Prayer Practice
Spoken Prayer –Out
loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving
us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what
you hear from God through the passage.
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
True and Lasting Life
by Mary McGinnis
Last October I had surgery removing a stage one breast cancerous lump, followed by radiation treatments in December. Now, I am struggling with the side effects of my maintenance medication. This medication, which is meant to improve my life expectancy and diminish the chances of cancer recurrence, is leaving me with feelings of fatigue, slight disorientation, and not feeling quite like myself.
I am so incredibly grateful that my diagnosis was not worse and give thanks every day for my health. However, knowing that I will need to continue to take this medication for a least the next 5 years leaves me asking, “This does not really feel like living! Is this really the way I want to live for the next 5 years? What can I do?”
In today’s reading this phrase jumped out to me: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
I believe this man was not looking just to extend the duration of his life. He wanted the step-by-step instructions of what HE could DO to obtain that magical formula to ensure that he would enjoy a life, real and genuine, active and vigorous, full of purpose and meaning. He wanted an abundant life. And once he “obtained it,” he wanted to know how to make it last.
Furthermore, he wanted to find a way to make himself worthy of this TRUE, ABUNDANT LIFE that would have no end. So, he attempted to justified himself when Jesus pointedly revealed his inability to “love God and love his neighbor” as the law demanded.
Revelation 21:27 says, “Nothing impure will ever enter it (the New Jerusalem - heaven), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
I see a connection in the story we find earlier in Luke 10, the story of the 72 Jesus followers who had driven out demons. These 72 rejoiced that the evil spirits had been driven out by their command. They were being tempted to think, “We have done it! We have arrived! This is what TRUE LIFE is! What could be better than this?” But Jesus warns them, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
but
find inexpressible joy in what God is doing FOR YOU! Your names have been engraved in heaven, in the Lamb’s book of LIFE.
The final story in Luke 10 exemplifies this beautifully.
“But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”'
Mary did not concern herself with trying to be good enough, to make a good impression, to win Jesus’ approval. She eagerly and dependently sat at the feet of Jesus, putting her relationship with Him as her focus, paying attention to the “good portion” of LIFE giving love that was RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER.
Do you find yourself searching for answers, looking for how to have a life that is truly life? Maybe, just maybe it is right in front of you.
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Lord Jesus, thank You for being the spotless Lamb who
died for me so that my name can be written in Your book of life. Help me remember that this gift of true-life
eternal is freely given to me by what You have done. May I eagerly seek to know You more and drink
in the good portion of Your steadfast love for me daily as I sit at in loving
devotion at Your feet.
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