July 28

“I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

“No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

These are two of my favorite verses in Scripture (I know I say that a lot), and how perfectly do they go together!

Getting to spend one day with our Lord supersedes any day anywhere else; so how important is it that I make sure the garden of my heart is full of wheat… and not weeds!
You see, what we do matters; who we are matters; how we treat others matters.

Our actions are a reflection of what we believe. If we truly believe He is who He says He is, then we are who He says we are— His people. Thus, our actions should reflect that.

Let’s keep in mind how beautiful our days with Him will be, because of how beautiful they currently are. And while we are at it, let’s live it!

July 27

Four choices:

A. The seed sown on the path
B. The seed sown on rocky ground
C. The seed sown among thorns
D. The seed sown on rich soil

I remember reading this passage years ago and thinking I was for sure living as if I was the seed sown among rich soil; how could I not be?! And then God started to pull up the roots… and I realized I was no where near rich soil. And He replanted me.

Our lives are full of opportunities to explore where we are. Every day is a new opportunity to dig and replant. Looking at the root is so important. We cannot fully become all we were created to be if we are not planted deep in rich soil.

Reread the Gospel tonight, and ask our Lord where you are. Then, ask Him to uproot you, and plant you amongst the most fertile of soil. Then, watch Him water the garden of your soul. You’ll be blooming in no time!

July 26

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”

If you look back over your life, do you recognize the presence of God at work even in challenging times? When you stop to appreciate how far your spiritual journey has led you, do you see how much more wisdom you have today than years before?

There’s a real virtue in wisdom and to be able to know our Lord’s voice is a grace. How often we should attune our ears to hear that voice throughout the day!

If you were to make a list of three things in your life that our Father has let you see, what would those be? Now, what about the things He asks of you, but you pretend to not hear? What changes does He want you to make in order for you to truly know how blessed you really are? Open your eyes and your ears- He is calling out to you! Oh, how much He loves each of us, as if we were the only one!