Quiet Devotions is a daily devotion based on one of the readings from the Daily Lectionary (as it appears in the back of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsburg Fortress, 2006). All biblical quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) unless otherwise noted. May these devotions help bring you in closer relationship with the Triune God.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Year B, Easter 6, Wednesday


Inspired by Deuteronomy 11:18-20

“You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead.”  Deuteronomy 11:18

Everyone lives by some guiding principles: fundamental beliefs that inform their priorities, their relationships, and their entire approach to life and how best to live it.  We all have them, but many of us couldn’t articulate what they are if we tried to.

If you’re not sure what your guiding principles are, look at the choices you make in your life.  Do you say you value family, but put more time and energy into work?  Do you talk about the importance of living within your means?  Do your bank and credit card statements agree?  Take a step back and look critically at how you spend your time and your money; this will help you see what really guides your heart and your soul.

Or think about this.  How would your closest friend describe you to someone you’ve never met?  How would a casual acquaintance describe you?  How about your worst enemy?  How other people see you is a helpful clue, because they see the persona you choose to project to the world.  They see your guiding principle as though it were an emblem on your forehead.

If you don’t like what you see, it’s not too late to change it.  God loved us so much that he gave us his only Son, and because of that love we live in a perpetual state of grace.  Keep the words of the Lord in your heart and in your soul, and let the truth of his love and grace guide your hand and be on display for all the world to see.

Let us pray.  Gracious God, you have gifted us with your Word.  Let your Word infuse our entire beings, that all we encounter may see your grace reflected in us.  Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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