Dearly Beloved,Grace and Peace to you.
Meditate slowly on these words.
Jesus said: Deny yourself
and take up your cross
and follow me.
—Mark 8. 34-37
Renounce the illusion that you are an isolated self
contained in your body alone.
Beloved, you live in God, and are a part of God,
a member of Christ’s body.
The Spirit in you is in all people,
with whom, in that Spirit, you are one.
Enlarge your loyalty from that illusory little “self”
to the whole.
Let the indwelling Spirit expand your heart
with God’s compassion,
compassion for all people.
In this loving kindness, be mindful
that you are given the willingness
to love all people, no matter the cost,
and even to suffer for them for the sake of love,
since your life is greater than your comfort.
In your willingness to suffer with others,
you are with Christ;
and wherever you go, the Faithful One is with you.
This is your deepest desire:
not to be securely self-contained,
but to be with God, in the most intimate way.
In compassion, even in suffering, this is your bliss.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net