| Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author |
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"‘Prayer changes things,’ people say. It also changes us. The latter goal is the more imperative. The primary purpose of prayer is to bring us into such a life of communion with the Father that, by the power of the Spirit, we are increasingly conformed to the image of the Son. . . . None of us will keep up a life of prayer unless we are prepared to change."
Richard J. Foster "Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home."
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 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. . . . Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." Acts 2: 42-43, 46-47
This passage shows how the early Church Community functioned in the time right after Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The first few chapters of Acts give us a picture of a community that seemed to get along for the most part, and also attempted to follow Jesus’ teaching. They were open to being taught, they were in prayer, they shared their material possessions, and they broke bread together. They sought the will of God and looked out for each other, and out of all of these actions many joined their community. They also lived Day by Day! They didn’t seem to be overly concerned about the future, for they trusted that the Lord God would take care of them. Living day by day is also a good way to live on this spiritual pilgrimage. Trying to figure out where God may be leading you in the future can be very challenging. Most of the time all we can see is the next step on our journey. Attempting to look too far ahead may only confuse and overwhelm us. May you be open to living day by day as the early church lived and trust that the Holy Spirit will show you the long-range spiritual steps! Vernon T. Prayer: Lord God may your Holy Spirit guide me day by day, and help me to trust that my future is in your loving hands! Amen! Copyright © 2016 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved "Heaven [God’s Kingdom] is, consequently, as much now as it is to come, only yet to be in full. The more we sink into God, the more we immerse ourselves in goodness, the more we become the beauty around us–the more we transform evil into good, the more we love, the less we hate–the more we have of the heaven that is here, the closer we are to heaven forever. Heaven is not a place. Heaven is a process of growing fully into the fullness of Being."
Joan Chittister, In Search of Belief  "If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. . . . Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, . . ." Philippians 2: 1-2, 5
The Philippians’ Letter was written to the Christians living in the city of Philippi as a form of encouragement. This passage conveyed the importance of having the same mind that Jesus had, which expressed itself in love, compassion, sympathy, and in sharing the Spirit. The followers there were to live in unity, being of one accord. It seems easy to read in our Bibles about how we should have the mind of Jesus Christ, but very challenging, to say the least, to express this and then live that out in our modern-cynical society. There are so many strong forces, systems, and barriers around us every day, which makes even attempting to live this way, difficult at best. No matter how long we have been on our spiritual pilgrimage and taking part in our spiritual practices trying to have the mind of Jesus can at times be overwhelming. However, seeking to have a mind of Jesus, that is one of love, compassion, sympathy, and being led by the Spirit shouldn’t be thought of as an impossible task. From my own experience and from the writings of many spiritual authors, being faithful is far more important than being successful. Once we acknowledge that any results of spiritual practices belong to God and not to us that might help us to better understand our role as a disciple of Jesus. If we are faithful to our calling of striving to have the mind of Christ Jesus we have done our part, and what happens after that and around us is in God’s hands. Blessings on your spiritual journey as you seek to have the mind of Jesus! Vernon T. Prayer: God of love, may your Holy Spirit give me the courage to open my mind and soul so that it can be the same as Christ Jesus, and may this allow me to share your love with those I meet today! Amen. Copyright © 2016 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved |
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