I was listen to a sermon on 1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
In the sermon the pastor quoted St. Augustine prayer from The Confessions.. it goes like this:
"He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake" ~ St. Augustine
God may I love you above all! And may the other people I love (namely Karen and Rachel) and things that I love, be loved for Thy sake and the glory of Your name.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Knowing God (J. I. Packer)
I just finished reading the chapter titled "God Incarnate" in J.I. Packer's classic book Knowing God. Packer referred to 2 Corinthians 8:9 which states "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich".
Then he stated something that I had to re-read a couple of times... it packs a good punch.
It is our shame and disgrace today that so many Christians - I will be more specific: so many of the soundest and most orthodox Christians - go through this world in the spirit of the priest and the Levite in our Lord's parable, seeing human need all around them, but averting their eyes, and passing by on the other side. That is not the Christmas spirit! Nor is it the spirit of those Christians - alas, they are many - whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class Christian home, and making nice middle-class Christian friends, and bringing up their children in nice middle-class Christian ways, and who leave the sub-middle-class sections of the community, Christian and non-Christian to get on by themselves. The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those, who like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves porr - spending and being spent - to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others in whatever way there seems need. (pg 71)
Then he stated something that I had to re-read a couple of times... it packs a good punch.
It is our shame and disgrace today that so many Christians - I will be more specific: so many of the soundest and most orthodox Christians - go through this world in the spirit of the priest and the Levite in our Lord's parable, seeing human need all around them, but averting their eyes, and passing by on the other side. That is not the Christmas spirit! Nor is it the spirit of those Christians - alas, they are many - whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class Christian home, and making nice middle-class Christian friends, and bringing up their children in nice middle-class Christian ways, and who leave the sub-middle-class sections of the community, Christian and non-Christian to get on by themselves. The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those, who like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves porr - spending and being spent - to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others in whatever way there seems need. (pg 71)
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