Whatever Happened to SIN?
Have you noticed that at the center of SIN is I?
Have you also noticed that SIN is an acrostic for Self Indulgent Nature?
The good and encouraging news is that if you insert a picture of Jesus with His arms outstretched in the place of the I, He and His blood will cover you and be the cure for sin and the provider of victorious life! Who else can you or will you trust with your life?
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Monday, June 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Chapter 34 - The Jesus Prayer
Chapter 34 employed 7 Bible passages to educate us about The Jesus Prayer, as follows:
Luke 18:35-43
Colossians 1:15-23
Ephesians 1:1-14
Philippians 2:1-11
Romans 6:1-23
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Matthew 8:1-17
Invocation:
“Dear Lord Jesus, may my prayers this day be bounded by my deepest needs on one side and by your greatness on the other. And may their expression be in simple longings and words that would lift my soul into your presence. Amen.”
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 34 was “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” by John G. Whittier. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. Amen.” (The Jesus Prayer)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Igumen Chariton of Valamo, Anthony Bloom, Morton T. Kelsey, Ira Progoff, Tilden H. Edwards and C. S. Lewis. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “Ten words in English…. Yet around those few words many Orthodox over the centuries have built their spiritual life, and through this one prayer they have entered into the deepest mysteries of Christian knowledge.”
· “…the Jesus Prayer brings together, in one short sentence, two essential ‘moments’ of Christian devotion: adoration and compunction. …It is a way of praying that anyone can adopt: …simply begin.”
· “We profess the Lordship of Christ, His sovereign right upon us, the fact that He is our Lord and our God, and this implies that all our life is within His will and that we commit ourselves to His will and to no other way.”
· “The beautiful thing about this particular type of meditation is that it can be practiced while we are typing a letter, cooking a meal, or driving the car.”
· “And just as this little word ‘fire’ stirs and pierces the ears of the hearers much more quickly, so does a little word of one syllable do the same when it is not only spoken or thought but secretly intended in the depth of the spirit. …It pierces the ears of the Almighty God more than does any psalter thoughtlessly mumbled in one’s teeth. This is the reason it is written that short prayer pierces heaven.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 34 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Luke 18:35-43
Colossians 1:15-23
Ephesians 1:1-14
Philippians 2:1-11
Romans 6:1-23
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Matthew 8:1-17
Invocation:
“Dear Lord Jesus, may my prayers this day be bounded by my deepest needs on one side and by your greatness on the other. And may their expression be in simple longings and words that would lift my soul into your presence. Amen.”
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 34 was “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” by John G. Whittier. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. Amen.” (The Jesus Prayer)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Igumen Chariton of Valamo, Anthony Bloom, Morton T. Kelsey, Ira Progoff, Tilden H. Edwards and C. S. Lewis. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “Ten words in English…. Yet around those few words many Orthodox over the centuries have built their spiritual life, and through this one prayer they have entered into the deepest mysteries of Christian knowledge.”
· “…the Jesus Prayer brings together, in one short sentence, two essential ‘moments’ of Christian devotion: adoration and compunction. …It is a way of praying that anyone can adopt: …simply begin.”
· “We profess the Lordship of Christ, His sovereign right upon us, the fact that He is our Lord and our God, and this implies that all our life is within His will and that we commit ourselves to His will and to no other way.”
· “The beautiful thing about this particular type of meditation is that it can be practiced while we are typing a letter, cooking a meal, or driving the car.”
· “And just as this little word ‘fire’ stirs and pierces the ears of the hearers much more quickly, so does a little word of one syllable do the same when it is not only spoken or thought but secretly intended in the depth of the spirit. …It pierces the ears of the Almighty God more than does any psalter thoughtlessly mumbled in one’s teeth. This is the reason it is written that short prayer pierces heaven.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 34 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Monday, February 2, 2009
Chapter 22 - Temptations
Chapter 22 used 7 Bible passages to illuminate the subject of “Temptations”, as follows:
1 Corinthians 10:11-21
Matthew 4:1-11
James 1:2-4
Mark 14:66-72
Matthew 16:21-24
Hebrews 2:10-18
1 Peter 2:19-25
Prayer:
“To share his victory we must share in his suffering. And this includes sharing in his temptations. Temptations can serve to strengthen us as they strengthened Jesus. Inquire of him how you might benefit in such circumstances.”
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 22 was “Yield Not to Temptation” by Horatio R. Palmer. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel, Ernest Boyer, Jr., George Fox, M. Basil Pennington, Elizabeth O’Connor, James Stewart, Thomas Merton, Hannah Whitall Smith and Thomas à Kempis. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “We do not refuse to pray; we abstain from it. We ring the hollow bell of selfishness rather than absorb the stillness that surrounds the world… the secret stillness that precedes our birth and succeeds our death. …Why do we not set apart an hour of living for devotion to God by surrendering to stillness?”
