Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’ “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
Devotional
Jesus didn’t have to switch off all the difficult feelings inside himself in order to be totally present to the moment and enjoy the celebration of riding into Jerusalem on the colt. Thomas Moore develops the concept in his book “Care of the Soul’, that the soul is capable of embracing many emotions simultaneously and can still be very present to people and the event at hand. This allows room for Jesus to be disappointed in the upcoming fickleness of the people and simultaneously to be joyful, gracefully accepting the celebration.
Question to consider
What can I lay down on the roadway to prepare for Jesus to be the true King of my heart?
Prayer
When I bow and lay my praise before You Lord, help me to have pure motives, no strings attached, not looking for something in return on this earth. Please clean me of any fickleness.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
The 40 days of decrease blogs have been inspired by the book “40 Days of Decrease” by Alicia Britt Chole.
Expressions from Summerside Community Church 