Patched, not discarded

August 29, 2011 By 2 Comments
isaacbowen, Flickr

A soldier came upon a monk and asked him if a repentant man would be received by God. He was worried that God might reject him. "Would you discard your coat if it were torn?" asked the monk. "No," said the man, perhaps at that moment grasping the garment. "I'd patch it and keep wearing it." "If you would take such care of your coat," said the monk, "won't God show even greater care for his own image, which you are?" How often are we the soldier, sincere but afraid that God will … [Read more...]

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The slow-drip destruction of sin

January 31, 2011 By 1 Comment
One drop at a time

The Christian walk is strewn with snares and pitfalls, many of which are placed in our way by the enemy. “No one who has experienced the conflicts of the inner man,” says Abbot Serenus, a fourth century desert father, “can doubt that our foes are continually lying in wait for us.” The devil wants us to fail and fall. But the devil has little power that we do not cede to him. As Serenus says, the devil can only encourage us to do evil, not force us. “[N]o one can be deceived by the … [Read more...]

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