For
a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some
obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished
business, time still to be served, a debt
to be paid. Then life would begin. At
last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.
-- Fr. Alfred D'Souza
#3386
To make my mind a home for
Jesus, I deliberately fill my mind with the kinds of things God says are
important. Paul puts it like this:
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
We often want to be able to
hear guidance from God about important decisions such as whom to marry or what
job to take. But we also want to reserve
the right to feed our minds on whatever junk comes along. Whatever repeatedly enters the mind occupies
the mind, eventually shapes the mind, and will ultimately express itself in
what you do and who you become. The
events we attend, the material we read (or don't), the music we listen to, the
images we watch, the conversations we hold, the daydreams we entertain -- these
are shaping our minds. And ultimately
they make our minds receptive or deaf toward the still small voice of God.
-- John Ortberg in God Is Closer Than You Think
#3385
It was a cold
winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly.
I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering
among themselves as they walked to the church. As I got closer I saw a man
leaning up against the wall outside the church. He was almost laying down as if
he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and
a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face. He wore
shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over
them, his toes stuck out. I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I
walked on by through the doors of the church. We all fellowshipped for a
few minutes, and someone brought up the man laying outside. People snickered
and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments
later church began.
We all waited
for the preacher to take his place and to give us the Word, when the doors to
the church opened. In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his
head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way
down the aisle and up onto the pulpit where he took off his hat and coat. My
heart sank.
There stood
our pastor... he was the "homeless man." No one said a word. The
preacher took his Bible and laid it on the stand. "Folks, I don't think I
have to tell you what I am preaching about today." Then he started singing
the words to this song. "If I can help somebody as I pass along. If
I can cheer somebody with a word or song…"
-- Unknown
#3384
A
spiritual pathway has to do with the way we most naturally sense God's presence
and experience spiritual growth. We all
have at least one pathway that comes most easily to us. We also have one or two that are the most
unnatural and require a lot of stretching for us to pursue.
There
is enormous freedom in identifying and embracing your spiritual pathway. It is a little like realizing that if you're
an introvert, you don't have to work as a salesman; you could get a job in a
library. You don't have to beat yourself
up or feel guilty because of what is not your pathway. You can focus on relating to God in that way
for which you were made, while at the same time recognizing your need to
stretch in certain areas that don't come as naturally.
-- John Ortberg in God Is Closer Than You
Think
#3383
There
is no ideal community. Community is made
up of people with all their richness, but also with their weakness and poverty,
of people who accept and forgive each other, who are vulnerable with each
other. Humility and trust are more at
the foundation of community than perfection.
-- Jean Vanier in Community
and Growth
#3382
"And if someone wants
to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with
him two miles. Give to the one who asks
you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Jesus, in Matthew 5:40-42 NIV)
[Jesus] looks today, as He
has ever looked, not for crowds drifting aimlessly in His track, but for
individual men and women whose undying allegiance will spring from their having
recognized that [Christ] wants those who are prepared to follow the path of
self-renunciation which He trod before them.
-- H. A. Evan Hopkin
#3381
The
earliest generations of Christians were known as a community that practiced
sacrificial love. In a letter to the emperor Hadrian, a Christian named
Aristides described the community this way:
"They
love one another, and from widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they
deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly. And he who has, gives to
him who has not, without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him
in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call
them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the Spirit and in God."
(Translated by D. M. Kay, www.earlychristianwritings.com)
At
its best, the church continues to do these things today. Thousands of churches
feed the poor, welcome strangers, and help those suffering from natural
disasters.
Yet
the church is composed of human beings who are sinners. We are all too familiar
with the many ways we fall short of truly embodying God's love. Nevertheless,
loving and acting on that love remain the church's purpose and calling from
God.
-- Scott J. Jones in The
Wesleyan Way:
A Faith That Matters
#3380