Sharing the Ways of God

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:15 pm Post subject: Sharing the Ways of God

Sharing the Ways of God

Scripture:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel. And you shall say to them: Be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy.

You shall not hate your brother in your heart: But reprove him openly, lest you incur sin through him. Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of your citizens. You shall love your friend as yourself. I am the Lord. ( Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 )

Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? But if any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which you are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: I will catch the wise in their own craftiness. And again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Let no man therefore glory in men. For all things are yours, whether it be Paul or Apollo or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. For all are yours. And you belong to Christ. And Christ belongs to God. ( 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 )

You have heard that it has been said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other: And if a man will contend with you in judgment, and take away your coat, let go your cloak also unto him. And whosoever will force you one mile, go with him another two. Give to him that asks of you, and from him that would borrow of you turn not away. You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who makes his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and rains upon the just and the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans do this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? Do not also the heathens do this? Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. ( Matthew 5:38-48 )

Reflection:

The one who is righteous seeks not from their selfishness, but from their selflessness. They turn from the evil which yields harm and lives according to the commandments of love. (Matthew 22:36-40) God calls us to love and to share in love. He calls us to turn away from hate. He asks that we forgive just as He seeks to forgive us. He calls to us so that we will do what is right and just rather that than to follow the path of the morals of selfish desire.

The desire of God is that we let go of that which drives conflicts from person to person and throughout the generations; the desires of greed, envy, and vengeance. Each is rooted in selfishness, therefore, the holy path cannot be found through self-indulgence. It can only be found through the love of God and of one another.

The evil one seeks to confuse our understanding. He tempts us to rationalize our selfishness and blinds us to the harm which we cause when we turn from the ways of God. It is through such thoughts by which what is wrong is defined as right. It is through such thoughts by which the fruits of evil are nourished. It is through such thoughts by which innocent life is lost. It is through such thoughts by which souls are lost, but if we turn from worldly ways to the ways of God, we replace the presumptuous morality of the blind of heart with the wisdom of the One who created all.

There are those with whom we find comfort for they think like us and agree with us, but our call to love is not only for such loved ones and friends. Our greatest work remains as to how we approach those who stand against us and perhaps also against God. It is easy for us to turn to one another and point out heresies and immorality while ignoring our own faults and sins. It is easy for us to criticize those we do not know and those whose ways are foreign to us. It is easy to assume positions of arrogance in the face of those who oppose our beliefs and morality. We are tempted to believe that insults, taunts and threats will change the hearts who stand in opposition. We too often fail to see that what we encourage through incivility and violence is the further breeding of incivility and violence.

While we must be prepared to protect ourselves from those who would do evil against us, we walk a better path if we seek to turn enmity into friendship. It does not mean we do not stand with strength or compromise our faith, but that we must seek common ground where we might turn conflict to civility and cooperation. This is a far harder task. This is a task which requires courage, discipline and humility. In the decision to walk as God would have us walk, we may face many risks, but in so doing we may close the doors of conflict and open the doors of peace.

Let us, then, allow our humility to become our strength. Let us pray for those with whom we disagree and those who may plot our harm. Let us turn away from desires of vengeance. Let us engage one another such that we may encourage hearts to soften and that we might find common paths where all may work together for the blessings of our common good, for God did not create us so that we may destroy one another, but that we might share the blessings of love.

Questions for further reflection:

In what ways may we encourage the virtues of civility, compassion and charity?

In what ways may we share the wisdom of God?

In what ways may we seek the path of peace?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier