The Life of Devotion

May/Discipline

10 May 2010

So then after writing the rule of the saints, and their customs, and devotion, Brendan returned to Bishop Erc, and received orders from him...It was after this therefore that there grew up in his heart a great love to the Lord, and he desired to leave his land and his country...

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, after an earlier ms.)

...train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

- 1 Timothy 4.7, 8

Brendan's parents devoted him to the service of the Lord. In order to accomplish this, they fostered him, at a very young age, to the school of Ita, who inculcated the virtues of love and piety in the child. After that, he was returned to his pastor, Bishop Erc, who taught him the Scriptures, the disciplines of grace, and the practices which would be required of a minister of God's Word. Only one thing remained before Brendan could be ordained to the Gospel.

He had to study and learn the "rules" of the saints of Ireland. The great saints who had gone before in the two generations since Patrick had encoded their daily disciplines and practices in various "rules." These summarized their practices in seeking and serving the Lord and outlined the rigors of a life consecrated to the service of King Jesus. Before a young man like Brendan could be considered ready to enter that life, he had to make sure he understood what it required, and that he desired to submit to it for the rest of his days.

It is interesting to note how our hagiographer observes that it was only after Brendan learned the rules of the saints "and their customs, and devotion" that he truly began to love the Lord and desire a ministry of his own. The lesson is clear: love for God and willingness to serve Him are not for the fickle or faint of heart. The life of devotion is a life of self-denial, cross-bearing, weeping and striving, and knowing the presence of the Lord in the midst of every situation. Only those most committed to discipline - to living by a "rule" - would be ordained to such a life, or would flourish in it.

Does your practice of spiritual disciplines lead you daily to love the Lord more, and to desire to serve Him faithfully? If not, then you have not yet found the "rule" that God intends for you. God calls each of us to a life of devotion to Him, but they only will find that life who are determined to train themselves for godliness so that they might gain the promises of God for this life and the next.

Today in ReVision: Neither/Nor, Both/And - Can we recover the true meaning of the Constitution?

This Week's Download: A Personal Rule - This document - recently revised and updated - can help put you on a path of devotion so that you love the Lord more and serve Him with great joy and effects.

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Converse with the Eternal

May/Discipline

11 May 2010

Brendan spoke to the brethren, and said, "O beloved fellow citizens," said he, "I am asking of you counsel and help, for my heart and thoughts are all fixed on one single desire, if it be God's desire, to seek the land which Barinthus told us of, the land which God has promised to the men who shall come after us."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven - whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.

- 2 Corinthians 12.2

Brendan's story receives its impetus shortly after he is ordained to the ministry of the Word. He meets a man named Barinthus who tells him of having journeyed to the Promised Land of the Saints - the place where Christ rules in eternal light, and where there is neither time, nor sin, nor day, nor night, a place of splendors and joys abounding.

In Irish hagiography from this period the Promised Land of the Saints seems to stand for what Jonathan Edwards referred to as the "beatific vision," the vision and, to a certain extent, experience of the unseen world of eternal glory. Irish saints knew that Paul had glimpsed this, Peter had converse with it, and John was able to look into the unseen realm as well. Why not them? Why not us?

At any rate, they longed for it, and they disciplined their bodies so as to be able to focus their hearts and minds on the vision of Christ exalted, so that the reality of Jesus seated at the right hand of God became a daily experience of God's glory for them.

You cannot engage this Promised Land of the Saints, this beatific vision of Christ exalted in glory, without a disciplined life of prayer, meditation, singing, and shutting out the attractions and allure of the mundane world. But discipline your focus to hold in a vision all that Scripture teaches about Jesus exalted, the unseen realm of saints and angels, and the beauties of Christ's heavenly court, and visiting that Promised Land of the Saints can be your experience as well.

And there you will know fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16.11). For that place is real, and it's all around us, and it's accessible, Paul insists, to those who know how to gaze with the eye of the heart, escaping this veil of materiality and engaging by faith the larger world which is, and is yet to come.

