Bernard: the honor to God

Saturday, June 29, 2013
    Feast of Peter & Paul, Apostles
Meditation:
    For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
    —Romans 12:3 (NIV)
Quotation:
    We must see that we do not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, as happens when we foolishly impute to ourselves whatever good may be in us. But far more than either of these kinds of ignorance, we must hate and shun that presumption which would lead us to glory in goods not our own, knowing that they are not of ourselves but of God, and yet not fearing to rob God of the honor due unto Him.
    ... Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153), On Loving God, CCEL, ch. 2, p. 6 (see the book)
    See also Rom. 12:3; Mic. 6:8; Matt. 18:1-4; Luke 11:43; 18:10-14; 1 Cor. 4:7; Gal. 6:3; Eph. 4:7; Phil. 2:3-4; Col. 2:13-14; 1 Pet. 5:5
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, to You belongs all glory and honor. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Irenaeus: the Incarnation

Friday, June 28, 2013
    Feast of Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Teacher, Martyr, c.200
Meditation:
    Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
    —John 1:12-13 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It was for this end that the Word of God was made man, and He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that man, having been taken into the Word, and receiving the adoption, might become the son of God.
    ... Irenaeus (c.130-c.200), from Adversus Haereses, The Writings of Irenaeus, v. I, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1868, III.xix.2, p. 345 (see the book)
    See also John 1:12-14; 20:17; Rom. 8:13-14; 9:8; Gal. 3:26; 4:4-7; Eph. 1:4-6; 2:19-20; Heb. 2:10; 1 John 4:4
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your children are listening to Your voice. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Hanson: the Servant of all

Thursday, June 27, 2013
Meditation:
    Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
    —Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)
Quotation:
    How did Jesus show his authority? Not by making vast claims for himself, though such claims were implicit. His authority seemed to reside in what he was and what he did rather than in what he specifically claimed to be. Especially in Mark’s Gospel there is an elusive quality about his authority, the mystery of the hidden Messiah. His authority was at the same time most deeply hidden and most clearly expressed by his servanthood... The more the Church in its life shows forth the character of the Servant, the more will its teaching bear the marks of the authority of the Servant.
    ... Anthony T. Hanson (1916-1991), The Church of the Servant, London: SCM Press, 1962, p. 113 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 20:25-28; Isa. 53:2-12; Matt. 7:28-29; Mark 9:35; 10:42-45; Luke 14:11; 22:25-27; John 13:13-16; Phil. 2:5-8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant the Spirit of Servanthood to Your church. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Grou: the price of a soul

Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”
    —Matthew 18:12-14 (NIV)
Quotation:
    A Soul is a very precious thing, and that if Jesus thought it worth so infinite a price, we can scarcely estimate it too highly, or shrink from proving our belief in its value, by co-operating with Him for its salvation. Look at the Cross, if you would learn the true value of a soul, your own soul, the soul of each human being for whom you can do somewhat; measure and weigh your life, your sufferings, your joys, your hopes, by that standard.
    ... Jean Nicolas Grou (1731-1803), The Hidden Life of the Soul, London: Rivingtons, 1870, p. 238-239 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 18:12-13; John 13:35; Gal. 6:2; Eph. 4:1-3; Jas. 2:15-16; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 3:14,18-20
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I was lost when You found me. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Owen: new allegiances

Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Meditation:
    For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
    —Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The Gospel leaves men, unless upon extraordinary occasions, their names, their reputations, their wealth and honours, if lawfully obtained and possessed; but the league that is between the mind and these things in all natural men must be broken. They must be no longer looked upon as the chiefest good, or in the place thereof.
    ... John Owen (1616-1683), III.4 in A Discourse Concerning Holy Spirit, bk. I-V [1674], in Works of John Owen, v. III, London: Johnson & Hunter, 1852, p. 277 (see the book)
    See also Tit. 2:11-14; Isa. 33:6; Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:33-34; 16:13; 2 Cor. 4:18; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:1-5; 1 Pet. 4:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are the great treasure in my life. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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de Sales: complaint and self-love

Monday, June 24, 2013
    Feast of the Birth of John the Baptist
Meditation:
    Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
    —Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Complain as little as possible of your wrongs, for, as a general rule you may be sure that complaining is sin: [because] self-love always magnifies our injuries.
    ... François de Sales (1567-1622), Introduction to the Devout Life [1609], London: Rivingtons, 1876, III.iii, p. 139 (see the book)
    See also Phil. 2:14-16; Rom. 4:2; Gal. 6:2; Phil. 2:4; 2 Tim. 3:2-4; Philemon 1:18; Jas. 5:9; 1 Pet. 2:12,20; 1 John 3:17
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, reduce my concerns about myself and magnify concerns for others. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Barth: the eternal present

Sunday, June 23, 2013
    Feast of Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely, c.678
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
    —Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV)
Quotation:
    In the kingdom of God there are no other tasks than those of the present.
    ... Karl Barth (1886-1968), from “Be Not Anxious!”, in Come Holy Spirit: Sermons, New York: Round Table Press, 1933, reprint, Mowbrays, 1978, p. 99 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 5:23-24; Ps. 37:5; Matt. 6:25,34; 8:21-22; 19:21; Luke 9:23; 12:11-12,22; John 5:8-11; Phil. 4:6; Heb. 13:5-6; 1 Pet. 5:7
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, let there be no delay in my following You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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