Week 14 Daily Dose of Love
#92 (4/02)
Beware of False
Prophets
Matthew 7:15-20
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In
the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear
bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.”
Luke
6:43-45
“No good tree
bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered
from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the
heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that
the mouth speaks.”
False prophets bring out our false self. They make us feel good by creating illusions
that we have “made it” spiritually or that we are special, separate, or somehow holier than others. In the real
world that we live in, we can never be totally sure we are on the right path. The only way to keep our
hearts open is to be continually aware that the false self may try to sneak in at any moment, often using good feelings to
distract us from learning to love more deeply. False prophets are like drugs that provide a wonderful high for a little while.
The only way to remain high is to continue to take the drug, to follow and support the false prophet who makes us feel
good but leads us away from God while giving the impression we are moving closer. Love is not about feeling
good. It can be exhilarating, but at other times it will be painful and incredibly difficult.
True prophets live in the real world and struggle like the rest of us. They challenge us to face
our limitations and weaknesses so that our love can be fuller and more complete. A true prophet helps us
learn to open our hearts and deepen our love, to navigate the twists and turns of our world, and return to the path of love
every time we are pulled away by the temptations of the false self. Jesus tells us we can tell the difference
between a true prophet and a false prophet by looking at the fruits of their efforts. Simple questions
help to distinguish good from bad fruit: Am I becoming more open and accepting and less judgmental and self-righteous?
Am I more patient and compassionate and less certain and self-absorbed? Am I more humble and giving,
more empathic, understanding, and hopeful? Are the best interests of others becoming more a part of my
decisions? Am I more likely to see the larger picture and take the long-term view? Do
I see events within their context and recognize potential in the midst of problems? Am I more able to keep
my heart open when being criticized, ignored or resisted? If our spiritual leaders are not helping us to become more loving, they are not bearing
good fruit. Jesus tells us to beware! Reflection/Discussion:
What draws us toward a particular spiritual leader?
Principles of Love:
Vision; Commitment;
Pray through the Day:
Open our eyes
To deepen our love
#93
(4/03)
Saying “Lord, Lord...”
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day
many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds
of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you
evildoers.’”
Luke 6:46
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?”
Jesus is not impressed
by appearances. He sees them for what they are: fleeting images that cover up our true selves.
Going through the motions gets us nowhere with Jesus. The false self may put on a good show, but
it moves us away from God. To be truly loved is to be loved for who we really are. Loving someone
because of the quality of the show they put on isn’t love at all. Covering up who we really are with
the antics of the false self may impress some people but it hides our heart from others and ourselves. Jesus is the
personification of God’s love on earth. He is trying to teach us to love. It is
clear that we do not know him very well if we think that putting on a good show will bring us closer to his kingdom.
Reflection/Discussion:
How do let go of the false self while
living in a culture that rewards appearances so consistently?
Principles of Love:
Humility; Acceptance; Commitment; Vision
Pray through the Day:
Help us be humble
So we may love
#94 (4/04)
House Built on Rock
Matthew 7:24-27
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on
rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because
it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be
like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew
and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
Luke 6:47-49
I will show you what someone is like who
comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply
and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it
had been well built. But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground
without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”
Commitment is the
foundation of love. Without commitment, love is washed away by the first big storm in a relationship.
If we skip the foundation we can quickly build a beautiful and impressive. But
a house without love cannot become a home; and love requires a solid foundation that can only be built through deep commitment. Love isn’t
something that we fall into and out of; it demands loyalty and constancy in all kinds of weather. Every
storm successfully endured strengthens and deepens commitment. The process of opening our heart to another
person uncovers differences and obstacles that may have been long buried, sometimes by past hurt or betrayal.
This can be a painful, even terrifying process that makes us want to run away. When there is not
a foundation built on solid commitment, many conclude that “its not worth it” or that they “have fallen
out of love” or “chose the wrong person.”
Digging a foundation in Jesus’
time was slow, difficult work that demanded patience and perseverance. That’s exactly what love requires.
Reflection/Discussion:
What are the components of a solid foundation for our commitment to God?
Principles of Love:
Commitment; Vision; Suffering
Pray through the Day:
Help us to love
When our will is weak
#95 (4/05)
Jesus Speaks with Authority
Matthew 7:28-29
Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus walked the talk. He
lived the love. During his life on earth, Jesus experienced every obstacle to love yet continued loving. Spirituality is not so much a matter of learning about love as it is learning
to love. Karl Rahner was an esteemed theologian who spent his life learning about
God. He wrote, “Mere knowing is nothing. All it gives us is the sad realization
of its own inadequacy.” ... “How can we approach the heart of all things, the true heart of reality?
Not by knowledge alone, but by the full flower of knowledge, love. Only the experience of knowledge’s
blooming into love has any power to work a transformation in me, in my very self.” ... “Only knowledge gained
through experience, the fruits of living and suffering, fills the heart with the wisdom of love.”
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we make love the central driving
force in our lives?
Principles of Love:
Learning; Opening
Pray through the Day:
Open our hearts and minds
To your love and wisdom
#96 (4/06)
Jesus Heals from a Distance
Matthew
8:5-13
When he entered Capernaum,
a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.”
And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord,
I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For
I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another,
‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When
Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found
such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according
to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.
Luke 7:1-10
After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing
of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill
and close to death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and
heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of
having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.”
And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord,
do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume
to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority,
with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes,
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard this he was amazed
at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
John 4:46b-54
Now
there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea
to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then
Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said
to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son
will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going
down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began
to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” The
father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.’ So he himself believed,
along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to
Galilee.
Humility and trust are important components of faith and love. The centurion was a powerful Roman
who was humble enough to recognize who Jesus really was. He had enough trust to accept the word of Jesus
before he had any evidence to back it up.
Erich Fromm wrote “To love
means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved
person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love.”
Reflection/Discussion:
How do insecurity and overconfidence limit
our capacity to love?
Principles of Love:
Humility; Opening; Decision
Pray through the Day:
Help us be humble
So we may love
#97 (4/07)
Raising a Widow’s Son from Death
Luke 7:11-17
Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his
disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was
being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.
When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then
he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them;
and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his
people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.
Jesus is consistently
compassionate; it’s part of who he is and what he is all about. His spontaneous response to suffering is compassion.
Julian of Norwich defined compassion as “Christ
in us.” Compassion opens our eyes, mind, and heart to another person. We
understand how they see, understand and feel about what is happening around them. Compassion opens the
door to love and Jesus shows us that love is more powerful than even death.
Reflection/Discussion:
Where are there missed opportunities for
compassion in our daily life?
Principles of Love:
Compassion
Pray through the Day:
Open our hearts
To your creation
#98 (4/08)
Nowhere to Lay his Head
Matthew 8:19-20
A scribe then approached and
said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have
holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Luke 9:57-58
As
they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And
Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Jesus knows that
his earthly journey will not provide him with a safe resting place in this world. Love threatens the false self.
It undermines a world based on power, appearances, and manipulation. The world tends to fight back
to protect the false self. Those who are threatened by loving action tend to make sure that those who love
have no place to fully rest. Love is not an easy journey but it is the only one that leads anywhere.
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we keep our hearts open when we
feel persecuted, criticized, or alone?
Principles of Love:
Suffering; Acceptance; Opening
Pray through the Day:
Use our pain
To deepen our love
