An hour a day keeps the devil away.
"So you could not stay awake with me for even an hour? Be on guard, and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but nature is weak."
Matthew 26:40
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
The Armor of God
In St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he reminds us to put on the armor of God so that we may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil (6:10-17).
The Belt of Truth
In biblical times, the belt served as a sort of anchor, securing a soldier's armor in place. Our spiritual "belt of truth" refers to who we are and what we believe at our core--the larger worldview that binds together our beliefs and influences our decisions.
Our culture is filled with deceptive teachings and beliefs: atheism, materialism, consumerism. In order to discern what is true or not true, we must be steeped in God's Word, reading it on a daily basis. We also need to read, see and hear good Christian literature--books, magazines, CDs, apps.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate was worn on the front, to protect a soldier's vital organs as he faced his enemy. Our spiritual breastplate is the righteousness that comes through Jesus death on the cross. We are good not because of who we are but because of what Jesus has done for us, His death and resurrection.
The breastplate of righteousness also protects us from verbal attacks from others who might seek to demean us. We can stand firm in the knowledge that God loves us and made us the kind of person He wants us to be.
The Shoes of Peace
Shoes are used for action, not passivity. We wear "shoes of peace" when we spread the Good News of peace with God. Isaiah 52:7 says:
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
Announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
"Your God is King!"
We thank God for the gift of peace He has given to us and ask Him to help us to remain in the peace of doing His Will.
The Shield of Faith
A shield was a Roman soldier's main defense, intended to protect him from volleys of arrows. Likewise, our spiritual shield helps us to "extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16). Satan's big weapon is deception--he's always firing lies at us with the goal of weakening our faith and trust in God. We resist these attacks through faith, "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)
The Helmet of Salvation
Just as a soldier's helmet protects his head, so our spiritual helmet protects our minds. We believe in God's love for us and His gift of salvation. No matter what may happen to us here on earth we know we will be in Heaven someday with Jesus, the saints, and all our loved ones who have gone on before us in faith.
The Sword of the Spirit
A soldier's sword could deliver stinging blows to the enemy or defend against an attack. Our spiritual sword is God's Word. Jesus himself used God's Word when He fought off Satan's temptations in the wilderness. We too can use God's Word when we are faced with temptation. That's one reason why it's important for us to read Scripture daily and spend time studying it. Then when temptation comes, the Holy Spirit will bring those words to mind. There is power in the Word of God.
The Belt of Truth
In biblical times, the belt served as a sort of anchor, securing a soldier's armor in place. Our spiritual "belt of truth" refers to who we are and what we believe at our core--the larger worldview that binds together our beliefs and influences our decisions.
Our culture is filled with deceptive teachings and beliefs: atheism, materialism, consumerism. In order to discern what is true or not true, we must be steeped in God's Word, reading it on a daily basis. We also need to read, see and hear good Christian literature--books, magazines, CDs, apps.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate was worn on the front, to protect a soldier's vital organs as he faced his enemy. Our spiritual breastplate is the righteousness that comes through Jesus death on the cross. We are good not because of who we are but because of what Jesus has done for us, His death and resurrection.
The breastplate of righteousness also protects us from verbal attacks from others who might seek to demean us. We can stand firm in the knowledge that God loves us and made us the kind of person He wants us to be.
The Shoes of Peace
Shoes are used for action, not passivity. We wear "shoes of peace" when we spread the Good News of peace with God. Isaiah 52:7 says:
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
Announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
"Your God is King!"
We thank God for the gift of peace He has given to us and ask Him to help us to remain in the peace of doing His Will.
The Shield of Faith
A shield was a Roman soldier's main defense, intended to protect him from volleys of arrows. Likewise, our spiritual shield helps us to "extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16). Satan's big weapon is deception--he's always firing lies at us with the goal of weakening our faith and trust in God. We resist these attacks through faith, "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)
The Helmet of Salvation
Just as a soldier's helmet protects his head, so our spiritual helmet protects our minds. We believe in God's love for us and His gift of salvation. No matter what may happen to us here on earth we know we will be in Heaven someday with Jesus, the saints, and all our loved ones who have gone on before us in faith.
The Sword of the Spirit
A soldier's sword could deliver stinging blows to the enemy or defend against an attack. Our spiritual sword is God's Word. Jesus himself used God's Word when He fought off Satan's temptations in the wilderness. We too can use God's Word when we are faced with temptation. That's one reason why it's important for us to read Scripture daily and spend time studying it. Then when temptation comes, the Holy Spirit will bring those words to mind. There is power in the Word of God.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
How to Pray for Others
If you are part of a Christian fellowship group, you probably receive many prayer requests. We all have many people to pray for--family, friends, neighbors, etc.. We all have many things to ask God for. And He wants us to come to Him with all our petitions, both large and small.
But when we pray for others, the most important thing to pray for is the spiritual health of the person. God's Word says: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) What good does it do if a man is healed of cancer but goes to hell when he dies. Or if he gets a job, but goes on living a life apart from God.
In the Gospel of Matthew, some people brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. Jesus first said to him, "Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven." Then, after the scribes protested that Jesus dared to forgive sins, Jesus told the paralyzed man, "Stand up! Roll up your mat and go home." And the man stood up, totally healed. In this Jesus was showing that the spiritual state of a person is more important than the physical state--the health of the soul is more important than the health of the body.
