Mother Teresa and the Voice of Jesus

Listen carefully to the many testimonies of those around the world who have been led into the fellowship of the Community of Christ. The richness of cultures, the poetry of language, and the breadth of human experience permit the gospel to be seen with new eyes and grasped with freshness of spirit. That gift has been given to you. Do not fail to understand its power. It is for divine purpose that you have been given the struggles as well as the joys of diversity. So must it always be in the peaceable kingdom. Do not be defined by the things that separate you but by the things that unite you in Jesus Christ. —Doctrine and Covenants 162:4a–b, 5a

When I think about a life of service, I think about Mother Teresa. She is known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She was born in Albania on August 26, 1910, and passed away September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and devoted her life to serving the poor. Mother Teresa and the other members of the Missionaries of Charity take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. They vow to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” In 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work among the poor in Calcutta, India.

“Today, I learned a good lesson,” she once said. “The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food, and health.”

This humble Christian woman has been an inspiration to me. I have long admired her conviction, her lifetime of service, and her devotion to the Lord. She was a person of great courage and a person of peace, exemplifying the ministry of Christ throughout her life. According to former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, “She is the United Nations. She is peace in the world.”

She often spoke of service, and once said, “We can do no great things—only small things with great love.” I have often quoted this saying, reminding myself that whatever small thing I may do for others, it must always be done with great love.

When I think of my journey as a disciple, I am reminded of a hymn, “Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling” by Daniel March:

Hark, the voice of Jesus calling, who will go and work today?

Fields are white and harvests waiting,

who will bear the sheaves away?

Loud and long the Master calls you;

Rich reward He offers free.

Who will answer, gladly saying,

“Here am I, Oh Lord send me”?

INSPIRATION - Jesus Calling

by Sarah Young

Worship Me only. I am King of kings and Lord of lords, dwelling in unapproachable Light. I am taking care of you! I am not only committed to caring for you, but I am also absolutely capable of doing so. Rest in Me, My weary one, for this is a form of worship.

Though self-flagellation has gone out of style, many of My children drive themselves like racehorses. They whip themselves into action, ignoring how exhausted they are. They forget that I am sovereign and that My ways are higher than theirs. Underneath their driven service, they may secretly resent Me as a harsh taskmaster. Their worship of Me is lukewarm, because I am no longer their First Love.

My invitation never changes: Come to Me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest. Worship Me by resting peacefully in My Presence.

I Timothy 6:15-16  ESV
15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Isaiah 55:8-9  ESV 
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Revelation 2:4  ESV
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

Matthew 11:28  ESV
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 

Frosty Mornings

Frosty Mornings

When frosty mornings chill the air

And sounds of falling leaves are there

To lift our spirits oh so high

Away up where the eagles fly

How sweet it is to see God's plan

Unfolding from his glorious hand

For precious moments such as these

Still come to those whose heart God sees*

*from my book, 2020 Poems by Gene Allen Groner on my website at

https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Allen-Groner/e/B077YTVSJZ

Love One Another

God loved the world so much that he gave his

son and he gave him to a virgin, the Blessed

Virgin Mary, and she, the moment he came in

her life, went in haste to give him to others. And

what did she do then? She did the work of the

handmaid, just so. Just spread that joy of loving

to service. And Jesus Christ loved you and loved

me and he gave his life for us, and as if that was

not enough for him, he kept on saying: Love as

I have loved you, as I love you now, and how

do we have to love, to love in the giving. For he

gave his life for us. And he keeps on giving, and

he keeps on giving right here everywhere in our

own lives and in the lives of others.

 

It was not enough for him to die for us, he

wanted that we loved one another, that we see

him in each other, that's why he said: Blessed

are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

 --Mother Teresa, from my book Saint Teresa of Calcutta, available in paperback and eBook on my author website at https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Allen-Groner/e/B077YTVSJZ

 

Jesus Calling, September 20

INSPIRATION - Jesus Calling

by Sarah Young

Try to see things more and more from My perspective. Let the Light of My Presence so fully fill your mind that you view the world through Me. When little things don't go as you had hoped, look to Me lightheartedly and say, "Oh, well." This simple discipline can protect you from being burdened with an accumulation of petty cares and frustrations. If you practice this diligently, you will make a life-changing discovery: You realize that most of the things that worry you are not important. If you shrug them off immediately and return your focus to Me, you will walk through your days with lighter steps and a joyful heart. 

When serious problems come your way, you will hav:e more reserves for dealing with them. You will not have squandered your energy on petty problems. You may even reach the point where you can agree with the apostle Paul that all your troubles are light and momentary, compared with the eternal glory being achieved by them.

Proverbs 20:24https
A man's steps are from the Lord;
    how then can man understand his way?

2 Corinthians 4:17-18
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

https://www.Amazon.com/Gene-Allen-Groner/e/B077YTVSJZ

 

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”__ Revelation 21:1-4*

*Read my new book titled, Revelation, now available as both eBook and paperback from my author webpage at https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Allen-Groner/e/B077YTVSJZ

Which brings me to today: Most of my inspiration for writing comes to me during the night, or upon awakening in the morning. I’m a creature of habit, and it is my habit to go to bed at 9:00 pm and arise at 5:30 am. This morning when I awoke I felt the inspiration to write about the Cross.

My daughter gave me a beautiful necklace with a cross on it for Christmas, and I wear it 24 hours a day, never taking it off. It is gray and silver metallic, and on it is written the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father. It is the only piece of jewelry I have worn in over 30 years, and I have no intention of taking it off until the day I die. It is a constant reminder that Jesus is the focus of my life. I am his disciple, his evangelist, his witness. The cross lives close to my heart, reminding me to always remember Jesus, and that I always have his Spirit to be with me—Jesus lives and dwells in my heart at all times and in all places. He is my guide and my inspiration—my wisdom and the reason for living. I write for him.*

*from my new book, The Cross, now available on my author website at https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Allen-Groner/e/B077YTVSJZ