This ancient Irish monastic meditation goes way back, to at least the 8th century. It is familiar to us as the hymn “Be Thou my Vision.”
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
(verses by Eleanor Hull, 1912)
Resolved: Lord God, be my vision in 2015 and beyond.
For once, I’m ahead of the deadline. I started my New Year’s spiritual resolution.
I’d finished a 40-day study on prayer (I can’t lie; it took me 53 days).
Me: What’s next, Lord? Consistency, maybe?
God: Worship.
And just in case I missed his message, I bumped up against worship at every turn–in conversation, when I was reading and at church.
God: You’re so busy getting ready for worship
that you forget to worship.
Good point–I do the bulletin and the powerpoint presentation. I put more effort into preparation than into worship. So now I’m ten days into John MacArthur’s True Worship.
It’s time for your New Year’s resolutions.
Make 2015 the year you establish a new spiritual discipline.
Worship, prayer, Bible study, meditation, simplicity, solitude, fasting, giving, service. Which one is hardest for you? Where do you most often miss the mark? What change beckons your soul?
Resolve to grow spiritually.
Hear Christ’s voice in troubled times:
Peace, be still. –Mark 4:39
Be still, and know that I am God. –Psalm 46:10
Be still, know Peace.
Not just the peace of God. The peace that is God. Be still for a few moments this Christmas Eve. Know Peace.
Matthew 5:9 (ESV)
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.
The only begotten Son of God, Peace.
There are things you can pray, do and say that will beget (cause, produce) peace. Be slow to judge, quick to encourage. Be the first to say, “I’m sorry.” Drop the grudge. Be kind and merciful to others. Pray that they will have Peace. And thus you will be called sons of God.
The fourth Advent candle stands for peace.
One of the names for the Messiah is Prince of Peace. When Jesus was born, it literally was Peace on earth. Which wasn’t the same as world peace.
When I say, “I have Jesus in my heart,” I am saying “I have Peace in my heart.” Which isn’t the same as peace in my world.
That first Christmas, there was no room for Peace in the inn. This Christmas, make room for Peace in your heart.
Forget about that old half empty/half full thing.
John 15:11 (ESV)
These things I have spoken to you,
that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be full.
Not half-full or half-empty. Joy full. Joy over the top and running over, that’s God’s gift to you.
Fill ‘er up, Lord!
Philippians 2:2 (NIV)
Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Paul got that one right. Nothing squashes joy like an argument.
I feel the tension of my Christmas to-do list. I get cranky. Not only is my own joy incomplete, I shred the joy of those around me.
This Christmas, give the gift of complete joy.
