Saintly Work

I've been researching some of the topics in the lastest controversy, The Da Vince Code by Dan Brown. I found about this group the Catholics have which is actually a good idea at least how this article describes Opus Dei. While I don't agree with everything in the description, the idea of "be a saint through your work" appeals to me right now, because I'd rather be doing other things ( playing with grandsons or writing. And work is one of the hardest places to be a saint.)

"all Christians are called to a life of holiness consistent with their new nature as children of God. "The majority of Christians," Escrivá writes, "should sanctify themselves in the world, through ordinary work." Thus they follow Jesus who worked as a carpenter and lived as a son in a Jewish family in a small village for 30 years. "

Sanctifying work

Whatever work Christians do is to be done with a spirit of excellence as an effective service for the needs of society, working out of love for God and all men and women. Their work then becomes a fitting offering to God. In his work of service, Jesus Christ "did all things well" (Mk 7:37).

While I'm not sure if we can sanctify ourselves(I'll let that research up to theologians), I like the idea of "ordinary work" having meaning as done out of love for God and others.

The last point is that it's too bad that Dan Brown took a good thing and made it evil. He also used an evil thing to make Silas even more grotesque. I've tried reading this book so that I can interact with my work friends about the movie, but I can't get myself to read a book that distorts Christianity and Christ in such an abhorrent way.

This was the first Easter I really celebrated all that Christ accomplished and I'm not ready to come back to this world where truth is giving way to the imagined.

Mark D Roberts on the book, The DaVinci Code

I Come Quietly to Meet You by Amy Carmichael

I'm reading this short little book about Amy Carmichael edited by David Hazard. An excerpt follows:

"The Lord spoke to me, like a firm grasp of the hand." Isaiah 8:11, Rotherham

"Blessed be the Lord our God, who does--if we speak the honest truth-- cause his word to come to us in just this way: like a strong hand reaching out for us to take hold of firmly, and to take hold of us.

Sometimes this firm grasp comes as He opens our understanding to a single word. His hand has grasped me, in recent days, as my understanding opens up to the word trust.

Trust, I have learned, means: to lean on, to place the weight of my confidence upon...And after this discovery, I've found many verses in the Psalms that provide great comfort when translated in this way. For instance, "I've trusted in [leaned on, placed confidence in] your lovingkindness" (Psalm 13:5).

So I may say: That lovingkindness has loved me with an everlasting love, which forgives and cleanses and will never tire of me-that lovingkindness, Lord, I lean on.

We know that this is not objectionable to the Lord, that He in fact welcomes it. As David sang:"The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who leans on him." (Psalm 32:10)

Doesn't this tell us something about the love of God--and isn't it just like Him to let us know that He wants us to lean on, not only his lovingkindness, but on his very self? Consider these words, which will further open your understanding:

Whoever leans on the Lord, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20

I will lean, and not be afraid. (Isaiah 12:2)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace...because he leans on thee...Lean on the Lord forever: for the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:3,4 KJV)

It is never anything in us that accounts for the Lord's goodness to us. Everything we are given is all from Him."

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart leans on him and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7

copyright 1991,2005 by David Hazard, Bethany House Publishers, p.15-16

Uncle, two

Uncles

In response to this uncle picture, here's my favorite.

Idols

I read this article by Ben Stein this week and he talks about the idols of our culture. Politics aside, what he says about our star worship is true. The people we idolize today are not true heroes. Even as Christians we tend to idolize the people of the world and rarely mention any true heroes or God.

I was talking to a respected me leader in my church and he was telling me that their grandson was going to visit every baseball field in the country before he grew up. Now I'm not against going to baseball games, but I'm a little concerned about setting a goal like this before a child even begins to talk.

I know that when our kids were little things like that were more important than loving God and living out our faith. We made sure that they played little league and got their music lessons and gymnastics. But we rarely prayed together, much less taught them about the heroes of our so-called faith. Not even the basics of the gospel. It's one of my biggest regrets.

The holiness of God and how easy it is to worship other things didn't have an impact on me until the last few years. Now my children are grown up and I can't go back to teach them the great truths that little kids should learn. I wasted so much time.

I was reading in Ezekial 36 where Ezekial makes the point that everything happens so "that they will know that I am the LORD." When He is Lord he promises to "remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." He also says, " And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules...you shall be my people and I shall be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleanness." ESV

I feel unclean today and in great need of a new spirit. I put so many people and things ahead of God. God says that we are to "loathe this about ourselves." Loathing isn't a word that's used much because it's too hard on our self-esteem. But God says when we see ourselves as worshippers of other things we do well to loathe that inclination. We are to worship and adore and enjoy Him above anyone or anything in our lives. Because whether we recognize Him as God, He will be God in all of our world, over all of our actions and for all of eternity.

I'm grateful for God's pursuing love and steadfastness in my life. I'm thankful that Jesus remembers that we are dust and that he is always praying for me in groanings that words cannot express. I am inexpressably joyful that He died for my sins and uttered the prayer, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34 ESV

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Luke 23:42 ESV