From: The Upper Room Daily Devotional
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
The Bible tells us that while we are here our time is to be spent making disciples for Jesus Christ and being His witnesses, loving one another, praising God in all ways possible, laughing, living in peace, and doing good.
How many days have I wasted in complaining, demanding my own way, withholding love and goodness? How many hours have gone by while I wallowed in self-pity, plotted revenge, or pushed others aside to be in first place?
I cannot go back and retrieve those lost days and hours, but I can make the most of this day and every day that I have from now on.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
A New Beginning
From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn
Psalm 30:5 "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
At times we get so caught up in our pain that we forget that life comes in seasons. No one is happy all the time. We may be paranoid and gloomy today, but that can change. Being upset and disturbed doesn't have to be forever.
When David was a young boy he lived a relatively carefree life, tending his father's sheep. He believed in his own goodness and expected the best. Later he realized his own frailties and faced many enemies. These pressures darkened his life. He cried out to God, "O Lord, don't rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your rage. Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until You restore me?" (Psalm 6:1-5) David did come out of this dark season of life and was able to share his experience, strength, and hope with others.
If we're in a season of mental anguish, we need to remember that we haven't always felt this way and we won't always feel this way. We can cry out for help and expect God to rescue us. Someday we will share our experience and hope with others.
When we are at the end of ourselves, God creates a new beginning.
Psalm 30:5 "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
At times we get so caught up in our pain that we forget that life comes in seasons. No one is happy all the time. We may be paranoid and gloomy today, but that can change. Being upset and disturbed doesn't have to be forever.
When David was a young boy he lived a relatively carefree life, tending his father's sheep. He believed in his own goodness and expected the best. Later he realized his own frailties and faced many enemies. These pressures darkened his life. He cried out to God, "O Lord, don't rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your rage. Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until You restore me?" (Psalm 6:1-5) David did come out of this dark season of life and was able to share his experience, strength, and hope with others.
If we're in a season of mental anguish, we need to remember that we haven't always felt this way and we won't always feel this way. We can cry out for help and expect God to rescue us. Someday we will share our experience and hope with others.
When we are at the end of ourselves, God creates a new beginning.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Obstacle Management
From: The Word For Today - Bob Gass Ministries
Habakkuk 2:3 "For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment and will not disappoint; if it delays wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late."
Visions come with obstacles and opportunities! After decades in America, Raymond Dawson inherited his English grandparent's estate. Returning home he found a run-down farmhouse and barns on land covered with rocks. Disappointed and about to return to America, he decided to walk his worthless inheritance one final time. Pausing on a remote corner of his property he noticed a stream coming from beneath some rocks. He investigated, uncovered some hot springs, and guess what? Today he's the owner of a lucrative resort, right on the sight of his former disappointment!
A vision gives you direction, motivation, creativity and resilience. Without one you become passive, aimless, bored, and vulnerable to quitting. God can give you a vision instantly but its fulfillment will require a lifetime of learning, practicing and managing life's daily challenges.
When you ask God for a vision, you're likely to be placed in a field of opportunities concealed under acres of obstacles; a place of possibilities hidden beneath piles of problems. Then He will stand back and watch how you engage in the ministry of obstacle management!
Habakkuk 2:3 "For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment and will not disappoint; if it delays wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late."
Visions come with obstacles and opportunities! After decades in America, Raymond Dawson inherited his English grandparent's estate. Returning home he found a run-down farmhouse and barns on land covered with rocks. Disappointed and about to return to America, he decided to walk his worthless inheritance one final time. Pausing on a remote corner of his property he noticed a stream coming from beneath some rocks. He investigated, uncovered some hot springs, and guess what? Today he's the owner of a lucrative resort, right on the sight of his former disappointment!
A vision gives you direction, motivation, creativity and resilience. Without one you become passive, aimless, bored, and vulnerable to quitting. God can give you a vision instantly but its fulfillment will require a lifetime of learning, practicing and managing life's daily challenges.
When you ask God for a vision, you're likely to be placed in a field of opportunities concealed under acres of obstacles; a place of possibilities hidden beneath piles of problems. Then He will stand back and watch how you engage in the ministry of obstacle management!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wiser Than Your Prayers
From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."
We can trust God because He knows what He is doing even when we don't!
Sometimes we just can't understand why God would do certain things, or how He could love us and still allow something exceedingly painful to occur in our lives. But think about it, if we could understand everything about God and His actions, He wouldn't be God! The fact that He is God automatically means that He is beyond our understanding and sometimes He will do things based on His wisdom and insight and absolute knowledge that we will not be able to understand.
When pain comes into your life, you have a choice. You can drag God down to your level and say, "I will not trust until I understand!" Or you can acknowledge God's greatness and say, "I don't understand it Lord, but I trust you and your good purpose in my life."
William Culbertson once said, "Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers!"
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."
We can trust God because He knows what He is doing even when we don't!
Sometimes we just can't understand why God would do certain things, or how He could love us and still allow something exceedingly painful to occur in our lives. But think about it, if we could understand everything about God and His actions, He wouldn't be God! The fact that He is God automatically means that He is beyond our understanding and sometimes He will do things based on His wisdom and insight and absolute knowledge that we will not be able to understand.
When pain comes into your life, you have a choice. You can drag God down to your level and say, "I will not trust until I understand!" Or you can acknowledge God's greatness and say, "I don't understand it Lord, but I trust you and your good purpose in my life."
William Culbertson once said, "Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers!"
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sufficient Grace
From: Our Daily Bread Ministries - Anne Cetas
2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you."
We long to “shred” memories of bad things that others have done to us or difficult circumstances we’re going through. The apostle Paul wanted relief from his present suffering, an infirmity that made him feel weak (2 Cor. 12:7-10). "But God said to him, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'"
God didn’t take away the problem. Instead, He gave Paul the grace to live with it.
Difficulties burden us as we mull them over in our minds, affecting our relationships and our outlook on life. We as believers in Christ have a place to take these burdens. First Peter 5:7 tells us, "Cast all your care upon the Lord, for He cares for you."
Whenever life’s burdens oppress you
And trials seem too much to face,
Remember God’s strength in your weakness;
He’ll give you His power and grace.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you."
We long to “shred” memories of bad things that others have done to us or difficult circumstances we’re going through. The apostle Paul wanted relief from his present suffering, an infirmity that made him feel weak (2 Cor. 12:7-10). "But God said to him, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'"
God didn’t take away the problem. Instead, He gave Paul the grace to live with it.
Difficulties burden us as we mull them over in our minds, affecting our relationships and our outlook on life. We as believers in Christ have a place to take these burdens. First Peter 5:7 tells us, "Cast all your care upon the Lord, for He cares for you."
Whenever life’s burdens oppress you
And trials seem too much to face,
Remember God’s strength in your weakness;
He’ll give you His power and grace.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Light Always Overpowers Darkness
From: Bryant Wright Ministries
John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
The candle lighting service is a beautiful moment of our church’s Christmas Eve celebration. When all the lights are out in the Sanctuary, we light a single candle, and that one candle overcomes all the darkness of the entire room. It’s a wonderful demonstration of this fact - darkness cannot overpower light. Well, it’s the same with spiritual darkness and spiritual light of Jesus Christ. His Light will overpower the darkness.
There have been times in history where it seemed like the spiritual darkness was overpowering the spiritual light. For instance, in the 20th century Marxism had great momentum. The Soviet revolution, then the Communist revolution in China, then Cuba, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia soon tumbled after.
It seemed like that darkness of atheism was overpowering the light within the church. But by the end of the 20th century, the Soviet Union was no more and Eastern Europe became the birthplace of many fledgling democracies. Even though it sometimes seems darkness wins for a time, it never permanently overpowers the Light.
Of course, the greatest example of that is the cross. For a moment, it appeared that the devil had won. But two days later, the Light was turned on, never to be snuffed out again. For in the end, the Light of Jesus always overpowers the darkness.
John 1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
The candle lighting service is a beautiful moment of our church’s Christmas Eve celebration. When all the lights are out in the Sanctuary, we light a single candle, and that one candle overcomes all the darkness of the entire room. It’s a wonderful demonstration of this fact - darkness cannot overpower light. Well, it’s the same with spiritual darkness and spiritual light of Jesus Christ. His Light will overpower the darkness.
There have been times in history where it seemed like the spiritual darkness was overpowering the spiritual light. For instance, in the 20th century Marxism had great momentum. The Soviet revolution, then the Communist revolution in China, then Cuba, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia soon tumbled after.
It seemed like that darkness of atheism was overpowering the light within the church. But by the end of the 20th century, the Soviet Union was no more and Eastern Europe became the birthplace of many fledgling democracies. Even though it sometimes seems darkness wins for a time, it never permanently overpowers the Light.
Of course, the greatest example of that is the cross. For a moment, it appeared that the devil had won. But two days later, the Light was turned on, never to be snuffed out again. For in the end, the Light of Jesus always overpowers the darkness.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Love Must Become Your Habit
From: The Purpose Driven Life Ministries
1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God and everyone who loves is begotten of God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love."
When you realize how much God loves you - with an extravagant, irresistible, unconditional love - then his love will change you're entire focus on life. If we don't receive God's love for us, we'll have a hard time loving other people. I'm talking about loving the unlovely; loving the difficult; loving the irritable; loving people who are different or demanding.
You can't do that until you have God's love coming through you. You need to know God's love so it can overflow out of your life into others.
Love must become your lifestyle, the habit of your life. Are you ready?
Your life is worth far more than you think, and by learning to love others with the love God gives you, you will have an influence far greater than you could ever imagine. If you will commit to this, you will experience love as God means it to be, filled with hope, energy, and joy.
1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God and everyone who loves is begotten of God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love."
When you realize how much God loves you - with an extravagant, irresistible, unconditional love - then his love will change you're entire focus on life. If we don't receive God's love for us, we'll have a hard time loving other people. I'm talking about loving the unlovely; loving the difficult; loving the irritable; loving people who are different or demanding.
You can't do that until you have God's love coming through you. You need to know God's love so it can overflow out of your life into others.
Love must become your lifestyle, the habit of your life. Are you ready?
Your life is worth far more than you think, and by learning to love others with the love God gives you, you will have an influence far greater than you could ever imagine. If you will commit to this, you will experience love as God means it to be, filled with hope, energy, and joy.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Acknowledge God In Everything You Do
From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Focusing on God helps you to reach up! Your life today can be so much more than you can make of it.
"In all your ways acknowledge God." As you wake up, acknowledge God—"Good morning Lord." As you eat breakfast with your family, acknowledge God—"Lord, we thank You for providing all of our needs." As you have your daily quiet time, acknowledge God—"God, I don't want to just read words on the page; I want to hear from You. Please speak to me from Your Word."
As you go about the business of your day, acknowledge God—"Lord, I know that every person I encounter today is someone You want to minister to through me. Please show me how I can minister to this person spiritually right now in a way that will move them closer to You."
As you experience problems or hardship or deep personal struggles, acknowledge God—"Lord, I know that You are in control of all things, and so I know that You have allowed this difficulty into my life for a reason. I can't see the reason but I will respond to this by trusting You and looking for ways to glorify You to others in the midst of this."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Focusing on God helps you to reach up! Your life today can be so much more than you can make of it.
"In all your ways acknowledge God." As you wake up, acknowledge God—"Good morning Lord." As you eat breakfast with your family, acknowledge God—"Lord, we thank You for providing all of our needs." As you have your daily quiet time, acknowledge God—"God, I don't want to just read words on the page; I want to hear from You. Please speak to me from Your Word."
As you go about the business of your day, acknowledge God—"Lord, I know that every person I encounter today is someone You want to minister to through me. Please show me how I can minister to this person spiritually right now in a way that will move them closer to You."
As you experience problems or hardship or deep personal struggles, acknowledge God—"Lord, I know that You are in control of all things, and so I know that You have allowed this difficulty into my life for a reason. I can't see the reason but I will respond to this by trusting You and looking for ways to glorify You to others in the midst of this."
Sunday, December 20, 2009
One Day At A Time
From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn
Romans 8:38 "For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons . . . not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. . . ."
Sometimes we may feel like giving up the struggle. We try, only to fall once again. We take two steps forward, but then stumble backwards. At times there are so many difficulties, so many issues to work through, so many patterns in our lives that have to be changed, we begin to feel like we're going crazy.
God acknowledges the difficulties we may face, but He also promises us victory in the end. The apostle Paul once wrote, "Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons . . . not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. . . . Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)
Paul also said, "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Philippians 1:6)
When we feel like we're going crazy and don't think that we can handle life, God is there. He will not give up on us. We can rely on his persistent love. God has promised to keep working on us until we are whole. There will still be crazy times, but with His help we can handle life, one day at a time.
Romans 8:38 "For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons . . . not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. . . ."
Sometimes we may feel like giving up the struggle. We try, only to fall once again. We take two steps forward, but then stumble backwards. At times there are so many difficulties, so many issues to work through, so many patterns in our lives that have to be changed, we begin to feel like we're going crazy.
God acknowledges the difficulties we may face, but He also promises us victory in the end. The apostle Paul once wrote, "Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons . . . not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. . . . Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)
Paul also said, "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Philippians 1:6)
When we feel like we're going crazy and don't think that we can handle life, God is there. He will not give up on us. We can rely on his persistent love. God has promised to keep working on us until we are whole. There will still be crazy times, but with His help we can handle life, one day at a time.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
No Panic In Heaven
From: Love Worth Finding Ministries
Isaiah 41:13 "For I the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you."
Once I had the rare opportunity of visiting with Corrie Ten Boom. I drank in her words. I listened and kept my mouth shut. One of her statements went straight to my heart: "There is no panic in heaven, only plans."
That is how God operates — no panic.
Did you know the Holy Trinity never meets in an emergency session? God has never stepped down from His throne. Jesus has not left His right hand, and the Holy Spirit has not stopped interceding for you, His child.
Refuse to listen to Satan's lies of fear, discouragement, and despair. You are a victor. And God is in control!
Repeat the following throughout the day today, "God is in control of my life. He will not leave me. His right hand will sustain me all the length of my days."
Isaiah 41:13 "For I the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you."
Once I had the rare opportunity of visiting with Corrie Ten Boom. I drank in her words. I listened and kept my mouth shut. One of her statements went straight to my heart: "There is no panic in heaven, only plans."
That is how God operates — no panic.
Did you know the Holy Trinity never meets in an emergency session? God has never stepped down from His throne. Jesus has not left His right hand, and the Holy Spirit has not stopped interceding for you, His child.
Refuse to listen to Satan's lies of fear, discouragement, and despair. You are a victor. And God is in control!
Repeat the following throughout the day today, "God is in control of my life. He will not leave me. His right hand will sustain me all the length of my days."
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
How Can I Serve God Today?
From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn points out that one of the reasons that many people are not doing well is that their outlook on life is wrong. They are simply trying to get through the day.
Instead we should be looking for what we can get out of the day! As you think about this day today, God wants you to recognize that it is His day. He has brought you into it; He has things in store for you today that will bless you and strengthen you. Rejoice in God's plan for your life today.
As you begin today with the anticipation of God's involvement with you throughout the day, it will change your whole perspective on life. Life becomes, not drudgery, but anticipation of God at work.
How would your day be different if you woke up thinking: "God made this day. How does He want to use it in my life? How does He want to use me in someone else's life? What is He going to bring to my mind for prayer about? What challenge will require His intervention? How will I see God at work today?
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn points out that one of the reasons that many people are not doing well is that their outlook on life is wrong. They are simply trying to get through the day.
Instead we should be looking for what we can get out of the day! As you think about this day today, God wants you to recognize that it is His day. He has brought you into it; He has things in store for you today that will bless you and strengthen you. Rejoice in God's plan for your life today.
As you begin today with the anticipation of God's involvement with you throughout the day, it will change your whole perspective on life. Life becomes, not drudgery, but anticipation of God at work.
How would your day be different if you woke up thinking: "God made this day. How does He want to use it in my life? How does He want to use me in someone else's life? What is He going to bring to my mind for prayer about? What challenge will require His intervention? How will I see God at work today?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Put His Word In Your Heart
Psalms 119:11 "I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You."
Daily devotionals are powerful tools in the living out of our daily lives. Devotions can be found more easily these days than just about any time in our history. This truly remarkable way to pause for a moment in our lives to turn ourselves inward and renew our devotion to our Lord and Savior is simple and easy.
Not only does it renew our devotion to our God, it also gives us a chance to reinvigorate our spiritual selves. When we are feeling sad or discouraged, fearful or anxious, a daily devotion can help us renew our spirits and remember that the Lord watches over us in all things."
Do we start our day with the right attitude, perhaps by spending time with God and hiding His word in our heart?
"Train yourself for devotion, for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future." (1 Timothy 4:8)
"The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when you read it."
Daily devotionals are powerful tools in the living out of our daily lives. Devotions can be found more easily these days than just about any time in our history. This truly remarkable way to pause for a moment in our lives to turn ourselves inward and renew our devotion to our Lord and Savior is simple and easy.
Not only does it renew our devotion to our God, it also gives us a chance to reinvigorate our spiritual selves. When we are feeling sad or discouraged, fearful or anxious, a daily devotion can help us renew our spirits and remember that the Lord watches over us in all things."
Do we start our day with the right attitude, perhaps by spending time with God and hiding His word in our heart?
"Train yourself for devotion, for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future." (1 Timothy 4:8)
"The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when you read it."
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wrong Motives
From: Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest
Mark 4:19 "They have listened to the Word but anxieties over life's demands, and the desire for wealth, and cravings of other sorts come to choke it off; it bears no yield."
Our state of mind is powerful in its effects. It can be the enemy that penetrates right into our soul and distracts our mind from God. There are certain attitudes we should never dare to indulge. If we do, we will find they have distracted us from faith in God. Until we get back into a quiet mood before Him, our faith is of no value, and our confidence in the flesh and in human ingenuity is what rules our lives.
Beware of "the cares of this world . . ." They are the very things that produce the wrong attitudes in our soul. It is incredible what enormous power there is in simple things to distract our attention away from God.
Another thing that distracts us is our passion for vindication. St. Augustine prayed, "O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself." Such a need for constant vindication destroys our soul’s faith in God. Don’t say, "I must explain myself," or, "I must get people to understand." Our Lord never explained anything— He left the misunderstandings or misconceptions of others to correct themselves.
When we discern that other people are not growing spiritually and allow that discernment to turn to criticism, we block our fellowship with God. God never gives us discernment so that we may criticize, but that we may intercede by reflecting His influence.
Mark 4:19 "They have listened to the Word but anxieties over life's demands, and the desire for wealth, and cravings of other sorts come to choke it off; it bears no yield."
Our state of mind is powerful in its effects. It can be the enemy that penetrates right into our soul and distracts our mind from God. There are certain attitudes we should never dare to indulge. If we do, we will find they have distracted us from faith in God. Until we get back into a quiet mood before Him, our faith is of no value, and our confidence in the flesh and in human ingenuity is what rules our lives.
Beware of "the cares of this world . . ." They are the very things that produce the wrong attitudes in our soul. It is incredible what enormous power there is in simple things to distract our attention away from God.
Another thing that distracts us is our passion for vindication. St. Augustine prayed, "O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself." Such a need for constant vindication destroys our soul’s faith in God. Don’t say, "I must explain myself," or, "I must get people to understand." Our Lord never explained anything— He left the misunderstandings or misconceptions of others to correct themselves.
When we discern that other people are not growing spiritually and allow that discernment to turn to criticism, we block our fellowship with God. God never gives us discernment so that we may criticize, but that we may intercede by reflecting His influence.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Spiritual Maturity
From: The Purpose Driven Life Ministries
Matthew 5:9 "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."
God sent Jesus into the world so that our relationship with God could be restored. Christmas is about restoring relationships and many of us have relationships that need mending.
God wants us to value relationships and make every effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict. In fact, the Bible tells us that God has given us the ministry of restoring relationships. For this reason a significant amount of the New Testament is devoted to teaching us how to get along with one another.
The Apostle Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity. Since Christ wants his family to be known for our love for each other, broken fellowship is a disgraceful testimony to unbelievers. This is why Paul was so embarrassed that the members of the church in Corinth were splitting into warring factions and even taking each other to court.
He wrote, "Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians." (1 Cor. 6:5) He was shocked that no one in the church was mature enough to resolve the conflict peaceably. In the same letter, he said, "I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other." (1 Cor. 1:10)
If you want God's blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Jesus said, "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."
Notice Jesus didn't say, "Blessed are the peace lovers," because everyone loves peace. Neither did he say, "Blessed are the peaceable," who are never disturbed by anything. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who work for peace" - those who actively seek to resolve conflict.
This Christmas is a good time to actively work toward restoring broken relationships.
Matthew 5:9 "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."
God sent Jesus into the world so that our relationship with God could be restored. Christmas is about restoring relationships and many of us have relationships that need mending.
God wants us to value relationships and make every effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict. In fact, the Bible tells us that God has given us the ministry of restoring relationships. For this reason a significant amount of the New Testament is devoted to teaching us how to get along with one another.
The Apostle Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity. Since Christ wants his family to be known for our love for each other, broken fellowship is a disgraceful testimony to unbelievers. This is why Paul was so embarrassed that the members of the church in Corinth were splitting into warring factions and even taking each other to court.
