My Friends,
The world and life are changing. In the United States there is a presidential election coming up. So many ridiculous promises, so much smoke blowing. We have gone through "yes we can" and now, "make America great again". We have heard "what difference does it make". Let me say this; we have had Republican presidents and Republican majority Congress as well as a Democrat president and a Democratic controlled Congress. So let me ask a question: what is different? is the world still going downhill? Are we making progress to a more Godly world?
We worry about what we had, we worry about what we want no matter the cost, what if anything do these wants of ours have to do with our eternal salvation? Read a few quick verses from the Apostle Paul;
Philippians 3:11 If by any means I may attain to the resurrection which is from the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect; but I follow after, if I may by any means apprehend, wherein I am also apprehended by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do: forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before, 14 I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, this also God will reveal to you. 16 Nevertheless whereunto we are come, that we be of the same mind, let us also continue in the same rule.
We notice a few things here in these verses; 1. Paul is hoping for his salvation, his claim is not that he has already attained or has already been made perfect but that he follows after it or is seeking this perfection. 2. He says that he is forgetting things that are behind and stretching forth himself to those that are before. What does this mean? Can it mean that we forget everything that has passed as if it is completely wiped from our memories? Of course it doesn't, our life is ingrained in us, what has been has been and cannot be changed but we must look at the day that we are in.
Yesterday is gone, today is where we live and tomorrow is where we are going. So in looking at where we are going we must pay attention to today so that tomorrow looks a little more promising. If our life is not in the eternal arms of the Christ Jesus than we are eternally miserable. This not looking back applies not to each of us personally or to any specific group but also to nations and the whole planet.While the planet and each nation falls apart today we can work on that in order to make a better tomorrow because we cannot go backwards. That time is gone.
So what else does Paul say in these verses? 3. be thus minded; and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, this also God will reveal to you. 16 Nevertheless whereunto we are come, that we be of the same mind, let us also continue in the same rule. What is this saying? The Body of Christ should be one. There is one Lord, there can be only one body, there can be nothing else. As so many look forward to bringing some sort of semblance of moral law back into the world we must strive towards working together to be one body of Christ.
Does this mean that we accept all teachings that are completely contradictory to one another? Not on your life because it is in fact on your life that this rests. Swallow pride, destroy prejudice, clear the heart and mind and seek earnestly for the truth. There is no other way. Seek, pray, ask. We must become one in Christ in truth.
The past is gone for each of us and for every nation, we must press forward.
In Christ,
+William
For Monk Michael's videos; http://www.youtube.com/user/HieroMonkMichael
Monk Michael's 'Spiritual Christianity for Today! on Kindle; http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZCIF4M
Monk Michael's 'Spiritual Christianity for Today! paperback; http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-author=Rev.%20Fr.%20Michael%20Valentine%20Sweet&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ARev.%20Fr.%20Michael%20Valentine%20Sweet
The world and life are changing. In the United States there is a presidential election coming up. So many ridiculous promises, so much smoke blowing. We have gone through "yes we can" and now, "make America great again". We have heard "what difference does it make". Let me say this; we have had Republican presidents and Republican majority Congress as well as a Democrat president and a Democratic controlled Congress. So let me ask a question: what is different? is the world still going downhill? Are we making progress to a more Godly world?
We worry about what we had, we worry about what we want no matter the cost, what if anything do these wants of ours have to do with our eternal salvation? Read a few quick verses from the Apostle Paul;
Philippians 3:11 If by any means I may attain to the resurrection which is from the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect; but I follow after, if I may by any means apprehend, wherein I am also apprehended by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do: forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before, 14 I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, this also God will reveal to you. 16 Nevertheless whereunto we are come, that we be of the same mind, let us also continue in the same rule.
We notice a few things here in these verses; 1. Paul is hoping for his salvation, his claim is not that he has already attained or has already been made perfect but that he follows after it or is seeking this perfection. 2. He says that he is forgetting things that are behind and stretching forth himself to those that are before. What does this mean? Can it mean that we forget everything that has passed as if it is completely wiped from our memories? Of course it doesn't, our life is ingrained in us, what has been has been and cannot be changed but we must look at the day that we are in.
Yesterday is gone, today is where we live and tomorrow is where we are going. So in looking at where we are going we must pay attention to today so that tomorrow looks a little more promising. If our life is not in the eternal arms of the Christ Jesus than we are eternally miserable. This not looking back applies not to each of us personally or to any specific group but also to nations and the whole planet.While the planet and each nation falls apart today we can work on that in order to make a better tomorrow because we cannot go backwards. That time is gone.
So what else does Paul say in these verses? 3. be thus minded; and if in any thing you be otherwise minded, this also God will reveal to you. 16 Nevertheless whereunto we are come, that we be of the same mind, let us also continue in the same rule. What is this saying? The Body of Christ should be one. There is one Lord, there can be only one body, there can be nothing else. As so many look forward to bringing some sort of semblance of moral law back into the world we must strive towards working together to be one body of Christ.
Does this mean that we accept all teachings that are completely contradictory to one another? Not on your life because it is in fact on your life that this rests. Swallow pride, destroy prejudice, clear the heart and mind and seek earnestly for the truth. There is no other way. Seek, pray, ask. We must become one in Christ in truth.
The past is gone for each of us and for every nation, we must press forward.
In Christ,
+William
Web Page; http://www.monkmichael.com
Monk Michael's 'Spiritual Christianity for Today! on Kindle; http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZCIF4M
Monk Michael's 'Spiritual Christianity for Today! paperback; http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-author=Rev.%20Fr.%20Michael%20Valentine%20Sweet&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ARev.%20Fr.%20Michael%20Valentine%20Sweet
Many Blessings!
In Christ,
+William
1 comment:
I hoped that some day, the churches would realize that it would be a very good thing for them to encourage their parishioners to get directly involved in politics. For anyone who sees this as being a bad thing because of "Separation of Church & State," I don't have the space here, but they may want to google various sources on Jefferson and separation of church & state to get its original meaning. Also, to google the LBJ amendment (or Johnson amendment) to see the more recent origin of why many churches feel such constraint in this area. Also, google black robe regiment. I don't advocate for any specific religion, but believe that Judeo-Christian ethics are the basic philosophy of the creation of this country, and we have been separated from that for quite some time, to our general detriment, but perhaps it may be too late, we may have already passed the tipping point.
Nothing in the United States and the world makes sense any more. The enemy isn't at the gate any more, they have been invited in. Approximately 80% of Americans today prefer socialism or communism over capitalism. The majority of Americans today have no respect for the elderly or anyone else for that matter, not even for themselves. The majority of today's Americans are both lazy and ignorant. They don't want to work and will do whatever they can to avoid working, yet they have an overblown sense of entitlement. they are so politically correct that they would rather accept and live with perversion and immorality, then to offend the evil doers by calling them out. Americans today, no longer care if non-Americans occupy the White House and rule over them.
I predict that in perhaps two years or less, there will no longer be separate public bathrooms in schools or businesses, there will be just one for everybody, like it or not and in less then four years, pedophiles will be the next protected class of people. The world we knew is over, and if it ever comes back, which is highly doubtful, it won't happen for centuries. There is nothing left to fight for or defend. As long as today's Americans can get high, get drunk and get laid 24-7, that is all that matters. I am no longer a proud American, now I am ashamed of my country.
Post a Comment