Thursday, March 18th, 2021
🔘 praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent
🔘 worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving
🔘 something that secures praise or renown
🔘 a distinguished quality or asset
🔘 a state of great gratification or exaltation
🔘 a height of prosperity or achievement
🟥🟣🟥🟣🟥🟣🟥🟣🟥🟣🟥🟣🟥🟣🟥
• God’s glory: the right glory that leads to life.
• Human glory: the vain glory that leads to death.
I got the idea of the stairs from reading the devotional today, Henri Nouwen shared his thoughts of upward and downward mobility regarding glory. Jesus lived his life as he would want us to live, by helping and serving the lost, the poor, the sick, and the outcasts. Jesus came to seek the lost and save the sinner.
Every time Jesus speaks about being glorified and giving glory, he always refers to his humiliation and death. It is through this way of the cross that Jesus gives glory to God, received glory from God, and makes God’s glory known to us. The glory of the resurrection can never be separated from the glory of the cross. The risen Lord always shows us his wounds.”(1).
“Thus the glory of God stands in contrast to the glory of people. People seek glory by moving upward. God reveals his glory by moving downward. If we truly want to see the glory of God, we must move downward with Jesus. This is the deepest reason for living in solidarity with poor, oppressed, and handicapped people. They are the ones through whom God’s glory can manifest itself to us. They show us the way to God, the way to salvation.”(2).
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” —Luke 19:10 NIV
“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” —Luke 5:32 NIV
Lenten M•I•C•R•O Practice for today:
~ Difficult Prayers – Day 26
In Matthew 5:43, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. A simple but transformative reminder for yourself is: God loves my enemies the same as God loves me.
Prayer
How often have I lived through these weeks
without paying much attention
to penance, fasting, and praying?
How often have I missed
the spiritual fruits of this season
without even being aware of it?
But how can I ever really celebrate Easter
without observing Lent?
How can I rejoice fully in your resurrection
when I have avoided participating in your death?
Yes, Lord, I have to die —
with you, through you, and in you —
and thus become ready to recognize you
when you appear to me in your resurrection.
There is so much in me that needs to die:
false attachments, greed and anger,
impatience and stinginess
O Lord, I am self-centered,
concerned about myself, my career, my future,
my name and future, my name and fame.
I see clearly now how little I have died with you,
Really gone your way and been faithful to it.
O Lord, make this Lenten season
different from the other ones.
Let me find you again.
~Amen.
~Charlotte, the Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.
References:
Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing
(1) Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing • Page 93, paragraph 1.
(2) Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing • Page 93, paragraph 2.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/
(NIV) New International Version Bible/Translation
(NRSVA) New Revised Standard Version Apocrypha
(NJBV) New Jerusalem Bible Version/Translation
HOPE SEEKER 
You must be logged in to post a comment.