He wrote, "Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians." (1 Cor. 6:5) He was shocked that no one in the church was mature enough to resolve the conflict peaceably. In the same letter, he said, "I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other." (1 Cor. 1:10)
If you want God's blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Jesus said, "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."
Notice Jesus didn't say, "Blessed are the peace lovers," because everyone loves peace. Neither did he say, "Blessed are the peaceable," who are never disturbed by anything. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who work for peace" - those who actively seek to resolve conflict.
This Christmas is a good time to actively work toward restoring broken relationships.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Ecumenism Without Compromise—Transcription
Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King's College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 55 books including:
Handbook of Christian Apologetics
Christianity for Modern Pagans
Fundamentals of the Faith
Ecumenism
I’d like to give a fairly short, fairly formal semi-lecture followed by an interesting discussion about ecumenism. If we are to witness to the world, the problem is not only the world, the problem is in us. And the problem in us is not just that we are wicked and foolish, that’s always the case. We are also split, we’re divided. We can ignore that, we can be dishonest and compromise our convictions, but obviously that’s not going to do any good.
Is there any hope for reunion? I am increasingly convinced that there is much more hope than most of us think. And my hope is based most fundamentally on the fact that the most passionate ecumenist in all of existence is Jesus Christ. We all know His prayer to His Father just before His Crucifixion in John 17, “That they may be one even as Thou the Father art in me and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe.” He explicitly connects apologetics and ecumenism. “I in them and Thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that Thou has sent me and has loved them even Thou hast loved me.”
If you read the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians, you will see that denominationalism was not just a scandal, but absolutely unthinkable and intolerable to St. Paul. Because denominationalism is not the multiplying of subdivisions in an organization, it’s the amputation of limbs from an organism. Just as no sane person loves war, so no sane Christian loves the war among Christians that so scandalizes the world and weakens our witness to it. How could a divided church unify a divided world? No more than an infected physician can heal himself. But our divisions seem as intractable as war!
Here are 9 grounds for hope for ecumenical reunion that are commonly given, and not a one of them has worked:
1. Reasonable compromises.
2. Understanding and education: the hope that deep down, we’ll find that we don’t really disagree. That we’re all saying the same thing in different words but just misunderstanding each other.
3. Mystical experience: if you only have one, you’ll see that the previous point is true.
4. Tolerance: like a mutual non-aggression pact. Why can’t we just get along?
5. Subjectivism: reduction of THE Truth to “my truth” or “your truth” or “our truth.”
6. Skepticism: no one knows the truth anyway.
7. Rational argument: perhaps we can persuade each other as in a scientific laboratory.
8. A vague optimism: Dickon’s Mr. McColbers, “Something will turn up!”
9. Merely a temporary tactical and pragmatic union to fight a common enemy: an ecumenical jihad.
Good but not enough. None of these is the golden key to reunion.
The Golden Key
There is a golden key! His name is Jesus Christ. We can’t do it. And He can. We must be very clear about those two truths. The main reason it hasn’t happened is that we do not fully believe both those two truths.
Christ Himself is the most powerful source of reunion in the world because it comes not from the world but from Heaven. And He will have His way with us sooner or later, one way or another. We don’t know whether it’s going to be sooner or later, and we don’t know if it will come by one way or by another. But we do know that it will come because it is his will. We don’t know when and we don’t know how, but we know who.
Pope John Paul II has voiced the bold hope that as the first thousand years of Christian history were the millennium of Christian unity, and the second thousand years were the millennium of Christian disunity, 1054, 1517, and the over twenty-thousand denominations that came from 1517, so the third thousand years may be the millennium of Christian re-unity, reunification.
But how? The deepest division is obviously between Catholics and Protestants, for the Eastern Orthodox Churches have all remained one, not split into twenty-thousand in creed, code, or cult. They have preserved the fullness of Catholic faith. Except for universal papal authority, but that has changed its form quite a bit throughout Christian history, though not its reality, and it can change again. The pope himself explicitly said that in Ut Unum Sint. But how can Catholics and Protestants achieve reunion? I will prescind entirely from the question whether Anglicans are Catholics, Protestants, both, or neither. Well it cannot be by yielding or weakening or compromising one iota of divinely revealed truth!
All the serious differences between Protestants and Catholics concern how much territory this category of divinely revealed truth covers. For instance, the Church’s doctrines about Mary, and the saints, and the seven Sacraments, and Transubstantiation, and purgatory, Catholics accept them because they believe they are true and divinely revealed. Protestants reject them because they believe they are not true and not divinely revealed. Protestants say Catholics believe too much. Catholics say Protestants believe too little. Protestants say the Church added to Christ’s original, pure and simple revelation in the New Testament. Protestantism is thus Catholicism stripped down: the Catholic Ark with what Protestants claim are the non-scriptural barnacles scraped off of it.
When I was at Calvin College and investigating things Catholic and falling in love with them and feeling guilty about it, because this was the wrong church, I took a course in church history to try to get things clear. And the very first day of the course, the wise-old professor said, “What is the Church?” And we were all just freshman, we didn’t know for nothing so nobody answered. So he said, “Well, you’re going to meet a Roman Catholic someday and he’s going to say, ‘You’re in the wrong church! You’re a Calvinist, you’re in the church John Calvin founded 500 years ago. We’re in the church Jesus Christ founded 2000 years ago.’ What do you say to him?” Nobody had an answer. I said to myself, “I’m in the right class.”
He said, “Well, here’s what the Catholics will say: the church today is a great big thing and it looks very different from the simple thing you read about in the New Testament, but it’s the same just as that oak tree is the same organism as that little acorn. What’s wrong with that picture? The Catholic will say that Luther and Calvin broke off some branches of the church because it was really rotten and they tried to start a new one, but that can’t be done cause there’s only one Jesus. And therefore, only one church. What’s your answer to that? What’s wrong with that picture?” And nobody had an answer. I said to myself, “I’m in the right class!”
And he said, “Well, here’s what’s wrong with that pictures, here’s what happened: Jesus founded one church indeed and it is the church described in the New Testament, and it’s like Noah’s Ark, and it did get rotten, and Luther and Calvin and Knox and others said, ‘Gee, this Ark is sinking! We gotta scrape the barnacles off!’ So they scraped the barnacles off and restored it to its simple, pure, primitive, New Testament essence. So we’re in the right church! It’s the Catholics who are the upstarts. They’re the ones who added all those pagan barnacles.” I said, “Oh that makes me feel good.” I remember asking a question, I said, “Professor, do you mean to tell me that, if my Catholic neighbor and I both found a time machine and went back to the first century,” I still remember his look, “What’s this guy, a weirdo? Science fiction?” “…and worshipped together, that I as a Protestant would feel more at home in that church than he as a Catholic would?” And then he smiled. He said, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” I said to myself, “Good, that means that I don’t have to be a great theologian to figure out who’s right. All I have to do is read the Church Fathers to prove to myself that they were all Calvinists.” Well, I read the Church Fathers and proved to myself they were all Catholics, so that’s why I’m here.
But the very word “Protestant” means protesting, refusing some of the Catholic whole because they think it’s anti-scriptural and unscriptural barnacles added to what Christ gave us. While the very word “Catholic” means universal, or whole. The whole deal. So this has a problem, apparently without a possible solution because no faithful Catholic could dream of unity with Protestants except on Catholic grounds. For to be a Catholic is to believe that those grounds are holy grounds, divinely revealed. It is the Protestants who must remove their shoes. Catholics cannot negotiate away any of the deposit of faith because it is not theirs, it is Christ’s! The divinely appointed mail carriers may not edit God’s mail.
Common Ground
So the reunion must be on Catholic grounds. That is, complete, universal grounds. That is the essentially and distinctively Catholic point: essential Catholic point and it is non-negotiable for any faithful Catholic.
But at the same time, reunion must be on Protestant grounds. And these are equally non-negotiable. What I mean by that is the essentially and distinctively Protestant point: the central Protestant point seems to be the opposite of the Catholic one, namely the simple all sufficiency of Christ alone. Jesus only. Jesus plus nothing. Jesus straight, not mixed drink. If reunion is possible, that is its only foundation. The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.
Now of course that doesn’t have to mean, and it shouldn’t mean “no creed but Christ” or “Jesus only and therefore no Church” or “Jesus only therefore no Sacraments” for most Protestants do have a creed and a church and sacraments.
So perhaps those two central points already overlap a bit, or more than a bit. In fact they overlap so much that we can say, without trickery, that the whole reason for being a Catholic is to be the best possible evangelical Protestant.
What I mean by that strange statement is that the essence of evangelical Protestantism is to be one with Christ, to meet Christ, and that’s the best reason to be a Catholic. That’s the reason for the Mass, and the Eucharist, namely the Protestant thing of meeting Christ. That’s the whole point of the Catholic thing of the Church, and of the Sacraments and of the Saints and all of the rest. Take the Eucharist. Christ is no great because of the Eucharist, the Eucharist is great because of Christ. We Catholics don’t try to squeeze Christ out of the Church like orange juice out of an orange, Christ gave us the Church. We got the Church from Christ first of all. Only then do we get Christ from the Church because He put Himself into her. The Church is the servant, the messenger. The Church is Christ’s body, but the body is the head’s body. We don’t idolize anything. Protestants accuse Catholics of idolatry, ecclesiolatry, sacramentiology, Mariolatry, Christ is the only “idol.” The total “idola” or “icon” or “image” of God. We do not idolize, for instance, the doctrine of the Real Presence. It’s only a doctrine, though it’s a true doctrine. We worship Christ not doctrines about Christ. The Real Presence is the real presence of Christ. Christ alone is the absolute everywhere in Catholicism. Mary for instance, is holy only because of her relationship to Christ. She gave us Him by freely consenting to be His mother. And He gave us her, from the Cross. “Behold, your mother.”
A Surprising Clue
But reunion without compromise between Catholics and Protestants still seems impossible. Yet, here’s a surprising clue that it may be possible after all: the main point of what I said in the last few minutes “Jesus only,” “the all sufficiency of Christ,” that’s the essential Protestant point and it was just made by me, a Catholic.
That point seems to be an essential dividing point for Catholicism seems to Protestants to violate that point. Catholicism seems to Protestants to be “Christ plus paganism,” “the Ark plus the barnacles,” or “Christ plus many human traditions and historical accretions,” “Christ plus the pope,” “Christ plus Mary,” whatever. The most serious Protestant objection to Catholicism as a religion, not just as a theology, is that it violates the scriptural teaching of the all sufficiency of Christ, the teaching that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
To Protestants, Catholicism seems to add other mediaries, other intermediaries between man and Christ: Mary, the saints, the Church, Sacraments, priests, human traditions.
But I suggest that if Protestants make just one single adjustment in their vision, they will see the possibility of reunion. Not just theologically, but more deeply religiously and spiritually, without any compromise at all. And that one adjustment is not to see Christ in any different way at all, but to see the Church in a different way. Not as an obstacle between us and Christ, not even as an intermediary between us and Christ, but as the very body of Christ Himself.
And why would they make that adjustment? Well, which of these two concepts of the Church is the scriptural way of seeing it? Come on, answer honestly. You read the Bible and isn’t the Bible the supreme authority for any Protestant? Once Protestants see the Church’s identity, they can love her instead of fearing her because the body of Christ is Christ as your body is you. It’s not an alien, it’s not an obstacle. How can your own body be an obstacle? How Gnostic! The body is not your prison house, or your coffin, or your punishment. It’s not even your tool, or your clothing, or your house. It’s not This Old House. It’s you. Although it’s not the whole you. It’s not your head, or your soul. The same is true of Christ’s body which is what the New Testament calls the Church. It is Christ. Though it’s not the whole Christ. He is her head. And the Holy Spirit is her soul.
Protestants will not and should not stop protesting against the Catholic Church until they see the totally Christocentric character of her and all her teachings. Sometimes, the understanding of the Church’s Christocentrism can be the key to understanding the Christocentric nature of each of the Church’s teachings. And sometimes, it works the other way around. Doctrine by doctrine, yielding its Christocentric treasure at the heart as it is more deeply explored and understood. As Christ the teacher appears at the heart of each of the Church’s teachings. I know a number of Protestants who have read the Church’s new Catechism and had been amazed at how consistently Christocentric everything in it is. And unless Protestants see this, how could they think of reunion with Catholics? And how can they see this, unless Catholics show it to them? And how can Catholics show it to them, unless they see it themselves? And how can they see it, unless they have a teacher, a preacher? As it is written, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that preach the good news.”
In this light, it seems to me, clearly Providential that God has raised up for our time, the time of the end of the second millennium, the millennium of Christian disunity, and the beginning of the third millennium, hopefully the millennium of Christian re-unity, has raised up John Paul the Great. The most Christocentric pope of modern times, probably of all times. The most ecumenical pope of all times, and yet one who is totally and traditionally and enthusiastically Catholic. Is the pope Catholic? There have been times in the Church’s dark history when that joke was not funny. Today it’s funny.
Why Not Now?
Well, if God can do this, if God can effect an ecumenical reunion, why not now? Why does he delay? God never delays. Well then if the teachings of the Church are true, why doesn’t God convince Protestants of those truths? I think the reason is spiritual and personal, more than theological.
Why should God let Protestants become Catholics when many Protestants, perhaps most, already know Christ more intimately and personally than many Catholics, perhaps most! How can God lead Protestants home to the fullness of faith in the Catholic Church until the Catholic Church becomes that fullness that they knew as Protestants plus more, not any less! When Catholics know Christ better than Protestants do, when Catholics are better Protestants than Protestants, then Protestants will become Catholics in order to become better Protestants!
When Catholics are evangelized, Protestants will be sacramentalized. But not before! Evangelizing comes first.
So I think we Catholics have to change first. But that change involves not the slightest compromising with anything Catholic: no dumbing down of the faith and no addition from without, no paganization nor secularization nor negation not weakening. Only a rediscovery of our own essence from within. Frankly, it is the Protestants who are going to have to add to the doctrines they rejected by seeing them differently. What we have to add, or rather, rediscover is something even more important then doctrines: namely the relationship that we have neglected. A truer relationship with a person is even more important than a truer concept about him. So that point will probably make many Protestants cheer.
But any good Protestant who is hearing this ought to protest one thing I said a few moments ago: namely that Protestantism is essentially a protest movement, essentially negative. Protestants defend Protestantism as essentially positive. Why? Not because it doesn’t have a pope or Transubstantiation or purgatory or rosary, that is negative. But because it knows Christ, because its essence is the absolute all-sufficiency of Christ.
But that means that good Protestants are Protestants for exactly the same good reason that good Catholics are Catholic: out of fidelity to Christ. So if the Protestant and the Catholic are both totally sincere about this Christocentrism, If both sections of Christ’s orchestra want only to follow the baton of Christ the one conductor, and if they never yield on this holy fanaticism of love and loyalty to Christ, then they will play in harmony. For we know that Christ’s will is harmony, and unity. Look at that most intimate glimpse of the inner life of the Trinity that we have in Scripture: Christ’s high priestly prayer to His Father just before His death in John 17. Unity is central to it. Departure from Christ was the fundamental cause of the Church’s tragic divisions in the first place. Another word for departure from Christ is “sin.” Therefore, return to Christ will be the cause of the Church’s return to unity. That is simple logic. I could put that into a syllogism. It is also simple sanity and sanctity. Another word for “return to Christ” is “sanctity.”
When bishops and theologians become saints, then Catholics will become Evangelicals and Evangelicals will become Catholics. When both Protestants and Catholics become saints they will become one. For a saint means only an “alter Christos,” another Christ, a little Christ, and Christ is not divided. Christ’s body is not divided. When Christ comes at the end of the world to marry His Church, He will not be a polygamist. The Church will not be His harem.
Recap and Example
Let’s go through the whole thing one more time in a somewhat different way because it’s an apparently an impossible, unbelievable point: this hope for ecumenical reunion without compromise.
Already ecumenism has defied predictions and expectations. Apparently easy bridges have not been built, for example between Catholics and Orthodox. While apparently impossible ones have been built, for instance the Catholic-Lutheran agreement on Justification.
In my individual experience I find the same surprising principle to be true. I often find more mutual understanding between myself and a fundamentalist Southern Baptist who sincerely believes I am worshipping the great whore of Babylon and on my way to Hell, or with a Muslim who uncompromisingly rejects my belief that Christ is Lord as utter pagan blasphemy, than I find with some active Catholic laity, nuns, especially ex-nuns, priests and even bishops! As fellow Catholics we may agree on more articles of faith than I do with the Protestant or the Muslim, yet I sense we disagree more fundamentally than I do with the Protestant or the Muslim, and not just by personal temperament.
Here’s a mystery and when I try to unravel it, here’s what I came up with.
Let’s begin at the beginning with God, and the nature of God, and the will of God. God is Love and God wills above all for us all to enter into that Love forever: to incorporate us into the very mystery of the life of the Trinity. Everything that God does, from banging out the big bang, to incarnating His own Son, to arranging for each and every hair that falls from our head, everything He does is done for that end. Now with this general and very Heavenly principle in mind, let us look at something very earthly and very particular.
Let’s look at the ecumenical situation in a very local time and place. Latin America today. Catholics are complaining that Evangelical, Fundamentalist, and Pentecostal sects are stealing sheep. Protestant sects are growing and Catholic percentages are declining. Well, instead of complaining, let’s look deeper at the reality. Why is this happening? I think the ultimate reason is because God is Love. Because God wills to draw all men to Himself. Because of that spiritual gravity, because nature abhors a vacuum, spiritually as well as physically, and because the Catholic Church has been so remiss in giving God’s children the fullness of the spiritual food that God has given the Church to give out, therefore, the children have been going elsewhere to eat it.
And God has allowed this because God is a good father. And a good father would rather see his children go away from home and live, than stay home and die. Of course things are not that simple, of course motives for leaving the Church and joining the sects are many and mixed and some are simply bad, but still I think the main force that’s driving these events is in the realm of the spirit is the Spirit. When these sheep find little or no Christ in the Catholic Church, whoever’s fault that is, and find Christ more really in a sect, more really objectively and not just subjectively, and certainly not just emotionally, then they’re moving closer to and not farther from the fullness of the Catholic faith. They may have left the Eucharist, the real presence of Christ in the Catholic Church, and that is the fullest presence of Christ in this world, but they did not know the Person who is present there, and whose body they ate with their bodies, but not with their souls.
When these starving sheep leave home to find the manna of Christ in the sects, they are learning the lesson one that should have learned as Catholics but didn’t. And that lesson one is the only possible foundation for lesson two and three and four. That is, the fullness of the faith that the Catholic Church has, the building, rests on one foundation. As Catholics, these people may have gotten the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but they didn’t get the real presence of Christ in their hearts and in their lives. They got the upper stories of the Catholic skyscrapers, but not the foundation. Not the faith and the hope and the love relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior. Therefore, in order to become good Catholics, they must first become good Protestants.
Spiritual Gravity
God pulled them out of a Catholic Church and put them into a Protestant sect because God is spiritual gravity and God pulls us towards Himself, like a massive sun. If His rays are blocked in one place, we must go elsewhere to find them, for find them we must! They draw us, they give us life. They are a matter of life or death, not a religious shopping mart. You may think this God-Gravity somewhat speculative, but why should God have less gravity than the sun? Why should there be less gravity in grace than in nature? Why should the spiritual universe be less united by gravity than the physical universe? The parallel works perfectly.
Look at physical gravity carefully. It’s like love. It bring together. Time and space are principles of dispersion, separation that prevent complete union. Time disperses our being out into past and future. Space disperses matter out into various places. Those two dispersions make death possible. Time and space enable death to insert its destructive sword between one year, when you live and one year, when you die. And between one material part of you, let’s say your head, and another, your body.
Yet, despite these dispersions, the physical universe is still united by a universal, gravitational attraction which is a real force of love and union. A non-random, directed, purposive movement or tendency towards all other matter. All matter is in love with all other matter. That is, the universe wants to return to the big bang unity, the one divine source of the many. In the act of creation, the physical universe runs by the love of God. “The love that moves the sun and all the stars,” in Dante’s words.
For gravity is not just like love, but gravity IS love on a material level. In fact, it has two movements: one is towards union, back to the center, the big bang, the past by gravity. And the other is to give itself out to all other beings, out into the future, the expanding universe, by energy, and by entropy, which is energy giving itself out to the empty places. Aquinas says, “The good is diffusive of itself.” On every level, from the Trinity to subatomic particles.
Thus the light that leaves the star goes everywhere in the universe forever. A dropped rock on earth goes to the moon and makes the rocks on the moon shudder just a little. We can calculate how much, it’s a function of the two variables of mass and distance. Every mass at any distance exerts some gravity. When I drop a pebble into a pool, I make ripples all the way to the shore. And when I drop a good deed into another person’s life, those ripples, tiny and imperceptible though they may be, do not stop short of the shore of death. And even then, they proceed on to the “third and fourth generation of those who hate God and goodness onto thousands of generations of those who love God and keep His commandments.”
God is the source of all spiritual gravity and God touches us only through Christ. “No one can come to the Father but by me.” Thus all spiritual gravity, including ecumenical gravity is through Christ. All return, all homecoming, all reconciliation, all mutual understanding, all healing of wounds in the body of Christ, is through the gravity of grace in the body of Christ. Now this is a largely unconscious and invisible thing, this gravity of grace. We don’t see it and we don’t even know what is happening when our spirit is drawn, just as we don’t know when our body falls. It’s not our conscious knowledge that is the prime mover of spiritual events.
