Focus

Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.

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Read

Luke 18:18-30 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” He replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.”
Then Peter said, “Look, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

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Reflect

Have you ever experienced “highway hypnotism” wherein you find yourself 10 or 20 miles down the road and you “wake up” and realize you don’t remember anything about the drive or how you even got you there? In that same way, many of us are so covered up with stuff to do, stuff to care for, and agendas to fulfill that we have no time, space or thought to spare for the journey of life that is unfolding right before our eyes—let alone time to hear the call of Christ as we go. We who are blessed with so much stuff may become entrapped in it. Jesus wants more than that for us. May we open our eyes, our ears, our hearts and our hands to recognize and release what encumbers us so that we can perceive and receive the full life that God wants us to have and to share.

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Pray

God of Life, Remind us that you have more life to give us than we could ever grasp and hold for ourselves. Liberate us, mind, body and spirit from whatever holds us captive. Remove from us whatever gets between us and you. Show us the Way we should go and give us the courage to walk in it, by the power of the One who is the Way, Jesus our Lord we pray,
Amen.

Go with God!