Limitless Resources

Is the world I live in one of scarcity or abundance? The answer to the question has much to do about almost every decision I make. The threat of scarcity tells me that whatever I have, like my own life, is limited. Nothing is ever enough. There is not enough money, enough food, enough love. The abundance enjoyed by another is always at the expense of myself and others because the world is governed by scarcity. Thus I must fight; I must wrestled to gain whatever I can and cling to it till death wrests it from my cold, dead fingers. - Father Stephen

We do view everything here on earth as “limited” – water, oil, gas, food, land, money, time, even the air we breathe. We can’t even imagine a resource that is limitless. And yet Jesus offered the woman at the well such a resource:

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." – John 4:13,14

God commands us to love, forgive, show mercy, and give of our material possessions, because he will keep supplying us with all that we need. We don’t have to hoard and ration and stock the pantry. He will never run out. The source of this goodness and life isn’t a lazy trickle of water coming out of a dry, Texas canyon in August. No, it’s bubbling up and overflowing the rocks and cracks. It is cool, refreshing and life-giving to plants, animals and people. We can’t drink fast enough to slow down the speed with which it gushes forth. Then why do we withhold forgiveness and love from others? Why are we stingy and possessive of the articles we claim as “ours”? We will never be able to exhaust God’s resources. Whatever others take from me is taken from the abundance that God pours into my life. It will be replaced and multiplied a hundredfold!

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6: 37, 38

Limitless Resources

Is the world I live in one of scarcity or abundance? The answer to the question has much to do about almost every decision I make. The threat of scarcity tells me that whatever I have, like my own life, is limited. Nothing is ever enough. There is not enough money, enough food, enough love. The abundance enjoyed by another is always at the expense of myself and others because the world is governed by scarcity. Thus I must fight; I must wrestled to gain whatever I can and cling to it till death wrests it from my cold, dead fingers. - Father Stephen

We do view everything here on earth as “limited” – water, oil, gas, food, land, money, time, even the air we breathe. We can’t even imagine a resource that is limitless. And yet Jesus offered the woman at the well such a resource:

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." – John 4:13,14

God commands us to love, forgive, show mercy, and give of our material possessions, because he will keep supplying us with all that we need. We don’t have to hoard and ration and stock the pantry. He will never run out. The source of this goodness and life isn’t a lazy trickle of water coming out of a dry, Texas canyon in August. No, it’s bubbling up and overflowing the rocks and cracks. It is cool, refreshing and life-giving to plants, animals and people. We can’t drink fast enough to slow down the speed with which it gushes forth. Then why do we withhold forgiveness and love from others? Why are we stingy and possessive of the articles we claim as “ours”? We will never be able to exhaust God’s resources. Whatever others take from me is taken from the abundance that God pours into my life. It will be replaced and multiplied a hundredfold!

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6: 37, 38

Mystics

"Fundamentally, the mystical life is a life lived with and in God, being led and “walking” by the Spirit. God is both the goal of our pilgrimage and our companion on the way. We were created for divine communion. “Birds fly, fish swim, and man prays,” is a patristic dictum. When prayer and the awareness of the presence of God characterize your whole life and define your reason of being, you have become a mystic. Congratulations!" - Abbot Joseph

A mystical life means that the life lived is a mystery – we can’t explain it. This drives Westerners crazy! Surely, we can explain it! Or at least most of it. Theologians take great pleasure in learning all the arguments and viewpoints on a particular topic or issue. They are arguing the case for Christ. They are defending the Gospel. They are explaining the difficult so that others will believe. They are fighting against heresy and confusion. Surely, God would be pleased with this. Have you noticed that as theologians (hopefully, most of them) age, they often become more and more unsure of what is correct. They are more willing to admit that they “just don’t know”. They have lived enough of life to understand that God does things that are beyond explanation or comprehension. They are humbled by His workings in their life and the lives of others. They are more willing to acknowledge mystery. When we are young, we want to figure life out, put things in categories, determine what’s right and wrong. We actually entertain the idea that we have come up with the answer to world hunger, conflict and economic woes, even though brilliant men and women have contemplated these issues since the beginning of time. Such pride and arrogance. Why would we imagine that we have the answers after only 18 years of living on this planet? Namely, our culture doesn't value wisdom that comes with experience and age.

I marvel at the spiritual elders I read about – the monks, nuns, saints, missionaries – who have experienced the presence and workings of God for decades. They are the ones I want to listen to – they are the “experts” in spirituality. They are the trained technicians when it comes to our relationship with God. Hmmm…which would you rather believe? – one who has gone to seminary for four years and can argue any theological position or someone who has wrestled with the powers of darkness, experienced the very presence of God, and sat under the wings of the Almighty? If the world was coming to an end, I would gladly move in with the mystic!