When the human race first learned the law of gravity through Newton, it was a scientific and technological revolution. When we will learn the law of spiritual gravity, when we learn that it is a person and His name is Jesus, there will be a greater revolution. He promised that revolution. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself.” “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Those are divine promises. Why do we limit them to what we have already seen, or to what we can imagine or comprehend?
All God’s deeds transcend our vision, our imagination, and our comprehension. Christ is the golden key to all of history and therefore, to future ecumenism. Let us not dare to cut down the full Christ into understandable and predictable pieces. That’s exactly what all the heresies tried to do.
I think this ecumenical unity must wait until Christ in Protestants and Christ in Catholics see each other. That is, until they see the same Christ, until you have what you might call “evangelical intimacy.” And see more Christ in the other. The same is true of Eastern Orthodox. They must see the adoration and the beauty of Christ in us or else reunion will be a watering down. And with the Jews! The Jews must see us as more Jewish, more faithful, more martyrs, than the Jews. The same with the Muslims. They must see their “islam,” their absolute submission to God in us, and their spiritual warfare, their right jihad. And the Buddhist must see in us a greater peace, a greater mindfulness. And even the worldings and sex maniacs. They must see in us the joy that they’re seeking and not finding.
That’s necessary, that’s not an option, not an ideal, it’s necessary because of gravity. There’s not choice, it’s the nature of things. Like physical gravity. It can be impeded, just as gravity can be impeded by a hand catching a falling apple, but only temporarily. Art can’t change the nature of things, nature always take over eventually. Grass grows through abandoned buildings, and Christ is more like grass than like buildings.
So let’s not limit His growth.
Handbook of Christian Apologetics
Christianity for Modern Pagans
Fundamentals of the Faith
Ecumenism
I’d like to give a fairly short, fairly formal semi-lecture followed by an interesting discussion about ecumenism. If we are to witness to the world, the problem is not only the world, the problem is in us. And the problem in us is not just that we are wicked and foolish, that’s always the case. We are also split, we’re divided. We can ignore that, we can be dishonest and compromise our convictions, but obviously that’s not going to do any good.
Is there any hope for reunion? I am increasingly convinced that there is much more hope than most of us think. And my hope is based most fundamentally on the fact that the most passionate ecumenist in all of existence is Jesus Christ. We all know His prayer to His Father just before His Crucifixion in John 17, “That they may be one even as Thou the Father art in me and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe.” He explicitly connects apologetics and ecumenism. “I in them and Thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that Thou has sent me and has loved them even Thou hast loved me.”
If you read the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians, you will see that denominationalism was not just a scandal, but absolutely unthinkable and intolerable to St. Paul. Because denominationalism is not the multiplying of subdivisions in an organization, it’s the amputation of limbs from an organism. Just as no sane person loves war, so no sane Christian loves the war among Christians that so scandalizes the world and weakens our witness to it. How could a divided church unify a divided world? No more than an infected physician can heal himself. But our divisions seem as intractable as war!
Here are 9 grounds for hope for ecumenical reunion that are commonly given, and not a one of them has worked:
1. Reasonable compromises.
2. Understanding and education: the hope that deep down, we’ll find that we don’t really disagree. That we’re all saying the same thing in different words but just misunderstanding each other.
3. Mystical experience: if you only have one, you’ll see that the previous point is true.
4. Tolerance: like a mutual non-aggression pact. Why can’t we just get along?
5. Subjectivism: reduction of THE Truth to “my truth” or “your truth” or “our truth.”
6. Skepticism: no one knows the truth anyway.
7. Rational argument: perhaps we can persuade each other as in a scientific laboratory.
8. A vague optimism: Dickon’s Mr. McColbers, “Something will turn up!”
9. Merely a temporary tactical and pragmatic union to fight a common enemy: an ecumenical jihad.
Good but not enough. None of these is the golden key to reunion.
The Golden Key
There is a golden key! His name is Jesus Christ. We can’t do it. And He can. We must be very clear about those two truths. The main reason it hasn’t happened is that we do not fully believe both those two truths.
Christ Himself is the most powerful source of reunion in the world because it comes not from the world but from Heaven. And He will have His way with us sooner or later, one way or another. We don’t know whether it’s going to be sooner or later, and we don’t know if it will come by one way or by another. But we do know that it will come because it is his will. We don’t know when and we don’t know how, but we know who.
Pope John Paul II has voiced the bold hope that as the first thousand years of Christian history were the millennium of Christian unity, and the second thousand years were the millennium of Christian disunity, 1054, 1517, and the over twenty-thousand denominations that came from 1517, so the third thousand years may be the millennium of Christian re-unity, reunification.
But how? The deepest division is obviously between Catholics and Protestants, for the Eastern Orthodox Churches have all remained one, not split into twenty-thousand in creed, code, or cult. They have preserved the fullness of Catholic faith. Except for universal papal authority, but that has changed its form quite a bit throughout Christian history, though not its reality, and it can change again. The pope himself explicitly said that in Ut Unum Sint. But how can Catholics and Protestants achieve reunion? I will prescind entirely from the question whether Anglicans are Catholics, Protestants, both, or neither. Well it cannot be by yielding or weakening or compromising one iota of divinely revealed truth!
All the serious differences between Protestants and Catholics concern how much territory this category of divinely revealed truth covers. For instance, the Church’s doctrines about Mary, and the saints, and the seven Sacraments, and Transubstantiation, and purgatory, Catholics accept them because they believe they are true and divinely revealed. Protestants reject them because they believe they are not true and not divinely revealed. Protestants say Catholics believe too much. Catholics say Protestants believe too little. Protestants say the Church added to Christ’s original, pure and simple revelation in the New Testament. Protestantism is thus Catholicism stripped down: the Catholic Ark with what Protestants claim are the non-scriptural barnacles scraped off of it.
When I was at Calvin College and investigating things Catholic and falling in love with them and feeling guilty about it, because this was the wrong church, I took a course in church history to try to get things clear. And the very first day of the course, the wise-old professor said, “What is the Church?” And we were all just freshman, we didn’t know for nothing so nobody answered. So he said, “Well, you’re going to meet a Roman Catholic someday and he’s going to say, ‘You’re in the wrong church! You’re a Calvinist, you’re in the church John Calvin founded 500 years ago. We’re in the church Jesus Christ founded 2000 years ago.’ What do you say to him?” Nobody had an answer. I said to myself, “I’m in the right class.”
He said, “Well, here’s what the Catholics will say: the church today is a great big thing and it looks very different from the simple thing you read about in the New Testament, but it’s the same just as that oak tree is the same organism as that little acorn. What’s wrong with that picture? The Catholic will say that Luther and Calvin broke off some branches of the church because it was really rotten and they tried to start a new one, but that can’t be done cause there’s only one Jesus. And therefore, only one church. What’s your answer to that? What’s wrong with that picture?” And nobody had an answer. I said to myself, “I’m in the right class!”
And he said, “Well, here’s what’s wrong with that pictures, here’s what happened: Jesus founded one church indeed and it is the church described in the New Testament, and it’s like Noah’s Ark, and it did get rotten, and Luther and Calvin and Knox and others said, ‘Gee, this Ark is sinking! We gotta scrape the barnacles off!’ So they scraped the barnacles off and restored it to its simple, pure, primitive, New Testament essence. So we’re in the right church! It’s the Catholics who are the upstarts. They’re the ones who added all those pagan barnacles.” I said, “Oh that makes me feel good.” I remember asking a question, I said, “Professor, do you mean to tell me that, if my Catholic neighbor and I both found a time machine and went back to the first century,” I still remember his look, “What’s this guy, a weirdo? Science fiction?” “…and worshipped together, that I as a Protestant would feel more at home in that church than he as a Catholic would?” And then he smiled. He said, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” I said to myself, “Good, that means that I don’t have to be a great theologian to figure out who’s right. All I have to do is read the Church Fathers to prove to myself that they were all Calvinists.” Well, I read the Church Fathers and proved to myself they were all Catholics, so that’s why I’m here.
But the very word “Protestant” means protesting, refusing some of the Catholic whole because they think it’s anti-scriptural and unscriptural barnacles added to what Christ gave us. While the very word “Catholic” means universal, or whole. The whole deal. So this has a problem, apparently without a possible solution because no faithful Catholic could dream of unity with Protestants except on Catholic grounds. For to be a Catholic is to believe that those grounds are holy grounds, divinely revealed. It is the Protestants who must remove their shoes. Catholics cannot negotiate away any of the deposit of faith because it is not theirs, it is Christ’s! The divinely appointed mail carriers may not edit God’s mail.
Common Ground
So the reunion must be on Catholic grounds. That is, complete, universal grounds. That is the essentially and distinctively Catholic point: essential Catholic point and it is non-negotiable for any faithful Catholic.
But at the same time, reunion must be on Protestant grounds. And these are equally non-negotiable. What I mean by that is the essentially and distinctively Protestant point: the central Protestant point seems to be the opposite of the Catholic one, namely the simple all sufficiency of Christ alone. Jesus only. Jesus plus nothing. Jesus straight, not mixed drink. If reunion is possible, that is its only foundation. The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.
Now of course that doesn’t have to mean, and it shouldn’t mean “no creed but Christ” or “Jesus only and therefore no Church” or “Jesus only therefore no Sacraments” for most Protestants do have a creed and a church and sacraments.
So perhaps those two central points already overlap a bit, or more than a bit. In fact they overlap so much that we can say, without trickery, that the whole reason for being a Catholic is to be the best possible evangelical Protestant.
What I mean by that strange statement is that the essence of evangelical Protestantism is to be one with Christ, to meet Christ, and that’s the best reason to be a Catholic. That’s the reason for the Mass, and the Eucharist, namely the Protestant thing of meeting Christ. That’s the whole point of the Catholic thing of the Church, and of the Sacraments and of the Saints and all of the rest. Take the Eucharist. Christ is no great because of the Eucharist, the Eucharist is great because of Christ. We Catholics don’t try to squeeze Christ out of the Church like orange juice out of an orange, Christ gave us the Church. We got the Church from Christ first of all. Only then do we get Christ from the Church because He put Himself into her. The Church is the servant, the messenger. The Church is Christ’s body, but the body is the head’s body. We don’t idolize anything. Protestants accuse Catholics of idolatry, ecclesiolatry, sacramentiology, Mariolatry, Christ is the only “idol.” The total “idola” or “icon” or “image” of God. We do not idolize, for instance, the doctrine of the Real Presence. It’s only a doctrine, though it’s a true doctrine. We worship Christ not doctrines about Christ. The Real Presence is the real presence of Christ. Christ alone is the absolute everywhere in Catholicism. Mary for instance, is holy only because of her relationship to Christ. She gave us Him by freely consenting to be His mother. And He gave us her, from the Cross. “Behold, your mother.”
A Surprising Clue
But reunion without compromise between Catholics and Protestants still seems impossible. Yet, here’s a surprising clue that it may be possible after all: the main point of what I said in the last few minutes “Jesus only,” “the all sufficiency of Christ,” that’s the essential Protestant point and it was just made by me, a Catholic.
That point seems to be an essential dividing point for Catholicism seems to Protestants to violate that point. Catholicism seems to Protestants to be “Christ plus paganism,” “the Ark plus the barnacles,” or “Christ plus many human traditions and historical accretions,” “Christ plus the pope,” “Christ plus Mary,” whatever. The most serious Protestant objection to Catholicism as a religion, not just as a theology, is that it violates the scriptural teaching of the all sufficiency of Christ, the teaching that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
To Protestants, Catholicism seems to add other mediaries, other intermediaries between man and Christ: Mary, the saints, the Church, Sacraments, priests, human traditions.
But I suggest that if Protestants make just one single adjustment in their vision, they will see the possibility of reunion. Not just theologically, but more deeply religiously and spiritually, without any compromise at all. And that one adjustment is not to see Christ in any different way at all, but to see the Church in a different way. Not as an obstacle between us and Christ, not even as an intermediary between us and Christ, but as the very body of Christ Himself.
And why would they make that adjustment? Well, which of these two concepts of the Church is the scriptural way of seeing it? Come on, answer honestly. You read the Bible and isn’t the Bible the supreme authority for any Protestant? Once Protestants see the Church’s identity, they can love her instead of fearing her because the body of Christ is Christ as your body is you. It’s not an alien, it’s not an obstacle. How can your own body be an obstacle? How Gnostic! The body is not your prison house, or your coffin, or your punishment. It’s not even your tool, or your clothing, or your house. It’s not This Old House. It’s you. Although it’s not the whole you. It’s not your head, or your soul. The same is true of Christ’s body which is what the New Testament calls the Church. It is Christ. Though it’s not the whole Christ. He is her head. And the Holy Spirit is her soul.
Protestants will not and should not stop protesting against the Catholic Church until they see the totally Christocentric character of her and all her teachings. Sometimes, the understanding of the Church’s Christocentrism can be the key to understanding the Christocentric nature of each of the Church’s teachings. And sometimes, it works the other way around. Doctrine by doctrine, yielding its Christocentric treasure at the heart as it is more deeply explored and understood. As Christ the teacher appears at the heart of each of the Church’s teachings. I know a number of Protestants who have read the Church’s new Catechism and had been amazed at how consistently Christocentric everything in it is. And unless Protestants see this, how could they think of reunion with Catholics? And how can they see this, unless Catholics show it to them? And how can Catholics show it to them, unless they see it themselves? And how can they see it, unless they have a teacher, a preacher? As it is written, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that preach the good news.”
In this light, it seems to me, clearly Providential that God has raised up for our time, the time of the end of the second millennium, the millennium of Christian disunity, and the beginning of the third millennium, hopefully the millennium of Christian re-unity, has raised up John Paul the Great. The most Christocentric pope of modern times, probably of all times. The most ecumenical pope of all times, and yet one who is totally and traditionally and enthusiastically Catholic. Is the pope Catholic? There have been times in the Church’s dark history when that joke was not funny. Today it’s funny.
Why Not Now?
Well, if God can do this, if God can effect an ecumenical reunion, why not now? Why does he delay? God never delays. Well then if the teachings of the Church are true, why doesn’t God convince Protestants of those truths? I think the reason is spiritual and personal, more than theological.
Why should God let Protestants become Catholics when many Protestants, perhaps most, already know Christ more intimately and personally than many Catholics, perhaps most! How can God lead Protestants home to the fullness of faith in the Catholic Church until the Catholic Church becomes that fullness that they knew as Protestants plus more, not any less! When Catholics know Christ better than Protestants do, when Catholics are better Protestants than Protestants, then Protestants will become Catholics in order to become better Protestants!
When Catholics are evangelized, Protestants will be sacramentalized. But not before! Evangelizing comes first.
So I think we Catholics have to change first. But that change involves not the slightest compromising with anything Catholic: no dumbing down of the faith and no addition from without, no paganization nor secularization nor negation not weakening. Only a rediscovery of our own essence from within. Frankly, it is the Protestants who are going to have to add to the doctrines they rejected by seeing them differently. What we have to add, or rather, rediscover is something even more important then doctrines: namely the relationship that we have neglected. A truer relationship with a person is even more important than a truer concept about him. So that point will probably make many Protestants cheer.
But any good Protestant who is hearing this ought to protest one thing I said a few moments ago: namely that Protestantism is essentially a protest movement, essentially negative. Protestants defend Protestantism as essentially positive. Why? Not because it doesn’t have a pope or Transubstantiation or purgatory or rosary, that is negative. But because it knows Christ, because its essence is the absolute all-sufficiency of Christ.
But that means that good Protestants are Protestants for exactly the same good reason that good Catholics are Catholic: out of fidelity to Christ. So if the Protestant and the Catholic are both totally sincere about this Christocentrism, If both sections of Christ’s orchestra want only to follow the baton of Christ the one conductor, and if they never yield on this holy fanaticism of love and loyalty to Christ, then they will play in harmony. For we know that Christ’s will is harmony, and unity. Look at that most intimate glimpse of the inner life of the Trinity that we have in Scripture: Christ’s high priestly prayer to His Father just before His death in John 17. Unity is central to it. Departure from Christ was the fundamental cause of the Church’s tragic divisions in the first place. Another word for departure from Christ is “sin.” Therefore, return to Christ will be the cause of the Church’s return to unity. That is simple logic. I could put that into a syllogism. It is also simple sanity and sanctity. Another word for “return to Christ” is “sanctity.”
When bishops and theologians become saints, then Catholics will become Evangelicals and Evangelicals will become Catholics. When both Protestants and Catholics become saints they will become one. For a saint means only an “alter Christos,” another Christ, a little Christ, and Christ is not divided. Christ’s body is not divided. When Christ comes at the end of the world to marry His Church, He will not be a polygamist. The Church will not be His harem.
Recap and Example
Let’s go through the whole thing one more time in a somewhat different way because it’s an apparently an impossible, unbelievable point: this hope for ecumenical reunion without compromise.
Already ecumenism has defied predictions and expectations. Apparently easy bridges have not been built, for example between Catholics and Orthodox. While apparently impossible ones have been built, for instance the Catholic-Lutheran agreement on Justification.
In my individual experience I find the same surprising principle to be true. I often find more mutual understanding between myself and a fundamentalist Southern Baptist who sincerely believes I am worshipping the great whore of Babylon and on my way to Hell, or with a Muslim who uncompromisingly rejects my belief that Christ is Lord as utter pagan blasphemy, than I find with some active Catholic laity, nuns, especially ex-nuns, priests and even bishops! As fellow Catholics we may agree on more articles of faith than I do with the Protestant or the Muslim, yet I sense we disagree more fundamentally than I do with the Protestant or the Muslim, and not just by personal temperament.
Here’s a mystery and when I try to unravel it, here’s what I came up with.
Let’s begin at the beginning with God, and the nature of God, and the will of God. God is Love and God wills above all for us all to enter into that Love forever: to incorporate us into the very mystery of the life of the Trinity. Everything that God does, from banging out the big bang, to incarnating His own Son, to arranging for each and every hair that falls from our head, everything He does is done for that end. Now with this general and very Heavenly principle in mind, let us look at something very earthly and very particular.
Let’s look at the ecumenical situation in a very local time and place. Latin America today. Catholics are complaining that Evangelical, Fundamentalist, and Pentecostal sects are stealing sheep. Protestant sects are growing and Catholic percentages are declining. Well, instead of complaining, let’s look deeper at the reality. Why is this happening? I think the ultimate reason is because God is Love. Because God wills to draw all men to Himself. Because of that spiritual gravity, because nature abhors a vacuum, spiritually as well as physically, and because the Catholic Church has been so remiss in giving God’s children the fullness of the spiritual food that God has given the Church to give out, therefore, the children have been going elsewhere to eat it.
And God has allowed this because God is a good father. And a good father would rather see his children go away from home and live, than stay home and die. Of course things are not that simple, of course motives for leaving the Church and joining the sects are many and mixed and some are simply bad, but still I think the main force that’s driving these events is in the realm of the spirit is the Spirit. When these sheep find little or no Christ in the Catholic Church, whoever’s fault that is, and find Christ more really in a sect, more really objectively and not just subjectively, and certainly not just emotionally, then they’re moving closer to and not farther from the fullness of the Catholic faith. They may have left the Eucharist, the real presence of Christ in the Catholic Church, and that is the fullest presence of Christ in this world, but they did not know the Person who is present there, and whose body they ate with their bodies, but not with their souls.
When these starving sheep leave home to find the manna of Christ in the sects, they are learning the lesson one that should have learned as Catholics but didn’t. And that lesson one is the only possible foundation for lesson two and three and four. That is, the fullness of the faith that the Catholic Church has, the building, rests on one foundation. As Catholics, these people may have gotten the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but they didn’t get the real presence of Christ in their hearts and in their lives. They got the upper stories of the Catholic skyscrapers, but not the foundation. Not the faith and the hope and the love relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior. Therefore, in order to become good Catholics, they must first become good Protestants.
Spiritual Gravity
God pulled them out of a Catholic Church and put them into a Protestant sect because God is spiritual gravity and God pulls us towards Himself, like a massive sun. If His rays are blocked in one place, we must go elsewhere to find them, for find them we must! They draw us, they give us life. They are a matter of life or death, not a religious shopping mart. You may think this God-Gravity somewhat speculative, but why should God have less gravity than the sun? Why should there be less gravity in grace than in nature? Why should the spiritual universe be less united by gravity than the physical universe? The parallel works perfectly.
Look at physical gravity carefully. It’s like love. It bring together. Time and space are principles of dispersion, separation that prevent complete union. Time disperses our being out into past and future. Space disperses matter out into various places. Those two dispersions make death possible. Time and space enable death to insert its destructive sword between one year, when you live and one year, when you die. And between one material part of you, let’s say your head, and another, your body.
Yet, despite these dispersions, the physical universe is still united by a universal, gravitational attraction which is a real force of love and union. A non-random, directed, purposive movement or tendency towards all other matter. All matter is in love with all other matter. That is, the universe wants to return to the big bang unity, the one divine source of the many. In the act of creation, the physical universe runs by the love of God. “The love that moves the sun and all the stars,” in Dante’s words.
For gravity is not just like love, but gravity IS love on a material level. In fact, it has two movements: one is towards union, back to the center, the big bang, the past by gravity. And the other is to give itself out to all other beings, out into the future, the expanding universe, by energy, and by entropy, which is energy giving itself out to the empty places. Aquinas says, “The good is diffusive of itself.” On every level, from the Trinity to subatomic particles.