Don't you want to go there?

Today in ReVision: Neither/Nor, Both/And

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Driven by the Spirit

May/Discipline

12 May 2010

Brendan spake to them and said, "Fear not," said he,"for we have our God Himself as our guide and helper. And ship your oars, and do not toil or labour; and God will guide His own boat and company as He pleases." And they got a steady wind, but knew not wither the wind was carrying them.

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.

- Mark 1.12, 13

Brendan's mission was to sail north and west from Ireland, to minister the Gospel to whatever people he met on his journey, by whatever means seemed appropriate. For this mission he recruited a group of 16 companions, and they sailed west over the uncharted sea in a boat made of leather (a curragh).

Ten days into the journey they were becalmed, and wore themselves out rowing against an untoward sea. Then came Brendan's instruction, given above. The writer seems to want to use this episode to tell us that, early on in our walk with the Lord, we need to learn to trust in Him, to let His Spirit fill our sails and guide us, wherever He may want us to go. The life of discipline will only benefit us if we learn to listen for, submit to, be filled with, and walk in the Spirit of God.

And that's not always an easy row to hoe, as Jesus understood. Driven by the Spirit, He experienced deprivation, loneliness, weakness, and temptation. But sustained by the Spirit - as Brendan and his company were - Jesus knew the presence of God, the strength of His power, and the reliability of His Word.

These are important lessons, and only the Spirit can teach them to us. Would you describe yourself as driven by the Spirit in your daily life? Or are you struggling and striving with all your wits and might against all the adversity and obstacles of your life, but making no headway for the Lord?

Rest in the Spirit; listen for His voice, speaking to you from God's Word and His world. Let His comforting presence refresh and renew you, and submit to His leading. He'll fill your sails with a steady wind to guide you in the paths of righteousness, peace, and joy every moment of your life.

Today in ReVision: Skin Problem - Is the President a little touchy?

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Wholly Separated

May/Discipline

13 May 2010

After this Brendan and his company prepared to set forth; and he said to the brethren: "See, dear friends, that none of you hath taken anything belonging to this island in which we are."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you...

- 2 Corinthians 6.17

Brendan and his company sailed to a small island, where they took their rest for a season. The Lord revealed to Brendan, by some means, that a member of his company intended to steal a bridle from their hosts. So Brendan warned them all, before departing, not to take anything from that island with them. Alas, one of his company stole the bridle, and he came under the judgment of God.

Now this little vignette has a historical feel to it; however, its purpose seems to be to remind those who embark on the life of following Christ that they must not covet the things of this world. You cannot flourish in the life of discipline if you're always dragging the baggage of this world around with you. There must be a clean break from desiring anything more than the Lord and His Kingdom (Ps. 16.1).

That's not to say we don't have anything to do with the world, or that we don't use the fruit of the world to meet our needs and care for others. But we do not value the world above the Word of God, above the call of God to have no other "gods" besides Him; we must resist the temptation to covet the spoil of Jericho or be dipping into the treasury of the world for our own sinful purposes. We leave the world behind when we take up the call to follow Jesus, and the life of discipline helps us to resist temptations and stay firm in our resolve to go wherever He would have us to go.

For many of us, however, the world is too much with us, consuming our time, distracting us from Kingdom business, draining our affections into the swamp of mere frivolity, and miring us in the clutter and kudzu of our ever-encroaching age. What in your life, "belonging to this island in which we are," is keeping you from a more fervent, consistent, and fruitful devotion to the Lord Jesus? Whatever it is, cast it out, throw it away, and lay it aside.

What Jesus has for you is far, far better than any of this world's goods.

Today in ReVision: Skin Problem - The President, it seems, can be a little touch at times.

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A Fellowship of Grace

May/Discipline

14 May 2010

Brendan and the brethren remained for this period in the island...And when this time was fulfilled, Brendan bade farewell to the abbot and the brethren there, and went to his boats...

