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The Goods of God and Man

The Goods of God and Man

By Fr Antonios Kaldas

Original post by Fr Antonios Kaldas blog site

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, Cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9
I gave a talk on this verse yesterday at Sydney Uni Coptic Society and it made me think. Allow me to share some thoughts with you.

The thing that struck me most was the command for us to be ONE, to be whole. I am not speaking about a congregation or a family being united here, I am speaking about the individual not being divided against him/herself.

The words are very strong: ABHOR … CLING – there is no wavering here! My interpretation is that St Paul is asking us, “Who are you?” What kind of a person are you? What motivates you, and what moves you? What repels you and what sets your heart on fire?

One of the main ways we define ourselves, or think about who we are, is by what we believe, what we value, or what we think to be important or true. If I try to make up a list of these values I personally hold, I wonder what they would be? Would they all fall under the category of “good”?

Of course they would! I wouldn’t hold those values unless I thought they were good … good for ME, that is. But that’s not necessarily ‘good’ in the sense St Paul was talking about. For him, ‘good’ is not what any individual thinks to be good, but what God thinks to be good, and there can be a very big difference between the two, and often is.

So to fulfil this verse, I have to find out what God thinks is good. That’s not so hard – it’s all in the Bible. What is hard is to let go of my own concept of good. A simple example: Someone annoys me really badly. My good: teach the idiot a lesson he’ll never forget – he deserves it, and it will make me feel so much better. God’s good: Blessed are you when men revile and persecute you … and if he strikes you on the cheek, turn to him the other … do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Which one I choose out of those two determines who I am. To CLING to what is good is not easy. There are many, many forces, both within and without me, that are trying to prise me away from what is good. This verse informs me what it takes to hang on: CLING!!! Hang on tight! Never let go! Never give up! If your grip slips, clamber it back on again quick!

And on the other side of the coin: ABHOR!!! Hate! (yes, hate!) This is what hatred was made for – for things that are evil. We are not only allowed to hate evil, we are commanded to hate evil. We must hate evil. We must shun evil, and fight it and escape it with all our mind, strength, heart and soul.

To do anything less than this is to allow oneself to be a divided person. You can’t go for two goals at the same time, when they are at opposite ends of the field! You’ve got to make up your mind whose side you’re on, and then play for that side, aim for that goal.

Only then can love truly be without hypocrisy. Hypocrisy comes from a divided soul. One part of me wants to say and teach nice things. Another part of me wants to practice sins. The two cannot be in harmony. I find I have become a hypocrite.

The Teaching of the 12 Apostles (Didache) (2nd century AD) begins with the famous words: There are two ways, one of life and one of death: but a great difference between the two ways.

And we will give the last word to Joshua: choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Original blog found at- http://www.frantonios.org.au/2007/10/11/17/

God Does Not Want You To Be Comfortable

God Does Not Want You To Be Comfortable

By Fr Antonios Kaldas

Original post by Fr Antonios Kaldas blog site

“A completely prosperous person walking in the fullness of God has it all.”

That single sentence from Houston’s book captures beautifully the heart of the Health and Wealth Gospel. This distortion of the true Christian Gospel is just the extreme expression of a very human tendency that lies in the hearts of us all, the tendency to use God as a tool for getting what we want. We think in terms of what satisfies our basic human instincts: physical safety and health; avoidance of poverty, disease, humiliation, failure; etc. That is what we want God for: to make us comfortable.

But quite often, God doesn’t want us to be comfortable. He wants us to be comforted. Let me explain this very important difference.

To make us comfortable, God must change our circumstances. Are you suffering the discomfort of being poor? Then God makes you comfortably rich. Are you sick? Then God makes you comfortably healthy. Are you feeling like a failure? Then God makes you comfortably successful. You get the point. Being comfortable means having things around you—objects, circumstances, people—that make you comfortable, because they are what you want or what you need. In short, for God to make you comfortable, He must mould the world around you to your personal wishes.

But God often does the exact opposite of that. Who is to say that what I want is actually what is good—not just good in itself, but even good for me? It is often said that the most loving thing God can give us is not what we want, but what we actually need. And often, in this broken world and for us broken people, the road to what we truly need involves re-making us. That re-making—like breaking a badly healed bone in order to re-set it properly—is often quite uncomfortable.

