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

TODAY’S WORD…

“Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’”

– John 15:20

REFLECTION…

Jesus’ words are for all of us, but especially for those of us who selfishly rebel against the complications of life when these come about, to the extent of even going against Christ’s teachings. We all hate suffering, pain and distress but, to overcome these unwelcome situations by disobeying God’s commands and seeking to justify this to ourselves and to others, is truly sad.

If we really believe that Christ is the Son of God, then we should look at His life and seek to live it like He did, through the good times and the bad. If we truly regard Jesus as our Lord and Master, then we must admit that we are no better than Him, and that any suffering of ours fades in comparison to His. That is why we should always faithfully accept God’s will and obey His Commandments…to the very end!

PRAYER…

Jesus, You are my Lord, my God and Master!

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TODAY’S WORD…

My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.

I will sing, I will sing Your praise.

– Psalm 57:7 (Grail Psalms)

REFLECTION…

How wonderful are those moments when I can look with the eyes of my heart at the Lord, my God, and tell Him, with all sincerity and joy, that my heart is ready! Loving sincerity makes the Christian sing. When I truly love God with all my heart, with my mind, and with all my strength, then my heart sings to Him in praise, making the sweetest of sounds!

We know that we truly love God, when those special moments of joy occur not only when ‘all’ seems to be fine with us and going our way, but also in times of distress and affliction. We may be suffering – yes – but our hearts are still full of that indescribable joy that only knowing and trusting in the Lord can bring!

PRAYER…

My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.

I will sing, I will sing Your praise!

TODAY’S WORD…

“I will turn their weeping into gladness,” says the Lord, “I will comfort them and give them joy after sorrow.”

– Jeremiah 31:13

REFLECTION…

Yes, the Lord does turn our weeping into gladness – if we believe in Him and in His great love for us. Yes, the Lord does comfort us and give us joy after sorrow – if we entrust ourselves fully to Him.

We are baptised and the Holy Spirit dwells in us – if only we would set Him free from the bonds of our greed, our pride, our selfishness and resulting reluctance.

Weeping and sorrow are part of life, especially of those who love and care. Gladness and joy, in spite of the pain and difficulties, are beautiful gifts of the Spirit which fill the hearts of those who truly believe and who acknowledge God’s love…come what may.

PRAYER…

Lord, only You make me truly glad;

Only You fill me with deep and meaningful joy.

Lord, remove my greed, pride and selfishness, which distance me from You;

Wash away my sinfulness and give me a new heart.

All glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!

TODAY’S WORD…

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

– John 15:5,7

REFLECTION…

Jesus’ dwells in the believer who dwells in Him. If we remain in Him and His words in us, Jesus promises that our prayers will be answered. To have Jesus’ words remaining in us means to share His mind and His will. If we have and keep His words in us, we will live our life in Christ and His life will be in us. But if we are truly in Him, then our focus will be on doing God’s will and what we pray for will be for His purposes – that His will be done.

When our focus is on doing God’s will, we will pray for His  fruit rather than for our own selfish desires, and our prayers will be answered. The  fruit we will so desire, and ask for, and receive, is a wonderful reflection of Jesus’ attributes. The “fruit” is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23)

PRAYER…

Lord, I believe in You

and I also believe

that if I have You in my heart I shall want nothing but love,

and joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Lord, You are all I need!

TODAY’S WORD…

“Peace I bequeath to you, My own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is My gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

– John 14:27

REFLECTION…

The peace which Jesus gives us completely surpasses the peace of the world, which can be so superficial and misleading. The peace of Christ is, above all, our reconciliation with God and our reconciliation with one another; it is entrusting ourselves totally to the Lord. The peace of Christ is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; it is “serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, simplicity of heart, a bond of love, a union of charity.” (St. Augustine)

Christ is our peace.

QUOTE…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.”   – St. Paul (Phil 4:6-7)

PRAYER…

Quiet my mind, Lord, make me still before you.

Calm my restless heart, Lord, make me more like you.

Fill me with Your peace, Lord, and take over.

TODAY’S WORD…

“Those who love Me will keep My word, and My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.”

– John 14:23

REFLECTION…

Wow, what a promise! If I truly believe in Jesus and that He is the Son of God, then I will believe in His promise. What glorious encouragement Jesus gives me to love Him and to keep His word!