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

- Philemon 7

I cannot imagine an affirmation I would more want to be engraved on my tombstone than the one Paul twice gave to Philemon (cf. v. 20): he refreshed the hearts of the servants of Christ. What a great need this is in our day! Brendan and his company, on many occasions in their journeys, returned to a particular island where there was a community of monks who cared for them in the way Philemon must have cared for the saints of his own day.

The brethren of this community were humble and meek. They spoke not at all, except to praise God and minister to one another. They were generous with all their possessions, readily sharing their food with Brendan and his company and opening up their beds for the weary missionaries to rest. They exhibited a deep spirituality, singing the psalms as their abbot led them, praying the hours throughout the day, and worshipping together with dignity and joy. They were men who, because of the disciplines they pursued together, had no thought for their own comfort or needs, but consistently reached out to others to share, give, help, or encourage in any way they could.

No wonder Brendan and his companions returned to this island so often. Here they found friendship, refreshment, renewal in their vision and ministry, and the generous supply of all their needs. Isn't this the way churches should be? Members toward one another? Churches toward the people in their communities? In Psalm 48 the church is described as "the joy of all the earth," but I don't know many churches today of which their unbelieving neighbors would say as much.

Yes, I long for such a fellowship of grace - to know one and to contribute to one. The name of the island and the monastic community that served Brendan and all weary servants of the Lord so faithfully and selflessly?

Ailbe.

Today in ReVision: Speaker of the Hypocrites - Nancy Pelosi, homiletician.

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The Word in Creation

May/Discipline

17 May 2010

And when they sat down to table, a bird alighted that moment on the prow of the ship, and made music sweet as an organ with its wings, beating them on the sides of the boat. And Brendan perceived that it was telling them something...

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge...Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

- Psalm 19.2, 4

Celtic Christians believed what the Scriptures teach about the created world as a source of revelation about God and His will. They learned to "read" God's character and "hear" His guidance in the trees, lakes, hills, clouds, and creatures all around them. Scripture, of course, was always their final standard; still, many of the great Celtic saints demonstrated a keen ability to discern the Word of the Lord in creation.

This little vignette from Brendan's story - whose feast day was yesterday, by the way - illustrates the point. Brendan was pondering God's will for the mission he and his company had undertaken. How long would it be? Would they attain the vision of the Promised Land of the Saints? What will be after that? The appearance of this bird, beating its wings in a rhythmic and repetitive way, suddenly caused all of Brendan's musings and meditations to mesh as one, like the tumblers in a lock when the key is inserted.

God does speak to us through His creation. We just have not taken the time to listen, or made the effort to learn how to read His Word there. Great poets like Anne Bradstreet, William Cowper, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Denise Levertov, and Richard Wilbur give us some welcome insights into how we may acquire and develop this ability. But still, it all depends on whether or not we will.

A people who have not learned to hear God speaking in the Scriptures, and who do not eagerly and often resort there to hear Him, a people who do not make the effort to nurture the eye of the heart unto the vision of unseen things, such a people will gain no fruit from studying the creation to hear and read the Word of God embedded there.

But, knowing that God is speaking - God! - should we not lay aside every hindrance that keeps us from this effort, and, beginning with the Bible, nurture our ability to hear and heed the Word of God, regardless of its source? Where will you hear the voice of God today?

Today in ReVision: America's Petard

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Dead Skins

May/Discipline

18 May 2010

"Ah, dearly beloved son, why didst thou go on thy journey without taking counsel with me? For the country which thou art seeking from God, ye will never find on these dead soft skins, for it is a holy consecrated land..."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

- 1 Peter 4.3

Brendan's first voyage, in which he endeavored to reach the Promised Land of the Saints - a figure for the beatific vision of Christ and the unseen realm - ended in a failure. He returned to Ireland and went immediately to Ita, his former teacher and schoolmistress, seeking consolation.

