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Home Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. May 06, 2009 - Wednesday Meditation (Do Not Quit!)
May 06, 2009 - Wednesday Meditation (Do Not Quit!) PDF Print E-mail
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Written by Bobot Apit   
Tuesday, 05 May 2009 05:24
Connect with Christ and be a winner.


Acts 12:24-13:5a
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6 and 8

John 12:44-50 
 
A nd Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. (45) And he who sees me sees him who sent me. (46) I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. (47) If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. (48) He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. (49) For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. (50) And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me."
    


* Meditation by Tim Dickel

T oday’s readings are from Acts, Psalm 67 and John. The reading from Acts describes the selection and sending forth of Barnabas and Saul to Cyprus by the Holy Spirit to “proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.”  The Responsorial Psalm appeals to all of us to give praise to God and appeals to God to bless us and for us to fear God.  And, in John, Jesus tells us that He has come into the world “as light,” and He warns us not to reject Him, for He speaks for the Father.  Jesus assures us that He knows God’s “commandment is eternal life,” for what He says is what the Father told Him.

As I reflect on these readings, I get stuck on the idea of “giving praise to God.”  What is praise?  What is enough praise? And, when should we be giving praise?  These questions come to mind, because I believe that in our world of plenty, it is pretty easy to view what we have, and what happens to us, as mostly of our own doing.  This works pretty well until we have things happen to us that are outside our control or want things that we cannot buy.

Nearly eleven years ago, my mother died in Oregon.  I prayed for her survival, but she died.  At the moment of her death, I had a choice.  I could be angry at God for not letting her live, or I could be grateful for all the love that she showered on me when she was alive.  I chose the latter and prayed with gratitude for her love and generosity.  This gave me a profound sense of comfort, and I was glad that I could view her death in such a way.  This started a string of prayers of gratitude.  During the week following her death, the charity to which I was giving many of my mother’s possessions could not find the 25 story building in which she lived, so they could not pick up my donation.  In sharing my frustration with the moving company that I was using, the clerk at the moving company asked if I would be willing to donate to her charity, and if I was willing, they would promptly pick up the donation.  I prayed in gratitude for God’s intercession at that time.  On the drive home to Omaha from Oregon, I forgot to replace the gas cap on the car at a remote gas station in Wyoming.  At the next gas station, also in Wyoming, I discovered my mistake, and when I asked the attendant if they sold gas caps, he told me they did not, but they had a box of gas caps that people had left behind at his station.  To my dismay, there was only one gas cap in the box, but praise be to God, it fit the car!

I certainly could be better at “giving praise to God,” but I am working on being more faithful at saying “Thank you, Heavenly Father” when His blessings befall me.  Whether it is when I cannot find something that I have lost, and suddenly it turns up, or when I narrowly escape another driver’s carelessness (or my own), I try to remember to say a simple “Thank you, Heavenly Father.”  I am working on being more faithful and more faith-filled, and I am finding that “giving praise to God” is a helpful act to move me in the direction of greater awareness of God’s presence in my life.
 
 

Supplementary Reading
Connect with a Winner


But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. – 2 Corinthians 2:14



When my son Robert was a freshman in college he had a tough time with a course in Russian. "Dad," he told me, "I think I'm going to quit." He didn't. Perhaps I helped with that.

I was in New York and saw a huge poster of a football player sitting on the bench. He'd thrown down his helmet, mud was on his face, tears were rolling down his cheeks, and his elbows were on his knees. He looked dejected. The big words underneath the image read: I quit.

Then in a bottom corner of the poster, shown from far away, was a picture of a black hill, and on the hill was a cross. Underneath the cross were the words: I didn't.

I bought the poster and gave it to Robert.


Don't be a quitter. Connect with Christ and be a winner.



* * *

Is there anything going on in your life right now where you're tempted to give up and quit? Wrap your mind around the image described in today's devotional and ask God for the strength to keep going . . . one day at a time.

* * *
    

Note:  This excerpt was taken from the "Power for Life Daily Devotional"
GOD BLESS US ALL!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.


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