"Jesus Calling" for (more) Progressive Ears

Adapting the devotional "Jesus Calling" with language and theology that better encompasses my experience of God, myself, and the world.

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October 13

Take time to be still in My Presence. The busier you feel, the more essential is this sacred space of communion with Me. Breathe slowly and deeply. Relax in My holy Presence while My Face shines upon you. This can be how you receive the Peace which I am always holding out for you to receive.

I feel a sadness when I see you, My companions, tied up in anxious knots, feeling unable to receive the gift of Peace. My death and life can inspire you to see beyond the worries of today, and encourage you to be open to this blessing of Peace. Try to receive it gratefully; keep it tucked deeply in your heart. My Peace can be an inner treasure, growing within you when you trust me. It may even be possible that circumstances will not be able to sway that peace much as you continue to practice and receive it. Be still, enjoying Peace in My Presence.

Accompanying texts (NRSV, unedited):

Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted among the earth.

Numbers 6:25-26 - The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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October 12

Have you been seeing yourself through other people’s eyes lately? It’s easy to want to do. If you find yourself doing that, notice that it is nearly impossible to objectively discern what others actually think of you. You may have a finely tuned intuition, but remember that each person’s views of you are subject to their spiritual, emotional, and physical condition in the moment. When you let others define you, it can be ultimately exhausting and depleting of life. Your concern to please others also turns you away from your desire and ability to be aware of and oriented towards Me, your Creator.

It is much more real to see yourself in My light. My light upon you can be steady and sure, grounded in love. Opening yourself up to My light, you can see yourself as one who is deeply, eternally loved. Rest in My loving light, and you may receive deep Peace. Respond to My loving Presence by worshiping Me in spirit and in truth throughout your day.

Hebrews 11:6; John 4:23-24

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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October 8

I love you with an everlasting Love. The human mind cannot comprehend my constancy. Your experience of and response to the world often ebbs and flows depending on the circumstances, and thus you may often believe that My Love also ebbs and flows. Because of that, you may often struggle to fully receive My unfailing Love.

I invite you to look beyond the flux of circumstances and discover Me gazing lovingly back at you. This awareness of My Presence can strengthen you, as you receive and respond to My Love. The strength of My Love remains the same regardless of your circumstances! Let My Love flow in and around you continually. Your need for me often becomes hidden from yourself. Recognize it today and take a risk to experience My Love for you, which never changes and never fails.

Accompanying texts (NRSV, unedited):

Jeremiah 31:3 - The Lord appeared to him from far away. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

Exodus 15:13 - In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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October 6

Be willing to listen to My voice. Listen to Me wholeheartedly, with anticipation. Though My voice may lead and inspire you towards an unknown future, I am with you, and that is sufficient! Fruitful blessings can be waiting just around the bend, and though they may be hidden in this moment, they are real and will come to pass. Holding your doubt with your faith (for they are two sides of the same coin), seek to walk more by faith - not completely by sight. This doesn’t mean ignoring the world. It means acknowledging your finiteness and holding your experience of the world loosely.

Sometimes we are going up a high mountain and you may feel that only My hand is supporting you. The more you give yourself to the challenge of healing, the more beautiful the world becomes, and the more you see your finite and essential place in it. As you are on the healing journey, you may have moments of joy as you sense My Presence and intentionality. Allow yourself to feel that aliveness fully, allow yourself to feel awash in Light. We will always go back down the mountain where you will return to community with others, more grounded in your most authentic self. Let My Light continue to shine within you as you walk among people again. 

Accompanying texts (NRSV, edits for gendered language)

2 Corinthians 5:7 - For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Psalm 96:6 - Honor and majesty are before God; strength and beauty are in God’s sanctuary.

John 8:12 - Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Psalm 36:9 - For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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October 5

Remember that Joy does not have to be dependent on your circumstances. If you look around you, you may find people in unenviable circumstances who hold their suffering and a deep well of Joy together. People who reach the top of the ladder career-wise may be surprised to find emptiness awaiting them instead of fullness. True Joy can be a by-product of being aware of My Presence and the small moments of goodness in your daily life. With that perspective you increase your likelihood of experiencing it within palaces or prisons, within any context.

Be careful about the temptation to dismiss an entire day as devoid of Joy because it is full of difficulties. Instead, acknowledge the difficulties and the hardship while also acknowledging My Presence in your midst. Many of the challenges that catch your attention and hook your spirit may simply resolve themselves. Other matters may require your action, and I am with you in them. If you work towards problem solving while living close to Me, you may find that Joy is present even in your most difficult days.

Accompanying texts (NRSV, edits for gendered language)

Habakkuk 3:17-19 - Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; God makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights. 

1 Chronicles 16:27 - Honor and majesty are before her; strength and joy are in her place.

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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September 30

I am perpetually with you, accompanying you on this journey. That is an essential truth to your existence. I am only limited by your perception; My Presence with you is a forever promise. Your fears of tomorrow can be tended to by the truth that I am already in the future. When you make that quantum leap into the eternity that follows this life, I will be there. Your future is held with me; we step into it together day by day, moment by moment. Therefore, acknowledge and then release your worries about what is to come.

I hope you live this day abundantly, seeing all there is to see, doing all there is to do. Attend to the distractions that come through future concerns and then put them into My hands. Each day of life is a glorious gift, but so few humans know how to live in the present moment. Much of their energy for abundant living is directed to tomorrow’s worries or past regrets. The energy that remains for the present is sufficient only for completing the bare minimum tasks of the day, not for living it to the full. I encourage you to keep your focus on My Presence in the present. This is how to receive abundant Life, which flows freely from Grace.

Accompanying texts (NRSV, not edited)

Matthew 6:34 - So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

James 4:13-15 - Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.’ Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.’

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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September 29

I am with you and all around you, encircling you in golden rays of Light. I behold your personhood fully, your range of thoughts and feelings are a reflection of my own. Because I am beyond your understanding, I am able to be with you as intimately as if you and I were the only ones in the universe.

Walk close to me in Love-steps and hold alongside that my incomprehension and vastness. I desire to be so close to you, and I am also the Creator whose perspective spans eternity. I created you with capacity to know Me as companion and Creator simultaneously. The human mind is a complex and glorious creation and many forget that they can both use it to know Me and engage fully the world I created. I communicate continually through My Spirit, My Word, and My creation. All of my created beings are capable of receiving Me and responding to My Presence. You are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made!

Accompanying texts (NRSV, some edits in language)

Psalm 34:4-7 - I sought the Lord, and the Lord answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to God, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who revere him, and delivers them.

1 Peter 1:16-17 - ...for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ If you invoke as Parent/Creator (Father in original) the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverence during the time of your exile.

John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Psalm 139:14 - I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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September 25

Look for me in your midst today, and practice the risk of trusting that I am there. It is through trust that we can stay connected, aware of our Presence. Every step on your life-journey can be a step of faith. Baby steps of trust can be complex to anticipate and simple to actually take. Giant steps can be another matter, though: leaping across chasms in semidarkness, scaling cliffs of apathy and loneliness, trudging through the shadow of the valley of death. When you are faced with these giant steps of trust, try to keep some part of your embodied, enSpirited self focused on me.

Each of you, My companions, is a unique blend of temperament, giftedness, and life experiences. Something that is a baby step for you may be a giant step for another person, and vice versa. I am deeply attuned to the difficulty or ease of each individual’s segment of the journey. Notice in yourself if you are trying to impress others by acting as if your giant steps are only baby ones. Seek to not judge others who hesitate, trembling in fear or anger or busyness, before an act that would be easy for you. If each of My companions would seek to keep their eyes on Me, fear of others’ judgments may become less clamorous, as would attempts to impress others. Focus your attention on the next step ahead of you and on the One who never leaves your side.

Accompanying texts (NRSV, not edited)

Psalm 23:4 - Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me.

Matthew 7:1-2 - Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 

Proverbs 29:25 - Fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure.

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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September 21

Wait quietly in My Presence while we breathe in one another’s Spirit. No need to rush this process and give into the constructs of time and busyness. I am the Creator of the entire universe and with you I also dwell. In the quiet we can refresh one another; you can be known and held safely and intimately as I speak to you in holy whispers through your intuition. Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can hear My still, small voice. I am continually speaking words of Life, Peace, and Love to you. Practice small ways of attuning your heart to receive these words and abundant blessings. Lay your requests before Me and know that they are heard and held, that you are intimately accompanied.

Accompanying verses (NRSV, not edited)

1 Kings 19:12 - and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

Psalm 5:3 - O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.

(each devotional post is rewritten from the original in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, 2004)

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September 20

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, be honest, and seek to laugh a little at yourself. This simple discipline can help when the small things accumulate and feel too much to carry. If you practice this diligently, you will make a life-changing discovery: You realize that many of the things that you worry about are not important. If you are able to hold them, acknowledge and honor your emotional response, and then let it flow away from you, you are making space for the ability to walk through your days with lighter steps. Then when problems of magnitude come your way, you will likely have more reserves for addressing them because you have stewarded your energy and held life lightly and with humor. You may even find resonance with the apostle Paul when he calls troubles momentary affliction, compared with the eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, that your life is evolving towards.

Accompanying verses (NRSV, unedited)

Proverbs 20:24 - All our steps are ordered by the Lord; how then can we understand our own ways?

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 - For this momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

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September 19

There are many forces that compete for your attention. Not only attention, but these forces can be compelling enough that you mistake them for your identity, worth, and purpose. You were created with the capacity to pursue groundedness, justice, and peace - foretastes of shalom. When you focus on My Presence, you are given strength not to believe the seduction of violence and extremism. This is an incredible gift given to you because you are precious to me and seek My Companionship. Your greatest strength is your desire to spend time with Me. As you concentrate on My Presence unfolding through you and the world, My Spirit has the opportunity to fill your mind with life and peace.

The world is seductive and you are intricately knit within it, and thus you experience the forces of greed, other-ing, and cynicism. When you face these things, pray for discernment and My Presence. Breathe deeply, and remain present and aware of me wherever you go. Do not let worry consume your being for too long. Stay alert, recognizing the influence of so many forces. Look forward to the shalom that may evolve in the very next moment of your day.

Accompanying verses (NRSV, unedited)

John 2:15-17 - Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Ephesians 2:6 - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Psalm 27:8 - “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.

Romans 8:6 - To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.