Devotional and Discussion Quote of the Day:

²³  For I received from the Lord the teaching that I passed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a piece of bread, ²⁴  gave thanks to God, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in memory of me.” ²⁵  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup and said, “This cup is God’s new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 (TEV)

¹⁰  “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10 (NLT)

477    Why do you neglect those corners in your heart? As long as you don’t give yourself completely, you can’t expect to win others. What a poor instrument you are!  (1)

On Thursday, I had some medical tests done.  As I was laying there on the hard gurney, the nurse told me to stay still, as she was going to ram a large (it looked six inches long and an inch wide)  needle into one of my veins.  “Hold still,” she says.

Yeah. Be still.  Uh huh,

Think about this, you are laid back in the comfortable dentist chair, and the dentist smiles and says, this will hurt just a little, as he takes tools that barely fit in the room, and comes at you with sinister glee glowing from behind his mask.

“Just be still,” he cautions.  The only problem, in both those our nerves, betray us. We lie there, shaking, our bodies tense and on edge, not sure how painful this will be.  Our minds are trying to find something to distract us, something else upon which to focus.  Is it over yet?

So what do these two phobias of mine have to do with the Lord’s Supper?

The stillness we need to have is part of it.

But so is the trust that what is going to happen to us is going to be for our betterment.

I think many of us approach communion to casually.  Do we realize that this is God, Jesus’ precious Body give for us, His blood shed for our sins, that we are going to take?  Are we still enough to realize that we aren’t just symbolically in the presence of God, we really are?

Do we realize that God’s presence will cleanse, restore, and bring healing to our broken lives, our hurting souls?

Paul tells the church to examine themselves, to recognize His presence, that to fail to do so has resulted in some spiritually falling asleep, and in some cases, death.

We need to be still; We need to take the time to know He Is God, our God, the God, who loves and cares for us.  It’s not for His ease, or because He is impatient, it is for our best, for our healing, for our comfort.

Imagine if you spent the time in a dentist’s chair paging through His resume, interviewing other patients, trying to critique his prior operations, and pontificating and debating about why He is better than the dentist three doors down.   Imagine,as the arm is cleaned, and the needle approaches that vein, you spend time trying to determine whether it would be better to place it somewhere else, or arguing about the history of plastic versus metal needles, and occasionally wondering about the use of leeches?

Relax, breath deep, know the presence of God.  Drop to your knees in awe (if you can get back up!)  and savor the moment, the Body and Blood, given and shed for you……

He is God!

He is with you!

This is what you’ve been told to seek, this moment, this precious time…. breathe slowly, find that point where you revere and adore Him, and where that reverence is balance with a flood of joy.  As you are still and know that He is God as His love and mercy wash away all that is not this moment, God and His family…

this moment we need!

Be still…. for just a moment longer…

Smile, and know you life is in His hands…..

AMEN

Be still… be still and know He is God.

Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 1168-1170). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.