July 11

“Jesus summoned…” When we read scripture, it can be so tempting to think that the Gospel stories have nothing to do with our own lives and time in history. It’s easy to pretend that what happened while the Twelve disciples were living amongst Jesus has no influence on our day to day lives. But in not recognizing the precise relationship between the disciples and Jesus and each of us and Jesus, we ignore the voice of God.

Indeed, as He called the Twelve, so He calls us. Yes, He “summons” us to go forth and proclaim the Good News. Every single one of us! In fact, He summons us daily in still, small voices. When you wake up and are exhausted, He calls you to work for the Kingdom. When you’re at your job and bored with your tasks, He asks you to offer it up. When He tells you to wait and trust in His promises, He guides you through the darkness.
Each moment of our lives is a summon, a call, to follow His voice.
One of the most beautiful lessons He has recently taught me is to offer up any moment of discomfort for another individual. He has summoned me to make sacrifices, to go beyond myself for the sake of someone I love, trusting His plan and giving Him my heart.

His voice, although so gentle, is profoundly bold and mighty. His “first language”, indeed, “is silence”, and through it, His summons can always be heard.

July 10

“When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin, his altars became occasions of sin. Though I write for him my many ordinances, they are considered as a stranger’s.” Close your eyes and think about the last time you tried to do something without God.  Finding friends, starting relationships, looking for a new job, going on a vacation…how easy it is for us to do things without inviting God to go there first to prepare the field for sowing. Now, what about the times you have tried to eradicate sin from your life on your own, especially those things that have such deep roots?  What does it look like when we do this…or anything…without Him?  We fail.  And the things we wanted so bad don’t last because they aren’t fruitful…and the things we wanted to disappear keep coming back because it is impossible to remove the weeds without the gardener.

What if you tried to do things differently from today on?  What if you invited God to join you on this journey each step of the way?  What if you sought Him and trusted He would give you the desires of your heart?  And what if you recognized that your sins have already been paid for?  But without His mercy and grace and forgiveness, you will keep drowning with the chains of sin tied around your ankles.

Lord, I invite you to come with me from now on as I journey this life.  Father, bring me the friendships and community that can bring me closer to You…those individuals that I can also be an instrument for.  Give me the grace to trust in Your providence and goodness…that You will provide the desires of my heart.  Fill me with the joy that transcends my own expectations.  Remove all temptation and desire for sin from my heart and break the chains that pull me under.

Amen!

July 9

“I will allure her…and speak to her heart.”

This passage from Hosea got me thinking about marriage and what it means to speak to another’s heart. God speaks to ours, so we are to speak to each other’s. What does this look like?

“I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord.”

When a man and woman enter into marriage, they are espoused to each other. And if they’re speaking to each other’s heart, they are gently sharing a language of righteousness and justice, love and mercy, fidelity and honor… a language that leads the other to our Lord.

Each grows closer to our Father through that tender love of the other’s heart. What a gift He has given us in our vocations to speak into and through the heart of another!

Today, who’s heart is God calling you to speak to? Is it through prayer? Forgiveness? Conversation? Sacrifice?

Ask Him to show you the heart He wants you to shower with love and listen to His call!

July 8

“That I, Paul, might not become too elated, because of the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

These words from scripture are some of my very favorite lines. And here’s why:

I often talk with others about their crosses and the sins they struggle with, including their root sins. Paul reminds us that just because we have a propensity to do something doesn’t mean we should. I think we often feel as if we are the only ones who struggle with sin; and for each of us, those sins are specific and usually point to an underlying root. Sins of pride, vanity, and sensuality can often vary, yet sometimes, they overlap.

Here, though, we are reminded that God may not take that disordered desire for sin away; BUT He will give us the grace to endure. In fact, He will never let anything tempt us without the perfect amount of grace to overcome. Indeed, if He doesn’t take it away, it isn’t because you should submit to that desire; it’s because He is calling you closer to Him and allowing you to see your wretchedness without Him. What does He want you to learn? How is He drawing you closer to Him through it?

Tonight, spend some time with God. Ask Him to remove all sin from your life (and go to Confession if you need to this week). If a desire remains that doesn’t point to Him, ask Him for the grace to overcome. He will provide. “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened to you.”