We all know the mournful cries of the psalms, pleading for salvation from horrible, uncomfortable situations (e.g., Psalm 13). And Jesus Himself said that He came not to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). Far more people felt uncomfortable with Him and stopped following Him than those who stayed—just think of the crowds who left Him when His words about eating His body and drinking His blood made them too uncomfortable (John 6). Or the rich young man who felt so uncomfortable when Jesus called him to sell all he had and follow Him that he turned and walked away (Mark 10). Not to mention the scribes and the lawyers and the Pharisees and the priests who were so uncomfortable with Jesus that they ended up crucifying Him. I could go on.

All this discomfort is the result of Light and Goodness coming face to face with darkness and brokenness. The darkness hates the Light. But it doesn’t end there.

Christ did not come just to make us uncomfortable. He came to save us. When His Light and Goodness invade our lives, we are transformed by them. Then—and here is that crucial distinction—we are not necessarily made more comfortable: our outer circumstances often do not change. Rather, we are comforted: our inner circumstances change by being illuminated by His Light and purified by His Goodness.

A beautiful image of this is found in Psalm 131:

‘Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul.

Like a weaned child with his mother,

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.’

I read that and think of St Irenaeus’ tender description of the Son and the Holy Spirit as the two hands of the Father. They reach out to me and lift me into His comforting lap, hugging me and holding me close till all the fear and anxiety have seeped away from my soul. The Father knows what good parenting is. He does not trample in anger over the world that hurts us in order to fix every little problem we have for us. God is no ‘helicopter parent.’ Rather, He encourages us, teaches us, and supports us so that we can go out and face the world ourselves. Only thus can we actually grow as human beings. Without doing everything for us, He comforts us, working inside us much more than He works on what is outside of us.

This is what it means when Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Comforter.” And Jesus Himself—the other hand of the Father—is also our Comforter:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

Notice where exactly our peace is to be found? Is it in a world that has been fixed by God and re-moulded to make us comfortable? No! In the world you will have tribulation. Where then do we find comfort and good cheer? “In Me you may have peace.”

Health and wealth will make you comfortable, sure. But that is settling for a poor imitation. Rising above your circumstances—however uncomfortable they may be—and finding true peace in the Father, through Christ, by the Holy Spirit, now that is something worth having.

Original blog found at- http://www.frantonios.org.au/2020/04/21/god-does-not-want-you-to-be-comfortable/

I Want To Find You

I Want To Find You

By Michael

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blog site

“I love you,” You whisper to me. “You’re mine.” “I have a huge plan for you.” You keep assuring me.“You’re special. You’re chosen. You’re sanctified.” I look to You, look straight into Your eyes and see You for a split second and I feel overwhelming peace. Then You disappear.

And I feel empty and broken. I run out of my house and into the streets looking for You but You’re nowhere to be found. You’re gone. Darkness. Brokenness. Hurt. Back to square one.

I’m nervous, so overcome by fear. Every word I hear, every thought I think, every emotion I feel scares me. I think of my future and this ‘huge plan’ you’ve promised me and all I feel is hurt. I utter a few words to You and fall asleep. Waking up is what I dread… those first couple of minutes lying in bed are what get me thinking. Thinking about my future, my purpose, my calling. I feel crippled, I literally can’t move out of fear. Fear of moving forward. Fear of the future. I close my eyes and my lips are shut. Closed as if they’ve been locked. But somehow my soul sings a song of hurt. My soul whispers to You “I need You now. You promised. You promised. Don’t let go now. Don’t let me slip away like this. I need your peace.” I pray. My heart bows down. “I surrender.”

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you,” I hear You whisper in the faintest voice.“I do not give to you as the world gives. My peace is real. My peace is eternal. And I freely give it to you.” My heart remains bowed. Finally You’ve come back. “You’re here, You’re here!” I think to myself. I want to look to You, look straight into Your eyes… then I remember. What if You disappear again? What if I’m left alone again? What if this means the cycle will restart? I think and think and think… I begin to cry, even in Your presence my enemy has managed to find its way into my heart. Fear. Again.

