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Scripture
13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.
*I Peter 3.13-15a (Williams)
Wisdom Words
The early Christian community understood very clearly that each of us possesses and possesses right now, in this life, an eternal principle within us, something in our hearts that endures for all eternity - the Lord Christ. And so we are to "hold the Lord Christ in reverence in our hearts". ... This is the real challenge that each of us must face, to enter into the reality that is Christ ... because he is supreme love. ... The challenge is to find our way to him by finding the way to our own heart so that we can hold him in reverence there.
*John Main. Moment of Christ.
Even though God is glorious, he is still intimate. ... Will we never cease being ignorant of God? When we advise people to look for God in their own hearts, they are as mystified as if we had told them to look in some unexplored territory in a distant land.
*Francois de Fenelon. Meditations and Devotions.
You don't have to be in church all the time in order to be with God. We can make a chapel in our heart where we can withdraw from time to time and converse with him in meekness, humility, and love.
*Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God.
Comments
The ultimate sacred space is the heart. This heart is the center of the Self. Each of us has this heart. This heart is the core of divinity within us, giving life to all aspects of being.
Christ, who fills all the creation in His glorification through resurrection, has ascended, meaning in nontemporal~nonspatial language that the Word is unconfined by space-time.
If I return to my heart, Christ I find, for Christ, beyond space and time, filling all Nature, is in my heart. All outer sacred places are reminders of the intimacy of God already present for us each. We can look at the heart as a chapel, always open for us to return to throughout the day and night.
By returning to the heart, we sanctify Christ there. This means we set Christ before others and for ourselves as the final devotion of our lives and live truly spiritual lives, marked by a clear likeness to the spirit of Christ.
Suggested Reflection
In what ways do you sense God has gifted you to sanctify Christ in your heart and before others as a witness to Christ in all persons?
*Quotes from de Fenelon and Brother Lawrence are from Near to the Heart of God. Ed. Bernard Bangley.
Brian is available to respond to requests pertaining to seeking a Spiritual Director, his speaking, doing classes, workshops, or retreats for churches or other spiritual groups. He will inform regarding how to receive his other writings or offer replies to comments or questions.
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*Brian K. Wilcox is Pastor of Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. He is a vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community. His passion is living a contemplative life and inspiring others to experience a deeper relationship with Christ through contemplative prayer and living.
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