Your COMPASS for the Journey on the PATH of Discipleship: March 13-19, 2011
Posted by Isaac Butterworth | Filed under Discipleship, Liturgical Year, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation
During Lent and the first few days of Eastertide, Your COMPASS will cite portions of the 2011 LENTEN DEVOTIONS, a guide published by the Worship and Music Committee of First Presbyterian Church.
Saturday, March 19, 2011 WHERE ARE YOU ON THE PATH?
Compass:
‘Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others….’
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
Map:
In the past weeks, we have heard much about the PATH to discipleship…. Where are you on your PATH? The Presbyterian Book of Order states: ‘Christians respond to God both in communal worship and service and in personal acts of worship and discipleship. The life of the Christian flows from the worship of the church, where identity as a believer is confirmed and where one is commissioned to life of discipleship and of personal response to God.’
Journey:
Do you think your belief is static, or is it on a pathway to glorify God with your thoughts and actions? There are times when we need to be quiet and listen to what God is saying to us. Keep listening and you just may be able to see and feel your direction as a disciple of Christ…. No one but you can determine how far this journey might go, but you are a child of God and you are commissioned to live a life that glorifies God. Why not make this season of Lent the focus of your pathway to discipleship?
Tomorrow: SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
Friday, March 18, 2011 OUR MOTIVES
Compass:
Matthew 6:2 ‘…When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets….’
‘So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.’
Map:
My mother and grandmother believed and taught me that I should not do good for others with the hope of getting accolades for myself. ~ Jan Poore
Journey:
A prayer: ‘Father, give me the vision to see the needs of others, and the imagination to act selflessly.’ ~ Arthur Gordon
Tomorrow: WHERE ARE YOU ON THE PATH?
Thursday, March 17, 2011 REDEEM YOUR TIME FOR GOD
Compass:
Job 23:12 ‘I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.’
I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
Map:
‘In eternity’s scale of values that day is lost which has no word of praise, no prayer of thanks and no contact with God. Prayer and praise are not occasional notes played on the organ of life; they are pipes in the organ, and their absence means serious loss to the music of life…. Likewise, to most of us the Scriptures are an untapped treasure….’ ~ Billy Graham
Journey:
A prayer: Dear Lord, as we spend time in Bible study and prayer, lead us to a closer relationship with you.
Tomorrow: OUR MOTIVES
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 FROM DESPAIR TO JOY
Compass:
Lamentations 3:55-57 ‘You came near when I called you….’
55 I called on your name, O LORD,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
Map:
James C. Hendrix writes about depression, saying, ‘I know from firsthand experience the effect it can have on a person’s life. For more than ten years, I have lived with this devastating disease…. Not knowing what to do, I cried out to God for help. I made a commitment to pray and read God’s Word each day. As I acknowledged my fears, I felt God’s hand rescuing me from despair.’
Journey:
A prayer: Father, we thank you for the privilege of prayer. As we walk through this day, remind us of the transformation that you can bring to us when we call upon you. Amen.
Tomorrow: REDEEM YOUR TIME FOR GOD
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 HUMBLE
Compass:
1 Peter 5:5-6 ‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand….’
5 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.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Map:
Humility is a Christlike virtue to seek.
Journey:
Consider making this prayer your own: God of all people, quiet my desire for wanting my own way. Help me to humble myself and to put others first. Remind me that it’s not about me and what I want, but about You and how much You love us all. Amen.
Tomorrow: FROM DESPAIR TO JOY
Monday, March 14, 2011 SORTING
Compass:
Hebrews 12:1 ‘…Let us thrown off everything that hinders….’
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Map:
Allen Hawley Brown once wrote: ‘Most of us have the tendency to keep some possessions that have passed their usefulness, until we are forced to…question why we are keeping them.’
Journey:
Are there things in your life that are holding you back from being a better person?
Tomorrow: HUMBLE
Sunday, March 13, 2011 FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
Compass:
Psalm 90 ‘Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.’
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death;
they are like the new grass of the morning—
6 though in the morning it springs up new,
by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of your anger?
For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
Map:
Isaac Watts’ hymn, ‘Our God, Our Help in Ages Past,’ is a paraphrase of Psalm 90. First published in 1719, it has become a favorite of many through the years. It was played on the radio by the BBC at the announcement of Britain’s entry into World War II and was later sung at the funeral service of Winston Churchill.
Journey:
Think of the ailing hymn writer, Isaac Watts, sitting at the desk in his room, poring over Psalm 90. If you have access to the hymn, sing it, or hum the tune. Then, take a moment to reflect on Psalm 90.
Tomorrow: SORTING
Photo Credit: Feeling dizzzzzzzzzzzy by Simon Pakec
