"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it"
-Spurgeon
This is the blessedness of agape love; this is the true sign and wonder to the world. A community of lovers of enemies; blessers of cursers, givers to those who cannot return; and forgivers of a fallen world's greatest injustices.
Crush us and we will bleed only love for you. Take and we will give all the more. Destroy us and we will grow.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Charlemagne The Possessor
For better or for worse...I am a man of ambition.
So I found myself yesterday, pondering certain not yet ascertained financial goals that I seem to be struggling to achieve. Namely, my desire to own a home.
As the thought was being painfully mulled over by myself and all the voices within, I was reminded of some small phrases in Luke 12. The first of which was this,
"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Jesus then ends the parable by basically saying that those possessions should not be the focus of human acquisition, but rather that a man should strive to be, and I quote, "rich towards God".
In that moment I had a small crisis of belief. It was one of those times I discovered a deep gap between what I say I believe, and what is actually in my heart. I discovered that I don't always live as if my life and value is not based primarily on the things which I have earned. These "earnings" are not necessarily all material, but are always temporal i.e. a degree or position.
These moments are always hard, but necessary for change. I am now presented with an opportunity to re-tool my values; to embrace the reality of "treasures laid up in heaven", which, now that we're all being honest, seems so unbelievable to me at times. I feel that to believe this I have to also believe in fairies and unicorns...after all their just as visible. Nevertheless, this is the part of my heart which God is transforming, and I am yielding.
My epiphany yesterday reminded me of a similar one in the life of Charlemagne. If you don't know who he is, google him :). But for the sake of the conversation I will tell you one fact about the emperor. Charlemagne accomplished in his life what only 3 others in history have achieved.
He conquered and ruled the entire world; or at least the entire known world at that time. Only Alexander the great, and a couple others that I forgot :) accomplished the same feat.
It is said that at the end of his life he asked to be seated on a throne in his tomb. Years later when the tomb was opened, the emperor, as requested, was found sitting on a throne. In his lap lay a large book (the bible). His finger pointed to these words on the text below,
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" -Mark 8:36
What powerful words from a man who had actually, "gained the whole world"!
To me it speaks of a man deeply driven to conquer; and after conquering all, still found himself lost. It seems that our ancient friend discovered, that "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And I am discovering with him, the need to be rich in another currency. Oh to be rich in good deeds! or to be wealthy in souls, or to not be lacking in love for one another. What an eternal joy it would be to have riches in the age to come. These, friends, are the "true riches" of Luke 17 and I pray that God makes us rich in them all!
So I found myself yesterday, pondering certain not yet ascertained financial goals that I seem to be struggling to achieve. Namely, my desire to own a home.
As the thought was being painfully mulled over by myself and all the voices within, I was reminded of some small phrases in Luke 12. The first of which was this,
"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Jesus then ends the parable by basically saying that those possessions should not be the focus of human acquisition, but rather that a man should strive to be, and I quote, "rich towards God".
In that moment I had a small crisis of belief. It was one of those times I discovered a deep gap between what I say I believe, and what is actually in my heart. I discovered that I don't always live as if my life and value is not based primarily on the things which I have earned. These "earnings" are not necessarily all material, but are always temporal i.e. a degree or position.
These moments are always hard, but necessary for change. I am now presented with an opportunity to re-tool my values; to embrace the reality of "treasures laid up in heaven", which, now that we're all being honest, seems so unbelievable to me at times. I feel that to believe this I have to also believe in fairies and unicorns...after all their just as visible. Nevertheless, this is the part of my heart which God is transforming, and I am yielding.
My epiphany yesterday reminded me of a similar one in the life of Charlemagne. If you don't know who he is, google him :). But for the sake of the conversation I will tell you one fact about the emperor. Charlemagne accomplished in his life what only 3 others in history have achieved.
He conquered and ruled the entire world; or at least the entire known world at that time. Only Alexander the great, and a couple others that I forgot :) accomplished the same feat.
It is said that at the end of his life he asked to be seated on a throne in his tomb. Years later when the tomb was opened, the emperor, as requested, was found sitting on a throne. In his lap lay a large book (the bible). His finger pointed to these words on the text below,
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" -Mark 8:36
What powerful words from a man who had actually, "gained the whole world"!
To me it speaks of a man deeply driven to conquer; and after conquering all, still found himself lost. It seems that our ancient friend discovered, that "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And I am discovering with him, the need to be rich in another currency. Oh to be rich in good deeds! or to be wealthy in souls, or to not be lacking in love for one another. What an eternal joy it would be to have riches in the age to come. These, friends, are the "true riches" of Luke 17 and I pray that God makes us rich in them all!
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