August 29, 2011

8-29-11 Monday, 4:58 am Springfield, 73 degrees, clear

On this my sabbath I am up early without an alarm nor an appointment, and I just might ride the Concours to Cassville and fish Roaring River. This afternoon we plan to work around the house. This coming weekend we will spend with David and Danelle and help them around their newly purchased house. Having bought it “as is”, there seems to be much work to be done inside and outside before they move in.
It is so easy for me to just sit and vegetate. I have two cats who do this all the time! When I consider the lives of Wesley, Merton, Peterson, Bonhoeffer I am motivated to diligently apply myself every moment. I also recognize the need for pace, recovery, and rest. The key I believe is wise focus, intensity, and direction.

2 Corinthians 3

Paul describes the glory that shone through Moses when he brought the commandments to the people, so that his face had to be covered with a veil, and he states that “how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory” (verse 9). Paul concludes “Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness … where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is great freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another;”

“In the midst of life we are in death.” So begins the liturgy for the graveside service of committal. In the midst of life … we see the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror. The common, unglorified daily life is so prevalent that it is good for me to be reminded of the reality of “the glory of the Lord.” Today for me I expect the glory of my precious Lord to be evidenced in quiet, ordinary ways. Today might be the day I enter into his glory in a new and different way. And in the ordinariness of this Monday in the Ozarks I can anticipate to walk with Him and experience His goodness without the veil, and as I am transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (verse 18).