Reflection for July 24, 2013 (Wednesday) Taken from "Sabbath 2013" BEARING FRUIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD We should never forget the price that Christ has paid for our salvation. Not in the sense of feeling guilty over His suffering, though that would be an accurate feeling, but in terms of inspiration resulting in gratitude to God for His goodness. It is this gratitude, if lived well and fully, that will be responsible for the fruits our lives bear. We must always keep in mind that no matter how much effort we may give to a project, without the grace of God, there will be little or no fruit. This is the nature of salvation and building the Kingdom of God. It is God’s work, not ours, and is thus dependent upon Him more than us. Nevertheless, God has chosen to include us in His plans and it is this privilege accompanied with its concomitant responsibility that makes us co-workers with Christ in the work of salvation. The image of a farmer sowing seed can be misleading, as we know the fruitfulness of the crop is dependent upon a number of things outside the farmer’s control, such as the weather, and those within his control. When it comes to salvation, everything is out of our control and in the hands of God. It is up to us to work with God as His “arms and legs,” so to speak, and, thus, make our contribution. We are there to share in the work as God sees fit — it is up to Him to delegate tasks to us — not for us to demand that we do this or that. Salvation will always remain something of a mystery to us and, thus, the role of faith is made clear — trusting in the mystery that results from the promises of God and their fulfillment in our lives. That faith is also a gift from Him and a fruit of the Spirit further complicates any attempt to scientifically define all the processes involved. Let us be willing to trust that God will be good to His Word and that our primary responsibility is gratitude and the resultant desire to do what we can to further progress the proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. "Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL"" " REFLECTION QUESTIONS: In what way do you allow the graces of God in your life to bear fruit for His Kingdom? Do you need to open your life to this reality more than you are doing now? "Holy Spirit, help me to grow in gratitude for all that God has done for me so that my life will become a bigger and better channel of Your grace to the world."
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 23:28:31 +0000
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