WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: God is strange to us. While we are made in his image we cannot understand or contain God, however hard we try. Reflect on God’s ‘otherness’ and praise him in awe today. Exciting experiences Imagine you are Simon at this point. You have met this compelling figure and followed him, abandoning your livelihood. You have seen him heal your mother-in-law and crowds are gathering at your house to be healed and delivered by him. It’s exciting and frightening all at once because he is still a bit of an unknown, unpredictable. You might think the healings and miracles are the best bit and you want to see more of them too, or you might hope for the total transformation of Capernaum, your town, so it would no longer be the butt of every joke. A different agenda Jesus, however, has a different agenda. He is aware of his life’s mission and it moves him on but it also takes him deeper. His time with his Father in prayer was the source and direction for his ministry. We can tend towards either pushing forward with new ministry opportunities or spending deep time with God, depending on our personalities. Jesus models both. Respond: Reflect on your character: are you a person who is energised by moving forward or who prioritises going deeper? Ask God to balance you out today so that your activity is resourced and guided by the wellspring of his presence. http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-01-21