"...live out your time as foreigners..." That's the message that really struck me this morning as I was doing my quiet time. This scripture is found in 1Pet 1:17 My mind started wondering away to the lifestyle found in places such as monasteries, the Vatican and Hindu shrines. Does it mean I can't enjoy the pleasantries of life such as good food, time with family and occasional spoiling of one's self. John 10:10 (it really shows I live my life by it) advocates that we should live our lives to the full.
Wikipedia describes a extreme notion of this concept as Asceticism. This is defined as (and I quote) "a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals."
The life of solitude (illustrated by the picture above) goes against the very principle of the western society. The need to 'plugged in' (the very reason I'm writing this blog) and to be part of every social networking group we can get our hands on makes it impossible to think that we can (will ever) live ALONE.
Does anybody know Anthony the Great? He's described as the earliest "Desert fathers'. He practically made his home the desert. This was not forced, but he made that decision on his own. Born of a wealthy family (Eish rich people), both his parents died when he was 18 years old. At the age of 34, his sold his family estate, donated money to the poor, took his unmarried sister to a nun school and moved into the deepest part of the Egyptian desert (what a nut job!).
But the question remains... Do I have to revert to an extremist lifestyle of solitude and chasing shadows in order for me to fully experience the power of God? The answer, I believe, is simply NO. The bible tells us that those who are baptised disciples into Christ, have been sanctified through the work of the Holy Spirit (1Pet 1); That we've been purified through obedience of the truth and freed from the power of death (Heb 2) and we've been chosen by God, Holy and dearly loved (Col 3).
So what's the conclusion. Well just as Jesus fasted for Forty days in the desert, we need to make time to be one with God away from distraction and engage in complete dependence of his power and mercy, through fasting and prayer. On the other, just as Jesus went against the grain as dinned with tax collectors and 'sinners', we can't shy away from reaching out to those lives need salvation, no matter how hard it might be. We need to walk with the assurance of God's love for us.
Amen
Wikipedia describes a extreme notion of this concept as Asceticism. This is defined as (and I quote) "a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals."
The life of solitude (illustrated by the picture above) goes against the very principle of the western society. The need to 'plugged in' (the very reason I'm writing this blog) and to be part of every social networking group we can get our hands on makes it impossible to think that we can (will ever) live ALONE.
Does anybody know Anthony the Great? He's described as the earliest "Desert fathers'. He practically made his home the desert. This was not forced, but he made that decision on his own. Born of a wealthy family (Eish rich people), both his parents died when he was 18 years old. At the age of 34, his sold his family estate, donated money to the poor, took his unmarried sister to a nun school and moved into the deepest part of the Egyptian desert (what a nut job!).
But the question remains... Do I have to revert to an extremist lifestyle of solitude and chasing shadows in order for me to fully experience the power of God? The answer, I believe, is simply NO. The bible tells us that those who are baptised disciples into Christ, have been sanctified through the work of the Holy Spirit (1Pet 1); That we've been purified through obedience of the truth and freed from the power of death (Heb 2) and we've been chosen by God, Holy and dearly loved (Col 3).
So what's the conclusion. Well just as Jesus fasted for Forty days in the desert, we need to make time to be one with God away from distraction and engage in complete dependence of his power and mercy, through fasting and prayer. On the other, just as Jesus went against the grain as dinned with tax collectors and 'sinners', we can't shy away from reaching out to those lives need salvation, no matter how hard it might be. We need to walk with the assurance of God's love for us.
Amen
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