No act of virtue

“No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.” - John Chrysostom

These quotes encapsulates the true perspective of Lent for us. We can't give up things and act like 'martyrs' for the Lord, unless we are willing to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

Question: How has our Lenten journey opened our hearts to God and others?

What do you think?

Colossians 3:14 - "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Living in Grace

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Why I am afraid to be myself!

"People fail to be themselves because it is easier to be somebody else and because they can copy somebody else's success rather than risk their own failure." - Abbot Christopher Jamison

This quote is spot on in so many ways. The reason we want to be like someone else, is because we don't believe people will like the real me. We are skewed in our thinking, because we believe that the 'real me' is not good enough for the world. We assume that because someone else has got the stamp of approval, that we should just copy them and we will also be accepted. But, in doing this we deny who we are and all the gifts God has given to us.

So, all I want to say is this - "be yourself!"
God already knows your most innermost thoughts and your inner being. God has loved you from the moment of your conception and God is desperate for you to love yourself. After all, how can we expect to obey Jesus commandment if we can't love ourselves. Remember Jesus said this:

"Love your neighbour as you love yourself."

I can't fully love you, if I don't love myself.

1 Peter 3:4 -  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight

#justthinking #beyourself #beoriginal

Living in Grace
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Peg This

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” - Matthew 22:37-40

Peg these words onto your heart for 2017 and may it go well with your soul. Let us strive to love God with all our passion, energy, prayer and intelligence.

"One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who stray as “those evil people” or “those poor people who need our help.” Nor must we search for signs of “loveworthiness.” Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are." -Philip Yancey

Living in Grace

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