Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author
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Scripture Reflection: The Lord Knows Our Hearts!

5/28/2015

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"Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen.’" Acts 1: 24

Shortly after Jesus’ ascension his followers had to replace Judas to become one of the disciples. They were going to pick people who had been with them during Jesus’ ministry, by casting lots for they felt that God knew everyone’s heart.

What if we took that approach about the decisions in our lives. We may not be open to casting lots, however, asking for wisdom and guidance from God about the upcoming choices that we are facing in life seems like a really smart thing to do. So often we are influenced by things that we can physically see, or by someone’s opinions, or by what is talked about in our mass-media world. However, none of these methods gets to what a person is in their heart and soul, who they are at the core of their being.

We all have many choices that we daily have to make, some small, some larger ones, and we have times when we will make mistakes or errors in judgement. But be encouraged through prayer and reflection to ask for guidance and discernment from God through the Holy Spirit. Doing this will not make our lives perfect, but it could give us insights that we may not have seen otherwise!

Prayer, Lord of all knowledge, help me in my life journey to come to you for wisdom and discernment for all areas of my life! Amen. Vernon T.

Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved

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Jesus Prays for His Disciples and Us!

5/21/2015

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In the John Chapter 17 we have Jesus praying for his disciples. He prayed for them because he was about to leave them, and he wanted his Father to be with them. Just as Jesus prayed for his disciples he continues to pray for all of us today. Jesus is a model for us to follow. Praying for those you love or who are in need is something that all of us on this spiritual pilgrimage should take very seriously and try to do daily.

During my prayer time I have a list of family members, friends, church members, and situations around the world that are prayed for. Holding others up in prayer can cause us to reach out beyond ourselves to walk with others during their challenging times. Just as God through the Holy Spirit walks with you daily, you can walk with others as well. People do realize that they are thought about and loved when they know they are being prayed for.

Be creative in the ways that this can be done. During the year I place the Christmas cards that we have received in a basket, and every couple of days I pull a card. The family whose card is pulled is prayed for during meal times, and when Shirley and I pray together before we start the day. During my jogging time, I also have a list of people that are prayed for. Of course we can pray for others anytime, in the shower, in a car, on a walk, etc. Get in the habit of praying for others on a daily basis.

Just as Jesus prayed for his disciples and he continues to pray for us, please find ways to pray for others. May this practice help you in your spiritual journey to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ!

Prayer, loving Lord, please help me to pray for those that I love and for those in need, and may this practice open my heart and soul to be able to receive more of your infinite grace, love, and mercy! Amen. Vernon T.

Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved


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Scripture Reflection: Nothing Can Separate Us from The Love of God!

5/14/2015

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"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, not things to come, nor powers, not height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38-39

Think for a moment about the times in your life where you thought that all was lost, or you couldn’t see the end of a very long and trying situation, or someone’s death had caused you to become depressed and you wondered where God was in all of it. You may have had a time when you or a loved one had an illness that was life threatening, where everything seems uncertain with no possible good solution, all of us at one time or the other may have been in these positions before.

Just reading about or hearing about the tragic events around the world could cause us to question, does God really care about all of this human suffering? These world events often pain me because I don’t understand why humans have a need to impose pain on other humans for no apparent reason, however I continue to pray for both sides and try to place it in God’s hands.

Reflecting back on my own life, I most certainly have had trying moments. I don’t know if I have had more or less such events then others, however, it seems best to not compare my life to another’s life, just have each person look at their own. The situations that have caused me the most anguish have involved around my family. Looking back over the issues with my education, my work life, moving from one place to the other, or financial things don’t seem to be as dreadful now as it did when I went through them.

However, after my late wife’s illness and death I came to realize that for me the most important things in this earthly life were family, friends, and relationships. Of course my spiritual pilgrimage and my relationship with God were the most vital to me, but right after that was my family. Over time my focus was modified in that the things that I once physically worked for were no longer as essential. Like all of life, that period continued to change me, but this caused a more drastic shift.

God’s love was there for me through all of the stressful times of my life, it was just that often I couldn’t see it or feel it because the pain or sorrow was so pronounced, occasionally it was shown through others who were there to help me, and sometimes I just had to keep on walking to be able to see it again. Feeling God’s love through this caused me to look at life differently.

This is a very powerful passage that is often quoted and used for comfort. May it support you and may you have the faith to trust that nothing in this world can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This love will walk with you regardless of where you are at on this journey!

Prayer, Lord of love, help me to look for your comfort, support, and guidance no matter what I may be going through at the moment, and help me to daily remember that nothing in this world can separate me from your love! Amen. Vernon T.

Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved



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Retreat Reflection!

5/7/2015

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Last week I spent two days at a retreat center doing a self-directed retreat. Beside doing my prayer periods several times during the day I used two different books for reflection. Used was the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. She was a sixteen-century Christian mystic. Additionally used was An Open Heart highlighting the words and teachings on Buddhism of the Dalai Lama.

Even though these two people are different in so many ways, I found some similar themes in both books. They wrote about the importance of prayer and spiritual practices, of letting go of the things of the world, and of controlling one’s emotions in order to become more mature spiritually. These are a few of the aspects of the spiritual journey that they had in common.

Please be encouraged to be open on your pilgrimage to find spiritual truth from any number of different areas. I found aspects in both books that can help me on my journey to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ. Vernon T.
 
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    Author

    Vernon T. Jones earned his Master of Theological Studies Degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary after a lengthy insurance industry career. Jones has assisted people with incorporating into their faith journey the discipleship practices that are outlined in his upcoming book and his presentations. 

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