“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”
LEVITICUS 20-21
MATTHEW 28:1-20
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
JOURNAL
Some doubted...this is human and it's one of the benefits of intelligence. We can conceive of lies and falsehood. Yet, while it is a benefit it also can be a curse. It happens when we not only doubt but reject truth. The reality is that truth is hard, it's tough to accept because it reveals a world that we often don't want to accept. Whether it is the truth about ourselves or the truth of something or someone that we value and love. Truth can reveal that the world we hope for or believe exists is actually flawed and different. Truth can reveal that we have been hoodwinked and manipulated. Truth can reveal that those we hate or despise might actually not be as evil or terrible as we are convinced. In the very first sin...Satan used doubt to deceive Eve and Adam. Ever since...we have had a tough relationship with the truth.
I know for me when I doubt, I freeze up...I lose motivation and initiative and just want to go crawl in a hole. I feel a sense of disorientation and that any action I take will be wrong and harmful. This has caused me at times to procrastinate and leave things unfinished. It has caused me to shy away from confrontation and difficult situations. Yet, truth is where the beauty of scripture and the spirit of God actually exist. For whenever I feel this sense that the world is not as I have believed or hoped, scripture and God's mysterious spirit has a way of settling my anxiety, paralysis and cowardice. It reminds me that truth is hard but leads to goodness and joy. It reminds me that humans are always flawed but still can and do resonate and emit the power and love of God.
In the end...crawling into a hole and hiding from the world is never the answer. God commands us to venture into the world and act...not in fear or anxiety but with the truth of his power and love.
Some doubted...this is human and it's one of the benefits of intelligence. We can conceive of lies and falsehood. Yet, while it is a benefit it also can be a curse. It happens when we not only doubt but reject truth. The reality is that truth is hard, it's tough to accept because it reveals a world that we often don't want to accept. Whether it is the truth about ourselves or the truth of something or someone that we value and love. Truth can reveal that the world we hope for or believe exists is actually flawed and different. Truth can reveal that we have been hoodwinked and manipulated. Truth can reveal that those we hate or despise might actually not be as evil or terrible as we are convinced. In the very first sin...Satan used doubt to deceive Eve and Adam. Ever since...we have had a tough relationship with the truth.
I know for me when I doubt, I freeze up...I lose motivation and initiative and just want to go crawl in a hole. I feel a sense of disorientation and that any action I take will be wrong and harmful. This has caused me at times to procrastinate and leave things unfinished. It has caused me to shy away from confrontation and difficult situations. Yet, truth is where the beauty of scripture and the spirit of God actually exist. For whenever I feel this sense that the world is not as I have believed or hoped, scripture and God's mysterious spirit has a way of settling my anxiety, paralysis and cowardice. It reminds me that truth is hard but leads to goodness and joy. It reminds me that humans are always flawed but still can and do resonate and emit the power and love of God.
In the end...crawling into a hole and hiding from the world is never the answer. God commands us to venture into the world and act...not in fear or anxiety but with the truth of his power and love.
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
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