The Story of Good – Learning to Steward the Good Within.

“My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” ~ John 5: 17-20 (NIV)

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By now, I was nearly overwhelmed,

By the countless times I have pushed and pulled,

Driving myself to succeed at life, to win the prize.

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Jesus, seeing my struggle,

Once again rested His hand on my shoulder.

“My child,” Jesus whispered,

“Know that I understand all these things well.

I’ve gone through them, I’ve walked the path,

I know the Way.”

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“But now, there is one more test I must reveal to you.

The Temptation of Self-Perpetuation.”

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“With your Gift of Self-Existence, with the freedoms God gave you,

You will be invited to push on with your own plans,

Far beyond the limitations of your Father.”

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“Life is full of challenges, problems to solve, promises to keep.

People pushing themselves to get all the work done,

All designed to satisfy oneself, so that you might say to yourself,

‘I have accomplished it.’”

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“God, your Loving Father, promises to lead you and guide you,

He tells you that He is willing and able to make a way.

But Satan comes and questions that truth.

You are invited to exercise your Gift of Self-Existence,

To push yourself and your agendas, so others might respond.”

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“Self-Perpetuation raises its ugly head.

Satan says, ‘Go ahead, fulfill God’s plan. Jump into it. Git-er-done.’”

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“But God’s Word says,

‘Wait on Him. Give God the initiative.

Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”

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I looked into Jesus’ eyes.

Thinking of the many times,

I had taken my life into my own hands.

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“Get going, let’s get things done!”

My inner voice proclaims,

“Don’t be shy, take control.

If you don’t do it, no one will!”

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Ponder on these things:

Reflect on a recent situation when you felt pressured to take the initiative to get things accomplished.

What feelings are evoked as you reflect upon that time?

As you recall that time, where was God in that scenario?  Distant, close by, active, inactive, involved, uninvolved, etc.?

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Over a period of about eight weeks (3 sessions per week), we will take you on a poetic journey (26-sessions) we call The Story of Good. We suggest you bookmark our blog series homepage to keep all the writings in one place for your future reference. Take note that each blog session begins with a short scripture reading. My suggestion is that you don’t hurry through, or skip the text, but treat it as a Lectio Divina reading where you slow down and sit a bit with God’s Word, allowing it to penetrate and influence you as you read. Each session also ends with a few thoughts to ponder on. I look forward to hearing some of your insight as we journey together!

Oh, and if you enjoy what you’re reading here, we encourage you to share this page and our website, The Contemplative Activist, with your friends! 

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