Doers of the Word

Posted on April 19, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

“Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.” – Mother Teresa

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Listen to my song “You’ll Lead Me” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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John 6:28-29

So they said to Jesus, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

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I am no expert on languages but we know that Jesus spoke in the ancient Aramaic language.

From what I understand, it is difficult to translate many of the original words into English.

There are no corresponding words that capture the depth of meanings.

In my opinion, it makes no sense that Jesus was saying in today’s scripture verses that you simply must believe he is Divine or, as many see it, the Son of God.

I would say that Jesus of Nazareth was stating that you must believe in him in the sense that you accept all that he taught and all that he did and that you then follow.

He wanted us to live out his teachings and do what he practiced.

Simply believing some mental construct in and of itself accomplishes nothing.

When the people asked Jesus, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”, Jesus wanted people to follow in his footsteps, to be his hands and feet.

This is how the works of God are accomplished.

This is how God’s kingdom will come on earth as in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Simply believing concepts as in agreeing that they are true results in little to nothing.

As it states elsewhere in scripture, “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

And also, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves” (James 1:22).

And what does Jesus teach us to do?

To be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).

To love God and neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-39).

To love your enemies (Matthew 5:44).

And to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned (Matthew 25).

This requires a lot of letting go of ego-centered desires.

It takes dying to the ego-generated false self so that the true self can be actualized.

This is the path to life to the full.

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Listen to the song of the day “You’ll Lead Me” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Be Still

Posted on April 16, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay

“As you walk upon the sacred earth, treat each step as a prayer.” – Black Elk

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Listen to my song “Slow Me Down” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Psalm 27:4

One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life.

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I don’t think the psalmist here is expressing the desire to be inside a church until death!

I think the psalmist is expressing a desire to live in the deep and abiding Presence of the Divine.

Sometimes this does indeed happen within the confines of a church.

But the Sacred is not confined to a building!

The Sacred is everywhere!

We each have experienced the Sacred in various places and ways if only in fleeting glimpses.

Perhaps it happened when you sat with a cup of coffee at sunrise and gazed at the beauty of the tip of the blazing orange orb as it peeked above the distant horizon.

Or the time when you looked into the eyes of a baby and the baby’s face lit up in joy.

Or when a beloved pet sat on your lap.

Or when you sat on the shore of an ocean and were overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of it all.

It’s in these moments when time seems to stand still and all is exceedingly well.

These moments come like gifts of boundless grace.

Why wait for those surprise moments when you can experience the peace of the Divine Depths right now?

Or now?

Stop.

Gaze at something near you.

No commentary.

No thoughts needed.

Just gaze.

All is well in this moment and this moment and this moment, etc.

Some form of meditation such as Centering Prayer is a great way to practice being present so that the experience naturally happens more and more in ordinary life.

Take in a deep breath, and then slowly release it.

Do this again and again.

Rest now in the house of the LORD.

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Listen to the song of the day “Slow Me Down” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Attitude of Gratitude

Posted on April 15, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by PopcornSusanN from Pixabay

“The triumph can’t be had without the struggle.” – Wilma Rudolph

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Listen to my song “Give Praise and Thanks” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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Psalm 34:2

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be always in my mouth.

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Praising God is easy when things are going well, but what about when they aren’t?

I think it would be good to realize that God is not “pulling the strings” so to speak, like we are all marionettes.

If God was simply responsible for making everything happen, our free will would have no significance.

As I see it, God is definitely in the mix, but is not making things happen.

We are all in a co-creative, cooperative relationship with the Spirit that is interwoven throughout all-that-is.

Due to poor human choices and perhaps simply the freedom of nature, sometimes hardships occur.

But God is not to blame.

God is love (1 John 4:8), remember?

As Love, God is always a Loving Influence covertly at work, like yeast in the dough.

And this Love will always transform the struggles into triumphs – if we cooperate.

We must accept what is, and then trust that Love will lead us through it.

As St. Paul put it, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I know in my life that it has been some of the hardest experiences that have resulted in the greatest transformations.

Many times I have found new directions that I never would have explored if not for the curveball that life threw me.

I’m not going to glibly say that ‘God is in control’ because I think that is questionable.

If God is in control, then God is apparently allowing all kinds of horrible things to happen without stepping in. That seems cruel to me.

But I do believe the Spirit of Love is always in the mix, trying to influence those who are open to hear, so that the tragedy can be avoided or at least transformed into a greater good.

As it says further along in today’s psalm, “Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him (and her) from them all” (Psalm 34:20).

This gives me reason to praise God in all things!

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Listen to the song of the day “Give Praise and Thanks” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Love Wins

Posted on April 14, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by David Mark from Pixabay

“And all shall be well. And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well.” – Julian of Norwich

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Listen to my song “The Way You Are” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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John 3:17

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

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To begin with, let us remember that God is love (1 John 4:8).

I can only tell you my experience of God, and that of many saints and mystics such as Julian of Norwich, who spoke of a Loving Creator.

The idea that we were put here on Earth as some kind of a competition to see if we could “make it” to heaven or be sent to hell simply has to be dismissed if we are to get to the life-giving message of Christianity.

A god who is putting you through hoop-jumping to see if you make the cut or go to eternal punishment is not a god of love.

So I see today’s scripture verse as an affirmation that the life of Jesus was meant to be our way to wholeness.

He showed us the self-emptying way of life, the path of dying to the ego’s insatiable desires, so that we could live as our true selves in the service of compassion and justice.

As Jesus put it, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? (Matthew 16:25-26)”

What a waste it would be to simply follow your ego’s self-centered pursuits your whole life and then realize upon entry into heaven that you didn’t live the life you were meant to live at all!

Mind you, you would still be unconditionally loved by God, but you would have done little to help bring about what Jesus called ‘the kingdom of God’ here on Earth.

This is our mission!

And when you are being your true self, you are also experiencing the inner joy of God’s abundance in your life.

God is always present but many humans are completely disconnected from that presence and are instead caught up in their minds’ incessant activity. (Meditation or Centering Prayer is a good antidote for that!)

Each person’s life has meaning and purpose.

It is a grand adventure for those who realize they are unconditionally loved by God.

All we are meant to do is reflect that love to the world in the unique way that each of us can!

That, my friend, is Good News!

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Listen to the song of the day “The Way You Are” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Facing the Truth

Posted on April 13, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Leo Karstens from Pixabay

“Evil originates not in the absence of guilt; but in our effort to escape it.” – Shannon L. Alder

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Listen to my song “Make Me a Channel” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the scripture reflection below. Thank you!

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John 3:14-15

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

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The gospel writer here gives us insight into scapegoating.

In the Old Testament, this was a literal practice in which the Jewish chief priest symbolically laid the sins of the people upon one goat.

It would be beaten and sent out into the wilderness to rid them of their sins.

It sounds preposterous, but it’s still a regular practice in which one person is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others.

When the Israelites were suffering in the desert after being led out of Egypt by Moses, they blamed the serpents which were biting them for all their misery.

In fact, it was their own lack of faith and trust that was at the root of their troubles.

God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole.

He was then instructed to lift it up, and all who looked upon it would be healed.

In today’s scripture, Jesus says he will be lifted up, as in nailed to a cross, so that “everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

In other words, Jesus would become the scapegoat to show us how wrong scapegoating is!

It would allow him to model the ultimate non-violent response to injustice, forgiving all for his murder.

Jesus’ sacrifice would also be his ultimate example of dying to self that he modeled his whole ministry.

He tried to show his followers and all who would listen that the self-emptying path is the path to abundant life now.

It’s the only way to become your true self and the open channel of God’s unconditional love that you were meant to be.

It’s how the kingdom of God, as Jesus called it, comes alive on Earth.

Believing in Jesus is not simply a mental exercise.