Thus the light that leaves the star goes everywhere in the universe forever. A dropped rock on earth goes to the moon and makes the rocks on the moon shudder just a little. We can calculate how much, it’s a function of the two variables of mass and distance. Every mass at any distance exerts some gravity. When I drop a pebble into a pool, I make ripples all the way to the shore. And when I drop a good deed into another person’s life, those ripples, tiny and imperceptible though they may be, do not stop short of the shore of death. And even then, they proceed on to the “third and fourth generation of those who hate God and goodness onto thousands of generations of those who love God and keep His commandments.”
God is the source of all spiritual gravity and God touches us only through Christ. “No one can come to the Father but by me.” Thus all spiritual gravity, including ecumenical gravity is through Christ. All return, all homecoming, all reconciliation, all mutual understanding, all healing of wounds in the body of Christ, is through the gravity of grace in the body of Christ. Now this is a largely unconscious and invisible thing, this gravity of grace. We don’t see it and we don’t even know what is happening when our spirit is drawn, just as we don’t know when our body falls. It’s not our conscious knowledge that is the prime mover of spiritual events.
When the human race first learned the law of gravity through Newton, it was a scientific and technological revolution. When we will learn the law of spiritual gravity, when we learn that it is a person and His name is Jesus, there will be a greater revolution. He promised that revolution. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself.” “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Those are divine promises. Why do we limit them to what we have already seen, or to what we can imagine or comprehend?
All God’s deeds transcend our vision, our imagination, and our comprehension. Christ is the golden key to all of history and therefore, to future ecumenism. Let us not dare to cut down the full Christ into understandable and predictable pieces. That’s exactly what all the heresies tried to do.
I think this ecumenical unity must wait until Christ in Protestants and Christ in Catholics see each other. That is, until they see the same Christ, until you have what you might call “evangelical intimacy.” And see more Christ in the other. The same is true of Eastern Orthodox. They must see the adoration and the beauty of Christ in us or else reunion will be a watering down. And with the Jews! The Jews must see us as more Jewish, more faithful, more martyrs, than the Jews. The same with the Muslims. They must see their “islam,” their absolute submission to God in us, and their spiritual warfare, their right jihad. And the Buddhist must see in us a greater peace, a greater mindfulness. And even the worldings and sex maniacs. They must see in us the joy that they’re seeking and not finding.
That’s necessary, that’s not an option, not an ideal, it’s necessary because of gravity. There’s not choice, it’s the nature of things. Like physical gravity. It can be impeded, just as gravity can be impeded by a hand catching a falling apple, but only temporarily. Art can’t change the nature of things, nature always take over eventually. Grass grows through abandoned buildings, and Christ is more like grass than like buildings.
So let’s not limit His growth.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
"Pay It Forward"
From: Greg Laurie Ministries
Acts 20:35 "And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
When you are very young, you are usually preoccupied with what you are getting for Christmas. But as you get older, you start learning the joy of giving, and you actually find that it is indeed more of a blessing to give than it is to receive.
We need to learn to be generous with everything that God has given to us. Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38) You can't outgive God.
So let's learn the joy of giving. Let's learn the joy of giving of our time, our resources, our talents and abilities—whatever God has given to us. Some hoard what God has given them, not wanting to give, not understanding that as you give out, more is given to you: "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself." (Proverbs 11:25)
We don't know how long we will live. But I believe that if we live each day as unto the Lord, then we won't have to worry about the length of our lives. So make every day count. Don't waste your life. Give out of what God has given you.
"It is not that I am eager for the gift; rather, my concern is for the ever-growing balance in your account." (Philippians 4:17)
Acts 20:35 "And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
When you are very young, you are usually preoccupied with what you are getting for Christmas. But as you get older, you start learning the joy of giving, and you actually find that it is indeed more of a blessing to give than it is to receive.
We need to learn to be generous with everything that God has given to us. Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38) You can't outgive God.
So let's learn the joy of giving. Let's learn the joy of giving of our time, our resources, our talents and abilities—whatever God has given to us. Some hoard what God has given them, not wanting to give, not understanding that as you give out, more is given to you: "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself." (Proverbs 11:25)
We don't know how long we will live. But I believe that if we live each day as unto the Lord, then we won't have to worry about the length of our lives. So make every day count. Don't waste your life. Give out of what God has given you.
"It is not that I am eager for the gift; rather, my concern is for the ever-growing balance in your account." (Philippians 4:17)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Better Strategy
From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn
Matthew 6:34 "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
All of us may find our courage tested by the inevitable disappointments and tragedies of life. After all, ours is a world filled with uncertainty, hardship, sickness, and danger. Trouble, it seems, is never too far from the front door.
When we focus upon our fears and our doubts, we may find many reasons to lie awake at night and fret about the uncertainties of the coming day. A better strategy, of course, is to focus not upon our fears, but instead upon our God.
God is as near as your next breath, and He is in control. He offers salvation to all His children, including you. God is your shield and your strength; you are His forever. So don't focus your thoughts upon the fears of the day. Instead, trust God's plan and His eternal love for you. And remember: God is good, and He has the last word.
Matthew 6:34 "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
All of us may find our courage tested by the inevitable disappointments and tragedies of life. After all, ours is a world filled with uncertainty, hardship, sickness, and danger. Trouble, it seems, is never too far from the front door.
When we focus upon our fears and our doubts, we may find many reasons to lie awake at night and fret about the uncertainties of the coming day. A better strategy, of course, is to focus not upon our fears, but instead upon our God.
God is as near as your next breath, and He is in control. He offers salvation to all His children, including you. God is your shield and your strength; you are His forever. So don't focus your thoughts upon the fears of the day. Instead, trust God's plan and His eternal love for you. And remember: God is good, and He has the last word.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
So Many Choices
From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn
Matthew 6:33 "The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you."
Your life is a series of choices. From the instant you wake up in the morning until the moment you nod off to sleep at night, you make countless decisions—decisions about the things you do, decisions about the words you speak, and decisions about the way that you choose to direct your thoughts.
As a believer who has been transformed by the love of Jesus, you have every reason to make wise choices. But sometimes, when the daily grind threatens to grind you up and spit you out, you may make choices that are displeasing to God. When you do, you'll pay a price because you'll forfeit the happiness and the peace that might otherwise have been yours.
So, as you pause to consider the kind of Christian you are—and the kind of Christian you want to become—ask yourself whether you're sitting on the fence or standing in the light. The choice is yours . . . and so are the consequences.
Life is pretty much like a cafeteria line—it offers us many choices, both good and bad. The Christian must have a spiritual radar that detects the difference not only between bad and good but also among good, better, and best. Dennis Swanberg
Matthew 6:33 "The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you."
Your life is a series of choices. From the instant you wake up in the morning until the moment you nod off to sleep at night, you make countless decisions—decisions about the things you do, decisions about the words you speak, and decisions about the way that you choose to direct your thoughts.
As a believer who has been transformed by the love of Jesus, you have every reason to make wise choices. But sometimes, when the daily grind threatens to grind you up and spit you out, you may make choices that are displeasing to God. When you do, you'll pay a price because you'll forfeit the happiness and the peace that might otherwise have been yours.
So, as you pause to consider the kind of Christian you are—and the kind of Christian you want to become—ask yourself whether you're sitting on the fence or standing in the light. The choice is yours . . . and so are the consequences.
Life is pretty much like a cafeteria line—it offers us many choices, both good and bad. The Christian must have a spiritual radar that detects the difference not only between bad and good but also among good, better, and best. Dennis Swanberg
Monday, December 7, 2009
Persevere To The End
From: Today God Is First - Os Hillman Ministries
Romans 5:2-4 "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Perseverance is the key to every great accomplishment because nothing of lasting value has ever been achieved without it. Industrialist Henry Ford is one of the great success stories of American history, but he failed in business five times before he succeeded. A Ford Motor Company employee once asked his boss the secret of success, and Henry Ford replied, "When you start a thing, don't quit until you finish it."
The path ahead of you is strewn with obstacles. People will oppose you. There will be financial setbacks, time pressures, illnesses and misfortunes. Some of the biggest obstacles will be inside of you: self-doubt, insecurity, procrastination, and worry.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. The race doesn't go to the swiftest, but to those who don't give up. We need endurance in order to deal with the stress of adversity. We must maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get plenty of rest. People give up or give out when they feel depleted - when they physically, emotionally and spiritually run out of gas.
When going through adversity, watch out for pessimists, blamers and toxic personalities. Beware of people who try to talk you out of your dreams and goals. Spend time with optimists and encouragers. Seek out people of faith.
Perseverance is a refusal to quit. It's falling down 100 times and getting back up 101 times. Persevere to the end.
Romans 5:2-4 "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Perseverance is the key to every great accomplishment because nothing of lasting value has ever been achieved without it. Industrialist Henry Ford is one of the great success stories of American history, but he failed in business five times before he succeeded. A Ford Motor Company employee once asked his boss the secret of success, and Henry Ford replied, "When you start a thing, don't quit until you finish it."
The path ahead of you is strewn with obstacles. People will oppose you. There will be financial setbacks, time pressures, illnesses and misfortunes. Some of the biggest obstacles will be inside of you: self-doubt, insecurity, procrastination, and worry.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. The race doesn't go to the swiftest, but to those who don't give up. We need endurance in order to deal with the stress of adversity. We must maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get plenty of rest. People give up or give out when they feel depleted - when they physically, emotionally and spiritually run out of gas.
When going through adversity, watch out for pessimists, blamers and toxic personalities. Beware of people who try to talk you out of your dreams and goals. Spend time with optimists and encouragers. Seek out people of faith.
Perseverance is a refusal to quit. It's falling down 100 times and getting back up 101 times. Persevere to the end.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Eternal Perspective
From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn
Colossians 3:1 "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power."
If a temporary loss of perspective has left you worried, exhausted, or both, it's time to readjust your thought patterns. Negative thoughts are habit-forming; thankfully, so are positive ones. With practice, you can form the habit of focusing on God's priorities and your own possibilities. When you do, you'll soon discover that you will spend less time fretting about your challenges and more time praising God for His gifts.
When you call upon the Lord and prayerfully seek His will, He will give you wisdom and perspective. When you make God's priorities your priorities, He will direct your steps and calm your fears. So today and every day hereafter, pray for a sense of balance and perspective. And remember: no problems are too big for God—and that includes yours.
Instead of being frustrated and overwhelmed by all that is going on in our world, go to the Lord and ask Him to give you His eternal perspective. Kay Arthur
Colossians 3:1 "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power."
If a temporary loss of perspective has left you worried, exhausted, or both, it's time to readjust your thought patterns. Negative thoughts are habit-forming; thankfully, so are positive ones. With practice, you can form the habit of focusing on God's priorities and your own possibilities. When you do, you'll soon discover that you will spend less time fretting about your challenges and more time praising God for His gifts.
When you call upon the Lord and prayerfully seek His will, He will give you wisdom and perspective. When you make God's priorities your priorities, He will direct your steps and calm your fears. So today and every day hereafter, pray for a sense of balance and perspective. And remember: no problems are too big for God—and that includes yours.
Instead of being frustrated and overwhelmed by all that is going on in our world, go to the Lord and ask Him to give you His eternal perspective. Kay Arthur
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Overwhelmingly Conquer!
From: Bryant Wright Ministries
Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"
I have always been inspired by people who faced great challenges and setbacks in their lives, who fought hard and achieved amazing comebacks. There is along list of people who have done this, both real and fiction, secular, as well as biblical, and from centuries in the past, as well as recent heroes.
I have tremendous news for you. These comebacks are not just for people you read about in the history books or the latest edition of Newsweek. This very day, God is in the business of turning your setbacks into comebacks! Note what Paul wrote to the Christians being persecuted: "… we are being put to death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37) Realize that God doesn’t say, "Well, I’ll arrange it where you can just squeak by!" Neither does He say, "I’ll arrange it where you can just barely endure."
No! He doesn't say any of that! But what He does say is: “In All these things, we overwhelmingly conquer!” And it is this amazing power – the power of the Creator of the universe – that will help you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and turn your setback into an overwhelming victory. May that victory be triumphed for the glory of God!
Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"
I have always been inspired by people who faced great challenges and setbacks in their lives, who fought hard and achieved amazing comebacks. There is along list of people who have done this, both real and fiction, secular, as well as biblical, and from centuries in the past, as well as recent heroes.
I have tremendous news for you. These comebacks are not just for people you read about in the history books or the latest edition of Newsweek. This very day, God is in the business of turning your setbacks into comebacks! Note what Paul wrote to the Christians being persecuted: "… we are being put to death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37) Realize that God doesn’t say, "Well, I’ll arrange it where you can just squeak by!" Neither does He say, "I’ll arrange it where you can just barely endure."
No! He doesn't say any of that! But what He does say is: “In All these things, we overwhelmingly conquer!” And it is this amazing power – the power of the Creator of the universe – that will help you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and turn your setback into an overwhelming victory. May that victory be triumphed for the glory of God!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
God's Detours
From: Ambassadors For Christ International - John North
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
When things do not go exactly as you planned, thank God that His goals for you are better than yours!
"In everything give thanks." Notice that the Lord is not saying to us, "Thank Me for the nice, pleasant things in your life". Of course we should thank Him for those things too, but they are just a part of "everything".
It is good to have goals and to be moving with purpose in your life, but sometimes God's plans are different than ours. When that is the case, the Lord wants us not to resent His plans, but to recognize that He has plans we know nothing about, and to embrace His plan for our lives with even more motivation than the ones we came up with.
It may mean a change of directions. It may not be comfortable, but if you embrace God's plans, you will find yourself living out what He made you for. That may not be clear at first, but that is what faith is all about.
As you consider your current station in life, move with purpose to fulfil your God-honoring plans, but be prepared to accept God's detours and changes of order with joy and thanksgiving. Those you live and work with will be thankful!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
When things do not go exactly as you planned, thank God that His goals for you are better than yours!
"In everything give thanks." Notice that the Lord is not saying to us, "Thank Me for the nice, pleasant things in your life". Of course we should thank Him for those things too, but they are just a part of "everything".
It is good to have goals and to be moving with purpose in your life, but sometimes God's plans are different than ours. When that is the case, the Lord wants us not to resent His plans, but to recognize that He has plans we know nothing about, and to embrace His plan for our lives with even more motivation than the ones we came up with.
It may mean a change of directions. It may not be comfortable, but if you embrace God's plans, you will find yourself living out what He made you for. That may not be clear at first, but that is what faith is all about.
As you consider your current station in life, move with purpose to fulfil your God-honoring plans, but be prepared to accept God's detours and changes of order with joy and thanksgiving. Those you live and work with will be thankful!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Wisdom
From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn
Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
Wisdom does not spring up overnight—it takes time. To become wise, we must seek God's wisdom and live according to His Word. And, we must not only learn the lessons of the Christian life, we must also live by them.
Do you seek to live a life of righteousness and wisdom? If so, you must study the ultimate source of wisdom: the Word of God. You must seek out worthy mentors and listen carefully to their advice. You must associate, day in and day out, with godly men and women. And, you must act in accordance with your beliefs. When you do these things, you will become wise...and you will be a blessing to your friends, to your family, and to the world.
The theme of Proverbs is wisdom, the right use of knowledge. It enables you to evaluate circumstances and people and make the right decisions in life. Warren Wiersbe
Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
Wisdom does not spring up overnight—it takes time. To become wise, we must seek God's wisdom and live according to His Word. And, we must not only learn the lessons of the Christian life, we must also live by them.
Do you seek to live a life of righteousness and wisdom? If so, you must study the ultimate source of wisdom: the Word of God. You must seek out worthy mentors and listen carefully to their advice. You must associate, day in and day out, with godly men and women. And, you must act in accordance with your beliefs. When you do these things, you will become wise...and you will be a blessing to your friends, to your family, and to the world.
The theme of Proverbs is wisdom, the right use of knowledge. It enables you to evaluate circumstances and people and make the right decisions in life. Warren Wiersbe
Monday, November 30, 2009
We Are Role Models
From: New Life Daily Devotions - Steve Arterburn
Matthew 5:14,16 "You are the light that gives light to the world. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven."
Whether we like it or not, we are role models. Hopefully, the lives we lead and the choices we make will serve as enduring examples of the spiritual abundance that is available to all who worship God and obey His commandments.
Ask yourself this question: Are you the kind of role model that you would want to emulate? If so, congratulations. But if certain aspects of your behavior could stand improvement, the best day to begin your self-improvement regimen is this one. Because whether you realize it or not, people you love are watching your behavior, and they're learning how to live. You owe it to them—and to yourself—to live righteously and well.
Let us preach you, Dear Jesus, without preaching, not by words but by our example, by the casting force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to You. Amen. Mother Teresa
Matthew 5:14,16 "You are the light that gives light to the world. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven."
Whether we like it or not, we are role models. Hopefully, the lives we lead and the choices we make will serve as enduring examples of the spiritual abundance that is available to all who worship God and obey His commandments.
Ask yourself this question: Are you the kind of role model that you would want to emulate? If so, congratulations. But if certain aspects of your behavior could stand improvement, the best day to begin your self-improvement regimen is this one. Because whether you realize it or not, people you love are watching your behavior, and they're learning how to live. You owe it to them—and to yourself—to live righteously and well.
Let us preach you, Dear Jesus, without preaching, not by words but by our example, by the casting force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to You. Amen. Mother Teresa
Sunday, November 29, 2009
A Change In Perspective
From: Greg Laurie Ministries
Proverbs 16:9 "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."
We make our plans, but God always will have His way. There is nothing wrong with making a plan for tomorrow or next month or next year. But just keep in mind that God may change your plans. He is in control of your life. We are told in Jeremiah 10:23, "Man's course is not within his choice, nor is it for him to direct his step." We call this divine providence.
Having said that, it does not mean that bad things will not happen to good—even godly—people. But it does mean that even when bad things happen, God can bring good out of bad. Romans 8:28 reminds us, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
We can look at some things in our lives and say, "That was bad, but in retrospect I can see the good that has come from it." Then there are other things we will experience in which we never will see the good, at least, as far as we can see. In fact, it will not be until we get to the other side and see God face-to-face that we will understand these things.
Meanwhile, we must realize that God loves us and is always looking out for our eternal benefit, with emphasis on the word "eternal." What we sometimes perceive as good could be potentially bad, and what we sometimes perceive as bad could be potentially good.
And sometimes what we think of as bad today may ultimately be good, because it changes who we are and makes us more like Jesus.
Proverbs 16:9 "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."
We make our plans, but God always will have His way. There is nothing wrong with making a plan for tomorrow or next month or next year. But just keep in mind that God may change your plans. He is in control of your life. We are told in Jeremiah 10:23, "Man's course is not within his choice, nor is it for him to direct his step." We call this divine providence.
Having said that, it does not mean that bad things will not happen to good—even godly—people. But it does mean that even when bad things happen, God can bring good out of bad. Romans 8:28 reminds us, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
We can look at some things in our lives and say, "That was bad, but in retrospect I can see the good that has come from it." Then there are other things we will experience in which we never will see the good, at least, as far as we can see. In fact, it will not be until we get to the other side and see God face-to-face that we will understand these things.
Meanwhile, we must realize that God loves us and is always looking out for our eternal benefit, with emphasis on the word "eternal." What we sometimes perceive as good could be potentially bad, and what we sometimes perceive as bad could be potentially good.
And sometimes what we think of as bad today may ultimately be good, because it changes who we are and makes us more like Jesus.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Your Destiny
From: Today God Is First - Os Hillman Ministries
1 Samuel 16:12 "Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The Lord said, 'There - anoint him, for this is he!'"
Whenever God calls you into a new thing, you can expect to do things you've never done. When God calls you into a new endeavor you will find that God will anoint you in areas you considered your weakest traits. God turns shepherds like Moses into leaders of nations. He turns farmers like Gideon into reformers. He turns impetuous and unstable personalities like Peter into leaders that can transform a culture and lead a movement.
Whenever God does a new thing in a life, those who knew them before notice the change. Quiet people become bold. Poor speakers learn to become great communicators. Those who were never leaders before become the new leaders. This is the way of God.
When God looks at an individual, He looks at their future, not their past. He is always looking at the person He has created you to become, not the person you are now. When Samuel anointed the young shepherd boy, David, to be the next king of Israel, it would be years before this would happen. However, God already knew who he was to become.
How does God view your life? What is the destiny He has chosen you to fulfill?
Some men see things as they are and say "why." I dream things that never were and say "why not." - George Bernard Shaw
1 Samuel 16:12 "Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The Lord said, 'There - anoint him, for this is he!'"
Whenever God calls you into a new thing, you can expect to do things you've never done. When God calls you into a new endeavor you will find that God will anoint you in areas you considered your weakest traits. God turns shepherds like Moses into leaders of nations. He turns farmers like Gideon into reformers. He turns impetuous and unstable personalities like Peter into leaders that can transform a culture and lead a movement.
Whenever God does a new thing in a life, those who knew them before notice the change. Quiet people become bold. Poor speakers learn to become great communicators. Those who were never leaders before become the new leaders. This is the way of God.
When God looks at an individual, He looks at their future, not their past. He is always looking at the person He has created you to become, not the person you are now. When Samuel anointed the young shepherd boy, David, to be the next king of Israel, it would be years before this would happen. However, God already knew who he was to become.
How does God view your life? What is the destiny He has chosen you to fulfill?
