Dear SCC & Friends,
The first account I composed Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach…
~Acts 1:1
Reflection #97
There is no dichotomy in Jesus… all that Jesus began to do and teach… His doing was His teaching, and His teaching was His doing. Most of us have heard the oft-used cliché, “Do as I say, not as I do”. There can be a big disconnect between what we believe and what we do. But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered and said, ‘I will sir’; and he did not go. And he came to the second and said the same thing. But he answered and said, ‘I will not’; yet he afterward regretted it and went. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, ‘The latter.” ~Matt. 21:28-31 How many times has the Lord brought us through something that otherwise we had no desire to do at all? Even when we struggle it comes down to, “not my will but Thy will be done.” You can only learn what obedience is by obeying.~Deitrich Bonhoeffer~
Ultimately, we are what we do, not what we say we’ll do… it’s not the thoughts of the Apostles but the Acts of the Apostles (doings). Life is a process, and “when the rubber meets the road,” I would rather be with a person who’s been through the fire than someone who’s good at talking about the fire. When I was in the Army, my first company commander had an embossed six-inch scar on his forearm as a result of being shot by a Soviet-made AK47. He was the “real deal,” and when he talked, I not only listened but was moved to action. Do not merely listen to the Word, but prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ~James 1:22-24 There are no shortcuts to maturity, but we can short circuit the process. Spiritual maturity is not knowing what to do with your whole life, but just knowing what to do next.~Henry Nouwen~ Whatever is next He’s already there… Keep up the good work!
Made for these days,
Kevin