That has very little effect on the world.

Jesus means believing in him in the sense that you believe in his way of life and you follow it.

You and I are meant to follow the same self-emptying-path so as to channel God’s love in each of our unique ways.

If we do, we will experience the first tastes of eternal life…right now!

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Listen to the song of the day “Make Me a Channel” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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New Life

Posted on April 12, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by mikegi from Pixabay

“We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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Listen to my song “Breathe On Me” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the reflection below. Thank you!

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John 3:3

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

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Jesus tells us that we must have a higher birth, a birth in the realm of Spirit, in order to see the Kingdom of God in the here and now.

Many remain in the delusion of only seeing in terms of this physical, earthly realm.

But each of us is both body and spirit.

We each have a soul.

This soul is our true eternal self.

Unfortunately, many are so attached to their thoughts and mistakenly believe they are their thoughts.

Their identities get wrapped up in titles, labels, possessions and stories.

This is why Jesus also said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).

When one has many possessions, it is difficult not to be attached to them and in a sense be possessed by them, so much so that you are unable to see the work that your true self is called to perform in order to help bring about the “Kingdom of God” in this place and time.

It takes a ‘dying to self’ in order to awaken to your soul’s journey.

You must let go of the trappings of the false self so that your true self can come to life.

You must undergo a new birth by the work of the Spirit which Jesus likens to the wind that “blows where it wills” (John 3:8).

For this to happen, we must let go of control as well as our ego’s incessant demands for satisfaction.

This takes an openness to the Spirit and a humility that usually comes from the suffering and hard-knocks that Life mercifully delivers.

A meditation practice such as Centering Prayer is a helpful aid.

Take a moment now to rest in the peace of the Present Moment.

Allow the Spirit to awaken you.

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Listen to the song of the day “Breathe On Me” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Resurrection

Posted on April 9, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Geraldine Dukes from Pixabay

“For it is in giving that we receive…and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” – Prayer of St. Francis

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Listen to my song “There Is Three” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the reflection below. Thank you!

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John 21:12

Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord.

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The scriptures tell accounts of how Jesus’ followers had mystical encounters with him after his crucifixion and entombment.

It was through these encounters that they realized death did not end the life of Jesus.

There was resurrection.

He lived as the Christ, the savior of all.

Through his transformation, they knew that they also could look forward to eternal life.

In these mystical appearances, his followers seemed to not recognize him until he broke bread with them, or fed them breakfast along a shoreline.

It was in his sharing life with them that they recognized him.

This Life is the Love of the universe.

God, who is love (1 John 4:8), creates everything in Love and from Love.

When we are in harmony with this Love, it readily flows through us to others.

When we die to ourselves, Christ comes to life in us.

I remember early in my chaplain training when I visited the ICU for the first time, entering the room of a man who was dying.

He was unable to speak, but as I held his hands and looked into his eyes, I felt it was Christ looking back at me.

I wouldn’t have recognized him from the hallway.

Then there was the time a group from my church visited our sister parish in Guatemala.

We stayed in pairs with host families.

When we were welcomed at the home we would be staying, the man who lived there gathered his family with us at table.

He shared cake with us, lifted a glass of soda, and made this toast:

“I have waited years for this night. Jesus said that when you welcome the stranger you welcome me. Tonight, I welcome Jesus to my home.”

And the truth is, in our communal sharing of the soda and cake, he met Jesus in us and we met Jesus in him.

Christ is most definitely alive.

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Listen to the song of the day “There Is Three” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Divine Reflection

Posted on April 8, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by jplenio from Pixabay

“It is the self-planted in us by the God who made us in God’s own image – the self that wants nothing more, or less, than for us to be who we were created to be.” – Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

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Listen to my song “Pour Me Out” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the reflection below.

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Luke 24:35-36

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

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The two men who were rejuvenated over their mystical encounter with the risen Christ on their way to Emmaus, have returned to Jerusalem in today’s scripture.