Suddenly I feel Your hand on my face and You make me look to You. I keep my eyes shut. “No more hurt. No more pain. No more.” I think to myself.

Then You wipe my tears with Your hand and say with a bold voice, “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. I give you peace. I give you courage. I give you faith. ”

I open my eyes for the first time since You’ve entered the room and Your eyes look so deeply into mine. I see Fire. I see Glory. I see Love.

I look to the palms that are holding mine and see the marks, of the depth of the love You have for me. You whisper to me “a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die before it can grow and produce much more wheat. If it never dies, it will never be more than a single seed.” I cry. You continue and say, “you are Mine and I am yours. You didn’t choose me, I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. I have a purpose for you. I will use you, but first you must die.” “Do it now! Please, please… take me now, take my life so I can be with You always… I need You. I really need You. I love You.” I cry, begging You to take me where You are.

Then You smile and pray to the Father saying “I am not asking you to take him out of the world. But I am asking that you keep him safe from the Evil One. He doesn’t belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world. Make him ready for your service through Your truth. Your teaching is truth. I have sent him into the world, just as You sent me into the world.” I understand. I know what You’re telling me. I accept Your will.

You place your finger on my chest and tell me “the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all truth my son. He will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you. Remember you are Mine and I am yours. You’re already living eternity. The Father Himself loves you because you’ve loved Me. You do not realise now what I’m doing, but later you will understand. I love you.” I feel Your peace. I know Your truth.

Then You, my Creator, get down on Your knees in my little room and begin to wash my feet and You whisper “I love you beyond measure my son.” I get down on my knees and hug You. I love You Jesus. I really do. I stay in the stillness of Your arms for what seems like eternity, then You whisper “Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory that You have given me, because You loved me before the world was created.” Then You stand up, walk up to my desk and pick up my Bible. You come back and present it to me open and my eyes are drawn to Isaiah 26:3. As I read it I hear you whisper “you will have perfect peace if you keep focused on Me.”

You place Your hands on my heart, look me dead in the eyes and proclaim with an Almighty voice “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And with that promise, You leave my room, my house…

But I no longer need to go into the streets to search for You. I am Yours and You are mine. I know where I can find You, any time of the day in any circumstance You’re here. I know You have a purpose and a plan for me. I know You will use me.

I wanted to find You but You, You found me.

Original blog found at- https://becomingfullyalive.com/i-want-to-find-you/

The Church: Why It Matters

The Church: Why It Matters

By Sara Malak

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blogsite

In a world in which we are constantly bombarded with a need to be and to do, where we are frequently asked “what do you do? what do you want to be?” We seem to have lost a clear vision of what we are here for.

In the midst of the noise of trying to figure out who we want to be and what we must become, we hear a church bell ring, a symphony of praise, and a gathering of people like you and me. We have joined them many times but in the busyness of all the running around and our sweeping thoughts we did not notice what was happening, our senses could not be still, could not behold the great and awesome Presence before us.

Other times we were too busy all together – too busy trying to be busy – to take off our shoes, walk on holy ground, and enter into the divine place in which the Divine offers Himself. Consequently, we have hindered the body we are part of from being whole and unshaken.

You see, this great hostility that lies between the world and the church, as though the church were somehow pulling us away from moving forward and the world pushing us towards becoming something or someone, is a lie. It’s a lie that we have chosen to believe and commit our lives to living, but it is in striving to live that lie that we have silenced Truth. Since ‘Satan is a liar and the father of it’ (John 8:44) and ‘he who is of the devil has no part in Him’ (John 14:30) the more we pursue that lie the more we are left lifeless.

We are not here to ‘move forward’ to somehow be the masters of our destiny, or to ‘save’ the world. Indeed, I cannot even help myself, let alone be of use to the world. That is where the secret lies.

The church is a gathering of people who have dared to step away from that lie and allowed themselves to be useless for a moment, a people who are not afraid to know and see that they are broken, wounded, and lifeless. They come as one body and partake of one Loaf. Here they know there is no special ‘use’ to them, you do not receive a bigger portion because you are particularly useful, no my dear you receive all that is offered, you receive the fullness of Life, you receive Him who is Life, simply because you have come. You have come with a heart open to receive and not an ego too puffed up to believe it is in need.