She rebuked him for seeking that holy and consecrated land while sailing around on the dead skins of animals (Brendan's boat was made of layers of animal skins over a wooden frame). You can't get to the place of radiant life on the dead soft skins of animals. It may be easier to build a boat of dead soft skins, but a boat of sturdy timber is what Ita recommended, and on which Brendan ultimately realized his goal.

Again, this vignette has a historical note to it, but its main point is spiritual: you will not grow in your vision of Christ, and you will not engage His glory and fullness, as long as you are carrying around the dead weight of the sins in which you persist. If we know the Lord Jesus, the time for living in sin is past; we must lay aside the dead soft skin of sin and take up the sturdy timber of the cross of Jesus, dying to self and clinging to Him and His sacrifice for our entrance into the very presence of God.

Confession and repentance are daily disciplines every believer must learn to practice with sincerity. Take time to listen to the Spirit, as He searches your soul and life, so that He may bring to mind any sins of any degree or number. Then confess them openly to the Lord, and seek from Him the way back, via His Word, to the life of bearing your cross for Jesus (Ps. 119.59-61).

Leave the baggage of your old life at the foot of the cross. Look to Jesus and follow in His way. He will draw you near and make Himself more real to you day by day. The Promised Land of the Saints awaits those who journey there on the timber of the cross, rather than the strength of their sinful flesh.

Today in ReVision: America's Petard - Turns out it's not the economy, stupid.

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Servants of God's Servants

May/Discipline

19 May 2010

"And the first day that I came here there came to me an animal, called otter, and brought me a fish, and a hearth-flint to make a fire withal...And the same messenger would come to me every third day with this refection..."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.

- Psalm 119.90, 91

In Ephesians 1.22, 23 Paul wrote that God is putting all things - all of creation - under the feet of our exalted Savior and King, for the sake of the Church. Creation in all its variety, abundance, and beauty is given to Christ for His purposes in building and blessing His people.

Celtic Christians understood this, and the literature from that period includes many stories like the one introduced above. Brendan and his company met a hermit on a desolate island, who explained to them his experience with the otter which kept him alive until he could begin to care for himself.

Such accounts may have an element of truth in them; mainly, however, they seem to be vehicles for explaining the Celtic love of creation and their awareness of the sovereignty of God, Who supplied all their needs through the creation and its riches. Especially in certain of the poetry of this period does this fascination with, wonder about, and love for the creation come to the fore. It's beautiful to read.

We must not take the creation for granted. Creation-keeping and creational theology are important disciplines for the life of faith. God has put at Jesus' disposal all the wealth of the whole cosmos to care for His people as they pursue His work. Just as the hermit found creation sufficient and timely to meet his needs, so we do as well today. Do we take the time to appreciate the intricacies of God's gracious provision? And do we thank and praise Him for all the servants of His servants which He sends our way each day?

Today in ReVision: In, During - Whatever - Words matter, or, at least, they should.

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Good to Be Here

May/Discipline

20 May 2010

One day when Brendan and his company were traversing and searching the sea, they happened upon the little country which they had been seeking for seven years, to wit, the Land of Promise; as it says in the proverb, "He that seeketh findeth."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here..."

- Matthew 17.4

I'll say it is; it is good, very good to encounter the Lord Jesus in His glory. Like Peter and the others did. Like Paul did on the Damascus road and at other times. Like Stephen and John. The Holy Spirit of God dearly desires to bring each of us, with increasing regularity, into the very presence of the glory of God - the vision of Jesus Christ exalted - and there to transform us in His very image (2 Cor. 2.12-18).

