A LAMP TO MY FEET. A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Look to the Lord and His strength;

seek His face always.

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– Psalm 105:4 (NIV)

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REFLECTION…

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I must never give up.

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I must always seek God’s face,

His direction,

His help,

His approval,

in everything that I do

and everywhere I go.

He gives me the spiritual strength which lifts me up,

fills me with certain hope,

and carries me along the right path

– a path that He has set out specially for me.

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It is up to me to let Him lead me.

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PRAYER…

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Here I am, O Lord,

spending another moment of my life

looking at You with the eyes of my heart,

as You wrap Your arms around me

and reassure me of Your love.

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Thank You, my Lord,

for never leaving me alone,

for always being there for me,

encouraging me

and showing me the way, Your way.

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Grant, O God,

that I will always gladly do Your will,

and that my heart be filled with that inner joy

that only comes from knowing You

and the great love You have for me.

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Lord, I praise and give You glory.

Forever and ever. Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lead me, O Lord.

Pick me up when I stumble and fall, and renew my spirit.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…

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– Philippians 2:12 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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“Fear and trembling? Oh come on!

This is the 21st century…and fear and trembling don’t feature in anything

…not anymore!

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This is all a religious ploy to keep everyone submissive to the Church!

Fear and trembling is a thing of the past.

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Religion, when it tells me how I should live my life, as well as what I must not do,

is also a thing of the past!

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Now please just let me live my life!”

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~ ~ ~

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“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…”

These words are, in fact, an urgent invitation

to those of us who claim to believe in and love God.

They urge us to determinedly support, with all our strength,

the action of God’s grace in our soul.

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The "fear" and the "trembling" is understood by the good and humble

who do not want to displease their Lord God, who loves them,

and so they press on in obedience, no matter what.

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This submissive frame of mind is sweetened

by the sure knowledge that God, who so loves us, is urging us to do our utmost to be holy

so that we will, one day, join Him in His Heavenly Kingdom.

And that fills us with great joy!

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Let us then work on our holiness

by going to the very source of our salvation – the Word of God –

wherein we renew our hearts and minds

and come into His presence with a spirit of reverence and awe.

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~ ~ ~

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Is “holiness” an old-fashioned and passé state of character for me?

If it is, then God must also be an archaic concept, for which I have no time.

How sad!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, You are my salvation. Your Word is my guide and Your love strengthens my spirit.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had:

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Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, He gave up His divine privileges;
He took the humble position of a slave

and was born as a human being.
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When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

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– Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Christ sets us an example:

we cannot attain the glory of Heaven

unless we understand the supernatural value of humility, difficulties, ill-health and suffering

– these are manifestations of Christ’s cross present in our ordinary life.

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QUOTE…

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"We have to die to ourselves and be born again to a new life.

Jesus Christ obeyed in this way, even unto death on a cross;

that is why God exalted Him.

…..

If we obey God’s will,

the cross will mean our own resurrection and exaltation.

Christ’s life will be fulfilled step by step in our own lives.

It will be said of us that we have tried to be good children of God,

who went about doing good

in spite of our weakness and personal shortcomings, no matter how many."

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– St Josemaria Escriva

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, help me be obedient to You

and make me humble, accepting and loving – like You!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus was suddenly standing there among His Disciples.

“Peace be with you,” He said.

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– Luke 24:36

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REFLECTION…

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“Peace be with you.”

His voice is tender,

and His is a kind, gentle, loving, friendly and meaningful greeting.

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That’s how Jesus is with us.

Often He presents Himself to us, suddenly and out of the blue,

when we least expect Him to.

Just imagine Jesus’ voice as He says to You

“Peace be with you.”

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He comes to us and beckons us

even at those times when we are rejecting Him,

when we are living contrary to His wishes.

But His greeting is always one of peace

– He IS the Bringer of peace!

He is Love personified.

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We must not let Christ pass by without humbly acknowledging His greeting,

without rushing up to Him

and glorying in His tender and loving embrace.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Jesus, fill me with Your peace.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town

when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance:

he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.

