as Jesus.

Amen.

Humility

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14

Most of the time we are not as good as we think we are. Even if we exceed the expectations of others, we probably still fall short in eye's of the Lord. Humility is a word that we are all familiar with, but it is also an act that is difficult to sustain. The word itself is used many times throughout the Bible (several times in Proverbs) and there seems to be clear indication God prefers a humble spirit over a proud one.

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
1 Peter5:5

Over the next few days consider your outlook on life, your attitude, and how you interact with others. Are you seeking their approval? Are you looking for people to exalt you in some way?

Honor the Lord by honoring His word.

with humility comes wisdom
Proverbs 11:2

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Unashamed of God

Dear God, how often we are tempted to push you into the background because we’re afraid of standing out in a crowd, afraid of how it will look. And yet what opportunities to bring people to you could be had if only we would be bold.
— from 39 New Saints You Should Know

Mark 8:38
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Matthew 10:32-33
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!