Chapter 17 - The Simplicity of the Carefree Life
Bonhoeffer- 'If the eye sees an object which is not there, the whole body is deceived. If the heart is devoted to the mirage of the world, to the creature instead of the Creator, the disciple is lost.
Worldly possessions tend to turn the hearts of the disciples away from Jesus. What are we really devoted to? That is the question. Are our hearts set on earthly good? Do we try to combine devotion to them with loyalty to Christ? Or are we devoted exclusively to him? The light of the body is the eye, and the light of the Christian is his heart. If the eye be dark how great is the darkness of the body! But the heart is dark when it clings to earthly goods, for then, however urgently Jesus may call us, his call fails to find access to our hearts. Our hearts are closed, for they have already been given to another. As the light cannot penetrate the body when the eye is evil, so the word of Jesus cannot penetrate the disciple's heart so long as it is closed against it. The word is choked like the seed which was sown among the thorns, choked, "with cares and riches and pleasures of this life."
Luk 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
My thoughts-
'If the heart is devoted to the mirage of the world, to the creature instead of the Creator, the disciple is lost.'
Are you devoted to yourself?
We often are. We are often much more devoted to ourselves than anything else. We think of ourselves FIRST in ALL things. It's natural for us to think of ourselves first. In fact some would say it's impossible NOT to consider ourselves first simple because we exist and can't think of other things except in the light of ourselves. Where is our heart focused though? Is our heart focused on OUR ease, our contentment, our satisfaction, our pleasure, our desires, our well being?
I think a lot of us have our minds set on our EASE and anything that threatens that ease, disturbs us. When this is true, we are NOT focusing on CHRIST and His will no matter how much trouble to our life of ease it bring. We don't want to be disturbed. We don't want the plans we've made to be interrupted, we don't want to DEAL with things. How often have we said and continue to say- 'I don't want to deal with it.' What we don't want to deal with is the things of life that are upsetting our preconceived ease of life we should have should that thing we have to deal with wasn't there.
Why can't we see, why can't we comprehend that OTHERS and ALL that would disturb our ease ARE the TRULY IMPORTANT THINGS IN OUR LIVES, and NOT OUR OWN LIFE OF EASE!
If we are singularly focused on ourselves then we most certainly are NOT focused on CHRIST, our LORD and SAVIOR, who wants us to look SOLELY to HIM and HOW HE would want us to live through Him. Christ wants us to LOVE others, to LOVE Him before we love ourselves and yet so many of us have this twisted around the other way. We love ourselves first, others second, and Christ third. It's twisted, terribly twisted and keeps our eye from being single and directed SOLELY on CHRIST.
Our lives in the LIGHT of our SAVIOR.
Our we devoted to ourselves (the creature) or are we devoted to the CREATOR?
A creature worshipping creature, is a creature having another God before their CREATOR.
Are we focused on the CARES of this life? Are we focused on the RICHES of this life? Are we focused on the PLEASURES of this life?
Where are our minds focused?! WHERE?!
Please LORD save us from ourselves!
Only YOU can save!!
Bonhoeffer- 'If the eye sees an object which is not there, the whole body is deceived. If the heart is devoted to the mirage of the world, to the creature instead of the Creator, the disciple is lost.
Worldly possessions tend to turn the hearts of the disciples away from Jesus. What are we really devoted to? That is the question. Are our hearts set on earthly good? Do we try to combine devotion to them with loyalty to Christ? Or are we devoted exclusively to him? The light of the body is the eye, and the light of the Christian is his heart. If the eye be dark how great is the darkness of the body! But the heart is dark when it clings to earthly goods, for then, however urgently Jesus may call us, his call fails to find access to our hearts. Our hearts are closed, for they have already been given to another. As the light cannot penetrate the body when the eye is evil, so the word of Jesus cannot penetrate the disciple's heart so long as it is closed against it. The word is choked like the seed which was sown among the thorns, choked, "with cares and riches and pleasures of this life."
Luk 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
My thoughts-
'If the heart is devoted to the mirage of the world, to the creature instead of the Creator, the disciple is lost.'
Are you devoted to yourself?
We often are. We are often much more devoted to ourselves than anything else. We think of ourselves FIRST in ALL things. It's natural for us to think of ourselves first. In fact some would say it's impossible NOT to consider ourselves first simple because we exist and can't think of other things except in the light of ourselves. Where is our heart focused though? Is our heart focused on OUR ease, our contentment, our satisfaction, our pleasure, our desires, our well being?
I think a lot of us have our minds set on our EASE and anything that threatens that ease, disturbs us. When this is true, we are NOT focusing on CHRIST and His will no matter how much trouble to our life of ease it bring. We don't want to be disturbed. We don't want the plans we've made to be interrupted, we don't want to DEAL with things. How often have we said and continue to say- 'I don't want to deal with it.' What we don't want to deal with is the things of life that are upsetting our preconceived ease of life we should have should that thing we have to deal with wasn't there.
Why can't we see, why can't we comprehend that OTHERS and ALL that would disturb our ease ARE the TRULY IMPORTANT THINGS IN OUR LIVES, and NOT OUR OWN LIFE OF EASE!
If we are singularly focused on ourselves then we most certainly are NOT focused on CHRIST, our LORD and SAVIOR, who wants us to look SOLELY to HIM and HOW HE would want us to live through Him. Christ wants us to LOVE others, to LOVE Him before we love ourselves and yet so many of us have this twisted around the other way. We love ourselves first, others second, and Christ third. It's twisted, terribly twisted and keeps our eye from being single and directed SOLELY on CHRIST.
Our lives in the LIGHT of our SAVIOR.
Our we devoted to ourselves (the creature) or are we devoted to the CREATOR?
A creature worshipping creature, is a creature having another God before their CREATOR.
Are we focused on the CARES of this life? Are we focused on the RICHES of this life? Are we focused on the PLEASURES of this life?
Where are our minds focused?! WHERE?!
Please LORD save us from ourselves!
Only YOU can save!!
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