Pour out your entire ego O my soul that the uncontainable may find room in that small heart of yours. Come knowing that your uselessness is not despised – it is welcome! It is welcome and it is given to stand in heaven on earth, where the Angels come down and we ascend, where the heavenly and earthly unite, and we stand before the only One who was and is and is to come.

Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship. Workmanship or masterpiece in Greek translates to poem. We are God’s poem. What is a poem? Dare I say it – it is a useless thing! It is a beautiful, soulful, completely and utterly useless thing. In the language of today’s hustling and bustling world, things that are of no practical use are eliminated. But do you realize how much beauty we miss out on? You are God’s poem. He delights in you, he takes pleasure in you, He was thinking of you before you even came to be. He loves you and remains to adore you.

And to commune with His precious poem, to meet with you in a real and intimate way, He offers you His flesh and blood that you may have a share and inheritance with Him and his family, the saints who have pleased Him since the beginning. So that you can continue to live your life each day not believing the lie and striving to be something but living bravely and faithfully as the flesh and blood of Christ. So that the sound of that church bell ringing may be the sound we hear when you walk by reminding us we are on holy ground and so that your whole life may be a symphony of praise, that Christ may be seen in you, that pure precious temple in which He dwells.

The Church, why then does it matter? It matters because you matter; you are a beautiful, useless, gratuitous being who is called to make Christ incarnate in everything you do; you are the Church.

Original blog found at- http://becomingfullyalive.com/the-church-why-it-matters/

Radical Hope

Radical Hope

By Monica

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blog site

It’s been an ‘eventful’ few months, when you befriend every type of pain and anguish, it seems like the most radical thing you can do is be hopeful.

But what does hope really mean? We say it almost interchangeably with ‘wish’ or ‘good luck’. Understood correctly, it is not to be confused with a whimsical naivety. Hope is anything but fluffy, it’s as solid as an anchor.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” Hebrews 6:19

It is not to be mistaken for escapism and retreat because that would be a direct contradiction to the command, “Take up your cross and follow me.” And it’s never been about indifference.

I’ve been thinking about what hope IS, and have come to the conclusion that it may be simply realising that often times, the new wine is yet to come. Hope is the power of a conviction that the life built on faith will produce its fruits. Hope is the confidence that, despite all darkness and sin, the light of the loving forgiveness of God is upon us to do, with us and for us what we can’t. It’s about redeeming what was lost.

Hope, is to proclaim that we believe in the Resurrection. It is to look at the nails and the cross and see victory and salvation for all mankind.

Hope is the part of the three fold cord (faith, hope, love), that cannot be broken. Because, one of the most important things I have learnt is that, hope is not just nice, it is necessary. When it really feels like you are drowning, hope is the air that keeps us breathing.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18

Abraham had a hope beyond hope. Where all human logic and wishful thinking had expired, he remained steadfast.

Without hope we become cynics or we fall into despair.

Cynicism often means assuming the worst about people, their motives and the outcomes of decisions. It’s picking the dark shades out of the palette, to paint the world a shade of negativity. Without hope we are sick and we become unresponsive to the grace of God and the support of our brothers.

The dangerous thing is, it is so easy to justify, because, in truth, humanity is broken, bad things happen, sometimes people have sinful motives, maybe we know ourselves well enough to project that onto others. We can’t assume people will always do good but maybe we just need to give people the opportunity to be. With hearts and minds wide open, we will see God’s hand. We see that people are good, though this goodness is nuanced and idiosyncratic, and God is great.

We see a story of redemption throughout the Bible. In the book of Isaiah, we meet a Pagan king named Cyrus. Despite the fact he didn’t know God, God still used him to encourage the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple.

Finally, Let us remind each other to flee from the dark gripping forces of despondency and despair. With a renewed hope, let us walk in the palm of His sovereign hand.

“The force of despondence … overwhelms him and oppresses his soul; and this is a taste of hell because it produces a thousand temptations: confusion, irritation, protesting and bewailing one’s lot, wrong thoughts, wandering from place to place, and so on (Saint Isaac of Syria, 6th c., Directions on Spiritual Training).”

