For May 11th: 

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

More words of wisdom from Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, 1600s…

(See the March 9^th entry for background information about this obscure French monk).

“Brother Lawrence said that when we begin our spiritual walks, we should take a magnifying glass to ourselves to see what we’re made of. We’ll find that we honestly deserve contempt, that we don’t even deserve the name Christian. So it should be no surprise if we run into all kinds of nasty troubles and accidents—the kinds that can bring us down, affect our health, or sour our outlooks on life. We’re the kind of people God needs to humble with trials from the inside and out.

            It should also be no surprise when we go through trouble, temptation, opposition, and denials from other people. Though it seems upside down, we should submit to that kind of grief, taking it in for our own good as long as God pleases. The higher and deeper we want to go with the Lord, the more we’ll need to depend on His grace…

            …God doesn’t ask much, just that we:

            • Remember Him once in a while

            • Adore Him a little bit

            • Pray for His mercy and compassion

            • Volunteer for tough duty

And sometimes He wants us to thank Him for all the ways He helps us (and keeps helping us), even when we don’t deserve it and even in the middle of our darkest days.

            Wrap yourself in His favor as much as you can, like a blanket...”

From: “Practicing God’s Presence, Brother Lawrence for Today’s Reader”,

by Robert Elmer, 2005