And this is where those fundamental questions arise: Do I believe? Do I want Jesus to take over my life? Do I want to do His will? If the answer is a resounding “YES!” for all three questions, then I must truly love Him, which means…that I have allowed Him to live in me. What a grace!

PRAYER…

O Lord, my God,

unworthy as I am of Your love,

I bow before You and seek Your forgiveness.

Lord, I declare my love for You;

I declare my resolve to obey Your commands

and to do Your will.

Lord, I so much want to have You in my heart.

Send Your Holy Spirit – the Divine Spirit of Light and Love, the Giver of Life –

to reign in me, to take over and strengthen my resolve,

and to keep me on the right path.

Come Holy Spirit, come.

TODAY’S WORD…

“I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit He prunes to make it bear even more.”

– John 15:1-2

REFLECTION…

Christ explains that He Himself is the true vine, and that to be fruitful one must be joined to the new, true vine: to Him. We must live the life of Christ, listen to His teachings and follow His commands as we walk the life of grace with Him who is the nourishment which enables us to yield the fruit of eternal life. We cannot bear this fruit until we are grafted in with the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot receive God’s Spirit until we receive His Son.

When I receive Christ as my Saviour, I receive God’s Spirit, and begin to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

God, who so wants me to be saved, must lovingly prune me. It is a process, which can sometimes be painful but it is, in fact, a strengthening one. We cannot continue to bear fruit without accepting to be pruned; without trusting fully in God, our caring Gardener.

There are those who, because they have no or very little faith, understanding and trust in God, see this pruning as an abhorrent process. They do not accept it, they stop bearing fruit, and they end up detached from the True Vine…with sad consequences.

PRAYER…

O God of love,

nurture me, prune me, abide in me, and enlighten me.

Enlighten me with the wisdom of Your Spirit, which flows through me today,

and grant me this grace, O Lord, every day of my life.

Amen

TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

– John 8:31-32

REFLECTION…

Jesus asks us for much more than a shallow faith which may result from superficial enthusiasm – we should be true disciples, and His words should imbue our whole life. That kind of faith will bring us to know the truth and to become really free persons.

The knowledge of the truth that Christ is speaking about is not just intellectual knowledge, it is rather the maturing in the soul of the seed of divine Revelation. The person who believes in Jesus and through Him, in the Father, receives the wonderful gift of eternal life. Knowing the truth is, in the last analysis, knowing Christ Himself, God become man to save us. It means realising that the inaccessible God has become man, our Friend, our Life.

The liberation we obtain is not just light which shows us the way; it is that special grace, which empowers us to stick to that way despite our limitations.

PRAYER…

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my friend, my life,

help me take Your truth to heart, to dwell upon it day after day.

Lead me along the Path of Grace, O Lord

– I want to transformed,

I want to be liberated,

and it is only Your truth that can truly set me free.

Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”

– John 14:1-2

REFLECTION…

How loving and understanding Jesus is! How comforting and encouraging are His words! He wants us to believe and trust in Him, to listen to and follow His teachings and to walk along His path. If we do so, we will have the serenity and the inner joy, which only come through Him.

What’s more, if we do so, then we are well on our way to the promised Father’s house, where Jesus Himself abides and where He loving awaits us to be there with Him…forever!

PRAYER…

My Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me so.

Thank You for Your reassurance,

for Your wish to see me live my life

full of the joy and hope that only You bring.

Thank You for Your teachings and Your commands,

which will get me safely through this life

into the glorious next.

Lord Jesus, send Your Holy Spirit upon me,

to counsel and guide me,

to console and comfort me,

and to fill me with love, peace, and joyful hope.

For this I pray, O Lord, with all my heart. Amen.

TODAY’S WORD…

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

– Psalm 19:1-4

REFLECTION…

We can all see the greatness of God, if only we would put our hearts to it; if only we would stop looking at ourselves …and look around us instead, at the marvel of His creation! We can all listen to the voice of reason, to the voice of the Creator Himself, if only we would stop listening to our own, which cares only about itself.

For the eyes and ears of our hearts to be opened to God, we need to stop looking at and listening to ourselves, and seek Him, instead, with expectant hearts. We need to be still…to know that He is God.

PRAYER…

Thank You for Your beautiful creation, O God.

Thank You for the air that I breath;

for the light of day,

for the hush of night.

Open the eyes of my heart, O lord,

that I may truly see the wonders of Your love for me.

Open the ears of my mind, O Lord,

that I may gladly hear Your gentle and loving voice.

Thank You for Your great love, O God, thank You!