Adams: the meaning of disobedience
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Feast of Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988
Meditation:
[Jesus:] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
—Luke 13:34-35 (NIV)
Quotation:
In coming to know Jesus, you have come to know yourself, too: naturally, this is more pleasant for some than for others, but to see yourself as you really are can never be entirely pleasant. And when a Christian fails at something he ought to have done, it isn’t just the failure that hurts—there is also the knowledge that he has let Jesus down. And those little shortcomings of ours, that used to matter so little, compared with the glaring faults of others: we know now that our temper, or our gloom, or our selfishness, reflects on Jesus; and knowing that people are judging your Lord by you is not always a joyous thought to live with. Even the growing up to His measure is hard on a man: we have so little aptitude for such a transformation that it always means conflict, and often rebellion. And temptations hurt as they never did before: not just in the conscience, but in the heart. The assaults of temptation are not on our prudence now, or even on our morals, but on the love for Jesus. His love for us has made Him quite defenseless against our hurting Him, and so temptation is no longer an urge to do a bad thing but an urge to hurt a loving Person.
... Robert MacColl Adams (1913-1985), “Of Rice and Men” (see the book)
See also Luke 13:34-35; Neh. 9:30; Ps. 81:11-14; Jer. 7:23-24; Hos. 11:7-9; Matt. 22:1-14
Quiet time reflection:
Lord, let temptation pass me by, or lead me to pass temptation by.CQOD Blog email RSS
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Feast of Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988
Meditation:
[Jesus:] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
—Luke 13:34-35 (NIV)
Quotation:
In coming to know Jesus, you have come to know yourself, too: naturally, this is more pleasant for some than for others, but to see yourself as you really are can never be entirely pleasant. And when a Christian fails at something he ought to have done, it isn’t just the failure that hurts—there is also the knowledge that he has let Jesus down. And those little shortcomings of ours, that used to matter so little, compared with the glaring faults of others: we know now that our temper, or our gloom, or our selfishness, reflects on Jesus; and knowing that people are judging your Lord by you is not always a joyous thought to live with. Even the growing up to His measure is hard on a man: we have so little aptitude for such a transformation that it always means conflict, and often rebellion. And temptations hurt as they never did before: not just in the conscience, but in the heart. The assaults of temptation are not on our prudence now, or even on our morals, but on the love for Jesus. His love for us has made Him quite defenseless against our hurting Him, and so temptation is no longer an urge to do a bad thing but an urge to hurt a loving Person.
... Robert MacColl Adams (1913-1985), “Of Rice and Men” (see the book)
See also Luke 13:34-35; Neh. 9:30; Ps. 81:11-14; Jer. 7:23-24; Hos. 11:7-9; Matt. 22:1-14
Quiet time reflection:
Lord, let temptation pass me by, or lead me to pass temptation by.
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posted by Robert McAnally Adams at 5/19/2018 02:00:00 AM
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