Do not take everything literally.
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Be inspired. Take your cue from God
- Category :Spirituality
God is good and he created all things good. No evil comes from Him. Evil exists because we divert from God’s goodness. Being agents of goodness requires us to be responsible and kind.
We are to look out for each other and not condemn them. There is a difference between telling someone his or her ideas or deeds are wrong or sinful and outright condemning them. We usually jump to condemning persons without making room for kindness and mercy. Applying God’s goodness to our lives is imitating what Jesus did and asks us to do. Jesus triumphed over darkness and by following him as his disciples we too triumph over darkness. When we live in the light of Christ we will gradually illumine our innermost beings.
When the light of Christ is absent from our lives we become aggravated and sin becomes our norm and we lack the necessary disposition to seek and discern what is good. That is why we need to be continuously enlightened by God’s goodness. We can do this through prayer, listening to the word of God, studying the teaching of the Church and accepting the good advice of our brothers and sisters.
When we sin we are not just doing something bad. We are also enclosing ourselves in our won petty problems and choose to rely on human wisdom alone without opening ourselves to God’s wisdom. When we live in sin we are living in falsehood. We choose to be stubborn and prideful and are attached to our own judgments. As children of God we are to live in truth as this is our vocation and when we live in truth and profess truth we become free individuals according to the Gospel of God. When we participate in evil we are acting as an accomplice to the devil and we fall into his trap, sometimes without even knowing. We live as slaves, even though outwardly we excel in wealth, knowledge or status. However, when we become children of God, everything we do bears fruit for eternity.
God gave us His Son as Saviour because He loves us. Saint Paul, a beloved apostle and advocate for Christ tells us that it is in trials that we can discover the power of Christ working in us and making us mature. Jesus does not disappoint us, we disappoint ourselves. Jesus love sus and he assures us that God loves us too. Therefore, we are to love God and love our neighbour. Return love for love as this is true conversion. The damage caused by sin from the very beginning increases each day, at times we feel crushed and powerless by the evil forces present everywhere. However, that is why God gave us a Saviour. One who conquered all sin and evil and is the ultimate source of love. Our Saviour, Jesus the Christ, is always in our midst, but to e aware of his presence requires faith on our part. Jesus implores us to always give our best. His sacrifice allows us his followers and disciples to be capable of being victorious over the forces of death. Victory brings peace. When we are at peace with God we are at peace with each other.
To please God, it will always be necessary to be among the marginalized, as Abraham was, that is, to run counter against the flesh. When we uphold the desires of the flesh we lessen the Spirit of God in us. On the other hand, when we uphold the desires of the Spirit our lives become animated. We begin to live in the light of Christ and remain firm in his teaching and share our testimony with each other. A life in the Spirit of God gives us internal knowledge and joy in the things of God. The Spirit guides us and inspires us each day, showing us how to please God.
Even though we may have the peace of Christ we still will be plagued by temptations and sufferings. These prevent us from enjoying glory and being fully free. However, when we fully transform our whole being we will reach the glorious freedom that awaits us as children of God. It is seen that as humanity progresses we become more and more violent, tensions are at an all-time high and peace seems so distant. Violence is not our destiny as paradise is a peaceful abode.
Jeremiah the prophet reminds us that God knew us before we were even formed in the womb. Therefore, our destinies were made before we were born. Our destiny to be reunited with God in paradise is what we are to live each day. The reunion began when God saved us through His Son Jesus the Christ. When Jesus brought salvation to the world, he made possible the repression of those who oppress. It is through him that all will be saved and made free.
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