WOW! Last week was family camp ... and it was spiritually renewing. We were reminded of how much God really loves each of us; and the lengths that he will go to to pursue us. Passing through this chaotic world it is life changing, life enriching, a living hope to know that the one constant in my life is a God who forever loves me, even though he too is daily bringing change into my life. Here are some one-liners from camp:
*God is RELENTLESS in his pursuit of us
*Holiness is DIMINISHED when we define, and/or limit it to our actions
*God is calling us out of a CASUAL relationship
*How long since you DANCED with God?
*When God calls us to something, he OBLIGATES himself to enable us.
*You are only as free as your deepest secrets.
*The journey of holiness is not about me finding a place to call home; but letting God find a home in me.
*God is RELENTLESS in his pursuit of us
*Holiness is DIMINISHED when we define, and/or limit it to our actions
*God is calling us out of a CASUAL relationship
*How long since you DANCED with God?
*When God calls us to something, he OBLIGATES himself to enable us.
*You are only as free as your deepest secrets.
*The journey of holiness is not about me finding a place to call home; but letting God find a home in me.
*Holiness is DIMINISHED when we define, and/or limit it to our actions
ReplyDeleteI've often maintained that virtue in the Platonic or Neoplatonic sense and Holiness in the Christian sense are dependent not merely on what we do, but our motivation for doing them. For example, do I give money to the poor to get brownie points in Heaven or because of a true love for the person I'm helping? While the parable of the son who defies his father but goes to work in the vineyard is instructive on obedience, I believe God wants us to be obedient because we want to; not because we have to.
Cheers.
Sherm
ReplyDeleteI think you've correctly defined obedience - an act of love! Though I'm not a huge fan of Plato, I believe he was foundationally ground in need for humans to love each other.
Best wishes
eutychus
Re: Plato
ReplyDeleteThere's no question that Plato was a pagan and I certainly don't espouse setting him up as some sort of prophet. Rather, I believe God show's us truth. Christ was/is the only one who demonstrated 100% adulterated truth. "The truth shall make you free," and the way to true freedom and liberation is through Christ and Christ alone.
Nonetheless, I believe God allows non-Christians to see glimpses of truth as a means of drawing them to Himself. The my not grasp the whole thing, but they see enough to know there's something more. Plato's Allegory of the Cave is an example, and is quite reminicient of Paul's discussion of "seeing through a glass darkly" found in I Corinthians. I think Plato saw some glimpses of the Truth. Unfortunately, he didn't see it all because he didn't know where to look.
Cheers.
Sherm
ReplyDeleteI agree that Plato was definitely on the path to truth. I believe that any truth is God's truth, and that even though Plato was not what we would definte as Christian, God is the ultimate judge of that, and given the lack of knowledge he had been exposed to from the gospel, who knows. I think his influence was definitely felt in the N.T. world.