SO, YOU WANT TO SERVE GOD?
Sirach 2:1-6
My son, if you draw near to serve the Lord,
Prepare your soul for temptation.
Set your heart right and be steadfast,
Set your heart right and be steadfast,
And do not strive anxiously in distress.
Cleave to Him and do not fall away,
That you may be honored at the end of your life.
Accept whatever is brought upon you,
And in exchange for your humiliation, be patient;
Because gold is tested in fire
And acceptable men in the furnace of abasement.
Believe in Him, and He will help you;
Make your ways straight and hope in Him.
Personal Challenge
This passage, hidden in one of our Old Testament apocryphal books, gives us clear guidance on what we must expect if we desire follow and serve our God. This guidance is so counter to the modern Christian way of thinking. First of all, we must be prepared for temptation that will swell up to prevent us from serving God properly. We must be willing to set our hearts right on His precepts of loving others and remain steadfast in that. We cannot strive anxiously in distress that comes our way. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus and loving God and our neighbor. We cleave to Him at all times and in all circumstances and do not fall away from Him and His promises. We must be willing to accept whatever is brought upon us, whether good or bad. Finally, we must be humble in our lives and accept humiliation in exchange, or response, to our patience. All of this reminds us that gold is refined in fire and that if we are to truly be followers of Christ, then we must be ready for fiery refinement: He is worth it. A righteous life is worth it. The sharing of the gospel, or good news of Christ, is worth it. Glory be to God!
Cleave to Him and do not fall away,
That you may be honored at the end of your life.
Accept whatever is brought upon you,
And in exchange for your humiliation, be patient;
Because gold is tested in fire
And acceptable men in the furnace of abasement.
Believe in Him, and He will help you;
Make your ways straight and hope in Him.
Personal Challenge
This passage, hidden in one of our Old Testament apocryphal books, gives us clear guidance on what we must expect if we desire follow and serve our God. This guidance is so counter to the modern Christian way of thinking. First of all, we must be prepared for temptation that will swell up to prevent us from serving God properly. We must be willing to set our hearts right on His precepts of loving others and remain steadfast in that. We cannot strive anxiously in distress that comes our way. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus and loving God and our neighbor. We cleave to Him at all times and in all circumstances and do not fall away from Him and His promises. We must be willing to accept whatever is brought upon us, whether good or bad. Finally, we must be humble in our lives and accept humiliation in exchange, or response, to our patience. All of this reminds us that gold is refined in fire and that if we are to truly be followers of Christ, then we must be ready for fiery refinement: He is worth it. A righteous life is worth it. The sharing of the gospel, or good news of Christ, is worth it. Glory be to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment