Week 31 Daily Dose of Love
#211 (7/30)
Faithfulness
in What is Least
Luke 16:10-12
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest
in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth,
who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is your own?
Little things matter in love. A little leak can sink a ship over a long voyage.
Each time we close our heart even a little we create obstacles to the flow of God’s love in our
lives. Regular small acts of love and kindness over time create a loving communicate more caring and concern
than dramatic displays of devotion that put us at risk for spiritual pride. Consistently
opening our heart in little ways helps us to realize the true power and beauty of love as it infuses our habits and attitudes.
Loving just a little bit more each day strengthens and deepens our capacity to love throughout our lifetime.
Reflection/Discussion:
What are some of the “very little”
things that provide us with opportunities to build loving habits?
Principles of Love:
Commitment; Decision
Pray Through the Day:
Help us to love
When our will is weak
#212 (7/31)
God Knows your Hearts
Luke 16:14-15
(No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either
hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”) The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him.
So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts;
for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.
Jesus tells us that God is disgusted by our world’s glorification of ego and greed.
He uses very strong language to make it clear that self-serving thoughts pollute the flow of God’s love. It’s
like someone pouring oily sludge into a clear mountain stream. We can clear all other debris from the stream
and beautifully landscape the area but the stream itself remains contaminated until the source of the pollution is eliminated. Creating the
appearance of devotion and righteousness easily masks greed and ego. We may fool ourselves and most other
people but it is absurd to believe that we can put something over on God. The good news is that God’s love
continues to flow within us no matter what we do. When we clean up our act and our intentions, the never-ceasing
current of his love washes away pollutants and cleanses our hearts, renewing and refreshing our lives.
Reflection/Discussion:
What parts of our lives tend to focus
on “what is prized by human beings”?
Principles of Love:
Nature
Pray Through the Day:
We were created
From God’s love
#213 (8/1)
The Law
Luke 16:16-17
“The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since
then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it
is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.
Before Jesus, God communicated
to the Israelites through the law and prophets. Jesus’ proclamation of the good news of God’s
unending love brings a new era that challenges us to open our hearts and lives to him. The law and the prophets were a
“logical and legitimate outgrowth” of God’s love for us. Clearly God’s love did not change with the
testimony of John the Baptist but the emphasis shifted from following the law to following God’s love in our hearts. Following the law leads us in the direction of love. Jesus gives us a more
direct route.
Reflection/Discussion:
How does seeing love as the basis for God’s law affect how we respond to it?
Principles of Love:
Vision; Opening
Pray Through the Day:
Open our eyes
To deepen our love
#214 (8/2)
Divorce
Matthew
19:3-11
Some Pharisees
came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?”
He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’
and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become
one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let
no one separate.”
They said to him, “Why then did
Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It
was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given.
For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and
there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Mark 10:2-12
Some
Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He
answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write
a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness
of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male
and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what
God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Then in the house the disciples asked
him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits
adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Luke 16:18
“Anyone
who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits
adultery.”
The commitment to love our partner leads to the highest and deepest levels of love that can be achieved on earth.
This is in no way a simple or easy process. Our efforts are consistently undermined by ego, fear,
and defensiveness. Honoring this commitment is often painful and discouraging because we are constantly
challenged to deepen this love. Transcending troubled times and working through difficulty requires that we accept and
forgive as we open our hearts and minds to realize the deeper potential of our partnership. Jesus makes it clear that is precisely what God wants us to do.
Reflection/Discussion:
What is the difference between loving
and being in love?
Principles of Love:
Commitment; Decision; Acceptance
Pray Through the Day:
Not my will
But
yours be done
#215 (8/3)
Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:19-31
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple
and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered
with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and
lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also
died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with
Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the
tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said,
‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but
now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has
been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’
He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that
he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They
have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but
if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen
to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
There is no evidence
that the rich man was evil, malicious, or wicked. He was simply distracted by his riches. The
problem with distractions is that they take us away from what is most important. Love easily slips into
the background until it gradually slips out of our lives.
The rich man probably had little
knowledge of Lazarus. He knew he was there but probably thought of him as part of the world that he preferred
to ignore. He clearly did not grasp the extent of Lazarus’ hunger and discomfort and did not have
a sense of their shared humanity.
When our heart remains filled with other things we
crowd out our ability to receive God’s love. We isolate ourselves from his saving grace and miss
the opportunity of eternal life with our creator.
Reflection/Discussion:
Where is Lazarus in our lives and what can we do for him?
Principles of Love:
Unity; Vision; Opening
Pray Through the Day:
Bring us together
In your love
#216
(8/4)
Faith
Luke 17:5-6
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If
you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’
and it would obey you.
Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Faith is belief in the power of
love. Things that seem impossible and even absurd on the surface become plausible through consistent loving
effort. Love opens our minds and expands our vision. It allows us to recognize potential
that is often hidden by defensiveness and judgment. God’s love flowing through us has the power to
transform even those who seem lost and distant. God’s love reaches out to every human heart. If our faith and
confidence can create even the slightest crack in the wall that isolates another person, our love can prime the pump in their
heart that reconnects them to the eternal flow of God’s love. Reflection/Discussion:
How can we learn to trust the power of love?
Principles of Love:
Opening; Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Open our hearts
To your love
#217 (8/5)
The
Role of Servants
Luke 17:7-10
“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending
sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare
supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the
slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to
do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”
There is no ego in the true servant
of God. No expectations, no anticipation of reward, no long-term agenda. In its purest sense, we love because that is what we were created to do. Gerald May wrote:
“By excessive concern for where we have come from and where we can or should go, we miss the simple truth of the here
and now. ...We are created by love, to live in love, for the sake of love”
“Normally
we try to turn our choices into projects. We try to control things to get what we want. This
is not appropriate in love. It is not even possible.” “(Love) invites dedicated practice but not achievement or competence. It is a conscious
choice toward openness instead of control. Saying yes to love is not a method for breaking the chains of
addiction or solving your problems, but a response to the essential goodness of love itself.”
Reflection/Discussion:
How would our faith change if we eliminated ego-involvement?
Principles of Love:
Humility; Acceptance
Pray Through the Day:
Help us be humble
So we may love
