The Bond

"The Holy Spirit is the bond of love in the Trinity and the bond of love in the Church." – Augustine

We understand that what Augustine meant was that the Holy Spirit acts as the glue (bond) in the body of Christ. When we come together as God's people, there is a commonality of 'love', which is given to us by the Holy Spirit. As we should have a unified purpose (to love God and others), the Spirit works in each of us to drive us to this goal. Sometimes we need to be nudged and reminded of our role in this process.

Ephesians 4:3 - "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."

In the King James Version is says: "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Thought: This bond of peace is not just something that God brings to the relationship - we also need to 'make every effort' to make sure that the bond actually works.

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Hope has two beautiful daughters

Hope has two daughters, according to St. Augustine. One of the daughters is named Anger and the other, Courage. 

"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are." - Augustine

This is such a powerful way of looking at Hope, and it presents a challenge to all Christ-followers. When we hope in something, it is easy to allow any unfilled expectations to push us towards 'Anger' and blame. 

On the other hand, 'Courage' allows us to move forward, trusting that God hears our prayers and has already begun to answer these cries. 

The first week of advent is focused on Hope, and I pray that we would allow God's grace to transform our anger into courage and love.

"Show me your ways, O Lord, 

teach me Your paths;
Guide me in Your truth and teach me, 

for You are my Saviour,
and my HOPE is in You all day long." - Psalm 25

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In all trouble we should seek God

"In all trouble you should seek God. You should not set Him over against your troubles, but within them. God can only relieve your troubles if you in your anxiety cling to Him. Trouble should not really be thought of as this thing or that in particular, for our whole life on earth involves trouble; and through the troubles of our earthly pilgrimage we find God." - Saint Augustine

I am challenged by the idea of placing God in the midst of our troubles. It makes sense to me, but honestly it is something I struggle with. I am usually pleading with God to get me out of the troubles I find myself in, but Augustine suggests we invite God into the middle of the mess. What do you feel?

"Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me." - Psalm 23:4 (Complete Jerusalem Bible)

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What is a Christian?

In response to the question: What is a Christian? (or maybe it should read 'Who' is a Christian), Augustine offers these thoughts: 

"A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps." - St. Augustine

What do you feel about this? 

Would you add anything else to his quote?

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13

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Finding rest in love

"The soul is made of love and must ever strive to return to love. Therefore, it can never find rest nor happiness in other things. It must lose itself in love. By its very nature it must seek God, who is love." - Mechthild of Magdeburg

Mechthild's words sound a lot like the words of Augustine, who wrote nearly 9 Centuries before of the same rest we can only find in God: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” 

And of course, these words find root in the prayers of the Psalmist who expressed in Psalm 67:1 - "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him."

May you find your rest in Jesus. 

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Blue Monday

Monday's can be a little depressing for many people. A lot of this has to do with it being the first day of the week for many folk and so it marks the return to the 'grind-stone.' However, today is a 'Blue Monday' for me for a number of different reasons. Let me share these with you and then make a reflection.

In the main, it has been a deeply sad day because I have heard of a number of deaths today. Two colleagues of mine from the Methodist Church passed away due to Covid - they were both in the prime of their lives, but contracted the virus. I grieve for their loss, for their families, their communities and the loss for the church. 

I also heard of two other deaths - both deeply saddening and traumatic. I grieve for each member of those families and for their overwhelming sorrow and loss. It all seems too much. 

So, where do we turn and how do we recover from such grief? We can turn to the pages of the Scriptures, as well as the wisdom of those who have also endured great loss, and yet have had the strength to carry on. One of these people is St. Augustine. In his work "The City of God" he writes of heaven:

"We shall rest and we shall see,
we shall see and we shall love,
we shall love and we shall praise,
in the end, which is no end."

If you have also had to deal with grief during this time of the pandemic, I urge you to remember that God is still with us. God never let's us go, despite what our circumstances may tell us.

John 17:1-4 - You put him (the Messiah) in charge of everything human, so he might give real and eternal life to all in his care. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent. (The Message)

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Taking refuge

Augustine wrote a beautiful prayer, which is recorded in a collection entitled Little Book of Prayers. I pass it onto you and pray that it may bless you today.

