Gregory of Nyssa: His objective

Saturday, July 24, 2021
    Commemoration of Thomas à Kempis, priest, spiritual writer, 1471
Meditation:
    And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
    —John 1:14 (KJV)
Quotation:
    He who exists eternally did not submit to a bodily birth because He wanted to live, but in order to recall us from death to life.
    ... St. Gregory of Nyssa (331?-396?), oratio catechetica (magna) 32, in A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, second series, v. V, Philip Schaff, ed., New York: Christian Literature Company, 1893, p. 146 (see the book)
    See also John 1:14; Eph. 2:1-2; Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 2:13; 1 Pet. 2:9,24; 1 John 5:20
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have called us to a life like Yours. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Dod: the end of afflictions

Friday, July 23, 2021
    Commemoration of Bridget of Sweden, Abbess of Vadstena, 1373
Meditation:
    Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
    —1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions.
    ... John Dod (c.1549-1645), quoted in The Lives of the Puritans, v. III, Benjamin Brook, London: J. Black, 1813, p. 3 (see the book)
    See also 1 Pet. 4:12-13; Ps. 103:9-10; John 15:21; 1 Thess. 3:2-3; Heb. 12:5-6
Quiet time reflection:
    Through Your chastening, Lord, I come to know that I am Your child. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Calvin: death by Law

Thursday, July 22, 2021
    Feast of Mary Magdalen, Apostle to the Apostles
Meditation:
    The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
    —1 Corinthians 15:56-57 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The doctrine of the Law transcending our capacity, a man may indeed look from a distance at the promises held forth, but he cannot derive any benefit from them. The only thing, therefore, remaining for him is, from their excellence to form a better estimate of his own misery, while he considers that the hope of salvation is cut off, and he is threatened with certain death. On the other hand, those fearful denunciations which strike not at a few individuals, but at every individual without exceptions, rise up; rise up, I say, and, with inexorable severity, pursue us; so that nothing but instant death is presented by the Law.
    ... John Calvin (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion, v. I [1559], tr. John Allen, Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1921, II.vii.3, p. 316 (see the book)
    See also 1 Cor. 15:56-57; Deut. 30:19; Rom. 5:20; 6:14; 7:9; Gal. 2:19-21
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, without Your grace, I am lost. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Owen: fail but do not abandon Christ

Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Meditation:
    Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
    —James 4:8 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Consider that it is not failing in this or that attempt to come to Christ, but a giving over your endeavors, that will be your ruin.
    ... John Owen (1616-1683), The Glory of Christ [1684, 1691], in Works of John Owen, v. I, London: Johnson & Hunter, 1850, p. 428 (see the book)
    See also Jas. 4:8; Matt. 15:22-28; Luke 13:24; 22:44; Eph. 6:18; Heb. 12:1-3
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You reward those who persist. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Luther: the reason for the commandments

Tuesday, July 20, 2021
    Commemoration of Bartolomè de las Casas, Apostle to the Indies, 1566
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
    —Revelation 3:17 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The commandments are not given inappropriately or pointlessly; but in order that through them the proud, blind man may learn the plague of his impotence, should he try to do as he is commanded.
    ... Martin Luther (1483-1546), The Bondage of the Will, Revell, 1957, P. 160 (see the book)
    See also Rev. 3:17; Matt. 15:13-14; Rom. 3:10-23; Gal. 3:24; Eph. 4:18
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, only You can cure my blindness. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Bonhoeffer: patience in meditation

Monday, July 19, 2021
    Feast of Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, & his sister Macrina, Teachers, c.394 & c.379
Meditation:
    Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
    —1 Corinthians 14:1 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Above all, it is not necessary that we should have any unexpected, extraordinary experiences in meditation. This can happen, but if it does not, it is not a sign that the meditation period has been useless. Not only at the beginning, but repeatedly, there will be times when we feel a great spiritual dryness and apathy, an aversion, even an inability to meditate. We dare not be balked by such experiences. Above all, we must not allow them to keep us from adhering to our meditation period with great patience and fidelity.
    It is, therefore, not good for us to take too seriously the many untoward experiences we have with ourselves in meditation. It is here that our old vanity and our illicit claims upon God may creep in by a pious detour, as if it were our right to have nothing but elevating and fruitful experiences, and as if the discovery of our own inner poverty were quite beneath our dignity. With that attitude, we shall make no progress.
    ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), Life Together [1954], tr. Daniel W. Bloesch & James H. Burtness, Fortress Press, 2004, p. 88 (see the book)
    See also 1 Cor. 14:1-6; Ps. 94:11; 119:15-16; Pr. 30:8; Matt. 6:6-8; Col. 2:8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I am content with whatever You ordain. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Gossip: love's noon

Sunday, July 18, 2021
Meditation:
    Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
    —1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV)
Quotation:
    God’s love is a sun that never sets, and never sinks; is always, always at its full noonday glory!
    ... A. J. Gossip (1873-1954), From the Edge of the Crowd, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1924, p. 113 (see the book)
    See also 1 Chr. 16:34; Ps. 118:1-4; 2 Tim. 2:11-13; 1 John 4:8; Rev. 21:23-24
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your love is never less than it was and never more than it will be. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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