Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6
Do not depend on the hope of results. You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself. - Thomas Merton
The purpose of this week's experiment is to help us focus on the meaning of righteousness, translated to mean 'divine justice'.
1) In order to go after righteousness, some have found it necessary to remove themselves from the mainstream. Jesus even drew back and isolated himself as a way to gather strength. Take several hours away from your busy life. Go to the park, a bench, the church altar, etc and limit the outside distractions like your cell phone.
2) Commit to reading three chapters of the bible this week. Read them expecting to hear something being taugt from God.
3) Take notes on your pastors sermon. Even better, try to make what you learned a part of life.
4) Take time to learn what issues are facing your local community council or parent teacher association.
5) Righteousness is being desperate for God and depending on him. What are some things that you choose to depend on rather than God? Make a list of those things and ask God for strength and wisdom to depend on Him instead of these things.
6) go to chainstorereaction.com and send an email to one of the stores asking them to do their part to end slavery.
7) When you choose to draw near to God and to hunger and thirst for righteousness, there is a price. That price is a longing to make things right. Make something right this week. Ask a friend for forgiveness, get over a grudge - whatever it is, make it right.
2) Commit to reading three chapters of the bible this week. Read them expecting to hear something being taugt from God.
3) Take notes on your pastors sermon. Even better, try to make what you learned a part of life.
4) Take time to learn what issues are facing your local community council or parent teacher association.
5) Righteousness is being desperate for God and depending on him. What are some things that you choose to depend on rather than God? Make a list of those things and ask God for strength and wisdom to depend on Him instead of these things.
6) go to chainstorereaction.com and send an email to one of the stores asking them to do their part to end slavery.
7) When you choose to draw near to God and to hunger and thirst for righteousness, there is a price. That price is a longing to make things right. Make something right this week. Ask a friend for forgiveness, get over a grudge - whatever it is, make it right.
1 comment:
Since Julie and I started moving around South Carolina in 2009 I have often been amazed (embarrassed, too) at how much stuff we accumulate. It took a 26' moving van and several smaller trips to get all of our stuff to SC and we have intentionally downsized with each move since. Even though we have shed some of our stuff, there is still clutter all over the place. It has really bothered me.
So last wednesday we were preparing to leave our hotel room and I saw an article in the USA Today about a book on minimalism. I thought the idea was great - get rid of all the stuff that is getting in the way of who you want to be. I clipped the article and stuck it in my journal to be read later. Then a few days later I found myself driving all alone while the rest of my crew was sleeping. So I found NPR and the guests being interviewed were the two people who wrote the book on minimalism. Everything they said drew me in because I knew exactly how they felt and what compelled them to change. They saw their stuff as obstacles to better relationships and they wanted time which they didn't have because they had to work so many hours to pay for all the stuff.
It seemed to me that what they were going through was a very spiritual transformation but they didn't discuss that at all. It really made me think about how it all goes together. As I was working it out in my head kids started waking up so I had to table my thoughts on it. But after leaving class this morning I checked my school mailbox and found the monthly Lutheran magazine.
The cover read: The spiritual practice of shedding stuff.
The point is to prioritize and remove the obstacles that are keeping me from being righteous.
Post a Comment