Daily Meditation - Monday 2June 2008 - HOW CAN I CHANGE?

[BarbaraTherese]

Optional Memorial
Marcellinus & Peter

---

Mass Readings and Meditation

Today’s Readings

Meditation

2 Peter 1:2-7

Imagine the joy of receiving a package from someone dear to your heart—something you weren’t expecting. You immediately rip off the wrapping paper and open the box, where you find a heartfelt letter and a valuable gift. Wouldn’t you be deeply touched at your friend’s generous, unexpected gesture?

• Well, as a child of God, you have received a tremendous gift,worth far more than anything money can buy.
• God has given you a share in his own divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)! It is as if he has inserted you right into the middle
• of the life and love that are constantly flowing within the Blessed Trinity!

How amazing it is that God would give us such a valuable gift! Imagine the transformation that can occur in us as the concerns and desires of our heavenly Father—his own nature—become our own.

• This isn’t something we could ever produce on our own;
• it can only come from God.
• All he asks is that we open this gift and let it change our lives.
• Do you know the promises of God?
• Are you experiencing this divine nature active within you?
• God is calling us out of the bitter cold of sinfulness and into the warmth of his love.
• The more we allow his life to flow in us and change our ways of thinking and acting,
• the more we will experience his nature taking root in us.
• Sinful thoughts and attitudes will fall away, and they will be replaced by the virtues of faith, hope, and love.
• Longstanding patterns of sin and disobedience will finally be dealt with,
• ushering us into a new freedom that fills our hearts with joy.
  How can we experience this transformation? By practicing the virtues of faith, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7).
• As we do, old temptations and sinful ways of thinking will diminish.
• Repentance, forgiveness, and compassion will become a more regular part of our day.
• We will hunger for more of Jesus—and he will feed us.

Ultimately, we will find ourselves changing in ways we didn’t even expect, all because the divine nature of God is being woven into the fabric of our hearts.

“Holy Spirit, thank you for the gift of your divine nature.
May it fill my heart and transform me.
Help me to receive all that you want to give.”

 

[bwhite06517]

Who do you trust?

In today’s Psalm, we have the refrain:

In you, my God, I place my trust

Trust is an interesting concept. We can trust in things -when I walk on the floor, I’m trusting that it will not collapse on me. When I drive my car through an interesting, I trust that another driver will not run a red light and hit me. When I eat food, I trust that is will not sicken me.

We can trust in people. But … almost all people at one point or another lets up down (I know I have let my wife, children, parents, and others down at times).

Can we trust God? The answer is a resounding YES!!!

BUT … are there conditions? Also YES!!

Some of the rest of the Psalm have:

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, Say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Are we dweling in the shelter of the Most High? (putting Him first, giving Him our allegiance)

Are we in His shadow? (Practicing the ‘presence of God’ in our lives?)

Do we acknowledge Him as our refuge and fortress?

If so, that that TRUST is established!!!

American money has the word “IN GOD WE TRUST” - may that be so - both with our money and with our allegiance to God!!!

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Great observations and sharing, BW!

Can we trust God? The answer is a resounding YES!!!

BUT … are there conditions? Also YES!!

Can we trust God? The answer is a resounding YES!!!

This has me puzzled though
"BUT … are there conditions? Also YES!!"…Barb

 

[bwhite06517]

Great observations and sharing, BW!

Can we trust God? The answer is a resounding YES!!!

This has me puzzled though
"BUT … are there conditions? Also YES!!"…Barb

The conditions are on our side - God is always faithful!!! (HALLELUJAH!!)

The conditions as I see them (and they don’t change God’s committment and trust to us):

• are we faithful?
• are we dwelling with Him? (or do we trust in God only when it is convenient for us)
• are we acknowledging Him

To me, trust needs to be a two-way street. In this relationship (us with God), the one side (God) is always true, always faithful and absolutely trustworthy. To me, to make the trust a two-way street, we need to make our commitment to Him.

I hope I didn’t imply that God is not trustworthy - because He is!!!

BW

 

[BarbaraTherese]

The conditions are on our side - God is always faithful!!! (HALLELUJAH!!)

The conditions as I see them (and they don’t change God’s committment and trust to us):

• are we faithful?
• are we dwelling with Him? (or do we trust in God only when it is convenient for us)
• are we acknowledging Him

To me, trust needs to be a two-way street. In this relationship (us with God), the one side (God) is always true, always faithful and absolutely trustworthy. To me, to make the trust a two-way street, we need to make our commitment to Him.

I hope I didn’t imply that God is not trustworthy - because He is!!!

BW

Hi Bruce, been reading your posts for a while now and I have just noticed your name in your signature:wave:

No I dont think you would have implied that God was not trustworthy - it was the way I read it. I read it that His Trustworthiness is conditional, when of course it is unconditional God is Forever Faithful and Trustworthy in all things regardless. I think I am getting ‘mind cramp’ when the understanding starts to just switch off and won’t budge. Apologies!

Barb

 

[wina]

Great posts.Thanks

God bless