MEANS: consent to receive (a thing
offered); believe or come to recognize (an opinion, explanation, etc.) as valid
or correct.
FROM: Late Middle English: from Latin acceptare, from ad- 'to' + capere 'take'
BIBLE
VERSE: Those which were sown on the good
ground are those who hear the word, and accept it,
and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times (Mark 4:20 NIV)
THOUGHTS: I like to
look at the etymology of a word because sometimes it will put a whole new idea
into my mind about a phrase, or in this case a familiar Bible verse. If you
substitute the Latin root ‘take’ into the citation we read, “Those which were sown on the good ground are
those who hear the word, and take it,
and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times
(Mark 4:20 NIV)
To me, ‘take’ has a more active sense than
‘accept’. I can take a walk or my time or a toy, but I passively ‘accept’ a
gift or weather. The word ‘take’ seems to demand action or response. When we
‘take’ the word of God, we might feel called to act. On the hand, we do have to
‘accept’ the free gift of God’s grace and love-we have to ‘take’ it into our
hearts in order to bear fruit.
PRAYER: Grant me
the serenity to ACCEPT the things I cannot change…
MEANS: begin to be; (of clothing) look good
on or suit (someone)
FROM: Old English becuman 'come to a place,
come (to be or do something), of Germanic origin; bekommen 'get, receive'
BIBLE VERSE: And
the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that
these stones become bread." But He
answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but
on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"… (Matthew 4:3-4
NIV)
THOUGHTS: Jesus was
faced with the temptation to change the stones into bread. Satan suggested he
make the stones ‘become’ something they were not. We are often tempted by
social media and advertising to ‘become’ different than who we are. ‘Buy this
and look rich or gorgeous’, ‘share this without considering if you have other
thoughts’, ‘win a reality show to make the news and be famous’… God wants us to
‘become’ simply daughters and sons who share the Light. There may not be fame
or fortune, but there will be peace of heart when we ‘become’ who we really are
meant to be.
PRAYER: Living God,
in the wilderness you refused to turn stones to bread. Help me to become more
aware of the ways I bend to become what the world offers, rather than listening to your Son. Amen.
SCRAPBOOK PROMPTS: What
inspiration do you find in these first 2 words?
Are there any insights into how you can accept (take) the
Living Word and share it, or what it means to be in the process of becoming a
Child of God?
Do any images come to mind when you think of either of these
words? For me the image of a plant is one that might symbolize what it means to
become.
A seed changes to a seedling, then to a plant with flowers and seeds of its
own. Becoming
is an ongoing cycle for the plant and for me throughout life. And…that is
something I need to accept.
You may want to write, or find, your own prayer using one or
both words.