"Father, you are full of compassion, I commit and commend myself unto you, in whom I am,
and live, and know. Be the GOAL of my pilgrimage, and my REST by the way.
Let my soul take refuge from the crowding turmoil of worldly thoughts beneath the shadow of your wings; Let my heart, this sea of restless waves, find peace in you, O God. Amen."

Psalm 91:1 - Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

May you find your refuge in the shelter of the most high.

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Striking a balance

This verse has always been an intriguing verse for me - I have used it at many youth talks and confirmation services in the past. One of the things that Solomon manages to hold in balance is the notion to 'enjoy your youth', but also remember that you will give an account for everything you do. Read what he says: 

"You who are young, be happy while you are young,

 and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment." - Ecclesiastes 11:9

There is a quote from Augustine that ties in with this scripture in some way, although it can be quoted out of context on occasion. Augustine wrote:

"Once for all, then, a short precept is given thee: Love, and do what thou wilt: whether thou hold thy peace, through love hold thy peace; whether thou cry out, through love cry out; whether thou correct, through love correct; whether thou spare, through love do thou spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good."

The part I have underlined is the part that is quoted as "Love God and do what you like!" Obviously, this is a dangerous thought if not tethered to some core foundation. I think that both Solomon and Augustine understood that if a believer loved God with heart, soul, mind and strength, that their actions would seek to please God in any case - therefore we should be at peace about our actions. 

How do you feel about these quotes today? Worth a little reflection I think.

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Look upon us Lord

 

"Look upon us, O Lord,
and let all the darkness of our souls
vanish before the beams of thy brightness.
Fill us with holy love,
and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom.
All our desire is known unto thee,
therefore perfect what thou hast begun,
and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer.
We seek thy face,
turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory.
Then shall our longing be satisfied,
and our peace shall be perfect."
(Augustine, 354 - 430)

Sometimes we find wise words from disciples who have gone before us. Augustine wrote this prayer sixteen hundred years ago and the words still ring true today. May you find strength and help through these words today.

God bless you.
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Past, present, future

"Trust the past to the grace of God,
The present to His love
and the future to His providence." - Augustine of Hippo

We all have a past, a present and a future! And we all get to choose how we deal with each one of these. Augustine gives us sound advice when he urges us to ask God to allow his Grace, Love and Providence to go with us.

Romans 8:38-39 - "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What do you think?

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Trying to define FAITH

It is so hard to try and define FAITH. We have so many neat and simple answers to this complex issue and often these definitions leave us feeling a little short-changed. Today, I came across a 'good' workable understanding of faith and I want to share it with you. It comes from one of my favourite authors, Philip Yancey:

"I have learnt that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse."

Perhaps you need to read it again and when you read it a second time, think of a time in your life where this has proven to be true. Faith means trusting in God, despite what the evidence around us suggests. One day we will be blessed to look back and see how God's hand has moved in our lives.

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." -

Saint Augustine

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." -Thomas Aquinas

I am not sure if you have a definition that works for you, but if are keen to share it with me, please comment on this post or send me an email.

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Wired for God

Dr Herbert Benson argues that we are all ‘wired for God.’ 

I guess, Augustine wouldn’t really argue with this notion. Remember he remarked that “our souls are restless until they find their rest in thee, O Lord!” 

So, if you put these two thoughts together, they simply connect like this:

Because I am wired for God, there will be nothing else (besides God) that will satisfy my deepest longings. 

The sooner we comprehend this, the more freedom we will discover in our lives. Being ‘wired for God’ is not a curse, but an immense blessing – it means that when God created us he placed a ‘homing device’ inside of us and this will constantly be calling us back home.

May you find peace with God today.

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God loves each of us

Saint Augustine wrote many amazing works, in his time. His brilliant mind and passion for Jesus shaped the Christian movement of the time. His legacy has been passed onto us, in the form of his words. Here are a few thoughts for today:

• "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us."

•  "He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent."

 Both of these quotes remind me of God's unique and overwhelming love for all of us. His grace is awesome. Why don't you chew on these quotes for a few moments and see what God says to you.


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