Original blog found at – http://becomingfullyalive.com/cynicism/

The Joy of The Resurrection

The Joy of The Resurrection

By Fr Abraham Fam

Original post by goCoptic blogsite

Christ is Risen. Truly He is Risen.

During the Holy Fifty Days of the Resurrection, I visited a very remote village in Congo called Masuika. His Grace Bishop Paul told me to prepare talks about the Resurrection; the joy and power of the Resurrection.

As the trip started, I went from Lusaka, Zambia to Lubumbashi, Congo, which took half a day journey. From there, the following day, early in the morning, we flew half a day journey to Kananga, Congo. We still were not in our final destination. Again, early the following morning, we drove 20 hours on an undrivable and unbearable road.

Honestly, I felt broken and down and I kept thinking to myself how am I going to preach about the joy of the Resurrection.

However, once we arrived to Masuika, it was one of the most amazing sights ever to see. The people were so joyous for our arrival and so excited for the five days to come. They were jumping, singing, waving palm branches, giving all of us flowers, and hugging us. I was overwhelmed!

I was looking at their poverty and sicknesses but after seeing real joy, I realised I was the one learning from them about the joy of the Resurrection. That no matter what my situation, I still can have joy.

We continued to visit the 15 churches and were gathering leaders and doing training every day. It was hot and I was sleeping on a hard, wooden bed with no mattress every night. No rest. I continued to complain. No real toilets or place to bath or shower and more complaints under my breath. With no electricity and no refrigerator, most of the food we brought went bad. We ran out of water then we all started to panic.

Then, we would visit churches, do liturgies, and H.G. Bishop Paul would ordain deacons. What I saw after liturgy again touched me. The deacons showed so much joy and would hug one another after being ordained. It really touched me so much to see how joyous they were for this occasion.

I remember when I was ordained deacon I didn’t even crack a smile. And they are happy with little. God sent me to Masuika to learn the joy and power of the Resurrection. This is the mission life – that we learn and gain more than we can ever give.

I feel we all need to stop looking at all the bad and the sad things around us. Instead, we should be grateful and thankful for what we have and who we have. To really enjoy the small moments before they are gone.

We saw simple people living a simple life and really enjoying it. And we, who have so much, continue to complain, remain sad and complicate life.

I really saw in reality 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.‘ People in the deep bush of Congo understand and live the Resurrection.

I pray that through this blog, you can consider that your life is actually better than you think. That you have more than you really need. That troubles will come but look at the good in everything and everyone. And to know God is taking care of all of it.

I pray also that this blog inspires you to consider doing some type of mission work. Sometimes we need to leave the comforts of our home and go on a mission trip or have a mission experience to open our eyes.

God Bless you and I pray we live and experience the Joy of the Resurrection daily.

Original blog found at- https://gocoptic.org/masuika-congo-the-joy-of-the-resurrection/

Instruments of His Peace

Instruments of His Peace

By Monica

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blog site

“Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.” Psalm 106:3

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

As a church we tend to focus on promising a hope in the life to come, but what about the life we are still living? Jesus didn’t just come to prepare us for our death, but also to teach us how to live. Jesus cared about the hurt and the brokenness in this world. He cared for the widows and orphans. He talked about unjust judges way more than He did about the afterlife. Jesus cared about justice, in fact Jesus is justice, just like He is love. It is integral to His character.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He wept over Jerusalem because they didn’t know ‘the things that make for peace.’ Ironically, the world’s logic says that we must make peace, but we use violence; but Jesus defeated violence with love and peace. Peacemaking does not mean passivity. It is the act of disarming evil without harming the evil doer. Peacemaking starts with what we can change; ourselves. But it doesn’t end there, being a peacemaker also means interrupting the violence we see around us, in our streets and in our worlds.

I see my Facebook flooded with pictures and outraged statuses, but when will we be moved enough to actually move? When will we start becoming instruments of His peace? Because, it’s a heartbreaking fact that in the world Christians have become known more for what they are against, rather than what they are for.