· “…the soul is matured only in battles. And when temptations started up again he did not pray that the struggle be taken from him, but only said: Lord, give me strength to get through the fight.”
· “We are programmed to see temptations as something evil: Lead us not into temptation. It comes as a bit of a surprise then when we read in St. Matthew’s Gospel: ‘Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.’ This is not quite what we would expect the Holy Spirit to do.”
· “These are moments God uses to put in the heart and the mouth the question, ‘Is there another way?’ …from learning there are two ways – one that leads to death and one to life – it does not follow that we enter by the narrow gate. The facts about the gate are starkly simple. One, it leads to life…Two, it is a hard way, and Three, few find it. …We do not ask for courage, because we do not know we have need of it. …This is where the religious lose out on the Kingdom. They assume that because they are aware of the two ways, and because they have chosen the second, they are on it. This is to fall comfortably into the sleep of the crowd again. It may well be a ‘religious’ crowd, but it is nonetheless a crowd.”
· “How did the story come to be in the Gospels at all? The Master’s fight with Satan happened out in a desert, far from the beaten track and the eyes of men. …Jesus was utterly alone… Clearly there is only one explanation: the story came direct from the lips of Christ himself. Why did Jesus tell it? …First, Jesus shared this experience with his disciples in order to help them through their own tempted hours. …second, …the titanic struggle of the desert days and nights had marked his soul forever… He could see and feel it … as if it happened only yesterday … the grace of God and the angels that had brought him through.”
· “Christian life is to be throughout a warfare. …temptations generally increase in strength tenfold after we have entered into the interior life, rather than decrease. …Strong temptations are generally a sign of great grace, rather than of little grace.”
· “…Let us, therefore, humble our souls under the hand of God in all temptations and tribulations, for the humble in spirit He will save and exalt.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 22 not quoted) mean to you?
Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
1 Corinthians 10:11-21
Matthew 4:1-11
James 1:2-4
Mark 14:66-72
Matthew 16:21-24
Hebrews 2:10-18
1 Peter 2:19-25
Prayer:
“To share his victory we must share in his suffering. And this includes sharing in his temptations. Temptations can serve to strengthen us as they strengthened Jesus. Inquire of him how you might benefit in such circumstances.”
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 22 was “Yield Not to Temptation” by Horatio R. Palmer. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel, Ernest Boyer, Jr., George Fox, M. Basil Pennington, Elizabeth O’Connor, James Stewart, Thomas Merton, Hannah Whitall Smith and Thomas à Kempis. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “We do not refuse to pray; we abstain from it. We ring the hollow bell of selfishness rather than absorb the stillness that surrounds the world… the secret stillness that precedes our birth and succeeds our death. …Why do we not set apart an hour of living for devotion to God by surrendering to stillness?”
· “…the soul is matured only in battles. And when temptations started up again he did not pray that the struggle be taken from him, but only said: Lord, give me strength to get through the fight.”
· “We are programmed to see temptations as something evil: Lead us not into temptation. It comes as a bit of a surprise then when we read in St. Matthew’s Gospel: ‘Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.’ This is not quite what we would expect the Holy Spirit to do.”
· “These are moments God uses to put in the heart and the mouth the question, ‘Is there another way?’ …from learning there are two ways – one that leads to death and one to life – it does not follow that we enter by the narrow gate. The facts about the gate are starkly simple. One, it leads to life…Two, it is a hard way, and Three, few find it. …We do not ask for courage, because we do not know we have need of it. …This is where the religious lose out on the Kingdom. They assume that because they are aware of the two ways, and because they have chosen the second, they are on it. This is to fall comfortably into the sleep of the crowd again. It may well be a ‘religious’ crowd, but it is nonetheless a crowd.”
· “How did the story come to be in the Gospels at all? The Master’s fight with Satan happened out in a desert, far from the beaten track and the eyes of men. …Jesus was utterly alone… Clearly there is only one explanation: the story came direct from the lips of Christ himself. Why did Jesus tell it? …First, Jesus shared this experience with his disciples in order to help them through their own tempted hours. …second, …the titanic struggle of the desert days and nights had marked his soul forever… He could see and feel it … as if it happened only yesterday … the grace of God and the angels that had brought him through.”
· “Christian life is to be throughout a warfare. …temptations generally increase in strength tenfold after we have entered into the interior life, rather than decrease. …Strong temptations are generally a sign of great grace, rather than of little grace.”
· “…Let us, therefore, humble our souls under the hand of God in all temptations and tribulations, for the humble in spirit He will save and exalt.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 22 not quoted) mean to you?
Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
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