Ezekiel, Chapter 18, Verse 14-17
14 But, in turn, if he (a
sinful man) begets a son who sees all the sins his father commits, yet fears and does not imitate him— 15 a
son who does not eat on the mountains, or raise his eyes to the idols of the
house of Israel, or defile a neighbor’s wife; 16who
does not oppress anyone, or exact a pledge, or commit robbery; who gives his
food to the hungry and clothes the naked;
17who refrains from evildoing, accepts no interest
or usury, but keeps my ordinances and walks in my statutes—this one shall not
die for the sins of his father. He shall surely live!
It is easy and common for us to blame our character
defects on our parents. However, when God adopts a person through the blood and
work of the Holy Spirit a new person arises and begins doing works of mercy and
justice of His or Her heavenly father.
This is the beauty of discipleship it gives us time
to discern our spiritual leadership. To increase your leadership discernment:
[1]
- Examine your past successes. What
actions have enabled you success?
- Assess each person based on
their particular situation. Are you stereotyping? Are you treating people
as things and not people? Are you treating others as you wish to be
treated?
- Listen to your heart and your
head-do the right thing.
- Learn from wise leaders. A
Study and read the lives of other leaders.
Third Sunday after Easter. Traditionally
the church exhorts us on how Christ's flock is to conduct itself and an oblique
allusion to the Ascension.
Encouragement to Patience in Adversity
“You shall
lament and weep.” John xvi. 20.
Many think that true happiness on
earth consists in honors, riches, or pleasures, but Christ, calls, not the rich,
but the poor and persecuted, “blessed.”
He even predicts to His disciples nothing but sorrows in this world while to the
rich and great, who set their hearts on this world, He predicts nothing but
woe, mourning and weeping in the world to come. How much, therefore, are they to
be pitied, who, regardless of this truth, think only of spending their days in luxury,
but encourage themselves in the illusory hope of reaching heaven, when Christ and
all saints have ascended thither only by the way of the cross, and of
suffering, and when it is certain that no one can have part in their joys who
has not also first borne part of their sorrows.
In what does the perfection of the Christian life consist? In the
perfection of love (Col. iii. 14). The more a man separates himself from the
world, and unites himself with God, the more perfect he will be. We can attain
to the perfection of the Christian life by means of certain excellent practices
known as the evangelical counsels which Jesus Christ lays before us, and to which
He calls us, without directly commanding us to adopt them. So that the difference
between the commandments and the evangelical counsels consists in this that the
commandments bind us by an indispensable obligation, but the evangelical counsels
do not. The evangelical counsels are: 1. Voluntary poverty. 2. Perpetual chastity.
3. Entire obedience under a spiritual director. By voluntary poverty is understood
a free-will renunciation of the riches and goods of this world in order to follow
Jesus Christ in His poverty. By perpetual chastity we understand a free-will, life-long
abstinence, not only from everything that is contrary to purity, but also abstinence
from marriage, in order to live only for God and His holy service in virginal
purity. By entire obedience we are to understand a voluntary renunciation of one’s
own will in order to follow the will and command of a superior whom one chooses
for himself. In practicing the evangelical counsels there are three points to be
observed, in order that they may serve, or help to eternal salvation: 1. They must
be practiced with a pure intention, seeking thereby nothing else than to please
God and to praise His holy name. 2. with great humility, in no way giving ourselves
preference over others. 3. By great fidelity in observing not only what one has
vowed, but also what is commanded. Also, one should live diligently and strictly
according to the commandments; otherwise the practicing of the evangelical counsels
will be of no avail.
Today is the anniversary of the creation of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals back in 1866. Some people note that dog is god spelled backward.
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