Daily Worship

Recognising the Spirit

Keith Ross June 08, 2017 0 0
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John 20: 19-23

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

We cannot stop our thoughts, our emotions, our memories, our internal dialogue but we can reconfigure where we focus our attention. The call to be reshaped by the Spirit is not about resisting such immersion but it encourages us in prayer to accept God’s forgiveness and return to a God focus. By using our sacred words and images we can develop a ‘God honed’ perspective and perception. The Risen Lord can be encountered in many unexpected and unusual situations. The trick is to recognise Him.

 

Prayer

 

Lord, may the hard drive of my nature be rooted in the creativity of Your loving presence. As the fruits of Your spirit are embedded deep in my soul. I give thanks for the blessings of the values of love, kindness, gentleness, patience, humility and compassion provided.

 

Bring this lens to heart and mind when life’s encounters are full of anxiety, frustration, anger, jealousy, envy, and self-centredness. Forgive us, as we forgive others, when the programmes and applications of life are centred around those values that can block Your presence and provide a harmful example of life.

 

Help me Lord, to develop an awareness to change my heart. Be present when I feel a sense of drifting from You and the ways of the kingdom. Root my faith, motivation, and action firmly in a model that Jesus taught his disciples.

 

Teach me by example, heal by Your grace, profess by wise and gentle words, and challenge me to respond by rewiring how I practise the Christian life You call us to lead. Amen.