We wait on God to act, but God is also waiting on us. We ask God why there is so much suffering in the world, but maybe God is asking us the same question. We forget that we have spent our Sunday worshipping a homeless man because we ignore him on a Monday. We are His hands and feet. We ask God to move a mountain, but God has already handed us a shovel. We need to pray and act. The world needs our protests and our prayers. The world will continue to suffer if we continue being either inactive believers or unbelieving activists. We need to pray to be people who hold God’s hand in one and our neighbour’s in the other.

We need to pray intentionally to be arrows that strike specifically, because He promised that; ‘each man’s work will become evident’ 1 Corinthians 3:13, so let us write His promises on the walls of our hearts and pray that He reveals to us His perfect pre-planned work for us. Maybe we can’t build a wall, but when each brings his brick, brick by brick, the wall will be built.

C.S. Lewis wrote: “We must picture hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives with the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.”

“Who, in the midst of the preoccupation of hell, would have the energy and generosity for the larger battles? What might it mean if we resolved to abandon every petty, small, and unworthy battle? What if we resolved to give ourselves fully to larger things that matter, to things of God and His kingdom? In fact, in a world of so much acute suffering, hurt and need, for what purpose have you and I been granted so much?” Gary Haugen

Prayer: God please comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. Let us be disturbed to the point where we cannot accept serving at a distance but that we become active about making a difference.

Original blog found at- http://becomingfullyalive.com/instruments-of-his-peace/

Did I Make The Right Choice?

by Sandra
Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blog site

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantine and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”― Sylvia Plath

Last September I had a pretty big decision to make about where I was going to accept a job. I called up the people who knew me best to get their insight, asked my father of confession for his wisdom and spoke to people working in the same field for their perspective.

Whether it’s deciding over relationships, colleges, schools or jobs, sometimes we might find ourselves with two seemingly great choices, and so we find ourselves in a dilemma. Each choice will come at a cost; each choice will have positives and negatives, and ultimately no choice will be perfect.

I’ve never been a fan of pros and cons lists – I find that life can’t be categorised that easily. However, a friend gave me advice that helped. I was told to assign a value to each point under my two options. When I started writing the values I held, I started to see that while both choices were in line with the vision I had for my life, there were some values that were more significant than others. And while one option had way more values than the other, the other which only had a couple were much more fundamental to me.

A few of the things I’ve learned this season…

“We don’t know what to do but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). In the midst of his crisis, King Jehoshaphat acted by praising God. We also in the midst of our confusion and turmoil over decisions, need to learn the art laying our anxieties and restless thoughts down, being still and opening our heart in worship. The voice of the Holy Spirit can be so gentle that it’s only when we spend time in his presence that we can discern His Voice from all the noise.

Pray and learn from whatever happens on the other side. No matter what you choose, there will be struggle, and there will be trials for we know “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Sometimes those are a result of our choices, but in the end, they will be used by God to sanctify us and purify us. Living with our eyes on eternity is important in those seasons to understand that nothing is outside of His never-ending and unfailing love and mercy. There is no such thing as Plan B or Z with Christ. He will use all for our deification; it might take us longer on certain paths but even then, all we need to do is repent, and we are restored.

There’s a principle in radiology that says even if you find the fracture on an x-ray you should keep looking for other signs because you don’t want to be blindsided. Bring your decision before the Lord in prayer and meditation but challenge yourself to be curious and look deeper into your intentions, motivations and reasons for each choice. Give yourself time, patience and space and trust that the Holy Spirit will examine you, try you and reveal what is in depths of your heart.

Sometimes God’s will is clear and other times, most times, God allows us the freedom to choose and become whoever we want, though He may certainly have a direction for you. Submission is hard as we deny our self that we may be dedicated to Another. The hardest part in all of this is asking God “Who do you want me to be?” I think of Mary, called to be Mother of God; Abraham called to be Father of Nations and the disciples called to be Fishers of Men. God revealed to them who they were in His eyes and with that promise He gave them the strength and grace to become. Sometimes we don’t know how to choose because we don’t know who God is asking us to be. That may not be a question that gets answered overnight, it needs silence and self-awareness and time alone with Him. Sometimes it’s a process – it takes making one choice faithfully, and waiting faithfully and then making another and waiting to see what is revealed. But it’s a question we all desperately need the answer to – more than what we do God wants us to know who we are. It is only in knowing that, can we then make the decisions about what we do, how we spend our time, money and emotions. Because where we invest our heart, there we invest our life.

