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aaron klinefelter
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February 07, 2007
> 10:06 AM
sound advice Do to no one what you yourself dislike.That's just some dang good advice. It's even more than that, it's Scriptural Wisdom. I believe it's Scripture, the Word of God to us. This was from the reading in Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours today. It struck me as Liz and I prayed it and I thought I'd share it with you. Very practical life advice. Think about it: just don't do things to people that you don't like done to you. Sure, that's sort of the "golden rule" as it were. The way it's stated here, I like. If you don't like it, don't do it. We do this constantly. We are always doing things to people or treating people in ways that we would find deplorable if someone did to us, if someone else treated us this way. Well, it's wrong and let's stop doing that. In our version of the reading, the second part of v.15 was left out for today, but I added it back in (call it abbatial discretion) - that drunk part: just don't intentionally get drunk. It's not just passively "not wise" - it's actively stupid. And don't be accompanied by drunkenness. I'm not talking about not being friends with sinners here. I'm talking about wise life-habits. You know when you're just letting yourself go and driving down roads you shouldn't be driving on - as opposed to being open, friendly and loving to people who live on those roads. You know the difference. Listen to Wisdom and don't be stupid. Stupid breeds stupid and retards smart. Give. Give because you love. There's nothing there that says anything about, in this context, giving so you can get something back from God or anyone else. Don't think like that about giving. It's wrong. It's backwards. It's selfish. Just don't. If you have more that what you need, give some of what you have to somebody who has less than what they need - simple stuff. It also didn't say give everything you have. I know, I know, that part about Jesus and the rich young ruler - again, context. Generally speaking, we're not called to impoverish ourselves in order to help others. It shouldn't be necessary. Part of the whole point in this mix is that being impoverished is not desirable for anyone. God doesn't want it for us and we shouldn't seek it for ourselves. Just be open and give - don't choke off the flow. You don't know everything you need to know about, well about nearly anything. Not all by yourself. It doesn't work like that. Seek counsel from those who have wisdom you may not have. You may not be able to get hold of every wise person but you know some - submit yourself to their wisdom, God's Wisdom in them. You are a part of a whole, not a whole on your own. So place yourself around those who are wise and listen to them. Don't just ask and then put what they say on the floor. Don't take those words lightly. If it makes sense, and sometimes even if it doesn't, it might be worth taking to heart. We are far too independently minded most of the time. I'm convinced of this. We don't seek wise counsel. And if we get it, we don't listen to it really. We should. We're really NOT that smart. Sure, there's a balance. You don't have to ask about every little thing - that's not what I'm talking about. Bless the Lord ALL the time. Sounds something like "pray without ceasing," doesn't it? Constantly be turning your focus to the Lord, lifting yourself and those around you up to Him and His care. Don't just walk around acting as if God will do whatever He wants if He wants something done, that nothing you say or pray or do has really any effect. You'll probably find out real quick what will or will not happen if you walk a passive spiritual path. Your paths don't straighten themselves out on their own. God mostly doesn't even straighten them out on His own without your involvement. They might just stay crooked if you keep your mouth shut. And crooked paths lead to crooked destinations. We don't think about these things enough, or at all most of the time. Ask God to straighten you. Always. This is about constant, non feelings-oriented, intentional focus which puts you in the place of being transformed by God's Grace. That's our job, let's get busy. technorati tags > christian ethics, scripture, tobit, spiritual formation Labels: spiritual formation 0 Comments:| permalink | e-mail me | 
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