They were in the process of telling the others the Good News that death did not have the last word with Jesus, that “he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread,” when another mystical encounter occurred.

Jesus shows up again amongst them.

Here we see the radical message of Jesus spelled out in his first words to them: “Peace be with you.”

Are you kidding?

Not, “Thanks a lot for turning your backs on me in my time of need!”

Not, “I can’t believe how dense you all are in not getting what I was trying to tell you!”

Not, “What is wrong with you!”

No.

There was no scolding or retribution for their callous abandonment of him.

Instead, Jesus offered them unconditional peace.

He forgave, just as he had forgiven all while hanging on the cross.

Jesus’ whole life was about dying to his ego’s desires so that God’s desires could rise in him.

He had perfectly modeled his teaching, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

The life Jesus found was in the service of those in need.

He modeled mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.

He modeled his command to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44).

His message of peace was not through only pacifism but in non-violent confrontation.

Jesus demonstrated how to serve those who are impoverished or oppressed, and to peacefully stand up to injustice.

We are called to follow his example and to do so without fear knowing that all struggles, even physical death itself, will lead to transformation and new life!

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Listen to the song of the day “Pour Me Out” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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One Body

Posted on April 7, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by qbtechnik from Pixabay

“The human being, endowed with intelligence and love, and attracted by the fullness of Christ, is called to redirect all creatures to their Creator.” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si

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Listen to my song “How Magnificent, Wondrous and Glorious” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Please support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the reflection below.

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Luke 24:32

Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?”

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Can you imagine the confusion and sadness of these two followers of Jesus as they walked on the road to Emmaus following his crucifixion?

They had such hopes that Jesus would lead them out of Roman oppression.

It had all ended in apparent disaster.

But then they came upon a stranger who walked with them on the road and explained how the prophets had foretold of the Christ and what would happen.

It was when he blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them, that they realized that they had experienced the risen Christ.

They realized it through his explanations of scripture and through his breaking of the bread and sharing it with them.

We can still experience the risen Christ in the reading of scripture and in the breaking of the bread and sharing it with each other.

The Spirit is alive and well!

But we must be present to the Spirit in order that our hearts might also burn within us.

Christ is still speaking and sharing the Divine Life with us in all of creation.

It’s all brimming with the animating Love of God.

It’s all being shared freely with us, like bread blessed, broken and given.

It’s all gift.

May each of us take this to heart and be willing to be blessed, broken, and given for the greater good of all creation!

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Listen to the song of the day “How Magnificent, Wondrous and Glorious” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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Sacred Listening

Posted on April 1, 2021 by billtonnis
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

“God speaks in the silence of the heart.” – Mother Teresa

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Listen to my song “Turn Off the Noise” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books at the links following the reflection below. Thank you!

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Luke 4:21

Jesus said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

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In this passage, Jesus had just read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah about the one who was to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind.

In the reading of that passage, Jesus recognized that calling in himself.

The scripture spoke directly to him.

Do you realize that scripture is speaking directly to you as well?

The prayer practice known as Lectio Divina has been very integral in helping to shape and change my life.

This practice, literally Divine or Sacred Reading, involves treating the time of reading as sacred.

Set aside a peaceful and quiet place.

The first time you read the passage, notice if any word or phrase draws your attention or causes a reaction inside you…even if it’s just slight.

Then, read the passage a second time, listening for a word or phrase that draws you or causes a reaction.

This time, sit with that word or words and ponder them in your heart.

Ask God if there is a reason for this reaction?

Perhaps it is due to something going on in your life?

Mull this over.

Rest.

Then read the passage a third time repeating the process, but this time ask God if you are being called to do something.

Allow the Holy One to speak in your heart.

Then, simply rest in gratitude for the entire experience.

The first sentence that Jesus read from Isaiah in today’s gospel reading was this: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor…” (Luke 4:18).

How has the Love of the Universe anointed you to bring glad tidings to those in need?

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Listen to the song of the day “Turn Off the Noise” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!

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