Some men see things as they are and say "why." I dream things that never were and say "why not." - George Bernard Shaw
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
From: JesusOne.com Devotionals
John 15:12 "This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you."
Children are very impressionable when they are young. They take seriously everything they see mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, and older siblings do. The older generation sets an example for the younger ones.
So it is with newborn spiritual Christians. They too, are searching for examples to follow. If we (as mature Christians) don't set a proper example then we risk confusing and negatively influencing the younger Christians.
We are part of Jesus' body. He was perfect. Jesus gave us an example of how to Love.
Be careful of what you say and do because there are others watching you. Ask yourself - "Am I doing what Jesus would do?"
Setting a Christian example rather than telling someone what to do proves that God is in charge of your life and that you depend on Him for all things. Actions speak louder than words.
Dear Father let me grow in Love for everyone and not judge nor condemn, but rather be compassionate and forgiving and kind, as You are. Amen
John 15:12 "This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you."
Children are very impressionable when they are young. They take seriously everything they see mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, and older siblings do. The older generation sets an example for the younger ones.
So it is with newborn spiritual Christians. They too, are searching for examples to follow. If we (as mature Christians) don't set a proper example then we risk confusing and negatively influencing the younger Christians.
We are part of Jesus' body. He was perfect. Jesus gave us an example of how to Love.
Be careful of what you say and do because there are others watching you. Ask yourself - "Am I doing what Jesus would do?"
Setting a Christian example rather than telling someone what to do proves that God is in charge of your life and that you depend on Him for all things. Actions speak louder than words.
Dear Father let me grow in Love for everyone and not judge nor condemn, but rather be compassionate and forgiving and kind, as You are. Amen
Monday, November 23, 2009
Confident Christian
From: New Life Daily Devotionals - Steve Arterburn
Psalm 71:5 "You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence."
Sometimes, even the most devout Christians can become discouraged. Discouragement, however, is not God's way; He is a God of possibility not negativity. We Christians have many reasons to be confident. God is in His heaven; Christ has risen, and we are the sheep of His flock.
Are you a confident Christian? You should be. God's grace is eternal and His promises are unambiguous.
So count your blessings, not your hardships. And live courageously. God is the Giver of all things good, and He watches over you today and forever.
Jesus gives us the ultimate rest, the confidence we need, to escape the frustration and chaos of the world around us. Billy Graham
Psalm 71:5 "You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence."
Sometimes, even the most devout Christians can become discouraged. Discouragement, however, is not God's way; He is a God of possibility not negativity. We Christians have many reasons to be confident. God is in His heaven; Christ has risen, and we are the sheep of His flock.
Are you a confident Christian? You should be. God's grace is eternal and His promises are unambiguous.
So count your blessings, not your hardships. And live courageously. God is the Giver of all things good, and He watches over you today and forever.
Jesus gives us the ultimate rest, the confidence we need, to escape the frustration and chaos of the world around us. Billy Graham
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Spotlight Can Blind You
From: The Purpose Driven Life Ministries
1 Peter 5:5 "God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble."
Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don't promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they "put on the apron of humility, to serve one another."
Self-promotion and servanthood don't mix. Real servants don't serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One. As Paul said, "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10).
You won't find many real servants in the limelight; in fact, they avoid it whenever possible. They are content with quietly serving in the shadows.
Joseph is a great example. He didn't draw attention to himself, but quietly served Potiphar, then his jailer, then Pharaoh's baker and wine taster, and God blessed that attitude. When Pharaoh promoted him to prominence, Joseph still maintained a servant's heart, even with his brothers, who had betrayed him.
Unfortunately, many leaders today start off as servants but end up as celebrities. They become addicted to attention, unaware that always being in the spotlight blinds you.
You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put you where you are for a purpose! He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows your address.
1 Peter 5:5 "God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble."
Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don't promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they "put on the apron of humility, to serve one another."
Self-promotion and servanthood don't mix. Real servants don't serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One. As Paul said, "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10).
You won't find many real servants in the limelight; in fact, they avoid it whenever possible. They are content with quietly serving in the shadows.
Joseph is a great example. He didn't draw attention to himself, but quietly served Potiphar, then his jailer, then Pharaoh's baker and wine taster, and God blessed that attitude. When Pharaoh promoted him to prominence, Joseph still maintained a servant's heart, even with his brothers, who had betrayed him.
Unfortunately, many leaders today start off as servants but end up as celebrities. They become addicted to attention, unaware that always being in the spotlight blinds you.
You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put you where you are for a purpose! He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows your address.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Dealing With Trials
From: Daily Disciples Devotional
James 1:2-3 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
Today, we deal with all kinds of trials in our lives. The issue is not if we will have them, it is how we will get through them. When we feel as though the battle is too much and the struggles are too intense, how do we respond? Difficulties with marriage, kids, finances, health and daily issues of life can seem overwhelming at times. But James says to "count it all joy" when these problems come.
How often do we find joy in the midst of our trials? Can we realistically count it all joy today? Does this statement by James even make sense? We can only begin to understand the meaning of this statement if we look at the results in our own lives.
God's goal in allowing us to experience various trials is to make us grow stronger, to learn patience, and to develop a deeper faith in our walk with God. We can choose to "count it all joy" as we go through them because we have the assurance in God's word that the end result will benefit our faith. How many times have you looked back after a trial has passed and recognized the benefits it produced in your life? So often, we get the point after the fact. We tend to acknowledge the blessings after the trial is over. "Oh, now I see what God was doing."
Trials and testing can produce patience. There is not much we can do about avoiding such things in life; however, we can decide how to get through them. If you find yourself in trials today, ask the Lord to help you find joy through His Holy Spirit so that you will come through the testing with an increased patience, strength and faith.
James 1:2-3 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
Today, we deal with all kinds of trials in our lives. The issue is not if we will have them, it is how we will get through them. When we feel as though the battle is too much and the struggles are too intense, how do we respond? Difficulties with marriage, kids, finances, health and daily issues of life can seem overwhelming at times. But James says to "count it all joy" when these problems come.
How often do we find joy in the midst of our trials? Can we realistically count it all joy today? Does this statement by James even make sense? We can only begin to understand the meaning of this statement if we look at the results in our own lives.
God's goal in allowing us to experience various trials is to make us grow stronger, to learn patience, and to develop a deeper faith in our walk with God. We can choose to "count it all joy" as we go through them because we have the assurance in God's word that the end result will benefit our faith. How many times have you looked back after a trial has passed and recognized the benefits it produced in your life? So often, we get the point after the fact. We tend to acknowledge the blessings after the trial is over. "Oh, now I see what God was doing."
Trials and testing can produce patience. There is not much we can do about avoiding such things in life; however, we can decide how to get through them. If you find yourself in trials today, ask the Lord to help you find joy through His Holy Spirit so that you will come through the testing with an increased patience, strength and faith.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
No Time For Discouragement
From: Today God Is First - Os Hillman Ministries
Luke 4:18 "The spirit of the Lord is Upon Me.... He has sent Me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the broken-hearted...."
When life beats down on us and we get to the place where we want to hide in a cave, God often places people around us who prod us into moving in the right direction. He does not want us to remain in the place of discouragement. He wants us to move into the land of praise.
I recall when I went through a very difficult time. It seemed to drag on and on with no change until finally I wanted to retreat to a cave and forget pressing on. It was a great time of discouragement. A godly man came to me and said, "You must keep moving! There are too many who are depending on you in the Kingdom."
I didn't totally understand what he meant at the time. Now I know he was saying that God is preparing each of us to be the vessel He wants to use in the life of another person, but we will never be that vessel if we give up and hide in our cave of discouragement. Not only must we keep moving, we must move into a new realm. Our attitude must move from discouragement to praise.
Luke 4:18 "The spirit of the Lord is Upon Me.... He has sent Me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the broken-hearted...."
When life beats down on us and we get to the place where we want to hide in a cave, God often places people around us who prod us into moving in the right direction. He does not want us to remain in the place of discouragement. He wants us to move into the land of praise.
I recall when I went through a very difficult time. It seemed to drag on and on with no change until finally I wanted to retreat to a cave and forget pressing on. It was a great time of discouragement. A godly man came to me and said, "You must keep moving! There are too many who are depending on you in the Kingdom."
I didn't totally understand what he meant at the time. Now I know he was saying that God is preparing each of us to be the vessel He wants to use in the life of another person, but we will never be that vessel if we give up and hide in our cave of discouragement. Not only must we keep moving, we must move into a new realm. Our attitude must move from discouragement to praise.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Guard What You Think About
From: Devotions ChopChop
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
If you haven’t already done so, memorize this verse, meditate on it, get it deep within your very being. When you wake in the morning, recite it because you’ll need it. When you go to bed at night, dwell on it. Think about its meaning.
Why do I think this verse is so important? Think about it for a minute. We are inundated with negativity all day, every day. We can become bitter and angry just reading the daily news. But we don’t have to let it control us. Guard what goes into it. Guard what you think about.
And we can become bitter against God. Let’s face it, we don’t understand everything that God does. The world would have us hate God. But we know God. We know that He is in control and does what He wills without our permission and completely without our control. Why the nerve of it!
So in those times when it looks like God should have done something a little differently than we would have liked, we have to trust that God always has a specific plan for each of us and knows what He is doing.
Job 42:2 "I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be hindered."
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
If you haven’t already done so, memorize this verse, meditate on it, get it deep within your very being. When you wake in the morning, recite it because you’ll need it. When you go to bed at night, dwell on it. Think about its meaning.
Why do I think this verse is so important? Think about it for a minute. We are inundated with negativity all day, every day. We can become bitter and angry just reading the daily news. But we don’t have to let it control us. Guard what goes into it. Guard what you think about.
And we can become bitter against God. Let’s face it, we don’t understand everything that God does. The world would have us hate God. But we know God. We know that He is in control and does what He wills without our permission and completely without our control. Why the nerve of it!
So in those times when it looks like God should have done something a little differently than we would have liked, we have to trust that God always has a specific plan for each of us and knows what He is doing.
Job 42:2 "I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be hindered."
Monday, November 16, 2009
Plain Servants
From: The Purpose Driven Life Ministries
Mark 10:43 “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.”
The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.
Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. This is so contrary to the world’s idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it. The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position, and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence in churches, denominations, and parachurch ministries.
Thousands of books have been written on leadership, but few on servanthood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates. Even Christians want to be “servant-leaders,” not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That’s what He called himself.
Your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity. No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs.
How can you know if you have the heart of a servant? Jesus said, “You can tell what they are by what they do” (Matthew 7:16). We serve God by serving others. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.
Mark 10:43 “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.”
The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.
Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. This is so contrary to the world’s idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it. The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position, and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence in churches, denominations, and parachurch ministries.
Thousands of books have been written on leadership, but few on servanthood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates. Even Christians want to be “servant-leaders,” not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That’s what He called himself.
Your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity. No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs.
How can you know if you have the heart of a servant? Jesus said, “You can tell what they are by what they do” (Matthew 7:16). We serve God by serving others. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Temporary Setbacks
From: New Life Daily Devotionals - Steve Arterburn
Ecclesiastes 3:4 "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance..."
The occasional disappointments and failures of life are inevitable. Such setbacks are simply the price that we must occasionally pay for our willingness to take risks as we follow our dreams. But even when we encounter bitter disappointments, we must never lose faith.
When we encounter the inevitable difficulties of life here on earth, God stands ready to protect us. Our responsibility, of course, is to ask Him for protection.
When we call upon Him in heartfelt prayer, He will answer—in His own time and according to His own plan—and He will heal us. And, while we are waiting for God's plans to unfold and for His healing touch to restore us, we can be comforted in the knowledge that our Creator can overcome any obstacle, even if we cannot.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance..."
The occasional disappointments and failures of life are inevitable. Such setbacks are simply the price that we must occasionally pay for our willingness to take risks as we follow our dreams. But even when we encounter bitter disappointments, we must never lose faith.
When we encounter the inevitable difficulties of life here on earth, God stands ready to protect us. Our responsibility, of course, is to ask Him for protection.
When we call upon Him in heartfelt prayer, He will answer—in His own time and according to His own plan—and He will heal us. And, while we are waiting for God's plans to unfold and for His healing touch to restore us, we can be comforted in the knowledge that our Creator can overcome any obstacle, even if we cannot.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Pro-life... Ecumenism
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, upon whom My name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek My presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from Heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land."
Since the Reformation there has never been an issue better suited to bring unity among Catholics and Protestants than Pro-life. "What the 'enemy' has meant for harm, God will turn it to good to achieve His purpose." (Genesis 50:20)
Abortion is the most heinous act ever enacted by man. As a result of Roe V. Wade, over 3500 "innocent, helpless children" are murdered in the US...every 24 hours, 365 days a year. "Some men's sins are flagrant and cry out for judgment now, while other men's sins will appear only later." (1 Tim. 5:24)
"To Christians (Catholic and Protestant), abortion is the killing of an unborn child, a premeditated breach of God’s Commandment 'Thou Shalt Not Kill.' The case is closed for all time. Any Catholic who participates in an abortion is excommunicated. Canon Law - 1398. A person who procures (includes accomplices) a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication. Catholic politicians from Nancy Pelosi to Joe Biden who support a 'woman’s right to choose' have been denounced from pulpits and denied Communion."
"Obama is the most pro-abortion president ever. On his third day in office, by executive order, he repealed the Bush prohibition against using tax dollars to fund agencies abroad that perform abortions. He supports partial-birth abortion, where a baby’s soft skull is sliced open with scissors in the birth canal and its brains sucked out to ease its passage, a procedure Sen. Pat Moynihan said 'comes as close to infanticide as anything I have seen in our judiciary.' In the Illinois legislature, Obama helped block the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, a bill to save the lives of infant survivors of abortion. He voted to allow doctors and nurses to let these tiny babies die of neglect and be tossed out with the medical waste." Patrick J. Buchanan
Obama's position is not surprising given his incomprehensible thought process..."I will teach my daughters morals and values, but if they were to make a mistake, I do not want them to be 'punished' with a baby." This is a comment from the leader of the free world and frankly is satanically oxymoronic on its face.
Yes we need to respect the office of the Presidency and pray for Barack Obama who is obviously poorly educated and informed with respect to God's laws. We should never underestimate the power of prayer. Millions of Catholics and Protestants praying together for the same purpose would be an awesome response to the "enemy's" agenda.
Abortion, as an acceptable, "lawful" behavior, is an all out frontal assault on Christianity, an ecumenical attack.
"And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want." Mother Teresa
"Draw your strength from the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above." (Ephesians 6:10-12)
We must be united...Catholic and Protestant...in this effort to eliminate a grave "unspeakable crime."
"The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members share its joy." (1 Corinthians 12,26)
Blessings,
Bobby
Since the Reformation there has never been an issue better suited to bring unity among Catholics and Protestants than Pro-life. "What the 'enemy' has meant for harm, God will turn it to good to achieve His purpose." (Genesis 50:20)
Abortion is the most heinous act ever enacted by man. As a result of Roe V. Wade, over 3500 "innocent, helpless children" are murdered in the US...every 24 hours, 365 days a year. "Some men's sins are flagrant and cry out for judgment now, while other men's sins will appear only later." (1 Tim. 5:24)
"To Christians (Catholic and Protestant), abortion is the killing of an unborn child, a premeditated breach of God’s Commandment 'Thou Shalt Not Kill.' The case is closed for all time. Any Catholic who participates in an abortion is excommunicated. Canon Law - 1398. A person who procures (includes accomplices) a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication. Catholic politicians from Nancy Pelosi to Joe Biden who support a 'woman’s right to choose' have been denounced from pulpits and denied Communion."
"Obama is the most pro-abortion president ever. On his third day in office, by executive order, he repealed the Bush prohibition against using tax dollars to fund agencies abroad that perform abortions. He supports partial-birth abortion, where a baby’s soft skull is sliced open with scissors in the birth canal and its brains sucked out to ease its passage, a procedure Sen. Pat Moynihan said 'comes as close to infanticide as anything I have seen in our judiciary.' In the Illinois legislature, Obama helped block the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, a bill to save the lives of infant survivors of abortion. He voted to allow doctors and nurses to let these tiny babies die of neglect and be tossed out with the medical waste." Patrick J. Buchanan
Obama's position is not surprising given his incomprehensible thought process..."I will teach my daughters morals and values, but if they were to make a mistake, I do not want them to be 'punished' with a baby." This is a comment from the leader of the free world and frankly is satanically oxymoronic on its face.
Yes we need to respect the office of the Presidency and pray for Barack Obama who is obviously poorly educated and informed with respect to God's laws. We should never underestimate the power of prayer. Millions of Catholics and Protestants praying together for the same purpose would be an awesome response to the "enemy's" agenda.
Abortion, as an acceptable, "lawful" behavior, is an all out frontal assault on Christianity, an ecumenical attack.
"And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want." Mother Teresa
"Draw your strength from the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above." (Ephesians 6:10-12)
We must be united...Catholic and Protestant...in this effort to eliminate a grave "unspeakable crime."
"The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members share its joy." (1 Corinthians 12,26)
Blessings,
Bobby
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Biblical Success
From: In Touch Ministries
Philippians 1:6 "I am sure of this much: that He who has begun the good work in you will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus."
No one is exempt from facing obstacles. Even as babies, we all had to overcome a lack of balance and strength in order to stand and take that first step. And learning to place one foot in front of the other involved some falling. But in order to walk well, we had to get up and try again.
Consider the difficulties that the Lord faced as He pursued His goal of salvation for mankind: Jesus was ridiculed, rejected, and misunderstood. However, Luke 9:51 illustrates His focus: "When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem." The Lord, knowing that He would be sentenced to death in that city, let nothing deter Him from going there.
There are several things we can do to gain this attitude of persistence. The most important is to set goals under God's leadership—challenging goals that demand our best and require His help. Then, developing a passion to make the goal a reality will likely drive us toward our desired outcome.
Biblical success means two things: achieving what the Lord calls you to do and becoming the person He desires you to be. Seek His specific goals for your life. Persevering through obstacles will be a faith-building adventure that teaches you to depend on the heavenly Father.
Philippians 1:6 "I am sure of this much: that He who has begun the good work in you will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus."
No one is exempt from facing obstacles. Even as babies, we all had to overcome a lack of balance and strength in order to stand and take that first step. And learning to place one foot in front of the other involved some falling. But in order to walk well, we had to get up and try again.
Consider the difficulties that the Lord faced as He pursued His goal of salvation for mankind: Jesus was ridiculed, rejected, and misunderstood. However, Luke 9:51 illustrates His focus: "When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem." The Lord, knowing that He would be sentenced to death in that city, let nothing deter Him from going there.
There are several things we can do to gain this attitude of persistence. The most important is to set goals under God's leadership—challenging goals that demand our best and require His help. Then, developing a passion to make the goal a reality will likely drive us toward our desired outcome.
Biblical success means two things: achieving what the Lord calls you to do and becoming the person He desires you to be. Seek His specific goals for your life. Persevering through obstacles will be a faith-building adventure that teaches you to depend on the heavenly Father.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Don't Give Up!
From: In Touch Daily Devotionals
Philippians 3:14 "I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus."
Everyone desires success. Simply wanting it, however, won't guarantee achievement. That's why many people fail to reach their goal; they encounter hardship and give up. Let's discuss one characteristic needed to accomplish what you set out to do.
Persistence is the combination of strong desire and willpower—it is the capacity to stay on course in the face of difficulty and refuse to quit. Paul exemplified this quality. Though he encountered tremendous obstacles like shipwreck, prison, physical punishment, and constant danger, the apostle never quit.
What motivated Paul to persevere amidst struggles? First, he had a clear God-given goal and trusted that the Lord would enable him to achieve it. Second, the apostle felt indebted to share the life-changing truth of salvation. Third, he knew the devastation awaiting those who do not know Jesus.
Paul had his eyes fixed on his purpose, which he so valued that no circumstance could deter him. Ultimately, he achieved what almighty God had ordained.
The Father has great goals for our lives. Striving for anything less will neither fulfill us nor achieve what God has planned in our life. Once His direction is clear, we should passionately pursue God's purposes with the Holy Spirit's strength and guidance—especially when obstacles arise. Don't give up!
Philippians 3:14 "I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus."
Everyone desires success. Simply wanting it, however, won't guarantee achievement. That's why many people fail to reach their goal; they encounter hardship and give up. Let's discuss one characteristic needed to accomplish what you set out to do.
Persistence is the combination of strong desire and willpower—it is the capacity to stay on course in the face of difficulty and refuse to quit. Paul exemplified this quality. Though he encountered tremendous obstacles like shipwreck, prison, physical punishment, and constant danger, the apostle never quit.
What motivated Paul to persevere amidst struggles? First, he had a clear God-given goal and trusted that the Lord would enable him to achieve it. Second, the apostle felt indebted to share the life-changing truth of salvation. Third, he knew the devastation awaiting those who do not know Jesus.
Paul had his eyes fixed on his purpose, which he so valued that no circumstance could deter him. Ultimately, he achieved what almighty God had ordained.
The Father has great goals for our lives. Striving for anything less will neither fulfill us nor achieve what God has planned in our life. Once His direction is clear, we should passionately pursue God's purposes with the Holy Spirit's strength and guidance—especially when obstacles arise. Don't give up!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Everyday In God's Word
From: Daily Disciples Devotionals
Psalm 139:3 "You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways."
