Nov. 29, 2010
DEVOTION: Temporary Seductions...
By Beth Bondurant
In and out of the doors of the stores has been "the push" of society during this holiday season. Enticement to stand and wait for chances on a GOOD DEAL... has drawn folks out of their ordinary security ... in search of alluring attractions.
Blue Thursday...black Friday... and now brown Saturday extends the ability of advertising merchants to dangle the thrill of material gain at seemingly little expense... for days on end.
"When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy."
In all the frenzy... it is amazing how easy and simply we can be reminded "the reason for the season"... as we go in and out of God's presence and peace.
Whether it be as we stand in the midst of the crowd.... wait in the long check out lines... look for the exact and appropriate gift... be inundated by provocative sounds... be intoxicated by the smells of merchandising goodness... we enter the realm of God's presence and power in and through it all.
O God... help me to know you are everywhere... not just within the walls of a designated sanctuary. As I am pressed on every side by the weight of life, help me to "see you more clearly... love you more dearly... follow you more nearly... day by day". Even in the midst of secular seduction... your goodness and grace follows me and I can go in and out... "holding your hand". Help me to rejoice when I am intentional in coming "into the house of God"... when I am in my regular daily routine... and when "the way of the world" sends me spinning. The colors of the life seem to change at any given moment from black and blue to brown and red... from gold and silver to gray and yellow... and I need your strength to help me keep going. Forgive my doubt and impatience with the pain and problems that build up over time and "renew a right spirit within me"... as I constantly face these temporary seductions.
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DEVOTION: Temporary Seductions...
By Beth Bondurant
In and out of the doors of the stores has been "the push" of society during this holiday season. Enticement to stand and wait for chances on a GOOD DEAL... has drawn folks out of their ordinary security ... in search of alluring attractions.
Blue Thursday...black Friday... and now brown Saturday extends the ability of advertising merchants to dangle the thrill of material gain at seemingly little expense... for days on end.
"When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy."
In all the frenzy... it is amazing how easy and simply we can be reminded "the reason for the season"... as we go in and out of God's presence and peace.
Whether it be as we stand in the midst of the crowd.... wait in the long check out lines... look for the exact and appropriate gift... be inundated by provocative sounds... be intoxicated by the smells of merchandising goodness... we enter the realm of God's presence and power in and through it all.
O God... help me to know you are everywhere... not just within the walls of a designated sanctuary. As I am pressed on every side by the weight of life, help me to "see you more clearly... love you more dearly... follow you more nearly... day by day". Even in the midst of secular seduction... your goodness and grace follows me and I can go in and out... "holding your hand". Help me to rejoice when I am intentional in coming "into the house of God"... when I am in my regular daily routine... and when "the way of the world" sends me spinning. The colors of the life seem to change at any given moment from black and blue to brown and red... from gold and silver to gray and yellow... and I need your strength to help me keep going. Forgive my doubt and impatience with the pain and problems that build up over time and "renew a right spirit within me"... as I constantly face these temporary seductions.
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