So when we pray for someone, or ask others to pray, let's pray about the spiritual state of the person first, then for their physical or temporal needs.
But when we pray for others, the most important thing to pray for is the spiritual health of the person. God's Word says: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) What good does it do if a man is healed of cancer but goes to hell when he dies. Or if he gets a job, but goes on living a life apart from God.
In the Gospel of Matthew, some people brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. Jesus first said to him, "Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven." Then, after the scribes protested that Jesus dared to forgive sins, Jesus told the paralyzed man, "Stand up! Roll up your mat and go home." And the man stood up, totally healed. In this Jesus was showing that the spiritual state of a person is more important than the physical state--the health of the soul is more important than the health of the body.
So when we pray for someone, or ask others to pray, let's pray about the spiritual state of the person first, then for their physical or temporal needs.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Life is a series of "Hellos" and "Goodbyes"
I did not write this, but it expresses the thoughts that often come to me.
"Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our life. It seems that there is no such thing as clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction there is an awareness of its limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness.
Joy and sadness are as close to each other as the splendid colored leaves of a New England Fall to the soberness of the barren trees. When you touch the hand of a returning friend, you already know that he will have to leave you again. When you are moved by the quiet vastness of a sun-covered ocean, you miss the friend who cannot see the same. Joy and sadness are born at the same time, both arising from such deep places in your heart that you can't find words to capture your complex emotions.
But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us."
Out of Solitude, Henri J.M. Nouwen
In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again....You are sad now, but...your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you." John 16:16-22
"Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our life. It seems that there is no such thing as clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction there is an awareness of its limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness.
Joy and sadness are as close to each other as the splendid colored leaves of a New England Fall to the soberness of the barren trees. When you touch the hand of a returning friend, you already know that he will have to leave you again. When you are moved by the quiet vastness of a sun-covered ocean, you miss the friend who cannot see the same. Joy and sadness are born at the same time, both arising from such deep places in your heart that you can't find words to capture your complex emotions.
But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us."
Out of Solitude, Henri J.M. Nouwen
In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again....You are sad now, but...your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you." John 16:16-22
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Is Abortion the Solution?
If killing babies is the answer to problem pregnancies, poverty or unwanted children, then the natural progression is to kill all those people who are problems or a burden to society--the disabled, the infirm, the mentally incapacitated, the very sick elderly. Then we have decided that killing is the acceptable solution to a problem.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Is the United States A Christian Country?
Our whole society--our laws, our customs, our culture--are based on Christianity. We were established by Christians. Our country is based on the Judeo-Christian worldview and set of values. If not, we might be like the orthodox Muslims who oppress women and believe in evangelizing through force. Or the Hindus who don't believe in helping others because they believe each person has to live the life they were given. Or the Buddhists who believe reality is not real.
According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 70.6% of the American population identified themselves as Christians. The same study says that other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) collectively made up about 6% of the population. People who say our country is not a Christian country have not studied our Constitution; or read our Declaration of Independence; or bothered to read the writings or the history of our founders.
Yes, our people come from or are descended from many different countries and races. Some of us are of other religions. We welcome that. We are free to practice any religion that does not harm others or take away their freedom. But those who choose to live here must live as Americans, following the laws and values of our culture. We are "one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 70.6% of the American population identified themselves as Christians. The same study says that other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) collectively made up about 6% of the population. People who say our country is not a Christian country have not studied our Constitution; or read our Declaration of Independence; or bothered to read the writings or the history of our founders.
Yes, our people come from or are descended from many different countries and races. Some of us are of other religions. We welcome that. We are free to practice any religion that does not harm others or take away their freedom. But those who choose to live here must live as Americans, following the laws and values of our culture. We are "one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
God's Will or My Will
When we are baptized, we accept Jesus as our Savior and receive the gift of salvation. When we are confirmed, we reaffirm our faith in Jesus as our Savior and also accept Him as Lord.
To proclaim Jesus as Lord means that He is
Lord—King, ruler; the “boss”--of our lives, our time, of what we do.
This does not happen overnight. It's a process where we
willingly submit our will to His will; what we would like to do to what He
wants us to do (insofar as we can discern). One of the members of my prayer group said that he realized that he had been asking the Lord to bless his plans rather than asking the Lord what His plan was.
In practice this means that I can’t just do
what I would like to do, what I feel like doing, or what I am interested
in. In the use of my time, I have to
seek the direction of the Holy Spirit.
This is done through daily prayer and quiet time with the Lord. It's also very helpful to have a spiritual director--either one specifically trained in spiritual direction or a spiritually mature person; one who has been following Jesus for longer than you.
Will we do God’s Will perfectly,
each and every day? Of course not! Will we make mistakes, go off in the wrong
direction or get involved in things God does not want us to be involved
in? Of course. We pray about how God
wants us to use the time He has given us and then do the best we can.
The following is a prayer of Thomas Merton that I think best
expresses this.
I do
not see the road ahead of me.
I
cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor
do I really know myself;
and
the fact that I think that I am following your will
does
not mean that I am actually doing so.
But
I believe that the desire to please you
does
in fact please you;
and
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And
I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road,
though
I may know nothing about it.
Therefore
will I trust you always,
though
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I
will not fear, for you are ever with me;
and
you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Thoughts
in Solitude
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