Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 47; Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 8:21-32; 2 Corinthians 10:1-6; Psalm 132
Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing of John 8:23 in The Message raised a powerful question for me to consider today. Let me set that verse up for you. In the two preceding verses, we are told that Jesus is speaking of his impending departure to a largely Jewish crowd when members of the crowd began to question him about what he meant when he spoke of going someplace where they couldn’t follow. Jesus responded to their questions by pointing something out: “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living in other terms.” The question that verse raised for me today is this: on what terms am I living my life? Am I living my life on mundane terms that are limited primarily to the physical realm - to those things I can see or touch - or am I living my life on different terms? On spiritual terms!? It would be easy to feel as if life conspires to force us to live in the realm of the mundane as the daily demands of our lives force us into certain patterns or routines( i.e. wake up, get ready, go to work, come home, eat dinner, relax, go to bed and then start the cycle over). I think such an assumption would be dangerous. For I don’t believe that any of the events in our lives are inherently mundane. Rather, it is our attitude or approach toward them that determines whether or not they become mundane. Today, as you go through the cycles of your life, I invite you to make a conscious choice to refuse to let the events become mundane. Look to Jesus’ example and determine if there are ways you can live your life on new terms. Terms that are not restricted simply to the physical – terms that are transcendent and take you to the spiritual. Til next time…
Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing of John 8:23 in The Message raised a powerful question for me to consider today. Let me set that verse up for you. In the two preceding verses, we are told that Jesus is speaking of his impending departure to a largely Jewish crowd when members of the crowd began to question him about what he meant when he spoke of going someplace where they couldn’t follow. Jesus responded to their questions by pointing something out: “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living in other terms.” The question that verse raised for me today is this: on what terms am I living my life? Am I living my life on mundane terms that are limited primarily to the physical realm - to those things I can see or touch - or am I living my life on different terms? On spiritual terms!? It would be easy to feel as if life conspires to force us to live in the realm of the mundane as the daily demands of our lives force us into certain patterns or routines( i.e. wake up, get ready, go to work, come home, eat dinner, relax, go to bed and then start the cycle over). I think such an assumption would be dangerous. For I don’t believe that any of the events in our lives are inherently mundane. Rather, it is our attitude or approach toward them that determines whether or not they become mundane. Today, as you go through the cycles of your life, I invite you to make a conscious choice to refuse to let the events become mundane. Look to Jesus’ example and determine if there are ways you can live your life on new terms. Terms that are not restricted simply to the physical – terms that are transcendent and take you to the spiritual. Til next time…
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