My Lenten Devotional (Wednesday, March 20, 2013)

Gospel reading: John 8:31-42


"If you remain in My word, you will truly be My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."   --- John 8:31b-32


My offering to God:

I will do my best to read and study God's Word daily.

Lent 2013 (31st Day of Lent)

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

 

Germination

 

Today we recognize the rich seeds of Spiritual possibilities that have taken root in our hearts and we feel the abundant fruits of love, joy and peace that result.

 

 

The concept of germination is often used to describe the creative process and our crucial role in it. Jesus likened the creative process to a sower sowing seeds. Some seeds fall by the path and are devoured by birds. Some fall on rocky ground and, after growing for a while, wither away without sufficient roots. Some fall among thorns and are choked by the more aggressive plants. And some fall upon fertile soil and bring forth a rich supply of grain.

 

What are those seeds and what is the grain we seek? The apostle Paul offers a clear definition, "The fruit of the Spirit," he writes, "is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22). And the greatest of these Spiritual fruits are love, joy and peace.

 

"First comes love," writes Evelyn Underhill, "pure, undemanding, generous love... In hard, ungenerous hearts, the Spirit cannot grow and increase."

 

The immediate byproducts of this love are joy and peace. Peace and joy, Mrs. Underhill writes, "are not something we achieve at the end, but are there at the very beginning, in our soul's deep, long indeed before our restless surface-minds are ready to receive them."

 

 

 

reprinted from Unity's "A Season for Spiritual Growth"

Lent 2013 (30th Day of Lent)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

 

Discernment

 

Today we joyfully release the need to judge others and ourselves. We surrender to the loving discernment of our hearts and see from the perspective of God.

 

 

Judgment can be a confusing concept on our Spiritual journey, in that Jesus advises us to "judge not." But there is a difference between human judgment and Divine judgment. (Matthew 7:11).

 

Divine judgment is based in Spiritual understanding, and it means discernment --- the ability to recognize the most efficient expression of Spiritual energy so we can always choose the better path. Discernment is an essential Spiritual quality that allows us to separate thoughts based in love from those based in fear.

 

Human judgment, on the other hand, is a mental act based in sense perception. It is not seeking efficiency, but blame. Rather than affirming unity, it creates duality, and is rooted in a fear-based belief that someone must be wrong. This is not our role to assume; it is a misuse of the Power of God within us. An amazing transformation occurs when we simply take to heart our tendency to judge others and ourselves, and allow it to dissolve in Divine love, surrounding all judgment to God.

 

 

reprinted from Unity's "A Season for Spiritual Growth"

My Lenten Devotional (Tuesday, March 19, 2013)

Gospel reading: Matthew 1:16, 18-21 and 24

"'She will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.'"         --- Matthew 1:21


My offering to God:

I will accept and embrace God's Will and His plans for my life.

Lent 2013 (29th Day of Lent)

Monday, March 18, 2013

Patience

We affirm that the serene, calm, trusting Spirit of God within us now accomplishes all the desires of our heart. We rest in perfect peace.

Patience takes on a rich, deep meaning when applied to our Spiritual purpose. "Patience." Charles Fillmore wrote, "is a state of mind that beholds the world from the harmony of the Christ Mind, a freedom from personal thinking. It is an attitude of mind characterized by poise, calmness anbd a quiet restful trust, especially in the face of trying conditions. It has its foundation in love."

\

 Impatience can create great stress if it is based on the belief that we or others must do something in order to experience good. And stress is the greatest detriment to our physical and emotional well-being.

Patience --- true patience --- is not about surrendering to the artificial confinews of time, but about surrendering to the external harmony of God. Patience is an attribute of God; it can only be realized as we surrender our limited mindset to the greater Divine Mind within us. When our view of life reflects the perspective of God, patience is our natural statre of being.

reprinted from Unity's Lent 2013 "A Season for Spiritual Growth"

My Lenten Devotional (Monday, March 18, 2013)

Gospel reading: John 8:12-20

"Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
--- John 8:12


My offering to God:

I will spend time reading God's Word so I may be able to follow Him more closely.

Lent 2013 (5th Sunday)

 

 

 

 

March 17, 2013

 

 

Overcoming

 

We affirm that we are overcomers, according to the example of Jesus Christ. No external condition or circumstance can bind us as we rest in the realization of God's grace and power.

 

Jesus' ministry was a loving demonstration of the Spiritual growth we are called to explore and experience as we learn to heal ourselves and others and to express God's infinite love and abundance.

 

Yet the painful experiences that Jesus Christ endured --- especially in the final days of His human existence --- are also a model for our Spiritual growth. The lash, the crown of thorns, the mockery, the stripping, the wounds, the nails --- all of these are representative of what we encounter when our new way of seeing life conflicts with the fear-based judgments of others.

 

Our new Spiritual awareness does not guarantee a life free of pain and difficulty. On the contrary, our willingness to see things in a way that is at variance with established mindsets may well draw more such negative expressions our way. But we are also given the grace and power to be a source of positive energy instead of a victim of negativity, to know that no external condition or circumstance can hold us in bondage once we have awakened to our oneness with God.

 

 

 

reprinted from Unity's Lent "A Season for Spiritual Growth"