Brendan and his company finally achieved the beatific vision, as symbolized in The Promised Land of the Saints. Note a few things: first, it took seven years of many trials, wrong turns, and failings. This vision is real and attainable, but we must be willing to work at it day by day, setting or fixing our minds on the heavenly things, until they flash out real and glorious to us (Col. 3.1-3). Second, they happened on this vision suddenly, almost unexpectedly. For only God can show us this vision, and He does so at His pleasure. But the more we seek Him in His Word and plead with Him prayer, devoting ourselves to meditation and waiting, the greater is the likelihood that God will bring us to this glorious vision, not once, but often.

Third, Brendan and his companions had a guide to show them around, "a certain elder", the text explains, who greeted them, told them where they were, and helped them to enjoy the place. Celtic Christians knew the value of Church history and the counsel of those who had gone before. They read the Fathers of the Church and sought from them wisdom and counsel in seeking and serving the Lord, and they found it regularly. In addition to these we have a powerful legacy of artists, poets, and composers to usher us into the presence of Christ and His glory. We ignore our forebears in the faith to our great loss.

Christ is exalted in glory and we, with the eye of the heart (Eph. 1.15-23), can see into that realm. If we want to. Do you?

Today in ReVision: In, During - Whatever

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Search and See

May/Discipline

21 May 2010

When they came to land, each of them kissed the other, and the elder wept greatly for his exceeding joy. "Search and see," said he, "the borders and regions of Paradise, where will be found health without sickness, pleasure without contention, union without quarrel, dominion without interruption, attendance of angels, feasting without diminution, meadows sweet in scent as fair blessed flowers."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven...

- 2 Corinthians 12.2

It's surprising how many places in Scripture give us a glimpse into the unseen realm where Christ rules at the right hand of God. The psalms, of course (2, 9, 35, 45, 47, 110, etc.) and many places in the prophets pull back the veil that separates time from eternity, giving us a look at the realities that are really there.

Revelation also provides many glorious insights - chapters 1, 4, 5, 14 especially, but throughout as well. In these many glimpses into the unseen realm we see Christ on His throne beside the brilliance of His Father. We see what He's wearing and smell the fragrance of His robes. We hear the sweet music He enjoys and observe angels and the "seven-fold" Spirit of God attending to His every command. The departed saints, still awaiting their bodies at the resurrection, are also there, and they are filled with joy as they sing praises to the Lord and bear our prayers before Him on our behalf.

Is this what the unseen realm is really like? It is the way God wants us to think about it, and with so many places in Scripture revealing a portion of the landscape of unseen things, and the promise that there, in the presence of the Lord, is fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore, I can only wonder why more of the followers of Christ don't betake themselves there more often.

Paul said that looking attentively on unseen things, gazing with the eye of the heart into realms we know of only by the Word of God, is the way to find stability and strength in this woeful world, and the place to go to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Brendan and his companions found their way there, and the story means for us to understand that the experience remained with them always.

Do you believe these things are real? And that you, by discipline, can find your way into the presence of unspeakable glory? You can. You should. Search and see.

Today in ReVision: Whose Kids? Government can't educate our children, and we shouldn't let it.

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Make Your Confession

May/Discipline

24 May 2010

Brigit said to Brendan: "Make thy confession." "I declare," said he, "that I never crossed seven furrows without turning my mind to God. Make thy confession," said Brendan. "I confess," said Brigit, "that since I first fixed my mind on God, I have never taken it off, and never will, till doom."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

- Colossians 3.1, 2

Brendan came to Brigit - the great 6th century Irish saint - seeking counsel whether there might be some sin in his life. An earlier incident in which he had responded in a wrathful manner was troubling him, and he needed to clear his conscience. He had met with the elders of Ireland, and they had searched the Scriptures together. He'd gone to Britain to meet with the great Gildas. Now, returning to Ireland, he sought the advice of Brigit.

When she asked him for his "confession" she probably meant something like, "Give me a quick summary, in your best way, of your walk with the Lord." Brendan's reply indicated that he didn't go very long in a day without thinking about the Lord (think of how long it takes to walk across seven furrows of newly-plowed ground). Brendan sought the same of Brigit, whose reply must have come as an indictment to the Navigator. She never let her mind drift from the Lord.

