A small church, nestled in the countryside, recently hired a new pastor. The congregation felt strongly that this was a ‘match made in heaven’. Everyone was excited… including the pastor. The first sermon was given and it was inspiring. So much so that word got around the town. The following Sunday, there were several new people in attendance. The new folks were thrilled by the sermon, but the regular attendees recognized the sermon as being the exact same message as what was preached the week before. The regular church members let it go saying, “Pastor is still settling in”. The following Sunday came bringing more new people and the exact same sermon as the previous two weeks. This caused concern and the Pastor was approached. “We know you are still settling in, Pastor, but do you think we might get a new sermon next Sunday?” the church council asked. “Of course!”, Pastor replied enthusiastically, and then added, “Providing you start doing what the first sermon is calling you to do.”
In CFO, we call ourselves Athletes of the Spirit. While athletes are certainly open to growth and new possibilities, more often than not, an athlete will need to work on and revisit the same concepts over and over, striving to develop technique. No matter what the discipline, there are always concepts that are so fundamental that a serious student is always woking on them… digging a little deeper with each revisitation.
Seed Thoughts For Daily Mediation, by M.B. is a short devotional that was found on CFO book tables for many years. Spanning just a week, this devotional asks the reader to revisit the same seven concepts week after week. The full devotional is available here for you to access, and below we have extracted selections from each of the seven readings. Plant each ‘seed’ in the garden of your heart and invite the Holy Spirit to till the soil.
Sunday: God, The Source Of Joy: True religion is associated with joy and rejoicing. Begin by cultivating the spirit of thanksgiving; thanksgiving and joy are closely allied. An habitually thankful mind makes us see things in their true relationship and right perspective. Every Sunday, let us resolutely leave in our loving Creator’s care all of our daily burdens and problems, thus entering gladly into God’s rest. Then our spirits, free to rise, will see new visions which will send us on our way rejoicing, giving us new insight, new inspiration and strength for coming days.
Monday: God Is Life: Life is born into everyone that comes into the world; and where Life is, there God is: For God is not only the original creator, but also the continuous Creator, the upholder of Life. Life is associated with God. Life can never die. When we put off this material body, the Life that is in us is absolutely unchanged. Further, where there is Life, there is growth. Let us take a few minutes to wait in God’s presence in silence so that the power of God’s Life may become real to us…
Tuesday: God Is Power: Doing without conscious effort is the condition of perfect workmanship. The effort that is required of us, and it is a real one, is the effort – not to produce – but to keep our connection with the Source of power and trust that God will do the producing.
Wednesday: God Is Light: Let us start the day by realizing that we have the Light within to illumine every shadow that crosses our path, because God who is Light dwells within us. If doubt and perplexity present themselves, let us be still a moment — keep silent within — so as to realize the inner light. Let us seek to live consciously in the light of God’s presence, and rejoice in that presence… God has placed us in the world to be Lighthouses, to shed radiance wherever we go.
Thursday: God Is Love: Since we abide in God, and God abides in us, we are surrounded with Love, without and within; indeed, we are living in an ocean of Love. Love is everywhere. Love is the great dynamic, the great source of inspiration, the great creative genius. Love is the fullness of God. …Love must overflow, it can never be shut in and concealed. Love gives, must find expression in giving.
Friday: God And The Cross: Let us bring all our difficulties, great and small, into the light of God’s presence. It is not necessary to wait till we can get away alone. Just where we are, we can shut out for a moment the discord of the world-voices, silence our own thoughts and feelings, and the Inner Light will show things in their right proportions. Christ’s whole life was unconsciously one great sacrifice, one great triumph, one long expression of the sustaining power of God, and the perfect discipline of perfect love.
Saturday: God, The Source Of Peace: We need the extra sense of peace born of the knowledge that we are co-workers with God. Peace and anxiety cannot exist together. The very word anxiety indicates ‘division of thought’ now hoping, now fearing. So St. Paul exhorts “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Phil 4:6. We need to breathe in deeply God’s peace until it becomes a part of our very being.