Does God want to be involved in every decision we make? Is it necessary to pray about every little detail? After spending years of praying over the details in life, I have come to appreciate all He does for me just by including Him and looking for His fingerprints in my life.
Are you in the midst of a trial or major decision in your life? Are you searching for answers in various places? Knowledge can bring peace, but the knowledge of God brings everlasting peace that continues to surpass our understanding.
Start out everyday in God's Word. Take time to put His Word in your heart and mind. Before the day is through, you will need to hear from the Lord on something that crosses your path. The more we include Him in every decision, the more we grow in our knowledge of Him, which leads to a closer walk with the Lord.
The knowledge of His Word will give you peace and assurance in ways you could never imagine. Try it and see what God will do.
Psalm 139:3 "You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways."
Does God want to be involved in every decision we make? Is it necessary to pray about every little detail? After spending years of praying over the details in life, I have come to appreciate all He does for me just by including Him and looking for His fingerprints in my life.
Are you in the midst of a trial or major decision in your life? Are you searching for answers in various places? Knowledge can bring peace, but the knowledge of God brings everlasting peace that continues to surpass our understanding.
Start out everyday in God's Word. Take time to put His Word in your heart and mind. Before the day is through, you will need to hear from the Lord on something that crosses your path. The more we include Him in every decision, the more we grow in our knowledge of Him, which leads to a closer walk with the Lord.
The knowledge of His Word will give you peace and assurance in ways you could never imagine. Try it and see what God will do.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Trust and Submit
From: My Utmost For His Highest Daily Devotionals
Luke 9:23 "Jesus said to all: 'Whoever wishes to be My follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in My steps.'"
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, "Lord, this causes me such heartache." To talk that way makes me a stumbling block.
When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness.
Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy "world within the world," and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my lack of trust and submission.
As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world.
Luke 9:23 "Jesus said to all: 'Whoever wishes to be My follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in My steps.'"
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, "Lord, this causes me such heartache." To talk that way makes me a stumbling block.
When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness.
Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy "world within the world," and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my lack of trust and submission.
As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I'm Not Ready!
From: Today God Is First - Os Hillman Ministries
2 Cor 12:9 "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness'"
If there is one thing that is consistent throughout Scripture, it is this: God calls people when they are not ready. God will never call you into service when you think you are ready. This is intentional on God's part.
When God calls, you will most likely be in the most unlikely circumstances to receive that call. You will be in the midst of a crisis, you will lack resources, you will not have the skills you think you need. This too is the way of God.
God does this because He wants you to know your call is only based on His ability, not yours. When you think it is based on you, this is a false humility. And, it is unbelief and disobedience on your part.
Has God called you to something you have failed to do because you felt you were not ready? Trust the Lord and let Him accomplish great things through you.
2 Cor 12:9 "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness'"
If there is one thing that is consistent throughout Scripture, it is this: God calls people when they are not ready. God will never call you into service when you think you are ready. This is intentional on God's part.
When God calls, you will most likely be in the most unlikely circumstances to receive that call. You will be in the midst of a crisis, you will lack resources, you will not have the skills you think you need. This too is the way of God.
God does this because He wants you to know your call is only based on His ability, not yours. When you think it is based on you, this is a false humility. And, it is unbelief and disobedience on your part.
Has God called you to something you have failed to do because you felt you were not ready? Trust the Lord and let Him accomplish great things through you.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Pro-life, Ecumenism and Financial Stewardship
My passion is three-fold: Pro-life, Ecumenism and Financial Stewardship. Below is my research on the Catholic Church's teaching on the sanctity of life and financial stewardship. Also included is an article I wrote on ecumenism.
After months of studying Vatican II Documents and Encyclicals...and in-depth discussions with Catholics and Protestants (laity and clergy), I have come to the conclusion that all three issues are inextricably connected to each other.
Pro-Life
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, upon whom My name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek My presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from Heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land."
Could there be anything more important to deal with than this evil tidal wave engulfing the United States?
God give us the strength, courage and wisdom to reverse this path to self destruction.
PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD GAUDIUM ET SPES PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI ON DECEMBER 7, 1965
51. For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man. Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes.
Pope John Paul II
EVANGELIUM VITAE
To the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and Women religious, lay Faithful, and all People of Good Will on the Value and Inviolability of Human Life 1995.03.25
CHAPTER III - YOU SHALL NOT KILL
"Your eyes beheld my unformed substance" (Ps 139:16): the unspeakable crime of abortion
58. Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime".54
But today, in many people's consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake.
Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth.
The moral gravity of procured abortion is apparent in all its truth if we recognize that we are dealing with murder and, in particular, when we consider the specific elements involved. The one eliminated is a human being at the very beginning of life. No one more absolutely innocent could be imagined. In no way could this human being ever be considered an aggressor, much less an unjust aggressor! He or she is weak, defenceless, even to the point of lacking that minimal form of defence consisting in the poignant power of a newborn baby's cries and tears. The unborn child is totally entrusted to the protection and care of the woman carrying him or her in the womb. And yet sometimes it is precisely the mother herself who makes the decision and asks for the child to be eliminated, and who then goes about having it done.
It is true that the decision to have an abortion is often tragic and painful for the mother, insofar as the decision to rid herself of the fruit of conception is not made for purely selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Sometimes it is feared that the child to be born would live in such conditions that it would be better if the birth did not take place. Nevertheless, these reasons and others like them, however serious and tragic, can never justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.
59. As well as the mother, there are often other people too who decide upon the death of the child in the womb. In the first place, the father of the child may be to blame, not only when he di-rectly pressures the woman to have an abortion, but also when he indirectly encourages such a decision on her part by leaving her alone to face the problems of pregnancy: 55 in this way the family is thus mortally wounded and profaned in its nature as a community of love and in its vocation to be the "sanctuary of life". Nor can one overlook the pressures which sometimes come from the wider family circle and from friends. Sometimes the woman is subjected to such strong pressure that she feels psychologically forced to have an abortion: certainly in this case moral responsibility lies particularly with those who have directly or indirectly obliged her to have an abortion. Doctors and nurses are also responsible, when they place at the service of death skills which were acquired for promoting life.
But responsibility likewise falls on the legislators who have promoted and approved abortion laws, and, to the extent that they have a say in the matter, on the administrators of the health-care centres where abortions are performed. A general and no less serious responsibility lies with those who have encouraged the spread of an attitude of sexual permissiveness and a lack of esteem for motherhood, and with those who should have ensured-but did not-effective family and social policies in support of families, especially larger families and those with particular financial and educational needs.
Finally, one cannot overlook the network of complicity which reaches out to include international institutions, foundations and associations which systematically campaign for the legalization and spread of abortion in the world. In this sense abortion goes beyond the responsibility of individuals and beyond the harm done to them, and takes on a distinctly social dimension. It is a most serious wound inflicted on society and its culture by the very people who ought to be society's promoters and defenders. As I wrote in my Letter to Families, "we are facing an immense threat to life: not only to the life of individuals but also to that of civilization itself".56 We are facing what can be called a "structure of sin" which opposes human life not yet born.
60. Some people try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be considered a personal human life. But in fact, "from the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. This has always been clear, and ... modern genetic science offers clear confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant there is established the programme of what this living being will be: a person, this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well determined.
Right from fertilization the adventure of a human life begins, and each of its capacities requires time-a rather lengthy time-to find its place and to be in a position to act".57 Even if the presence of a spiritual soul cannot be ascertained by empirical data, the results themselves of scientific research on the human embryo provide "a valuable indication for discerning by the use of reason a personal presence at the moment of the first appearance of a human life: how could a human individual not be a human person?". 58
Furthermore, what is at stake is so important that, from the standpoint of moral obligation, the mere probability that a human person is involved would suffice to justify an absolutely clear prohibition of any intervention aimed at killing a human embryo. Precisely for this reason, over and above all scientific debates and those philosophical affirmations to which the Magisterium has not expressly committed itself, the Church has always taught and continues to teach that the result of human procreation, from the first moment of its existence, must be guaranteed that unconditional respect which is morally due to the human being in his or her totality and unity as body and spirit: "The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception; and therefore from that same moment his rights as a person must be recognized, among which in the first place is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life".59
61. The texts of Sacred Scripture never address the question of deliberate abortion and so do not directly and specifically condemn it. But they show such great respect for the human being in the mother's womb that they require as a logical consequence that God's commandment "You shall not kill" be extended to the unborn child as well.
Human life is sacred and inviolable at every moment of existence, including the initial phase which precedes birth. All human beings, from their mothers' womb, belong to God who searches them and knows them, who forms them and knits them together with his own hands, who gazes on them when they are tiny shapeless embryos and already sees in them the adults of tomorrow whose days are numbered and whose vocation is even now written in the "book of life" (cf. Ps 139: 1, 13-16). There too, when they are still in their mothers' womb-as many passages of the Bible bear witness60-they are the personal objects of God's loving and fatherly providence.
Christian Tradition-as the Declaration issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith points out so well61-is clear and unanimous, from the beginning up to our own day, in describing abortion as a particularly grave moral disorder.
From its first contacts with the Greco-Roman world, where abortion and infanticide were widely practised, the first Christian community, by its teaching and practice, radically opposed the customs rampant in that society, as is clearly shown by the Didache mentioned earlier. 62 Among the Greek ecclesiastical writers, Athenagoras records that Christians consider as murderesses women who have recourse to abortifacient medicines, because children, even if they are still in their mother's womb, "are already under the protection of Divine Providence".63 Among the Latin authors, Tertullian affirms: "It is anticipated murder to prevent someone from being born; it makes little difference whether one kills a soul already born or puts it to death at birth. He who will one day be a man is a man already".64
Throughout Christianity's two thousand year history, this same doctrine has been constantly taught by the Fathers of the Church and by her Pastors and Doctors. Even scientific and philosophical discussions about the precise moment of the infusion of the spiritual soul have never given rise to any hesitation about the moral condemnation of abortion.
62. The more recent Papal Magisterium has vigorously reaffirmed this common doctrine. Pius XI in particular, in his Encyclical Casti Connubii, rejected the specious justifications of abortion. 65 Pius XII excluded all direct abortion, i.e., every act tending directly to destroy human life in the womb "whether such destruction is intended as an end or only as a means to an end".66 John XXIII reaffirmed that human life is sacred because "from its very beginning it directly involves God's creative activity".67 The Second Vatican Council, as mentioned earlier, sternly condemned abortion: "From the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes".68
The Church's canonical discipline, from the earliest centuries, has inflicted penal sanctions on those guilty of abortion. This practice, with more or less severe penalties, has been confirmed in various periods of history. The 1917 Code of Canon Law punished abortion with excommunication. 69
The revised canonical legislation continues this tradition when it decrees that "a person who actually procures an abortion incurs automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication".70
The excommunication affects all those who commit this crime with knowledge of the penalty attached, and thus includes those accomplices without whose help the crime would not have been committed. 71 By this reiterated sanction, the Church makes clear that abortion is a most serious and dangerous crime, thereby encouraging those who commit it to seek without delay the path of conversion. In the Church the purpose of the penalty of excommunication is to make an individual fully aware of the gravity of a certain sin and then to foster genuine conversion and repentance.
Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the Church, Paul VI was able to declare that this tradition is unchanged and unchangeable. 72 Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops-who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine-I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. 73
No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself, and proclaimed by the Church.
63. This evaluation of the morality of abortion is to be applied also to the recent forms of intervention on human embryos which, although carried out for purposes legitimate in themselves, inevitably involve the killing of those embryos. This is the case with experimentation on embryos, which is becoming increasingly widespread in the field of biomedical research and is legally permitted in some countries. Although "one must uphold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but rather are directed to its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival",74 it must nonetheless be stated that the use of human embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person. 75
This moral condemnation also regards procedures that exploit living human embryos and fetuses-sometimes specifically "produced" for this purpose by in vitro fertilization-either to be used as "biological material" or as providers of organs or tissue for transplants in the treatment of certain diseases. The killing of innocent human creatures, even if carried out to help others, constitutes an absolutely unacceptable act.
Special attention must be given to evaluating the morality of prenatal diagnostic techniques which enable the early detection of possible anomalies in the unborn child. In view of the complexity of these techniques, an accurate and systematic moral judgment is necessary. When they do not involve disproportionate risks for the child and the mother, and are meant to make possible early therapy or even to favour a serene and informed acceptance of the child not yet born, these techniques are morally licit. But since the possibilities of prenatal therapy are today still limited, it not infrequently happens that these techniques are used with a eugenic intention which accepts selective abortion in order to prevent the birth of children affected by various types of anomalies. Such an attitude is shameful and utterly reprehensible, since it presumes to measure the value of a human life only within the parameters of "normality" and physical well-being, thus opening the way to legitimizing infanticide and euthanasia as well.
And yet the courage and the serenity with which so many of our brothers and sisters suffering from serious disabilities lead their lives when they are shown acceptance and love bears eloquent witness to what gives authentic value to life, and makes it, even in difficult conditions, something precious for them and for others. The Church is close to those married couples who, with great anguish and suffering, willingly accept gravely handicapped children. She is also grateful to all those families which, through adoption, welcome children abandoned by their parents because of disabilities or illnesses.
"Some men's sins are flagrant and cry out for judgment now, while other men's sins will appear only later." (1 Tim. 5:24)
Code of Canon Law
Can. 1398 A person who procures a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication.
Ecumenism
Matthew quotes Jesus in his Gospel, "A kingdom torn by strife is headed for its downfall. A household split into factions cannot last for long." (12:25) "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." (12:30)
Mahatma Ghandi was one of the most beloved leaders in the history of the world, advocating social and economic justice through peaceful means. He was a courageous man and his work was a great example of how to love your neighbor. He studied Christianity extensively and was an admirer of Jesus, the man, but never believed in Jesus as Lord...in large part because of how his "Christian" friends modeled their faith!
Paul warned us in 1 Corinthians 1:10, "I beg you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree in what you say. Let there be no factions; rather, be united in mind and judgment." And in his first letter to Timothy, "Have nothing to do with senseless, ignorant disputations. As you well know, they only breed quarrels and the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome but must be kindly toward all." (2:23-24)
"Go and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
"How indeed can we proclaim the Gospel of reconciliation without at the same time being committed to working for reconciliation between Christians? However true it is that the Church, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and with the promise of indefectibility, has preached and still preaches the Gospel to all nations, it is also true that she must face the difficulties which derive from the lack of unity. When non-believers meet missionaries who do not agree among themselves, even though they all appeal to Christ, will they be in a position to receive the true message? Will they not think that the Gospel is a cause of division, despite the fact that it is presented as the fundamental law of love? " (6)
The Reformation
The Reformation occurred about 500 years ago. God obviously had a purpose. He permitted it to happen. Maybe it was because Catholics were making a mess of the Church and as Jesus told Peter, He was not going to let that "prevail." No one will disagree that the Church needed reforming. The debate however, continuing today, is how that reform was and has been conducted since that time.
The "enemy" consistently and relentlessly provokes division...among family, friends and Churches. Matthew and Paul, in their quotes above, warned us about satan's "divide and conquer" strategy. That warning permeates throughout all of Scripture. "Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
There are major theological differences of opinion between Catholics and Protestants...including the interpretation of God's Word. Even the 10 Commandments are not consistent with each other! But these differences should not prevent Christians from seeking common ground (essential Christian beliefs). It's not an all or nothing deal!
"The Catholic Church gladly holds in high esteem the things which other Christian Churches and ecclesial communities have done or are doing cooperatively by way of achieving the same goal. The union of the human family is greatly fortified and fulfilled by the unity, founded on Christ, of the family of God's sons." (4)
"The promotion of unity belongs to the innermost nature of the Church, for she is, "thanks to her relationship with Christ, a sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate union with God, and of the unity of the whole human race." Thus she shows the world that an authentic union, social and external, results from a union of minds and hearts, namely from that faith and charity by which her own unity is unbreakably rooted in the Holy Spirit. For the force which the Church can inject into the modern society of man consists in that faith and charity put into vital practice, not in any external dominion exercised by merely human means." (4)
The Protestant Reformation began a long and painful split in the Church. Catholics responded with a renewed diligent effort of reform and renewal within the Church. (8) It was desperately needed. Corruption at the highest leadership levels was proliferating mightily under the guidance of a formidable enemy, satan. Renewal was a positive result of Luther's challenges. (8)
Catholics should get to know the faith of their Protestant brethren better. In fact, they should get to know their Catholic faith better. "Venerate the Lord in your hearts. Should anyone ask you for the reason for your faith, be ever ready to reply, but speak gently and reverently." (1 Peter 3:15-16). Let me emphasize gently and reverently.
Protestants and Catholics, open your hearts to each other. Learn more about the early Church, its customs and traditions. Grow in communal spirit together, love each other the way God has always loved His children.
We know from reading the end of the Book that Christianity will ultimately prevail and the "enemy" knows it! The war has already been decided and we win! We give thanks to God for being so clear on that. However, battles in life will rage on until the end of time and battles can be lost if Christians neglect to put on their spiritual armor...daily.
"Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above. You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day; do all that your duty requires and hold your ground." (Ephesians 6:11-13)
Renew Your Minds
"Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God's will, what is good pleasing and perfect." (Romans: 12:2)
"But their primary duty is to make a careful and honest appraisal of whatever needs to be done or renewed in the Catholic household itself, in order that its life may bear witness more clearly and faithfully to the teachings and institutions which have come to it from Christ through the Apostles." (1)
Unfortunately, an esoteric approach to conducting the Mass (e.g., Latin, Priest with his back to the congregation) remained the practice until 1964. This was a major hindrance to effectively spreading the Gospel message and fostering Christian unity. Also the Catholic Church discouraged (by not encouraging) the laity from reading and studying the Bible, again, until 1964.
Many baptized Catholics tend to take their faith for granted and are surprisingly lacking in scriptural knowledge, as well as understanding the significance of the Church's history and its teaching. Too many Catholics are either cultural or habitual Catholics. Cultural meaning they attend Mass at Easter and Christmas and only occasionally at other times. Habitual meaning they attend every required Mass but their hearts and souls aren't in it...just meeting the obligation. Usually these are the folks who leave Mass immediately after Communion. God is looking for Committed Catholics, who love to come to Mass to honor Him and put Him first in every aspect of their lives.
"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, whole soul, whole mind and whole strength." (Matthew 22:37)
"How I wish you were one or the other - hot or cold! But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of My mouth!" (Rev 3:20)
Vatican II
Not much, directly affecting the laity, if anything, materially changed in the Catholic Church immediately after the Reformation, until 1964, over 400 years later, when the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (Vatican II) convened. This Council had a profoundly positive impact on the Church. The reform of the Sacred Liturgy made the Mass more meaningful and understandable to most Catholics. (8) The Priest turned around and faced the Congregation during the entire Mass and Latin was replaced with the local (vernacular) language. Participation in the Liturgy, especially through music and shared responses increased visibly. (8) Reading the Bible also became more important in the daily life and worship of Catholics, and many new aids to studying Scripture became available. (8)
The Documents of Vatican II included new Constitutions, Declarations and Decrees of the Church. (15) They clearly defined the Church's position on everything from, the role of the Church in history...through today, to responsibilities of its clergy and laity, to faith and morals, to the need for diligent Scripture study. Most Catholics are not aware the Church has a Constitution(s), or any of these important, defining documents.
One of the most significant documents authorized by Vatican II was the Decree on Ecumenism: (1)
Excerpts:
"The Sacred Council exhorts all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism."
"In these days when cooperation in social matters is so widespread, all men without exception are called to work together, with much greater reason all those who believe in God, but most of all, all Christians in that they bear the name of Christ. Cooperation among Christians vividly expresses the relationship which in fact already unites them, and it sets in clearer relief the features of Christ the Servant. All believers in Christ can, through this cooperation, be led to acquire a better knowledge and appreciation of one another, and so pave the way to Christian unity."
"We must get to know the outlook of our non-Catholic brethren. To achieve this purpose, study is of necessity required, and this must be pursued with a sense of realism and good will. Catholics, who already have a proper grounding, need to acquire a more adequate understanding of the respective doctrines of our non-Catholic brethren, their history, their spiritual and liturgical life, their religious psychology and general background."
Pope John Paul II did a wonderful job of following up on Vatican II's Decree and expanding the call of ecumenism in the Church with his 1995 Encyclical on Ecumenism. (6)
Excerpts:
"When brothers and sisters who are not in perfect communion with one another come together to pray, Vatican II defines their prayer as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement. This prayer is "a very effective means of petitioning for the grace of unity."
"If Christians, despite their divisions, can grow ever more united in common prayer around Christ, they will grow in the awareness of how little divides them in comparison to what unites them. If they meet more often and more regularly before Christ in prayer, they will be able to gain the courage to face all the painful human reality of their divisions, and they will find themselves together once more in that community of the Church which Christ constantly builds up in the Holy Spirit, in spite of all weaknesses and human limitations."
"It is necessary to pass from antagonism and conflict to a situation where each party recognizes the other as a partner. When undertaking dialogue, each side must presuppose in the other a desire for reconciliation, for unity in truth. For this to happen, any display of mutual opposition must disappear. Only thus will dialogue help to overcome division and lead us closer to unity."
"Ecumenical dialogue is of essential importance. Through such dialogue everyone gains a truer knowledge and more just appreciation of the teaching and religious life of both Communions. In addition, these Communions cooperate more closely in whatever projects a Christian conscience demands for the common good."
"Moreover, ecumenical cooperation is a true school of ecumenism, a dynamic road to unity. Unity of action leads to the full unity of faith: Through such cooperation, all believers in Christ are able to learn easily how they can understand each other better and esteem each other more, and how the road to the unity of Christians may be made smooth."
Where Are We Now?
"The search for Christian Unity was one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council." (5) Frankly, results of the Catholic Church's efforts at ecumenism have not been good. Great plan, great intentions...poor execution.
In 1993 Pope John Paul II approved, confirmed it by his authority, and authorized the publication of The Ecumenical Directory, originally called for during Vatican II. (5)
The Directory cited Vatican II as, "committing the ecumenical task in a special way to the Bishops." (7) The Bishops were advised, "to appoint a competent person as diocesan officer for ecumenical questions. (5) This officer is responsible for representing the Catholic community in its relations with the other Churches and ecclesial Communities and their leaders and will facilitate contacts between the latter and the local Bishop, clergy and laity on various levels." (5)
"In addition to the appointment of a diocesan officer for ecumenical questions, the diocesan Bishop should set up a council, commission or secretariat charged with putting into practice any directives or orientations he may give and, in general, with promoting ecumenical activity in the diocese." (5)
"The commission or secretariat should reflect the totality of the diocese and generally include among its members clergy, religious men and women and lay people of various competencies, and especially those with particular ecumenical expertise. It is desirable that representatives of the presbyterial council, the pastoral council, diocesan and regional seminaries be included among the members of the commission or secretariat." (5)
Very little visible progress to date has been realized in the way of ecumenism. Why? In some cases it just does not seem to be a high priority with Catholic or Protestant Church leaders. Also, "the lack of personnel, of specific training, of resources, financial and otherwise, make ecumenical work difficult." (7)
It's time to quit making excuses, obey God...and defeat the enemy. Ecumenism may be the most important issue facing the Church since the Reformation.
We do want to mention a couple of success stories. At the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico, Msgr. Richard J. Olona, Director of the Office of Ecumenism, has done an outstanding job of successfully getting the ecumenical message out to various Protestant Churches in their area, meeting together regularly for prayer and information gathering purposes. They also do a great job of promoting their efforts and communicating all activities on their website with tremendous support from Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan.
Father Alexei Smith, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Ecumenical Officer is very active in National ecumenical organizations such as Christian Churches Together (CCT) (11) and the annual National Workshop for Christian Unity. (12) Father Smith is an energetic and passionate proponent for developing Christian unity. He fully appreciates the mandate promulgated by Vatican II as he says, " Our Late Pope spoke of ecumenism as 'an organic part of the life and work of the Church' and our current Pope has made it 'his impelling duty.' Ecumenism is not then an option - it is a holy obligation."
Msgr. Olona sums it up nicely: "We can learn to practice true ecumenism. Genuine ecumenism is not about convincing non-Catholics to become Catholics – or to pretend that we are not Catholic. Ecumenism is an attempt for mutual respect and understanding, a quest for members of different traditions and denominations to honor everything that unites them, even as they discuss respectfully the things that divide them. True ecumenism starts with mutual love and respect." (9)
With that said, many (not all) of the ecumenical officers appointed by the various Bishops in America appear to be in the "secret service." Sorry to be so blunt, but...few people, outside of their immediate circle of influence know who these people are and what exactly they do in promoting ecumenism. It's unfortunate and in my opinion a disregard for (or at least not taking seriously enough) the mandate of Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism and The Ecumenical Directory.
Scripture Lights the Path to Christian Unity
Read and study your Bible. Catholics, in case you have not heard, the Church says it's not only OK to read and study your Bible, it's required reading!
"The sacred synod earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." (2)
"Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other aids which, in our time, with approval and active support of the shepherds of the Church, are commendably spread everywhere. And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for "we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying." (2)
"Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy. For it is from scripture that lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers, collects, and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and their force, and it is from the scriptures that actions and signs derive their meaning. Thus to achieve the restoration, progress, and adaptation of the sacred liturgy, it is essential to promote that warm and living love for scripture to which the venerable tradition of both eastern and western rites gives testimony." (3)
"The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God's word. In this way a more representative portion of the holy scriptures will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years." (3)
"Our brothers and sisters of other Churches and ecclesial Communities have a deep love and reverence for the Holy Scriptures. This occasions their constant and deep study of the sacred books. The Word of God, then, being one and the same for all Christians, will progressively strengthen the path towards unity insofar as it is approached with religious attention and loving study." (5)
Recently, Pope Benedict XVI again encouraged Catholics to read, study and meditate on the Holy Scriptures. "At today's General Audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict provided a lesson on the theological renaissance of the 12th century, advising Christians to learn from the monks and set aside time every day to meditate on the Bible, 'so that the Word of God will be the lamp that illuminates our daily path on earth.'" Catholic News Agency 10-28-09
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, correction, and training in holiness so that the man of God may be fully competent and equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16)
The Bible is God's personal letter to us and His instruction manual for our preparation for eternal life.
And, by the way, Catholics (with exceptions of course) have a lot to learn about giving (tithing). For the most part, Protestants adhere much more closely to Biblical based financial stewardship than Catholics.
"This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12)
"May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity (love) be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God Himself." (Ephesians 3:17-19)
Common Ground (Essential Christian Beliefs)
The Council of Nicaea in 325 (Nicene Creed was slightly modified in 381 to today's version) decided on what the essentials of a Christian's faith should be and we could use this as the foundation and framework for our ecumenical efforts.
Nicene Creed: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from Heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures: He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
As noted in the Evangelicals and Catholics Together "ECT" statement in 1997, "Evangelicals must speak the Gospel to Catholics and Catholics to Evangelicals, always speaking the truth in love, so that, 'working hard to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace . . . the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.'" (Ephesians 4:3, 12-13) (16)
"All who truly believe in Jesus Christ are brothers and sisters in the Lord and must not allow their differences, however important, to undermine this great truth, or to deflect them from bearing witness together to God's gift of salvation in Christ." (16)
Pope John Paul II wrote in his 1995 Encyclical on Ecumenism: "In the eyes of the world, cooperation among Christians becomes a form of common Christian witness and a means of evangelization which benefits all involved." (6)
Pope John XXIII, who was responsible for convening the all important Vatican II in 1962 said, "What unites us is much greater than what divides us." (6)
Conclusion
If Christians expect to have a successful, meaningful impact on the decaying moral issues facing America today...any time soon...(e.g., pro-life, biblical marriage and reversing the secular Godless agenda in our society), we will need to be truly united in our efforts.
"Again I tell you, if two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by My Father in Heaven. Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in their midst." (Matthew 18:19-20)
"I pray for those who believe in Me through their word, that all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You. I pray that they may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:21)
Blessings,
Bobby
Research References:
New American Bible Catholic Edition
(1) 1964 Decree on Ecumenism
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html
(2) 1965 Constitution on Sacred Scripture
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html
(3) 1963 Constitution on Sacred Liturgy
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html
(4) 1965 Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html
(5) 1993 The Ecumenical Directory
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_25031993_principles-and-norms-on-ecumenism_en.html
(6) 1995 John Paul II Encyclical Letter on Ecumenism
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en.html
(7) 2004 Bishop Brian Farrell Presentation - Secretary PCFPCU
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20041121_farrell-ecumenismo_en.html
(8) The Compact History of The Catholic Church - Alan Schreck
(9) Archdiocese of Santa Fe
http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org/Offices/Ecumenical/Ecumenical.html
(10) Archdiocese of Los Angeles
http://www.la-archdiocese.org/ecumenical/index.php
(11) Christian Churches Together (CCT)
http://www.christianchurchestogether.org/
(12) National Workshop on Christian Unity
http://www.nwcu.org/WhoWeAre/index.htm
(13) Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers http://www.cadeio.org/
(14) USCCB Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairshttp://www.usccb.org/seia/history.shtml
(15) Vatican II Documents
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/
(16) Evangelicals and Catholics Together ECT
http://www.seekgod.ca/ect2.htm
Financial Stewardship
Canon Law on Giving
Can. 222 §1. The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for the works of the apostolate and of charity, and for the decent support of ministers.
§2. They are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources.
Can. 1262 The faithful are to give support to the Church by responding to appeals and according to the norms issued by the conference of bishops.
Catechism 2043 The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.87
The Council of Trent
The Twenty-Fifth Session
The canons and decrees of the sacred
and ecumenical Council of Trent
Ed. and trans. J. Waterworth (London: Dolman, 1848), 232-89.
CHAPTER XII.
Tithes to be paid in full: those withholding, or hindering, the payment thereof are to be excommunicated: the Rectors of Poor Churches are to be piously relieved.
Those are not to be borne who, by various artifices, endeavour to withhold the tithes accruing to the churches ; nor those who rashly take possession of, and apply to their own use, the tithes which have to be paid by others; whereas the payment of tithes is due to God; and they who refuse to pay them, or hinder those who give them, usurp the property of another. Wherefore, the holy Synod enjoins on all, of whatsoever rank and condition they be, to whom it belongs to pay tithes, that they henceforth pay in full the tithes, to which they are bound in law, to the cathedral church, or to whatsoever other churches, or persons, they are lawfully due. And they who either withhold them, or hinder them (from being paid), shall be excommunicated; nor be absolved from this crime, until after full restitution has been made. It further exhorts all and each, that, of their Christian charity, and the duty which they owe to their own pastors, they grudge not, out of the good things that are given them by God, to assist bountifully those bishops and parish priests who preside over the poorer churches; to the praise of God, and to maintain the dignity of their own pastors who watch for them.
Catholic Stewardship: A Primer
September 5, 2009 in Stewardship by Art Canales
Catholics usually cringe, roll their eyes, or think about leaving when they hear the term “stewardship” from the pulpit. It usually conjures up imagines of priests trying to raise money for that old furnace in the church basement that needs replacing or for funds needed to replace a broken air conditioning. In the past twenty years the mantra for Catholic stewardship has been “Time, Talent, and Treasure,” and it has been quite a successful campaign. Unfortunately, that is the only viewpoint and understanding that most Catholics have about stewardship. In other words, Catholics mistakenly believe that stewardship is a campaign to raise money or to build a building, despite the best efforts from diocesan offices around the country, pastoral letters written by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, and the International Catholic Stewardship Council located in Washington, D.C. For whatever reason, Catholics have a difficult time grasping the reality of Christian stewardship or simply ignore the message. Stewardship is not a concept, or theological construct, nor is it some pastoral suggestion made up by the Catholic bishops. Stewardship is a Gospel value, a mandate to live by, and an authentic expression of Catholic spirituality and faithfulness (Luke 12:22-33: Matthew 25:14-28; 1 Peter 4:10).
Scripture References To Giving "Treasure"
Malachi 3:8-10 "Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! And you say, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings. You are indeed accursed, for you, the whole nation, rob Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me in this says the Lord of hosts. Shall I not open for you the floodgates of Heaven, to pour down blessing upon you without measure?"
Luke 12:33 "Sell what you have and give alms. Get purses for yourselves that do not wear out, a never-failing treasure with the Lord which no thief comes near nor any moth destroys."
1 Corinthians 16:2 "On the first day of each week everyone should put aside whatever he has been able to save, so that the collection will not have to be taken up after I arrive."
Acts 20:35 "Jesus said, 'There is more happiness in giving than receiving.'"
2 Corinthians 8:8 "I am not giving you an order but simply testing your generous love against the concern which others show."
2 Corinthians 9:5 "I have thought it necessary to exhort the brothers to go to you and arrange in advance for the bountiful gift you have already promised. It should be ready as a gracious gift not as an exaction."
2 Corinthians 9:7,10 "God loves a cheerful giver. He who supplies seed for the sower and bread for the eater will provide in abundance. He will multiply the seed you sow and increase your generous yield. In every way your liberality is enriched; through us it results in thanks offered to God."
Ephesians 3:17-19 "May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith and may charity and love be the root and foundation of your life; thus you will be able to grasp fully with all the holy ones, the length, and width, and depth, and height of Christ's love, and experience this love, which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may be able to attain to the fullness of God Himself."
Philippians 4:17 "It is not that I am eager for the gift; rather, my concern is for the ever growing balance in your account."
Hebrews 7:2,6 "And Abraham apportioned to him (Melchizedek) one tenth of all his booty.... but Melchizedek, who was not of their ancestry, received tithes of Abraham and blessed him who had received God's promises."
1 Peter 4:10 "As generous distributors of God’s manifold grace, put your gifts at the service of one another, each in measure he has received."
After months of studying Vatican II Documents and Encyclicals...and in-depth discussions with Catholics and Protestants (laity and clergy), I have come to the conclusion that all three issues are inextricably connected to each other.
Pro-Life
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, upon whom My name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek My presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from Heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land."
Could there be anything more important to deal with than this evil tidal wave engulfing the United States?
God give us the strength, courage and wisdom to reverse this path to self destruction.
PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD GAUDIUM ET SPES PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS, POPE PAUL VI ON DECEMBER 7, 1965
51. For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man. Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes.
Pope John Paul II
EVANGELIUM VITAE
To the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and Women religious, lay Faithful, and all People of Good Will on the Value and Inviolability of Human Life 1995.03.25
CHAPTER III - YOU SHALL NOT KILL
"Your eyes beheld my unformed substance" (Ps 139:16): the unspeakable crime of abortion
58. Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime".54
But today, in many people's consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake.
Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth.
The moral gravity of procured abortion is apparent in all its truth if we recognize that we are dealing with murder and, in particular, when we consider the specific elements involved. The one eliminated is a human being at the very beginning of life. No one more absolutely innocent could be imagined. In no way could this human being ever be considered an aggressor, much less an unjust aggressor! He or she is weak, defenceless, even to the point of lacking that minimal form of defence consisting in the poignant power of a newborn baby's cries and tears. The unborn child is totally entrusted to the protection and care of the woman carrying him or her in the womb. And yet sometimes it is precisely the mother herself who makes the decision and asks for the child to be eliminated, and who then goes about having it done.
It is true that the decision to have an abortion is often tragic and painful for the mother, insofar as the decision to rid herself of the fruit of conception is not made for purely selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Sometimes it is feared that the child to be born would live in such conditions that it would be better if the birth did not take place. Nevertheless, these reasons and others like them, however serious and tragic, can never justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.
59. As well as the mother, there are often other people too who decide upon the death of the child in the womb. In the first place, the father of the child may be to blame, not only when he di-rectly pressures the woman to have an abortion, but also when he indirectly encourages such a decision on her part by leaving her alone to face the problems of pregnancy: 55 in this way the family is thus mortally wounded and profaned in its nature as a community of love and in its vocation to be the "sanctuary of life". Nor can one overlook the pressures which sometimes come from the wider family circle and from friends. Sometimes the woman is subjected to such strong pressure that she feels psychologically forced to have an abortion: certainly in this case moral responsibility lies particularly with those who have directly or indirectly obliged her to have an abortion. Doctors and nurses are also responsible, when they place at the service of death skills which were acquired for promoting life.
But responsibility likewise falls on the legislators who have promoted and approved abortion laws, and, to the extent that they have a say in the matter, on the administrators of the health-care centres where abortions are performed. A general and no less serious responsibility lies with those who have encouraged the spread of an attitude of sexual permissiveness and a lack of esteem for motherhood, and with those who should have ensured-but did not-effective family and social policies in support of families, especially larger families and those with particular financial and educational needs.
Finally, one cannot overlook the network of complicity which reaches out to include international institutions, foundations and associations which systematically campaign for the legalization and spread of abortion in the world. In this sense abortion goes beyond the responsibility of individuals and beyond the harm done to them, and takes on a distinctly social dimension. It is a most serious wound inflicted on society and its culture by the very people who ought to be society's promoters and defenders. As I wrote in my Letter to Families, "we are facing an immense threat to life: not only to the life of individuals but also to that of civilization itself".56 We are facing what can be called a "structure of sin" which opposes human life not yet born.
60. Some people try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be considered a personal human life. But in fact, "from the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. This has always been clear, and ... modern genetic science offers clear confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant there is established the programme of what this living being will be: a person, this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well determined.
Right from fertilization the adventure of a human life begins, and each of its capacities requires time-a rather lengthy time-to find its place and to be in a position to act".57 Even if the presence of a spiritual soul cannot be ascertained by empirical data, the results themselves of scientific research on the human embryo provide "a valuable indication for discerning by the use of reason a personal presence at the moment of the first appearance of a human life: how could a human individual not be a human person?". 58
Furthermore, what is at stake is so important that, from the standpoint of moral obligation, the mere probability that a human person is involved would suffice to justify an absolutely clear prohibition of any intervention aimed at killing a human embryo. Precisely for this reason, over and above all scientific debates and those philosophical affirmations to which the Magisterium has not expressly committed itself, the Church has always taught and continues to teach that the result of human procreation, from the first moment of its existence, must be guaranteed that unconditional respect which is morally due to the human being in his or her totality and unity as body and spirit: "The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception; and therefore from that same moment his rights as a person must be recognized, among which in the first place is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life".59
61. The texts of Sacred Scripture never address the question of deliberate abortion and so do not directly and specifically condemn it. But they show such great respect for the human being in the mother's womb that they require as a logical consequence that God's commandment "You shall not kill" be extended to the unborn child as well.
Human life is sacred and inviolable at every moment of existence, including the initial phase which precedes birth. All human beings, from their mothers' womb, belong to God who searches them and knows them, who forms them and knits them together with his own hands, who gazes on them when they are tiny shapeless embryos and already sees in them the adults of tomorrow whose days are numbered and whose vocation is even now written in the "book of life" (cf. Ps 139: 1, 13-16). There too, when they are still in their mothers' womb-as many passages of the Bible bear witness60-they are the personal objects of God's loving and fatherly providence.
Christian Tradition-as the Declaration issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith points out so well61-is clear and unanimous, from the beginning up to our own day, in describing abortion as a particularly grave moral disorder.
From its first contacts with the Greco-Roman world, where abortion and infanticide were widely practised, the first Christian community, by its teaching and practice, radically opposed the customs rampant in that society, as is clearly shown by the Didache mentioned earlier. 62 Among the Greek ecclesiastical writers, Athenagoras records that Christians consider as murderesses women who have recourse to abortifacient medicines, because children, even if they are still in their mother's womb, "are already under the protection of Divine Providence".63 Among the Latin authors, Tertullian affirms: "It is anticipated murder to prevent someone from being born; it makes little difference whether one kills a soul already born or puts it to death at birth. He who will one day be a man is a man already".64
Throughout Christianity's two thousand year history, this same doctrine has been constantly taught by the Fathers of the Church and by her Pastors and Doctors. Even scientific and philosophical discussions about the precise moment of the infusion of the spiritual soul have never given rise to any hesitation about the moral condemnation of abortion.
62. The more recent Papal Magisterium has vigorously reaffirmed this common doctrine. Pius XI in particular, in his Encyclical Casti Connubii, rejected the specious justifications of abortion. 65 Pius XII excluded all direct abortion, i.e., every act tending directly to destroy human life in the womb "whether such destruction is intended as an end or only as a means to an end".66 John XXIII reaffirmed that human life is sacred because "from its very beginning it directly involves God's creative activity".67 The Second Vatican Council, as mentioned earlier, sternly condemned abortion: "From the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes".68
The Church's canonical discipline, from the earliest centuries, has inflicted penal sanctions on those guilty of abortion. This practice, with more or less severe penalties, has been confirmed in various periods of history. The 1917 Code of Canon Law punished abortion with excommunication. 69
The revised canonical legislation continues this tradition when it decrees that "a person who actually procures an abortion incurs automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication".70
The excommunication affects all those who commit this crime with knowledge of the penalty attached, and thus includes those accomplices without whose help the crime would not have been committed. 71 By this reiterated sanction, the Church makes clear that abortion is a most serious and dangerous crime, thereby encouraging those who commit it to seek without delay the path of conversion. In the Church the purpose of the penalty of excommunication is to make an individual fully aware of the gravity of a certain sin and then to foster genuine conversion and repentance.
Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the Church, Paul VI was able to declare that this tradition is unchanged and unchangeable. 72 Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops-who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine-I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. 73
No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself, and proclaimed by the Church.
63. This evaluation of the morality of abortion is to be applied also to the recent forms of intervention on human embryos which, although carried out for purposes legitimate in themselves, inevitably involve the killing of those embryos. This is the case with experimentation on embryos, which is becoming increasingly widespread in the field of biomedical research and is legally permitted in some countries. Although "one must uphold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but rather are directed to its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival",74 it must nonetheless be stated that the use of human embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person. 75
This moral condemnation also regards procedures that exploit living human embryos and fetuses-sometimes specifically "produced" for this purpose by in vitro fertilization-either to be used as "biological material" or as providers of organs or tissue for transplants in the treatment of certain diseases. The killing of innocent human creatures, even if carried out to help others, constitutes an absolutely unacceptable act.
Special attention must be given to evaluating the morality of prenatal diagnostic techniques which enable the early detection of possible anomalies in the unborn child. In view of the complexity of these techniques, an accurate and systematic moral judgment is necessary. When they do not involve disproportionate risks for the child and the mother, and are meant to make possible early therapy or even to favour a serene and informed acceptance of the child not yet born, these techniques are morally licit. But since the possibilities of prenatal therapy are today still limited, it not infrequently happens that these techniques are used with a eugenic intention which accepts selective abortion in order to prevent the birth of children affected by various types of anomalies. Such an attitude is shameful and utterly reprehensible, since it presumes to measure the value of a human life only within the parameters of "normality" and physical well-being, thus opening the way to legitimizing infanticide and euthanasia as well.