What if there is no such thing as the perfect choice? Because choosing means we can’t have everything. Because we don’t know how things will change and how those things that change will change us. Because we don’t know who we will be or what we will need in the future? Because we can sit here and play “what if the the grass is greener over there?” all day and it won’t bring us any closer to an answer – only further from being satisfied. And what if none of that matters because the point is to grow and seek His kingdom regardless of our choices?

So trust yourself. Most of our choices are not made in isolation. Where we are now and the choices we are making today is a culmination of all the choices and experiences in the past that have led up to this point. Trust that the God who has knit you from birth, has been guiding you and shaping you like clay can lead you today in this choice. Sometimes it’s fear of not having the perfect picture of our future figured out that holds us back.

A year later I’m fighting to find peace in the unknown road I’m on, but I want to continue to fight and continue to hope in Him because when I put the pieces in front of me, they don’t fit. Before me lays the back of a colourful tapestry and I have little idea what the canvas is going to look like. There are some dark threads from the past and some strange shapes from the present. But if I let Him just take all the colours, threads and pieces, I don’t have to sit and stare at them. The root of every untrusting feeling is the fear that He is not in fact good and that His love will end, especially when I feel I have no clue or answers about what to do. But if I forfeit my desire to know every outcome, if I forfeit the need to have physical evidence or feeling as evidence, then I will trust in His Word that He is with me, and that He is weaving stars and gold from what looks like odd patterns to me. And doesn’t that make all the difference?

C.S. Lewis — ‘I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?’

One choice we can always make, even in the midst of painful uncertainty, the simplest place to start is with this: “Love the Lord your God … and love your neighbour as yourself. No other commandment is greater…” You will always be where you need to be as long as Love is your aim.

Original blog found at – http://becomingfullyalive.com/did-i-make-the-right-choice/

The Relevance of Orthodoxy

The Relevance of Orthodoxy

by Marc Bastawrous

It’s one of my earliest childhood memories. It’s a Saturday night and the whole family is together when my Dad asks those words us kids always dreaded hearing, “why don’t we all go and get dinner?”

Family dinner nights meant sitting around at some restaurant arguing with my sisters and fending off questions about school from both my parents. It almost felt like we were being punished for something. Although, every now and then on the way home, Dad would ask the only question we longed to hear from him, “who wants to rent a movie from Civic Video?”

You could not describe our joy! That feeling of running down the aisles of Civic Video looking for movies we would binge together that night over popcorn and ice-cream was so exhilarating. The process of finding a movie would often take about an hour; trying to find one that catered to everyone’s taste was not easy (I had to learn to enjoy Romantic Comedies).

Nights like these were so joyful in our family because they were so rare. The reason for this was due to a combination of school nights and more so, the sheer effort it took to go and rent a movie.

Enter: Netflix.

Since Netflix entered the scene, places like Civic and Blockbuster have fallen into an abyss of absolute worthlessness. In fact, the Blockbuster right beside my school burned down and we didn’t hear about it until we returned from our summer holiday. Such was their insignificance. However, that’s not to say they went down without a fight. Perhaps you would have noticed a few Blockbuster ‘vending machines’ whilst walking on the street. They downsized from large shops to vending machines in order to make it easier for the public to rent movies and more importantly, to stay relevant. Nonetheless, it was still no match for the simplicity and accessibility of Netflix.

Throughout all of history, you will find that businesses, the entertainment industry and even world leaders will have taken steps in order to remain relevant. In fact, life itself demands us to stay relevant if we are to thrive.

If you look up the definition of ‘relevant’ here’s what you’ll find:

def: Relevant /ˈrɛləv(ə)nt/

– appropriate to the current time, period, or circumstances; of contemporary interest.

So then, how does the church fit into this picture of relevancy?

Well, throughout the history of Christianity, many churches, like Blockbuster and Civic video, have tried to mould themselves to suit the interests of their times (hence the Protestant movement). One church has remained stubborn though. The Orthodox Church.

