Bonhoeffer: the hardness of faith

Monday, November 11, 2013
    Feast of Martin, Monk, Bishop of Tours, 397
Meditation:
    For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
    —Ecclesiastes 12:14 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Are you worried because you find it so hard to believe? No one should be surprised at the difficulty of faith, if there is some part of his life where he is consciously resisting or disobeying the commandments of Jesus. Is there some part of your life that you are refusing to surrender at his behest, some sinful passion, maybe, or some animosity, some hope, perhaps your ambition or your reason? If so, you must not be surprised that you have not received the Holy Spirit, that prayer is difficult, or that your request for faith remains unanswered. Go rather and be reconciled with your brother, renounce the sin that holds you fast—and then you will recover your faith!
    ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), The Cost of Discipleship, Simon and Schuster, 1959, p. 66-67 (see the book)
    See also Eccl. 12:14; Matt. 5:23-24; 10:26-27; 11:29-30; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; 12:2-3; John 14:1; Acts 8:20-23; Rom. 1:5; 7:22-23; 1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10,18-19; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:14-16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, let me not hesitate to be reconciled to _____. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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