And yet the courage and the serenity with which so many of our brothers and sisters suffering from serious disabilities lead their lives when they are shown acceptance and love bears eloquent witness to what gives authentic value to life, and makes it, even in difficult conditions, something precious for them and for others. The Church is close to those married couples who, with great anguish and suffering, willingly accept gravely handicapped children. She is also grateful to all those families which, through adoption, welcome children abandoned by their parents because of disabilities or illnesses.
"Some men's sins are flagrant and cry out for judgment now, while other men's sins will appear only later." (1 Tim. 5:24)
Code of Canon Law
Can. 1398 A person who procures a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication.
Ecumenism
Matthew quotes Jesus in his Gospel, "A kingdom torn by strife is headed for its downfall. A household split into factions cannot last for long." (12:25) "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." (12:30)
Mahatma Ghandi was one of the most beloved leaders in the history of the world, advocating social and economic justice through peaceful means. He was a courageous man and his work was a great example of how to love your neighbor. He studied Christianity extensively and was an admirer of Jesus, the man, but never believed in Jesus as Lord...in large part because of how his "Christian" friends modeled their faith!
Paul warned us in 1 Corinthians 1:10, "I beg you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree in what you say. Let there be no factions; rather, be united in mind and judgment." And in his first letter to Timothy, "Have nothing to do with senseless, ignorant disputations. As you well know, they only breed quarrels and the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome but must be kindly toward all." (2:23-24)
"Go and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
"How indeed can we proclaim the Gospel of reconciliation without at the same time being committed to working for reconciliation between Christians? However true it is that the Church, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and with the promise of indefectibility, has preached and still preaches the Gospel to all nations, it is also true that she must face the difficulties which derive from the lack of unity. When non-believers meet missionaries who do not agree among themselves, even though they all appeal to Christ, will they be in a position to receive the true message? Will they not think that the Gospel is a cause of division, despite the fact that it is presented as the fundamental law of love? " (6)
The Reformation
The Reformation occurred about 500 years ago. God obviously had a purpose. He permitted it to happen. Maybe it was because Catholics were making a mess of the Church and as Jesus told Peter, He was not going to let that "prevail." No one will disagree that the Church needed reforming. The debate however, continuing today, is how that reform was and has been conducted since that time.
The "enemy" consistently and relentlessly provokes division...among family, friends and Churches. Matthew and Paul, in their quotes above, warned us about satan's "divide and conquer" strategy. That warning permeates throughout all of Scripture. "Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
There are major theological differences of opinion between Catholics and Protestants...including the interpretation of God's Word. Even the 10 Commandments are not consistent with each other! But these differences should not prevent Christians from seeking common ground (essential Christian beliefs). It's not an all or nothing deal!
"The Catholic Church gladly holds in high esteem the things which other Christian Churches and ecclesial communities have done or are doing cooperatively by way of achieving the same goal. The union of the human family is greatly fortified and fulfilled by the unity, founded on Christ, of the family of God's sons." (4)
"The promotion of unity belongs to the innermost nature of the Church, for she is, "thanks to her relationship with Christ, a sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate union with God, and of the unity of the whole human race." Thus she shows the world that an authentic union, social and external, results from a union of minds and hearts, namely from that faith and charity by which her own unity is unbreakably rooted in the Holy Spirit. For the force which the Church can inject into the modern society of man consists in that faith and charity put into vital practice, not in any external dominion exercised by merely human means." (4)
The Protestant Reformation began a long and painful split in the Church. Catholics responded with a renewed diligent effort of reform and renewal within the Church. (8) It was desperately needed. Corruption at the highest leadership levels was proliferating mightily under the guidance of a formidable enemy, satan. Renewal was a positive result of Luther's challenges. (8)
Catholics should get to know the faith of their Protestant brethren better. In fact, they should get to know their Catholic faith better. "Venerate the Lord in your hearts. Should anyone ask you for the reason for your faith, be ever ready to reply, but speak gently and reverently." (1 Peter 3:15-16). Let me emphasize gently and reverently.
Protestants and Catholics, open your hearts to each other. Learn more about the early Church, its customs and traditions. Grow in communal spirit together, love each other the way God has always loved His children.
We know from reading the end of the Book that Christianity will ultimately prevail and the "enemy" knows it! The war has already been decided and we win! We give thanks to God for being so clear on that. However, battles in life will rage on until the end of time and battles can be lost if Christians neglect to put on their spiritual armor...daily.
"Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above. You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day; do all that your duty requires and hold your ground." (Ephesians 6:11-13)
Renew Your Minds
"Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God's will, what is good pleasing and perfect." (Romans: 12:2)
"But their primary duty is to make a careful and honest appraisal of whatever needs to be done or renewed in the Catholic household itself, in order that its life may bear witness more clearly and faithfully to the teachings and institutions which have come to it from Christ through the Apostles." (1)
Unfortunately, an esoteric approach to conducting the Mass (e.g., Latin, Priest with his back to the congregation) remained the practice until 1964. This was a major hindrance to effectively spreading the Gospel message and fostering Christian unity. Also the Catholic Church discouraged (by not encouraging) the laity from reading and studying the Bible, again, until 1964.
Many baptized Catholics tend to take their faith for granted and are surprisingly lacking in scriptural knowledge, as well as understanding the significance of the Church's history and its teaching. Too many Catholics are either cultural or habitual Catholics. Cultural meaning they attend Mass at Easter and Christmas and only occasionally at other times. Habitual meaning they attend every required Mass but their hearts and souls aren't in it...just meeting the obligation. Usually these are the folks who leave Mass immediately after Communion. God is looking for Committed Catholics, who love to come to Mass to honor Him and put Him first in every aspect of their lives.
"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, whole soul, whole mind and whole strength." (Matthew 22:37)
"How I wish you were one or the other - hot or cold! But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of My mouth!" (Rev 3:20)
Vatican II
Not much, directly affecting the laity, if anything, materially changed in the Catholic Church immediately after the Reformation, until 1964, over 400 years later, when the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (Vatican II) convened. This Council had a profoundly positive impact on the Church. The reform of the Sacred Liturgy made the Mass more meaningful and understandable to most Catholics. (8) The Priest turned around and faced the Congregation during the entire Mass and Latin was replaced with the local (vernacular) language. Participation in the Liturgy, especially through music and shared responses increased visibly. (8) Reading the Bible also became more important in the daily life and worship of Catholics, and many new aids to studying Scripture became available. (8)
The Documents of Vatican II included new Constitutions, Declarations and Decrees of the Church. (15) They clearly defined the Church's position on everything from, the role of the Church in history...through today, to responsibilities of its clergy and laity, to faith and morals, to the need for diligent Scripture study. Most Catholics are not aware the Church has a Constitution(s), or any of these important, defining documents.
One of the most significant documents authorized by Vatican II was the Decree on Ecumenism: (1)
Excerpts:
"The Sacred Council exhorts all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism."
"In these days when cooperation in social matters is so widespread, all men without exception are called to work together, with much greater reason all those who believe in God, but most of all, all Christians in that they bear the name of Christ. Cooperation among Christians vividly expresses the relationship which in fact already unites them, and it sets in clearer relief the features of Christ the Servant. All believers in Christ can, through this cooperation, be led to acquire a better knowledge and appreciation of one another, and so pave the way to Christian unity."
"We must get to know the outlook of our non-Catholic brethren. To achieve this purpose, study is of necessity required, and this must be pursued with a sense of realism and good will. Catholics, who already have a proper grounding, need to acquire a more adequate understanding of the respective doctrines of our non-Catholic brethren, their history, their spiritual and liturgical life, their religious psychology and general background."
Pope John Paul II did a wonderful job of following up on Vatican II's Decree and expanding the call of ecumenism in the Church with his 1995 Encyclical on Ecumenism. (6)
Excerpts:
"When brothers and sisters who are not in perfect communion with one another come together to pray, Vatican II defines their prayer as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement. This prayer is "a very effective means of petitioning for the grace of unity."
"If Christians, despite their divisions, can grow ever more united in common prayer around Christ, they will grow in the awareness of how little divides them in comparison to what unites them. If they meet more often and more regularly before Christ in prayer, they will be able to gain the courage to face all the painful human reality of their divisions, and they will find themselves together once more in that community of the Church which Christ constantly builds up in the Holy Spirit, in spite of all weaknesses and human limitations."
"It is necessary to pass from antagonism and conflict to a situation where each party recognizes the other as a partner. When undertaking dialogue, each side must presuppose in the other a desire for reconciliation, for unity in truth. For this to happen, any display of mutual opposition must disappear. Only thus will dialogue help to overcome division and lead us closer to unity."
"Ecumenical dialogue is of essential importance. Through such dialogue everyone gains a truer knowledge and more just appreciation of the teaching and religious life of both Communions. In addition, these Communions cooperate more closely in whatever projects a Christian conscience demands for the common good."
"Moreover, ecumenical cooperation is a true school of ecumenism, a dynamic road to unity. Unity of action leads to the full unity of faith: Through such cooperation, all believers in Christ are able to learn easily how they can understand each other better and esteem each other more, and how the road to the unity of Christians may be made smooth."
Where Are We Now?
"The search for Christian Unity was one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council." (5) Frankly, results of the Catholic Church's efforts at ecumenism have not been good. Great plan, great intentions...poor execution.
In 1993 Pope John Paul II approved, confirmed it by his authority, and authorized the publication of The Ecumenical Directory, originally called for during Vatican II. (5)
The Directory cited Vatican II as, "committing the ecumenical task in a special way to the Bishops." (7) The Bishops were advised, "to appoint a competent person as diocesan officer for ecumenical questions. (5) This officer is responsible for representing the Catholic community in its relations with the other Churches and ecclesial Communities and their leaders and will facilitate contacts between the latter and the local Bishop, clergy and laity on various levels." (5)
"In addition to the appointment of a diocesan officer for ecumenical questions, the diocesan Bishop should set up a council, commission or secretariat charged with putting into practice any directives or orientations he may give and, in general, with promoting ecumenical activity in the diocese." (5)
"The commission or secretariat should reflect the totality of the diocese and generally include among its members clergy, religious men and women and lay people of various competencies, and especially those with particular ecumenical expertise. It is desirable that representatives of the presbyterial council, the pastoral council, diocesan and regional seminaries be included among the members of the commission or secretariat." (5)
Very little visible progress to date has been realized in the way of ecumenism. Why? In some cases it just does not seem to be a high priority with Catholic or Protestant Church leaders. Also, "the lack of personnel, of specific training, of resources, financial and otherwise, make ecumenical work difficult." (7)
It's time to quit making excuses, obey God...and defeat the enemy. Ecumenism may be the most important issue facing the Church since the Reformation.
We do want to mention a couple of success stories. At the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico, Msgr. Richard J. Olona, Director of the Office of Ecumenism, has done an outstanding job of successfully getting the ecumenical message out to various Protestant Churches in their area, meeting together regularly for prayer and information gathering purposes. They also do a great job of promoting their efforts and communicating all activities on their website with tremendous support from Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan.
Father Alexei Smith, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Ecumenical Officer is very active in National ecumenical organizations such as Christian Churches Together (CCT) (11) and the annual National Workshop for Christian Unity. (12) Father Smith is an energetic and passionate proponent for developing Christian unity. He fully appreciates the mandate promulgated by Vatican II as he says, " Our Late Pope spoke of ecumenism as 'an organic part of the life and work of the Church' and our current Pope has made it 'his impelling duty.' Ecumenism is not then an option - it is a holy obligation."
Msgr. Olona sums it up nicely: "We can learn to practice true ecumenism. Genuine ecumenism is not about convincing non-Catholics to become Catholics – or to pretend that we are not Catholic. Ecumenism is an attempt for mutual respect and understanding, a quest for members of different traditions and denominations to honor everything that unites them, even as they discuss respectfully the things that divide them. True ecumenism starts with mutual love and respect." (9)
With that said, many (not all) of the ecumenical officers appointed by the various Bishops in America appear to be in the "secret service." Sorry to be so blunt, but...few people, outside of their immediate circle of influence know who these people are and what exactly they do in promoting ecumenism. It's unfortunate and in my opinion a disregard for (or at least not taking seriously enough) the mandate of Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism and The Ecumenical Directory.
Scripture Lights the Path to Christian Unity
Read and study your Bible. Catholics, in case you have not heard, the Church says it's not only OK to read and study your Bible, it's required reading!
"The sacred synod earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." (2)
"Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other aids which, in our time, with approval and active support of the shepherds of the Church, are commendably spread everywhere. And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for "we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying." (2)
"Sacred scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy. For it is from scripture that lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers, collects, and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and their force, and it is from the scriptures that actions and signs derive their meaning. Thus to achieve the restoration, progress, and adaptation of the sacred liturgy, it is essential to promote that warm and living love for scripture to which the venerable tradition of both eastern and western rites gives testimony." (3)
"The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God's word. In this way a more representative portion of the holy scriptures will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years." (3)
"Our brothers and sisters of other Churches and ecclesial Communities have a deep love and reverence for the Holy Scriptures. This occasions their constant and deep study of the sacred books. The Word of God, then, being one and the same for all Christians, will progressively strengthen the path towards unity insofar as it is approached with religious attention and loving study." (5)
Recently, Pope Benedict XVI again encouraged Catholics to read, study and meditate on the Holy Scriptures. "At today's General Audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict provided a lesson on the theological renaissance of the 12th century, advising Christians to learn from the monks and set aside time every day to meditate on the Bible, 'so that the Word of God will be the lamp that illuminates our daily path on earth.'" Catholic News Agency 10-28-09
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, correction, and training in holiness so that the man of God may be fully competent and equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16)
The Bible is God's personal letter to us and His instruction manual for our preparation for eternal life.
And, by the way, Catholics (with exceptions of course) have a lot to learn about giving (tithing). For the most part, Protestants adhere much more closely to Biblical based financial stewardship than Catholics.
"This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12)
"May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity (love) be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God Himself." (Ephesians 3:17-19)
Common Ground (Essential Christian Beliefs)
The Council of Nicaea in 325 (Nicene Creed was slightly modified in 381 to today's version) decided on what the essentials of a Christian's faith should be and we could use this as the foundation and framework for our ecumenical efforts.
Nicene Creed: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from Heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures: He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
As noted in the Evangelicals and Catholics Together "ECT" statement in 1997, "Evangelicals must speak the Gospel to Catholics and Catholics to Evangelicals, always speaking the truth in love, so that, 'working hard to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace . . . the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.'" (Ephesians 4:3, 12-13) (16)
"All who truly believe in Jesus Christ are brothers and sisters in the Lord and must not allow their differences, however important, to undermine this great truth, or to deflect them from bearing witness together to God's gift of salvation in Christ." (16)
Pope John Paul II wrote in his 1995 Encyclical on Ecumenism: "In the eyes of the world, cooperation among Christians becomes a form of common Christian witness and a means of evangelization which benefits all involved." (6)
Pope John XXIII, who was responsible for convening the all important Vatican II in 1962 said, "What unites us is much greater than what divides us." (6)
Conclusion
If Christians expect to have a successful, meaningful impact on the decaying moral issues facing America today...any time soon...(e.g., pro-life, biblical marriage and reversing the secular Godless agenda in our society), we will need to be truly united in our efforts.
"Again I tell you, if two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by My Father in Heaven. Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in their midst." (Matthew 18:19-20)
"I pray for those who believe in Me through their word, that all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You. I pray that they may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:21)
Blessings,
Bobby
Research References:
New American Bible Catholic Edition
(1) 1964 Decree on Ecumenism
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html
(2) 1965 Constitution on Sacred Scripture
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html
(3) 1963 Constitution on Sacred Liturgy
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html
(4) 1965 Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html
(5) 1993 The Ecumenical Directory
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_25031993_principles-and-norms-on-ecumenism_en.html
(6) 1995 John Paul II Encyclical Letter on Ecumenism
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en.html
(7) 2004 Bishop Brian Farrell Presentation - Secretary PCFPCU
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20041121_farrell-ecumenismo_en.html
(8) The Compact History of The Catholic Church - Alan Schreck
(9) Archdiocese of Santa Fe
http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org/Offices/Ecumenical/Ecumenical.html
(10) Archdiocese of Los Angeles
http://www.la-archdiocese.org/ecumenical/index.php
(11) Christian Churches Together (CCT)
http://www.christianchurchestogether.org/
(12) National Workshop on Christian Unity
http://www.nwcu.org/WhoWeAre/index.htm
(13) Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers http://www.cadeio.org/
(14) USCCB Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairshttp://www.usccb.org/seia/history.shtml
(15) Vatican II Documents
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/
(16) Evangelicals and Catholics Together ECT
http://www.seekgod.ca/ect2.htm
Financial Stewardship
Canon Law on Giving
Can. 222 §1. The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for the works of the apostolate and of charity, and for the decent support of ministers.
§2. They are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources.
Can. 1262 The faithful are to give support to the Church by responding to appeals and according to the norms issued by the conference of bishops.
Catechism 2043 The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.87
The Council of Trent
The Twenty-Fifth Session
The canons and decrees of the sacred
and ecumenical Council of Trent
Ed. and trans. J. Waterworth (London: Dolman, 1848), 232-89.
CHAPTER XII.
Tithes to be paid in full: those withholding, or hindering, the payment thereof are to be excommunicated: the Rectors of Poor Churches are to be piously relieved.
Those are not to be borne who, by various artifices, endeavour to withhold the tithes accruing to the churches ; nor those who rashly take possession of, and apply to their own use, the tithes which have to be paid by others; whereas the payment of tithes is due to God; and they who refuse to pay them, or hinder those who give them, usurp the property of another. Wherefore, the holy Synod enjoins on all, of whatsoever rank and condition they be, to whom it belongs to pay tithes, that they henceforth pay in full the tithes, to which they are bound in law, to the cathedral church, or to whatsoever other churches, or persons, they are lawfully due. And they who either withhold them, or hinder them (from being paid), shall be excommunicated; nor be absolved from this crime, until after full restitution has been made. It further exhorts all and each, that, of their Christian charity, and the duty which they owe to their own pastors, they grudge not, out of the good things that are given them by God, to assist bountifully those bishops and parish priests who preside over the poorer churches; to the praise of God, and to maintain the dignity of their own pastors who watch for them.
Catholic Stewardship: A Primer
September 5, 2009 in Stewardship by Art Canales
Catholics usually cringe, roll their eyes, or think about leaving when they hear the term “stewardship” from the pulpit. It usually conjures up imagines of priests trying to raise money for that old furnace in the church basement that needs replacing or for funds needed to replace a broken air conditioning. In the past twenty years the mantra for Catholic stewardship has been “Time, Talent, and Treasure,” and it has been quite a successful campaign. Unfortunately, that is the only viewpoint and understanding that most Catholics have about stewardship. In other words, Catholics mistakenly believe that stewardship is a campaign to raise money or to build a building, despite the best efforts from diocesan offices around the country, pastoral letters written by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, and the International Catholic Stewardship Council located in Washington, D.C. For whatever reason, Catholics have a difficult time grasping the reality of Christian stewardship or simply ignore the message. Stewardship is not a concept, or theological construct, nor is it some pastoral suggestion made up by the Catholic bishops. Stewardship is a Gospel value, a mandate to live by, and an authentic expression of Catholic spirituality and faithfulness (Luke 12:22-33: Matthew 25:14-28; 1 Peter 4:10).
Scripture References To Giving "Treasure"
Malachi 3:8-10 "Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! And you say, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings. You are indeed accursed, for you, the whole nation, rob Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me in this says the Lord of hosts. Shall I not open for you the floodgates of Heaven, to pour down blessing upon you without measure?"
Luke 12:33 "Sell what you have and give alms. Get purses for yourselves that do not wear out, a never-failing treasure with the Lord which no thief comes near nor any moth destroys."
1 Corinthians 16:2 "On the first day of each week everyone should put aside whatever he has been able to save, so that the collection will not have to be taken up after I arrive."
Acts 20:35 "Jesus said, 'There is more happiness in giving than receiving.'"
2 Corinthians 8:8 "I am not giving you an order but simply testing your generous love against the concern which others show."
2 Corinthians 9:5 "I have thought it necessary to exhort the brothers to go to you and arrange in advance for the bountiful gift you have already promised. It should be ready as a gracious gift not as an exaction."
2 Corinthians 9:7,10 "God loves a cheerful giver. He who supplies seed for the sower and bread for the eater will provide in abundance. He will multiply the seed you sow and increase your generous yield. In every way your liberality is enriched; through us it results in thanks offered to God."
Ephesians 3:17-19 "May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith and may charity and love be the root and foundation of your life; thus you will be able to grasp fully with all the holy ones, the length, and width, and depth, and height of Christ's love, and experience this love, which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may be able to attain to the fullness of God Himself."
Philippians 4:17 "It is not that I am eager for the gift; rather, my concern is for the ever growing balance in your account."
Hebrews 7:2,6 "And Abraham apportioned to him (Melchizedek) one tenth of all his booty.... but Melchizedek, who was not of their ancestry, received tithes of Abraham and blessed him who had received God's promises."
1 Peter 4:10 "As generous distributors of God’s manifold grace, put your gifts at the service of one another, each in measure he has received."
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