SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Paul says that we should become “a perfect man, stressing the unity of the church.” What is the “perfect man”? The apostle does not mean that we should become “perfect individuals.” But he is speaking of what the whole Body of Christ, the church, should become. The word “perfect” means to be brought to completion, to reach its proper end...That fulfillment is measured by the stature, that is, the maturity…of the “fullness of Christ” (OSB Ephesians 4:13). The all-important wo

“When we separate faith from everything else, we make it into belief. It becomes the assent to the truth of something that cannot be proven by empirical evidence. The Book of James addresses this mistaken thought directly when it says, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (OSB James 2:24)… Paul speaks of “faith active” in love. This poignant phrase indicates that Paul would agree with James, who wrote against the idea of “faith alone.” He ins

“Shall I not punish them for these things? The Hebrew word translated punish (Jeremiah 9:9), literally meaning “to visit,” can be used of the visitation of God in mercy (Ps. 65:9) or in wrath…Punishment feeling like mercy or wrath has everything to do with us, not some sort of mood God is in. When God, who loves us too much to leave us in a state of sin, “visits” us with punishment to awaken us and correct us, our reaction to it determines experiencing it as mercy or wrath.”

“If you are a scholar, a student in any educational establishment, or an official in some ministry, an officer in any of the branches of the military service, or a technologist, a painter, a sculptor, a manufacturer, a mechanic - remember that the first science for each one of you is to be a true Christian, to believe sincerely in the Holy Trinity, to converse daily with God in prayer, to take part in the Divine service, to observe the rules and regulations of the Church, and

“James compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire...The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage…To use proper speech you must not only say the right words at the right time but also control your desire to say what you shouldn’t.” (Life Application Study Bible, James 3:6, James 3:2-3) “Restraint of the tongue is a great thing…Speech reflects a person’s character…Keeping our mouths shut, even if we know for a fact what someone has done, is the easiest expression

“Since the dawn of time, resistance to God has been the hallmark of the human race – the great problem plaguing every man and woman.” (OCPM 5/24/2017) “Every human being struggles with immorality, because at our core is our heart’s rebellion against God.” (David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons) “The rebellion of the world against God reveals several things…While union with Christ brings love, truth, and peace, it also brings persecution, because the world hates love and truth..." (Orth

“Our quest for communion with the everlasting God reorients our vision, directing it toward the eternal destiny of all mankind. We understand history and each person’s life from the perspective of our ultimate goal of union with Him.” (Dynamis 4/11/2014) “Our surrender to the Lord must include our whole heart, soul, and mind (Mt 22:37), if we are to unite our spirits to Christ our God. When we are truly joined to Him, He gives us the grace to obey Him. We are to strive to be

“Brokenness is never an easy experience…There is no other way into the deep things of God but a broken spirit.” (Michael Youssef, Smith Wigglesworth) “Until we can honestly accept the broken reality of our lives and desire our true humanity and natural movement toward God, our lives will remain in this downward spiral.” (Kevin Scherer) “God-dependence only begins when self-dependence ends. And self-dependence only comes to its end, with some of us, when sorrow, suffering, aff

“The life of a believer is not one of ease but a constant spiritual battle.” (Foundation Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 10:4) “…there is a battle in each of us between the flesh and the spirit. There is, however, a third “player” at work in each of us and that is the mind. The human being is composed of body (flesh), spirit and mind. So, one has to decide what will lead in life—will it be the body leading with the mind and spirit following? Will it be the mind leading, or will it

“As a human created in God’s image, you are inherently significant and when you work you are doing something that is very Godlike. It is not only God’s work that is significant; human work is significant, too. It is something ordained by God." (Doug Sherman and William Hendricks) “God saw that his work was good. People sometimes feel guilty for having a good time or for feeling good about an accomplishment. This need not be so. Just as God felt good about His work, we can be