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In Case the link above to Henri Nouwen’s Daily Meditation doesn’t work—
Monday January 6, 2014
Spiritual Choices
Spiritual Choices
Choices. Choices make the difference. Two people are in the same accident and severely wounded. They did not choose to be in the accident. It happened to them. But one of them chose to live the experience in bitterness, the other in gratitude. These choices radically influenced their lives and the lives of their families and friends. We have very little control over what happens in our lives, but we have a lot of control over how we integrate and remember what happens. It is precisely these spiritual choices that determine whether we live our lives with dignity.
My Commentary:
The Christian Journey is to be one lived in maintaining that tension of pursuing the center of GRACE. Since it is difficult for we humans to understand GRACE, we often relegate it to one extreme or the other. One extreme would be bound to the Law and the Other cheap grace. Being purely bound to narrowly understanding GRACE through the Law produces works righteousness—no heart and inner transformation. Being purely bound to cheap grace’s “reward for nothing…” bears ugly fruit of self-concern and it’s following idolatry, greed and indifference—the ripe battle ground for spiritual warfare and Satan’s temptation upon us.
Coming straight out of “Wikipedia”: Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology. It is divine grace that precedes human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. As humans are corrupted by the effects of sin, prevenient grace allows persons to engage their God-given free will to choose the salvation offered by God in Jesus Christ or to reject that salvific offer.
The last sentence of this, I don’t necessarily or completely agree with, but I will say that awareness to God’s Grace pointing to the path, leading you forward is Prevenient Grace. Whether or not this heart-knowledge awareness leads you to make a choice or not—it is God’s work. Many things have happened on the road of my Journey towards becoming a pastor that were not planned but just happened. When you trust God and are confident that your footprints are being guided to some degree—you can chose obedience. Obedience is abiding in God. Obedience, humility, altruism, gratitude for everything and everyone in your life is riding upon that Law || Gospel tightrope. It is GRACE’s center.
Just the other day in treading through the horrible cold and treacherous snowy streets; I told my husband: What would our world be like if back when the decline of the corporate church began to decline—we did address the difference between obligation versus obedience? From what I recall in summation from several church leadership and church history classes; the grand impression about what happened in the 1950’s was more or less our “resting on our Pastoral laurels” and not seeing more or less the need to pastorally address and engage our congregations with Evangelism past the Sunday Morning experience. Since this attitude wasn’t addressed well, the ‘60’s began the slow deconstruction of “church”/ faith and led right into our current battle between a very self-involved lawless culture invested in heresy, idolatry and near contempt for God and neighbor!
If there were more of a harbored, nurtured obedience to God and awareness to God’s GRACE—perhaps people wouldn’t have been speeding all around us, spinning out into accidents. Perhaps, out of concern and care for the well-being of others, despite budget short falls—streets and highways would be thoroughly plowed and salted… Perhaps people would’ve stopped and helped the motorists with stalled out cars…
This is a choice boundary here. We can bear the fruit of GRACE by obedience/ abiding in God and live in constant awareness of the tension we need to pursue… OR we can bear the fruits of Satan and choose to cater to the Unholy Trinity of I, Me, Mine!”
God Bless your Mondays!
Nicole Collins
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