Day 31 Focus: Transformed by God’s Love.
(Wednesday)
Level 1: (5 Minutes) As you breathe deeply today, allow your body to relax and accept God’s love into your being.
Level 2: (10 minutes) Do Level 1. After reading the scripture adaptation, highlight the words or phrases that awaken you today.
Adapted from Romans 12. Lord, my desire is to present myself as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to You… not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of my mind, to demonstrate that Your will in my life is good, acceptable and perfect. Help me not to think too highly of myself, but to have sound judgment according to the allotment of faith given to me by You. Help me to practice love without hypocrisy, to abhor evil and cling to what is good. Help me to be devoted to You and to my Christian brothers and sisters, diligent, fervent in spirit, as I serve You with joy. Help me to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, being of the same mind and not wise in my own estimation. I pray that I may be at peace with all men, never taking revenge, never overcome by evil, but always filled with good, in the holy name of Jesus. Amen
Level 3: (15 minutes) After pausing to breathe and reading the Scripture prayer, take 5 minutes to write.
Level 4: (30-60 minutes) I watched a show I had never seen before on TV last night. Not sure but I think it was called “The People’s Voice.” It is about public defenders. A young lawyer was assigned to defend a man who was an extremist. The lawyer disagreed with everything the extremist was pushing, but he still defended him. He said he did this because it was his job and that is what we do in our country. I would agree and I would add—that is what God wants us to do. The image of God that sits inside of all of us is not an exclusive gift for the chosen few. The image of God is inclusive, expansive and, while it can be distorted –it never can be entirely erased. I think the lawyer who proved that a man with horrible intentions, but who could not be convicted without reasonable doubt—had value
as a human being. He did not let an extremist turn him into a hater. Jesus did not let extremists turn him into a hater, either. Saint Steven asked God to forgive those who stoned him to death—and Saint Paul was among those watching as the crowd stoned Steven. I think of Steven’s act as true intercessory prayer.
The atmosphere in our country right now is toxic. My prayer today is this: I pray that I may be at peace with all men, never taking revenge, never overcome by evil, but always filled with good, in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.