“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on
the Spirit is life and peace” Romans 8:6
Brother
Lawrence, famous for his 17th century writings and simple faith once wrote
about his relationship with God saying, “I worshiped him as often as I could,
keeping my mind in his holy presence and recalling it back to God as often as I
found it had wandered from him.” This
was the daily habit of his thought life in which he was able to encounter God
in an intimate way even amongst mundane tasks.
His ability to recover wandering thoughts whenever possible and keep his
mental focus on God and his good attributes helped him experience the spiritual
exercise now known as practicing “the presence of God”. This brought him great joy and peace over
time even though he was a simple man in humble circumstances for most of his
life. How much more so will it help us
in our fast paced lives to slow down and remove our thoughts from Facebook
statuses, Twitter feeds, and our ever present worries? Remember that Paul wrote that if we live by
the flesh in our mindset we will experience death, but if we are set on the
Spirit of God we will experience life and peace. Just think about that for a while. It will undoubtedly change your mind.
Lord God, let us always be aware of You and walk in step with
your Spirit alone. Amen.
Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God. Translated by John J. Delaney. New York: Doubleday, 1977.
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