The reading in morning prayer today was from Sirach 18:8-9,11-14
"What are mortals? What are they worth? What is good in them, and what is evil? The number of their days seems great, if it reaches a hundred years. That is why The Lord is patient with them and pours out His Mercy on them. He sees and understands that their death is wretched, and so He forgives them all the more. Their compassion is for their neighbor, but The Lord' Compassion reaches all flesh. Reproving, Admonishing, Teaching, and Turning them back, as a shepherd his flock. He has compassion on those who accept His Discipline, who are eager for His Precepts."
When i read this i knew it should be part of this blog. What Love The Father has for us! He always gives us many chances over and over again. Let's look at the words used here:
Reprove: to criticize or correct, especially gently
Admonish: to caution, advise, or counsel against something. 2. to reprove or scold, especially in a mild and good-willed manner:
Teach: . to impart knowledge or skill; give instruction
Turn someone back: to persuade (a person) to change or reorder the course of his or her life.
Following this list He says we have to "accept His Discipline". We don't like discipline in today's world....we don't like to obey....yet this is key to growth...being eager for what God wants to teach us...eager for His Lessons, Rules, Ways of doing things. My son had sent one of his pieces of art to a Famous Contemporary Christian Artist whose work is extremely deep and motivating. He wrote back and gave this instruction to my son many years ago and i adopted it. He said,"Be teachable!..Always be teachable!" This line is so necessary in all aspects of life but especially with our relationship with God. He surely knows what is best and so we can truly trust Him!
Mary DeTurris Poust wrote this paragraph and i do not think i can change, add or subtract a thing. It pulls together all that i have wanted to share in these past blogs. i hope it feeds you the way it has fed me:
"Each time you light the candles on your advent wreath this season...day by day, week by week....may it be a reminder to step outside the frenetic pace of the world and set your life to a slower rhythm, a sacred cadence that gives you room to breath in God's Goodness, to revel in the waiting, to look into the darkness all around you and find The Light that can never be extinguished!"
i pray This Holy Season we all find more of That Light! Keep chasing Him. i promise you it is well worth the effort. And remember....BE TEACHABLE!
(Plz note i use lower case i and a small a in angie when referring to me and all things in any way associated with God are capitalized. This may not be grammatically correct, but i was inspired to do this many years ago. So note it is intentional. Just thought you should know.)
til next time...For those of you who never heard of the book of Sirach in the Bible, here is an article that explains why some Bibles have a book called Sirach and others do not.
http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/11/sirach-about-a-biblical-book-rejected-by-the-reformation/
ps: Comments are welcome.....
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