For God hath not given us the spirit fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind.
Fear is not of God. Have the courage to step out on faith and do the seemingly impossible.
Start your business; go into the ministry; apply for that promotion; anything that you’ve been
afraid to do and you know that God has called you to do – JUST DO!

 Jesus spoke of two forces at work in our lives – the power of temptation to sin and cause harm and the power of faith to overcome obstacles and difficulties that stand in the way of loving God and our neighbor.

The power of temptation to sin
The scriptures warn us about the snare or enticement to go astray and to do what is evil. “Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers! (Psalm 141:9) Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling (1 John 2:10). The Jews held that it was an unforgivable sin to teach another to sin. If we teach another to sin, he or she in turn may teach still another, until a train of sin is set in motion with no foreseeable end.

Jesus warns his disciples of the terrible responsibility that they must set no stumbling block in the way of another, that is, not give offense or bad example that might lead another to sin. The young in faith are especially vulnerable to the bad example of those who should be passing on the faith. While Jesus warns against the danger of giving bad example and causing scandal, he also demonstrates the power of faith for overcoming obstacles and temptation to sin.

The Power of Faith
What did Jesus mean when he said that our faith can move trees and mountains as well (see Matthew17:20; Mark11:23)? The term “mountain remover” was used for someone who could solve great problems and difficulties. Don’t we often encounter challenges and difficulties which seem beyond our power to handle?  What appears impossible to human power is possible to those who believe in God’s power.

Faith is a gift freely given by God to help us know God personally, to understand his truth, and to live in the power of his love. God expects more from us than we can simply do by ourselves. That is why Jesus gives us the gift and power of the Holy Spirit who helps us to grow strong in faith, persevere in hope, and endure in love. Faith in God is the key for removing obstacles and difficulties which keep us from doing his will. We belong to God and our lives are no longer our own. Our joy and privilege is to follow the Lord Jesus and to serve in the power of his love and goodness. The Lord Jesus is ever ready to work in and through us for his glory. For our faith to be effective it must be linked with trust and with obedience– an active submission to God and a willingness to do whatever he commands.

Trust in God
Do you trust in the grace and strength which God freely gives to help us resist temptation and to overcome obstacles in doing his will?”

Lord Jesus, you give us victory over the destructive forces of sin and harmful desires that keep us from doing your will. Give me the strength to always choose what is good and to reject what is wrong. May your love rule my heart that I may forgive those who cause me harm and guide those who need your help”
This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager .

Spiritual life and love are not exhausted by being spent. Expenditure only adds to the store and makes it richer and intenser. Try and be happy and contented as you can, because in joy is the real spiritual life, and sorrow is but the result of our ignorance and absence of clear vision.

So you should resist as much as you can, the feeling of sadness; it clouds the spiritual atmosphere. And though you cannot entirely stop its coming, yet you should not altogether yield to it. For, remember that at the very heart of the universe is Beatitude.

By: Annie Bessant

Posted from WordPress for Android

Jesus warns us that pride can keep us from the love and knowledge of God. What makes us ignorant and blind to the things of God? Sinful pride springs from exaggerated self-centeredness. It closes the mind to God’s truth and wisdom for our lives. The angels fell into pride and were cast out of heaven. The virtue of humility, the only true remedy against false pride, and which is very different from the feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem, leads us to a true recognition of who we are in God and of our dependence on God.

Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like “babes” in the sense that they see purely without pretense and acknowledge their dependence and trust in one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing – the “summum bonum” or “greatest good” who is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth. Just as pride is the root or every sin and evil, so humility is the only soil in which the grace of God can take root. It alone takes the right attitude before God and allows him as God to do all.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). The grace of Christ-like humility inclines us to God and disposes us to receive God’s wisdom. Nothing can give us greater joy than the knowledge that we are God’s beloved and that our names are written in heaven. Do you seek to be like Jesus Christ in humility and simplicity of heart?

Don Schwager.

Thought in the mind hath made us, What we are
By thought was wrought and build. If a man’s mind
Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
The wheel the ox behind. …

If one endure
In purity of thought, joy follows him
As his own shadow–sure.

By James Allen

“In God We Trust”:
In most government agencies – Congress, The court system…. etc. We see: ” In God We Trust”. God is Love, Justice, Mercy, compassion… Live it to God not the Court. America is essentially a Christian Country. We should know better – For as you deal with other men your God will deal with you.  In love and helpfulness lead the way to right and light.

I feel the pain of the family who lost a son/daugther…etc. Live it to God – We trust the Lord.

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Meditation:

Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for his disciples? The Jews considered these three as the cardinal works of the religious life. These were seen as the key signs of a pious person, the three great pillars on which the good life was based. Jesus pointed to the heart of the matter. Why do you pray, fast, and give alms? To draw attention to yourself so that others may notice and think highly of you? Or to give glory to God? The Lord warns his disciples of self-seeking glory – the preoccupation with looking good and seeking praise from others.

True piety is something more than feeling good or looking holy. True piety is loving devotion to God. It is an attitude of awe, reverence, worship and obedience. It is a gift and working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to devote our lives to God with a holy desire to please him in all things (Isaiah 11:1-2).

What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is communion with God our Father. In him alone we find the fulness of life and happiness, truth and beauty, love and joy. Saint Augustine, the great fourth century bishop of Hippo, wrote the following prayer in his Confessions: When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete. The Lord rewards those who seek him with humble and repentant hearts. He renews us each day and he gives us new hearts of love and compassion that we may serve him and our neighbor with glad and generous hearts.

Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Seek him expectantly in prayer, with fasting, and in generous giving to those in need. “Lord Jesus, give me a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, and a great love for you. Take from me all lukewarmness in meditating on your word, and dullness in prayer. Give me fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace. Fill my heart with compassion for others, especially those in need, that I may respond with generosity.”

This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager (c) 2011.

- Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless. 

- Let every man and woman count himself immortal.  Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection.  Let him say not merely, “Christ is risen,” but “I shall rise.” 

 - Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness.

 - The resurrection asserts a truth which is by no means always written legibly for all men on the face of nature. It tells us that the spiritual is higher than the material; that in this universe spirit counts for more than matter.

 - The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake.

 - The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances.

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again, the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe (spiritually…not mature, complete) Solid (spiritual) food belongs to those who are of full age (mature), that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercis … Read More

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