Fall Sacred Path Devotional

Page 1

garden V



I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

exit



As your time on the path comes to an end and the busyness of life will soon greet you, do not forget God’s deep love for you. If you become overwhelmed with the challenges in your day (people, work, emotions, etc), remember God’s love for you. Gently turn your mind back to God.

Fall 2014 “be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Before you begin your journey of walking the Sacred Path, take a quiet moment and invite God to join you and to be very present to you in every way. As you

go in peace...

walk, do so slowly, anticipating that the Holy Spirit will guide your thoughts and allow you to see things you’d normally not notice, such as leaves beginning to change color, the crunch of leaves under your feet, the crisp air, dry seed pods, dying plants, the scent of the autumn air, the sound of birds beginning to migrate. As you walk along the path, consider picking up a brilliant leaf that tumbles in front of you or a

The Sacred Path & Prayer Gardens are on the property of Living Word Community Church | 2530 Cape Horn Road, Red Lion, PA For questions, contact deAnn Roe | droe@lwccyork.com or 717.755.0089

broken twig laying on the ground. Offer up praise to God for these little moments of beauty that He’s giving you. This is being fully present in the moment.


garden I



Autumn’s Hidden Beauty Excerpt from a poem by Laura Edwards

In the beauty of the autumn There are lessons we should learn, As the air turns crisp and cool And maple leaves seem to burn. With great beauty they’ve been painted By the Creator’s careful hand As He paints a portrait of His glory Across our tired and weary land. The beauty of these changes Every eye can see, Colors inspiring awe and wonder, Small glimpses of His majesty. As we watch leaves fluttering to the ground in the fall, we are reminded that nature's cycles are mirrored in our lives. Autumn is a time for letting go and releasing things. Fall is a good time to practice getting out of the way and letting God take charge of our lives.

garden II



There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap. Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (The Message)

Fall is a busy time of year for the gardener, as they know it is time to begin thinking about winter and preparing the beds. They divide their perennials that have exceeded their space and no longer can bloom fully or have developed dead space in the center of the plant. What activities or interests are you doing that are exceeding their space in your life preventing you from blooming fully or causing a dead space in the center of you? Perhaps you are being called to divide them and create space...

garden III



In the devotional, Jesus Calling, Sarah Young encourages us to look at fog with different eyes, through the eyes of Jesus:

"As you look at the day before you, you see a twisted, complicated path, with branches going off in all directions. You wonder how you can possibly find your way through that maze. Then you remember the One who is with you always, holding you by your right hand. [...] As you look again at the path ahead, you notice that a peaceful fog has settled over it, obscuring your view. You can see only a few steps in front of you, so you turn your attention more fully to Me and begin to enjoy My Presence. The fog is a protection for you, calling you back into the present moment." (November 16, page 335) What areas of your life feel like fog has descended upon it? Do you feel frustrated with the lack of visibility? Are you feeling inconvenienced because your pace must slow down? Are you choosing to keep the same speed in your life even though you have poor visibility? Are you choosing to turn your attention to Jesus?

garden IV



“It is interesting that the greatest harvest of fruit comes when the tree is heading for a season of rest. On a personal level, during spiritual autumn you may be feeling a need to return to the basics of the faith, or a new commitment to the spiritual disciplines of fasting, praying, solitude, individual worship and devotion; things which in themselves, seem to produce little fruit but are essential for our Christian walk. In ministry, you might have to cut back your commitments or there might be a downsizing. There might be external factors like reducing finances, attendance or time availability that reduces our ability to produce fruit. God ordains spiritual seasons to provide the greatest spiritual fruit bearing and the greatest spiritual growth. God's seasonal plan includes periods of growth and periods of rest. Recognizing the season you're in and responding appropriately to that season is the best way to insure continued spiritual growth and a life that bears Godly fruit.” From God of Seasons, by John A. White


garden I



Autumn’s Hidden Beauty Excerpt from a poem by Laura Edwards

In the beauty of the autumn There are lessons we should learn, As the air turns crisp and cool And maple leaves seem to burn. With great beauty they’ve been painted By the Creator’s careful hand As He paints a portrait of His glory Across our tired and weary land. The beauty of these changes Every eye can see, Colors inspiring awe and wonder, Small glimpses of His majesty. As we watch leaves fluttering to the ground in the fall, we are reminded that nature's cycles are mirrored in our lives. Autumn is a time for letting go and releasing things. Fall is a good time to practice getting out of the way and letting God take charge of our lives.

garden II



There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap. Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (The Message)

Fall is a busy time of year for the gardener, as they know it is time to begin thinking about winter and preparing the beds. They divide their perennials that have exceeded their space and no longer can bloom fully or have developed dead space in the center of the plant. What activities or interests are you doing that are exceeding their space in your life preventing you from blooming fully or causing a dead space in the center of you? Perhaps you are being called to divide them and create space...

garden III



In the devotional, Jesus Calling, Sarah Young encourages us to look at fog with different eyes, through the eyes of Jesus:

"As you look at the day before you, you see a twisted, complicated path, with branches going off in all directions. You wonder how you can possibly find your way through that maze. Then you remember the One who is with you always, holding you by your right hand. [...] As you look again at the path ahead, you notice that a peaceful fog has settled over it, obscuring your view. You can see only a few steps in front of you, so you turn your attention more fully to Me and begin to enjoy My Presence. The fog is a protection for you, calling you back into the present moment." (November 16, page 335) What areas of your life feel like fog has descended upon it? Do you feel frustrated with the lack of visibility? Are you feeling inconvenienced because your pace must slow down? Are you choosing to keep the same speed in your life even though you have poor visibility? Are you choosing to turn your attention to Jesus?

garden IV



“It is interesting that the greatest harvest of fruit comes when the tree is heading for a season of rest. On a personal level, during spiritual autumn you may be feeling a need to return to the basics of the faith, or a new commitment to the spiritual disciplines of fasting, praying, solitude, individual worship and devotion; things which in themselves, seem to produce little fruit but are essential for our Christian walk. In ministry, you might have to cut back your commitments or there might be a downsizing. There might be external factors like reducing finances, attendance or time availability that reduces our ability to produce fruit. God ordains spiritual seasons to provide the greatest spiritual fruit bearing and the greatest spiritual growth. God's seasonal plan includes periods of growth and periods of rest. Recognizing the season you're in and responding appropriately to that season is the best way to insure continued spiritual growth and a life that bears Godly fruit.” From God of Seasons, by John A. White


garden V



I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

exit



As your time on the path comes to an end and the busyness of life will soon greet you, do not forget God’s deep love for you. If you become overwhelmed with the challenges in your day (people, work, emotions, etc), remember God’s love for you. Gently turn your mind back to God.

Fall 2014 “be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Before you begin your journey of walking the Sacred Path, take a quiet moment and invite God to join you and to be very present to you in every way. As you

go in peace...

walk, do so slowly, anticipating that the Holy Spirit will guide your thoughts and allow you to see things you’d normally not notice, such as leaves beginning to change color, the crunch of leaves under your feet, the crisp air, dry seed pods, dying plants, the scent of the autumn air, the sound of birds beginning to migrate. As you walk along the path, consider picking up a brilliant leaf that tumbles in front of you or a

The Sacred Path & Prayer Gardens are on the property of Living Word Community Church | 2530 Cape Horn Road, Red Lion, PA For questions, contact deAnn Roe | droe@lwccyork.com or 717.755.0089

broken twig laying on the ground. Offer up praise to God for these little moments of beauty that He’s giving you. This is being fully present in the moment.


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