Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather in with me throws away.  Luke 11: 23

“The spiritual life is gift.  It is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who lifts us up to the kingdom of God’s love.  But to say that being lifted up into the kingdom of love is a gift does not mean that we wait passively until the gift is offered to us.  Jesus tells us to set our hearts on the kingdom. . . . A spiritual life requires human effort.  The forces that keep pulling us back into a worry-filled life are far from easy to overcome. . . . It is clear that we are usually surrounded by so much inner and outer noise that it is truly hard to hear God when he is speaking to us. . . . A spiritual life requires discipline because we need to learn to listen to God, who constantly speaks but we seldom hear.  When, however, we learn to listen our lives become obedient lives. . . .”

to read the rest of this devotional see Show Me the Way: Daily Lenten Readings by Henri Nouwen