Spiritual snacks

S A 2 Be desirous, my child, to do the will of another rather than your own. Getting the right balance between loving God, yourself and your neighbour is trickier when others don’t have this same objective. How can you appropriately follow God’s will in today’s society? Meditate on Jesus command “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and your entire mind” written in Saint Matthew’s Biography of Christ 22:37 How can we appropriately follow God’s will in today’s society?

Where, O Lord God, I even esteem it a great mercy not to have much of that which outwardly, and in the opinion of people, seems worthy of glory and applause. (CIoC)

You know what is fit to be given to everyone. And why this person has less and that person has more, it is not for us to judge, but for You who knows exactly what is meant for everyone. (CIoC) S A 2 The bible talks a lot about finances.   This quote suggests that we have no part in our financial outcome yet if one choses to learn; scripture can give us insight.   Crown Financial is a good study for finances from God’s perspective.

But the one who has received fewer, ought not to be out of heart, nor to take it grievously, nor to envy them that are enriched with greater store; but rather to turn one’s mind toward You and highly praise Your goodness, because You give Your gifts bountifully, freely and willingly, without respect of persons. (CIoC)

All that we have in our soul and body, and whatever we possess outwardly or inwardly, naturally or supernaturally, are gifts from You. As we contemplate upon this we can speak of Your bountiful, mercy and goodness. (CIoC)

Help me to understand Your will, and with great reverence and diligence remember Your benefits, in general and in particular, so I may be able to worthily give You thanks. (CIoc) S A 2     List what you’re thankful for. Call a friend and tell them why you are thankful for them.

“As for me and my household we will serve the Lord.” Joshua   24:15

Your works are very good, Your judgements true, and by Your providence the universe is governed. (CIoC)

Let others seek what they want instead of You; but for me, nothing else does or will delight me, but You only, my God, my hope, my everlasting salvation. (CIoc)

I’m a looser, and as it were imprisoned and loaded with restraints, until You refresh me with the light of Your presence, and grant me freedom, and show a friendly countenance toward me. S A 2 Not everyone who followed Jesus was a looser.  He called fishermen to follow Him. Nicodemus was a teacher and leader at the temple and he saw the system was not working and asked Jesus what he could do about it. And Jesus definitely had a place for folks who felt like they didn’t belong, sometimes because of their own bad choices. For instance, the rich tax collector stole lots of money yet over time he saw that he needed a friend like Jesus.  Read Karen Kingsbury’s book Friends of Jesus and discuss how her insights have affected your view of folks in and outside your circle.

 Garbage in usually means garbage out. (GIGO) We live in an age of information overload so how do we best protect our mind so we can get an appropriate margin of utility for each member of our family whether it’s our DNA family, church family and/or community family? A principal was told by a number of independent families that their kids had to take medicine to calm them down so he said he didn’t want to dispute the doctors but he wanted to try an experiment first. He suggested that they restrict all media to ½ an hour per week and have them outside for one hour a day.   They said they couldn’t because it wasn’t safe so he said then go out with them.   As a result, the neighbourhood cleaned up and none of the kids had to go on medication. Check out the movie Captivated for more details. Think about it.   Who or what is controlling you?   Is this producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…or are less ...

But some things draw us to love the world, others to condemn it. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, do draw us to the love of the world; but the pains and miseries, that justly follow them, cause a hatred of the world and a disgust thereof. (CIoC) S A 2 This makes me think of a hangover or a kid on the way the night after. Neither drinking alcohol nor having sex is bad on their own but the overall consequences need to be considered in order to maximize pleasure.   The Song of Solomon is an interesting book written by a Jewish King who grew up in a dysfunctional family. Protect your mind

This is what often strikes me down and confounds me in Your sight, that I am so subject to falling, and so weak in resisting my passions. (CIoC)

Have mercy upon me, and deliver me out of the sludge, that I may not stick fast within, and may not remain utterly stuck forever.

I resolve to act with courage, but when even a small temptation comes, I am at once in a great strait. (CIoC)

Oftentimes it’s a small matter that makes me sad and dejected. (CIoC)

I will acknowledge my sin to You; I will confess my frailty to You, O Lord. (CIoC)

A devout person brings one’s own comforter Jesus, and says to Him “Be present with me, O Lord Jesus, in every time and place” (CIoc) S A 2   This is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Blessed and true is the consolation which is received inwardly from the truth. (CIoC)

Although you should possess created good, can you be happy or blessed without a relationship with the God who created all natural things? Together with God, make your whole being blessed and content. (CIoC) S A 2 This reminds me of the statement "people are made to be loved and things are made to be used" but we seem to have reversed the two so now we use people and love things. Have you ever thought; we promote recycling of stuff; what about recycling of people?

You cannot be satisfied by any temporal goods because you are not created to enjoy them. (CIoC) S A 2 Is this a true statement? Maybe Rick Warren’s book the Purpose Driven Life can help here.

When o my soul, you cannot be fully comforted, nor have perfect refreshment; remember God is present and He is the comforter of the poor and the helper of the humble.       (CIoC)

S A 2 If I alone should possess all the comforts of the world, and might enjoy all the delights thereof, it is certain that they could not endure. (CIoC) Margin of utility is an economic term that suggests that the more we have something or have access to something the less we value and/or appreciate it. Is our margin of utility too small?