Day By Day #5

Day by Day #5

MORNING/MIDDAY OFFICE

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading: Luke 17:11–19

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Devotional

God repeatedly invites us to cultivate gratitude—not just with an occasional prayer, but as a way of life. Consider just a few of the psalmists’ many commands to be thankful:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. (Psalm 107:1)

Sacrifice thank offerings to God. . . . Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me. (Psalm 50:14, 23)

Let us come before him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 95:2)

The problem is that we so easily take things for granted. At times, we even feel entitled. We expect, and sometimes even demand, that things in life go our way. Yet God invites us to give thanks for the big and small gifts that come into our lives each day. Why? We all depend—in every detail and moment of life—on him.

“Blessed is he who expects nothing,” said Francis of Assisi, “for he shall enjoy everything.” Francis understood that none of us can earn the beauty of a star in the sky or a sunset on the horizon, that our utter dependence on God is the very rock of reality. Irish poet and author John O’Donohue put it this way: “Because we are so engaged with the world, we usually forget how fragile life can be and how vulnerable we always are. It takes only a couple of seconds for a life to change irreversibly.”^a

One of the great wonders of life is that, when we make gratitude—expressing appreciations—a way of life, God changes not only us but also our relationships and the communities in which we participate, including family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and brothers and sisters in Christ.

Question to Consider

What two or three things from the past week are you most thankful for? (For example, good health or healing, people in your life, possessions, opportunities, trials, closed doors, spiritual blessings, etc.) Express your heartfelt gratitude to God for these gifts.

Prayer

Father, it is easy for me to walk around with a sense of entitlement and forget how fragile life is, how everything is a gift. Even as I live in a culture of striving and anxiety, teach me gratefulness and contentment—in everything and for everything. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

MIDDAY/EVENING OFFICE

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading: Genesis 4:2–8

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Devotional

The story of Cain and Abel illustrates our need to grow in love for God and for our neighbor at the same time. Cain’s broken relationship with God leads to a broken relationship with his brother Abel.

Jesus summarized the entire Bible in one simple, powerful truth:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37–40)

Five hundred years later, monk and abbot Dorotheus of Gaza pointed out that, much like the spokes in a wheel—which are separate but meet at the center—the closer we draw to God in love, the more we will be united to our neighbor.

In the sixteenth century, Teresa of Avila wrote:

There are only two duties that our Lord requires of us: the love of God, and the love of our neighbor. And, in my opinion, the surest sign for our discovering our love to God is discovering our love to our neighbor. Be assured that the further you advance in the love of your neighbor, the more you are advancing in the love of God.^b

The temptation to separate our love for God from our love for a neighbor has been with us since the beginning of time. But as Jesus taught, the heart of genuine spirituality is love of God and others.

Question to Consider

What is your biggest challenge in integrating these two loves in this season of your life?

Prayer

Father, I find it so much easier to be with you than to deal with tensions and conflicts in my relationships with other human beings. I open the door of my heart to you, fully and wide. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to grow today into an emotionally mature adult who loves well. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

^a John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings (New York: Doubleday, 2008), 49.

^b St. Teresa of Avila, Life of Prayer, ed. James M. Houston (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2006), 253.