February 17
I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. Romans 16:17
These are harsh words. People who seem to make it their life’s work to create division among family members, friends, neighbors, communities and countries are all around us. And as history will attest to; always have been. With a word dropped here or there by them, or an action that completely goes against our spirit performed, a spiraling sense of doubt and questioning pervades us about whom we are and what our values are. Often that shakeup includes our faith in God. We have to take an enormous step back in order to truly comprehend from where those feelings of disbelief and discontent actually originate.
It seems today, the obstacles before us appear to becoming greater and greater. Even the behaviors of some of our religious leaders and politicians – people once held in high esteem and trust - are not always in our best interest. We are left feeling disheartened - for some their beliefs and trust shattered, in fact. We are torn - tugged at from all directions while we make every effort to remain true to our faith and not have it undermined by circumstances out of our control. In Scripture we are cautioned about this. As always, God’s Word gives us direction. In our hearts we recognize there are situations necessary to stay away from - people and circumstances that we are certain challenge our values and morals - what we deeply believe in - that it is essential to avoid destructive ideas and thoughts that undermine our principles, but it is not always easy to do. We question our motives. Are we doing this for ourselves or honestly for God? Are we being judge and jury or are we doing as we have been commanded by our Lord to do? Some of the answers to the questions our conscience raise can be found in prayer for discernment and seeking the counsel of trusted, learned individuals.
With sincere contemplation of our conscience, we will discover the answers God offers to us, and our motives will also be clearer. Through earnest prayer we can differentiate which direction God is leading us in - what situations to persevere in and which to avoid at all costs. Although we know that our very lives are in God’s hands, we also know that our very lives depend upon these choices we are free to make. Our actions have the ability to bring division and discontent, or harmony and inspiration to others more than we will ever know. Most importantly underlying all of this, is the understanding we have to “love one another” (John 13:33-35) as Jesus taught us, and ask Him for help in separating disconcerting deeds from the doers.
God of all creation, with a loving heart help us to recognize who and what is necessary to "avoid" so we may remain firm in our Faith.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. Romans 16:17
These are harsh words. People who seem to make it their life’s work to create division among family members, friends, neighbors, communities and countries are all around us. And as history will attest to; always have been. With a word dropped here or there by them, or an action that completely goes against our spirit performed, a spiraling sense of doubt and questioning pervades us about whom we are and what our values are. Often that shakeup includes our faith in God. We have to take an enormous step back in order to truly comprehend from where those feelings of disbelief and discontent actually originate.
It seems today, the obstacles before us appear to becoming greater and greater. Even the behaviors of some of our religious leaders and politicians – people once held in high esteem and trust - are not always in our best interest. We are left feeling disheartened - for some their beliefs and trust shattered, in fact. We are torn - tugged at from all directions while we make every effort to remain true to our faith and not have it undermined by circumstances out of our control. In Scripture we are cautioned about this. As always, God’s Word gives us direction. In our hearts we recognize there are situations necessary to stay away from - people and circumstances that we are certain challenge our values and morals - what we deeply believe in - that it is essential to avoid destructive ideas and thoughts that undermine our principles, but it is not always easy to do. We question our motives. Are we doing this for ourselves or honestly for God? Are we being judge and jury or are we doing as we have been commanded by our Lord to do? Some of the answers to the questions our conscience raise can be found in prayer for discernment and seeking the counsel of trusted, learned individuals.
With sincere contemplation of our conscience, we will discover the answers God offers to us, and our motives will also be clearer. Through earnest prayer we can differentiate which direction God is leading us in - what situations to persevere in and which to avoid at all costs. Although we know that our very lives are in God’s hands, we also know that our very lives depend upon these choices we are free to make. Our actions have the ability to bring division and discontent, or harmony and inspiration to others more than we will ever know. Most importantly underlying all of this, is the understanding we have to “love one another” (John 13:33-35) as Jesus taught us, and ask Him for help in separating disconcerting deeds from the doers.
God of all creation, with a loving heart help us to recognize who and what is necessary to "avoid" so we may remain firm in our Faith.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson