“But the man who is not afraid to admit everything that he sees to be wrong with himself, and yet recognizes that he may be the object of God's love precisely because of his shortcomings, can begin to be sincere. His sincerity is based on confidence, not in his own illusions about himself, but in the endless, unfailing mercy of God.”
― Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island
EZEKIEL 17-19
30“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (16:49-50)
HEBREWS 13
1Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”a
6So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”b
JOURNAL
These words from Paul are so pointed and personal and really can't be misinterpreted. Over and over throughout scripture we are warned against giving our heart to anything other than God. We are commanded to love always, give beyond what is comfortable and to be content with the life we are given. We are to take comfort in the fact that God is our helper, God is our savior...therefore nothing can rob us of that...except our own disobedience. For to walk away from God and pursue roads that are motivated by greed, fear, shame, selfishness etc...they will surely lead to destruction, anxiety, stress and deep loneliness.
This couldn't be more clear yet I know from my own experience that feelings will come and go...we are never guaranteed that we will not experience feelings that are associated with the worst vices. What matters is whether or not those feelings rule us or whether we can stand apart from them...see them for what they are and trust God instead.
Many times I have feared thoughts and feelings to the point that they came to fruition. There definitely is a real danger here and the truth in trusting God is that he is greater than the thoughts or feelings. To acknowledge the worst in us and then to take refuge and comfort in the arms of God is the essence of the Gospel. To accept this is to embrace that I am the prodigal and that God will never fail to run down the road, taking me into his arms and restoring me as his beloved child.
This couldn't be more clear yet I know from my own experience that feelings will come and go...we are never guaranteed that we will not experience feelings that are associated with the worst vices. What matters is whether or not those feelings rule us or whether we can stand apart from them...see them for what they are and trust God instead.
Many times I have feared thoughts and feelings to the point that they came to fruition. There definitely is a real danger here and the truth in trusting God is that he is greater than the thoughts or feelings. To acknowledge the worst in us and then to take refuge and comfort in the arms of God is the essence of the Gospel. To accept this is to embrace that I am the prodigal and that God will never fail to run down the road, taking me into his arms and restoring me as his beloved child.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
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