Orthodoxy means ‘right’ or ‘straight worship’ and the Orthodox Church represents the earliest church founded by the Apostles on the belief of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection over 2000 years ago. Thus, Orthodoxy embodies original Christianity. It is not a denomination; it is pre-denominationalas it has existed since before the schisms of Christianity. Through the course of these past 2000 years as such, the Orthodox church has held fast to its traditions, maintaining the sacraments and important elements of the liturgy.

Therefore, the obvious question that comes to us is, how does a church that holds so tightly to a 2000-year-old tradition, instituted by a bunch of old dudes preaching about the need to bear the heavy burdenof the Cross, stay relevant in an era that functions on simplicity? The answer: it doesn’t. And that’s what makes it relevant.

It is relevant in its need. As the cliché goes – “the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” The fact that the Orthodox faith has not deviated even in the slightest from the earliest church means it tailors to the needs of the world in the purest form of Christianity.

It is relevant in its worship. If I wanted to get the most out of my car, who would be the best person to talk to: the creator of the car, or the creator of a different car? Christ Himself established the Orthodox church and passed it on to the Apostles, hence providing us with the most unblemished way of worshipping God.

It is relevant in its universality. In our Creed we say, “in one, holy, universal and apostolic church.” There are no boundaries. The Orthodox church is open to all people from all different walks of life.

The church today has grown, been established abroad and progressed to the point where the liturgy and Gospel are spoken in many languages; but the fact that it remains unchanged until today is part of its beauty.

It is an ancient faith in a modern world!

So then, is Orthodoxy relevant? The simple answer is:

It’s not supposed to be.

But, here’s the thing. That which is timeless will always be relevant

The Struggle for Victory

The Struggle for Victory

By Archbishop Angaelos

There are many Christians in the world… and we are all trying to find the right way to live. We’re all trying to find a way to be a faithful, committed Christian, and that’s going to mean many different things. Our Lord says, “if you do not take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” And for us, “taking up the cross” can mean different things. Sometimes we visualise “taking up the cross” as being this incredibly different feat, this challenge, this constant struggle… and that’s how we see our Christian lives. For others it will be this glory and this grace and this victory… and that’s how we see it.

The problem is, if we live in either of these extremes, it becomes difficult, and it becomes problematic for us as Christians, because if we just look at the “challenge” and the “struggle,” it becomes burdensome. God has not come to give us a burden, in actual fact He comes and says to us, “Come to me if you are burdened, if you are heavy ladened, if you are tired, and I will give you rest.” But then… if we look at the other side of the Cross just being this glorious, victorious symbol of authority, that is also problematic because that could quite easily slip into us becoming quite proud and arrogant… and there is nothing worse than an arrogant Christian, because that again, is the furthest thing from what we are supposed to be. We are supposed to be meek and lowly and humble and giving and sacrificial. All of those things. None of those things equate to arrogance and self- righteousness.

So what is the reality of our journey then? The reality of our journey is the Cross, that it is sometimes… a struggle, but at the end of it, it is a glorious victory. In our lives, we will struggle. We will struggle daily. Sometimes they’re large, significant, sometimes its crippling struggles, otherwise, there will be your daily struggles that just happen as we live life. Neither of those should overcome us, none of that should make us feel that we have no source or strength or foundation to go back to. We remember at that point that while there was pain and struggle and even a sense of ill-repute in the Cross, when our Lord was there crucified. Yet before He left this world, He left us the glory of the resurrection. He told us that there was something to come afterwards… no matter how strong, how significant, how even crippling the struggle, there is always the glory of that resurrection of the Cross. And that is the reality of our journey.

It is a complete, holistic journey. It is not one that is rooted in an absolute, because our journeys continue to shape and unfold. The only absolute is the presence of God and the salvation to which He calls us. The way we live it, the message and the hope and the victory and even the struggle is going to be shaped daily by our experiences and the presence of God in our lives. So… we give thanks for the struggles, we give thanks for the glory and we give thanks for the victory, knowing that when we “take up our cross,” we follow in the footsteps of our Saviour. Just as He suffered, we will sometimes suffer, but just as He, at the end of that journey, experienced and shared with us the glory and victory of the resurrection, so too will we, at the end of our struggle rise in glory and in the beauty of His kingdom and His promises.