Mystics

 

"Fundamentally, the mystical life is a life lived with and in God, being led and “walking” by the Spirit. God is both the goal of our pilgrimage and our companion on the way. We were created for divine communion. “Birds fly, fish swim, and man prays,” is a patristic dictum. When prayer and the awareness of the presence of God characterize your whole life and define your reason of being, you have become a mystic. Congratulations!" - Abbot Joseph

A mystical life means that the life lived is a mystery – we can’t explain it. This drives Westerners crazy! Surely, we can explain it! Or at least most of it. Theologians take great pleasure in learning all the arguments and viewpoints on a particular topic or issue. They are arguing the case for Christ. They are defending the Gospel. They are explaining the difficult so that others will believe. They are fighting against heresy and confusion. Surely, God would be pleased with this. Have you noticed that as theologians (hopefully, most of them) age, they often become more and more unsure of what is correct. They are more willing to admit that they “just don’t know”. They have lived enough of life to understand that God does things that are beyond explanation or comprehension. They are humbled by His workings in their life and the lives of others. They are more willing to acknowledge mystery. When we are young, we want to figure life out, put things in categories, determine what’s right and wrong. We actually entertain the idea that we have come up with the answer to world hunger, conflict and economic woes, even though brilliant men and women have contemplated these issues since the beginning of time. Such pride and arrogance. Why would we imagine that we have the answers after only 18 years of living on this planet? Namely, our culture doesn't value wisdom that comes with experience and age.

I marvel at the spiritual elders I read about – the monks, nuns, saints, missionaries – who have experienced the presence and workings of God for decades. They are the ones I want to listen to – they are the “experts” in spirituality. They are the trained technicians when it comes to our relationship with God. Hmmm…which would you rather believe? – one who has gone to seminary for four years and can argue any theological position or someone who has wrestled with the powers of darkness, experienced the very presence of God, and sat under the wings of the Almighty? If the world was coming to an end, I would gladly move in with the mystic!

Friendly Fire

Proverbs 12:18 – Reckless words pierce like a sword.

How painful are the wounds of a friend. The pain goes deep and lingers. We walk in disbelief that someone so close to us, someone we trusted, someone who has access to our heart and emotions, could cause such pain. Friendly fire: “fire, as by artillery, by one’s own forces, especially when causing damage near or casualties to one’s own troops.” At one moment, you are in the battle together, moving forward; the next moment, you are hit by someone in your own unit. Confusion, shock, and disbelief. How could this happen? The safety and strength you felt as part of a stronger force suddenly disappears and you feel vulnerable and unsure. Maybe I am walking in the wrong direction. Maybe I don’t know my fellow soldiers as well as I thought. Was I too trusting?

When we have been hurt by those within the body of Christ, we can go to our Lord and Savior for understanding and compassion. He suffered in this area more than any of us ever will. The ultimate betrayal – Judas’ kiss – was from one he loved dearly. Did Jesus stop loving him? No, he didn’t even lash out in anger. Christ knew that this was all a part of God’s plan – God would use it for good. This is the part that we can’t get our minds around – how God can utilize hurt, pain, and suffering for good. In our culture, these conditions warrant outrage and even judgment. In God’s kingdom, we are to turn the other cheek and pray for them. Obviously, this is a supernatural act – our human nature recoils at this response. As we consider the hurt we have sustained, let us also be reminded of the myriad times that we have walked in disobedience, dishonored God’s name, and said cruel words that have hurt others. We are not blameless ourselves, and we need as much mercy and grace as the one who has caused us such deep pain and sorrow.

Friendly Fire

Proverbs 12:18 – Reckless words pierce like a sword.

How painful are the wounds of a friend. The pain goes deep and lingers. We walk in disbelief that someone so close to us, someone we trusted, someone who has access to our heart and emotions, could cause such pain. Friendly fire: “fire, as by artillery, by one’s own forces, especially when causing damage near or casualties to one’s own troops.” At one moment, you are in the battle together, moving forward; the next moment, you are hit by someone in your own unit. Confusion, shock, and disbelief. How could this happen? The safety and strength you felt as part of a stronger force suddenly disappears and you feel vulnerable and unsure. Maybe I am walking in the wrong direction. Maybe I don’t know my fellow soldiers as well as I thought. Was I too trusting?

When we have been hurt by those within the body of Christ, we can go to our Lord and Savior for understanding and compassion. He suffered in this area more than any of us ever will. The ultimate betrayal – Judas’ kiss – was from one he loved dearly. Did Jesus stop loving him? No, he didn’t even lash out in anger. Christ knew that this was all a part of God’s plan – God would use it for good. This is the part that we can’t get our minds around – how God can utilize hurt, pain, and suffering for good. In our culture, these conditions warrant outrage and even judgment. In God’s kingdom, we are to turn the other cheek and pray for them. Obviously, this is a supernatural act – our human nature recoils at this response. As we consider the hurt we have sustained, let us also be reminded of the myriad times that we have walked in disobedience, dishonored God’s name, and said cruel words that have hurt others. We are not blameless ourselves, and we need as much mercy and grace as the one who has caused us such deep pain and sorrow.