Brigid seems to have been saying - poetically, "at a slant", as Emily Dickinson would say - that if there was a sin in Brendan's life it wasn't to be found in the incident that was troubling him. It was to be found in his not setting his mind at all times on the things that are above, which, doubtless, was the cause of his earlier misconduct and, now, of his troubled soul.

What do we think? Does Paul mean it? Set your mind on the things that are above? Not just occasionally, but always, in every situation, in the midst of every task, having as the backdrop of all our thinking and doing the exalted figure of Jesus, reigning in glory, giving direction to our lives? Brendan's sin was a lapse of discipline. Our sin? More of the same.

The disciplined life begins in the presence of Christ, continues in the presence of Christ, and conveys that presence in word and deed at all times. Undoubtedly we are not fixing our minds on Christ as we should; why should it surprise us, then, that our lives are so spiritually shallow, void of power, and lacking in the hope that moves the lost to inquire?

Make your confession: Set your mind - always working harder at doing so - on Jesus.

Today in ReVision: Challenging Settled Assumptions - A lesson from secular economics.

This Week's Download: A Personal Rule - You really need this if you're going to set your mind on Christ.

The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of joy, as I explain in this week's "Kingdom Civics." For an introduction to Celtic Christianity, order the book, The Legacy of Patrick, from our book store.

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Make Your Confession

May/Discipline

24 May 2010

Brigit said to Brendan: "Make thy confession." "I declare," said he, "that I never crossed seven furrows without turning my mind to God. Make thy confession," said Brendan. "I confess," said Brigit, "that since I first fixed my mind on God, I have never taken it off, and never will, till doom."

- Anonymous, Vita Brendani (Irish, 12th century, from an earlier ms.)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

- Colossians 3.1, 2

Brendan came to Brigit - the great 6th century Irish saint - seeking counsel whether there might be some sin in his life. An earlier incident in which he had responded in a wrathful manner was troubling him, and he needed to clear his conscience. He had met with the elders of Ireland, and they had searched the Scriptures together. He'd gone to Britain to meet with the great Gildas. Now, returning to Ireland, he sought the advice of Brigit.

When she asked him for his "confession" she probably meant something like, "Give me a quick summary, in your best way, of your walk with the Lord." Brendan's reply indicated that he didn't go very long in a day without thinking about the Lord (think of how long it takes to walk across seven furrows of newly-plowed ground). Brendan sought the same of Brigit, whose reply must have come as an indictment to the Navigator. She never let her mind drift from the Lord.

Brigid seems to have been saying - poetically, "at a slant", as Emily Dickinson would say - that if there was a sin in Brendan's life it wasn't to be found in the incident that was troubling him. It was to be found in his not setting his mind at all times on the things that are above, which, doubtless, was the cause of his earlier misconduct and, now, of his troubled soul.

What do we think? Does Paul mean it? Set your mind on the things that are above? Not just occasionally, but always, in every situation, in the midst of every task, having as the backdrop of all our thinking and doing the exalted figure of Jesus, reigning in glory, giving direction to our lives? Brendan's sin was a lapse of discipline. Our sin? More of the same.

The disciplined life begins in the presence of Christ, continues in the presence of Christ, and conveys that presence in word and deed at all times. Undoubtedly we are not fixing our minds on Christ as we should; why should it surprise us, then, that our lives are so spiritually shallow, void of power, and lacking in the hope that moves the lost to inquire?

Make your confession: Set your mind - always working harder at doing so - on Jesus.

Today in ReVision: Challenging Settled Assumptions - A lesson from secular economics.

This Week's Download: A Personal Rule - You really need this if you're going to set your mind on Christ.

The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of joy, as I explain in this week's "Kingdom Civics." For an introduction to Celtic Christianity, order the book, The Legacy of Patrick, from our book store.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.