He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was,

but he was too short and could not see Him for the crowd.

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree

to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.

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When Jesus reached the spot

He looked up and spoke to him:

“Zacchaeus, come down.

Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.”

And he hurried down and welcomed Jesus joyfully.

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– Luke 19:1-6 (JB)

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REFLECTION…

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Zacchaeus was a well-to-do tax collector,

despised by the people because he was corrupt

and a collaborator of the despised Roman authorities.

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In spite of all this, Zacchaeus,

who was curious about Jesus who was due to pass through town and very keen to see Him,

shed his pride and any fear of ridicule

and he climbed up a tree to get a better view.

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Now I may feel that I am not anything like Zacchaeus.

I may claim to be an upright Christian,

but am I honestly prepared to publicly show my feelings and excitement for Jesus?

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We should never let false shame or fear of criticism or scorn

prevent us from using all the resources and situations available to us to meet our Lord,

to always seek to get to know Him better,

and to let our love for Him be reflected in our demeanour, our words and our deeds.

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QUOTE…

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“How is it, then, that I seek You, Lord?

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Since in seeking You, my God, I seek a happy life,

let me seek You so that my soul may live,

for my body draws life from my soul

and my soul draws life from You.”

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– St. Augustine

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, fill me with a strong and ardent desire for You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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As a deer longs for flowing streams,

so my soul longs for You, O God.

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– Psalm 42:1 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…and Prayer…

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I can’t explain it, Lord, but I know it is true

– my soul longs for You,

and my heart beats faster as it reaches out to You.

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The more I get to know You, Lord,

and the more I reflect on Your Word,

the greater the yearning and desire of my heart and my soul…for You.

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Lord, there is none like You,

and my heart and soul know it.

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Grant, O Lord, my Maker,

that my mind, which has discerned and welcomed Your Truth

but which can so easily lose its focus,

will not be led astray by the many distractions of the world

– a world which seems determined

to want to pollute every stream of the True and Living Faith.

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Grant that my heart, my soul and my mind will unite as one

and, together, focus on You, O Lord,

until I finally find rest

…in You

…forever.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for You, O God.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from Him.

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Truly He is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.

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Trust in Him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts to Him,

for God is our refuge.

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– Psalm 62:5,6,8 (NIV)

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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O Lord, my God, how I need You.

You are my Rock, my Salvation, my Fortress,

my Refuge and my Strength!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Word of God is alive and active,

sharper than any double-edged sword.

It cuts all the way through,

to where soul and spirit meet,

to where joints and marrow come together.

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It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.

There is nothing that can be hid from God;

everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before His eyes.

And it is to Him that we must all give an account of ourselves.

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– Hebrews 4:12-13 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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God’s word is consoling and life-giving,

but it also dreadful for those who try to ignore it.

St. Justin tells us,

"The word of His truth is hotter and brighter than the sun,

and pierces the very depths of hearts and minds."

Perhaps that is why so many avoid reading Scripture,

or play it down,

or ignore it!

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The depths of our hearts,

our deepest thoughts, attitudes and intentions,

all lie open to God’s all-seeing eye.

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QUOTE…

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"What a person does or thinks is expressed in his actions,

but one can never be sure of what motivates his actions.

That, however, is never hidden from God"

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– St Thomas

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Father God, please give me the character and the courage

to always be guided by Your Word and to actively practice Your truth.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Wisdom begins when you sincerely want to learn.

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To desire Wisdom is to love her;

to love her is to keep her laws;

to keep her laws is to be certain of immortality;

immortality will bring you close to God.

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– Wisdom 6:17-19 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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True wisdom and God are inextricably linked

and here, in these verses, Wisdom is personified.

It is clear that the writer is speaking of God:

that God is Wisdom personified.

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The one true source of all wisdom is God,

and wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit,

and it lives in the heart of those who love God and seek Him above all else.

God lives in the heart of those who keep His laws;

who trust in Him;

who believe in the resurrection of the body;

and look forward to life everlasting in God’s Divine Presence.

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QUOTE…

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"[Wisdom] cannot be learned, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit!