February 22, 2017

THEOSIS!

Mark 9:49-50

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Personal Challenge

Oh my God! Do I really need to go through that fire one more time? Do I really need to be buried under that pile of salt again so that I can be seasoned to Your taste? In our Eastern Orthodox faith, we call this theosis or growing in the image of God. If we do not have challenges in our likes that are forcing us to exercise our faith and to sluff off the ways of this world then we become stagnant in our relationship with our God. Is it fun? No, it never is. Is it something that we look forward to? No, not really. However, if we want to grow in the image of our Lord then we must look at every entry into the furnace, whether at work or at home, whether with a loved one or someone that we don't even know, as an opportunity to submit to the Master Forger who has an image in mind that He wants us to become. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner and please give me what I need to make it through the fire.