In Chapter 2, I enjoyed his tidbit on getting to know animals, people, and God.
Animals - that's all on you.
People - equally divided on both parties.
God - initiative lies all on His side.
He has given us such grace to know and love Him! He certainly deserves all praise and glory, since we did nothing - could do nothing - to find and follow Him.
I did not skip Chapter 3 though, with how far behind I am, I probably should have 😉😅
I had heard this quote by Lewis before and it is one of my favs:
"You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created."
I need never to worry that He doesn't have infinite attention to spare for lil ole me 🥰
The last sentence of this chapter was a good reminder for many topics within Christianity: "you can be a perfectly good Christian without accepting it, or indeed without thinking of the matter at all." There are many non-essential things we would love to debate (better said, to argue) with each other. But we all know better than that 🙃
That quote is both a comfort and a recognition of the infinitude of God! We are limiting God when we think, "God doesn't have time for me," or "He has other people to worry about, I don't want to bother Him with my problems." God is so much bigger than we can comprehend, and we see Him as smaller than He really is when we think we are going to be too taxing on His attention, as if His attention could be limited in some way.
I've been in Mark lately, and I am also struck by Jesus time and again stopping to address, heal, and have compassion on those who "interrupt" Him. He isn't frustrated or angry or annoyed. He tenderly welcomes all who are seeking Him in faith.
Welcoming the "interruptions" God sends into our path is a prime opportunity for us to imitate our Savior! (easier said than done, ha)
On your bit about "debates" on non-essentials, I'm with you. I think most of us could grow a bit in wisdom to see when to speak and when to hold our tongues, when something is worth "debating," and when it's not. A little James would go a long way for a lot of us: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,"
I really liked the sculpture analogy that Lewis used in Chapter 1. The idea of being created and (maybe someday) begotten reminded me of another talk I recently watched regarding our identity as sinners. The idea was that we are sinners by blood, not just by behavior. You don't "become" a sinner when you commit your first act again God's will. Instead, you are born a sinner and your status as a sinner is passed on from your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on until you get to Adam and Eve and the original sin. We will never not be sinners because "sinner" is a part of our heritage, just as much as having curly hair, crooked teeth, or brown eyes. I think the importance of repenting is emphasized through both of these images. We will never be enough on our own, and we need God to break free of our human chains.
In Chapter 2, I enjoyed his tidbit on getting to know animals, people, and God.
Animals - that's all on you.
People - equally divided on both parties.
God - initiative lies all on His side.
He has given us such grace to know and love Him! He certainly deserves all praise and glory, since we did nothing - could do nothing - to find and follow Him.
I did not skip Chapter 3 though, with how far behind I am, I probably should have 😉😅
I had heard this quote by Lewis before and it is one of my favs:
"You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created."
I need never to worry that He doesn't have infinite attention to spare for lil ole me 🥰
The last sentence of this chapter was a good reminder for many topics within Christianity: "you can be a perfectly good Christian without accepting it, or indeed without thinking of the matter at all." There are many non-essential things we would love to debate (better said, to argue) with each other. But we all know better than that 🙃
That quote is both a comfort and a recognition of the infinitude of God! We are limiting God when we think, "God doesn't have time for me," or "He has other people to worry about, I don't want to bother Him with my problems." God is so much bigger than we can comprehend, and we see Him as smaller than He really is when we think we are going to be too taxing on His attention, as if His attention could be limited in some way.
I've been in Mark lately, and I am also struck by Jesus time and again stopping to address, heal, and have compassion on those who "interrupt" Him. He isn't frustrated or angry or annoyed. He tenderly welcomes all who are seeking Him in faith.
Welcoming the "interruptions" God sends into our path is a prime opportunity for us to imitate our Savior! (easier said than done, ha)
On your bit about "debates" on non-essentials, I'm with you. I think most of us could grow a bit in wisdom to see when to speak and when to hold our tongues, when something is worth "debating," and when it's not. A little James would go a long way for a lot of us: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,"
I really liked the sculpture analogy that Lewis used in Chapter 1. The idea of being created and (maybe someday) begotten reminded me of another talk I recently watched regarding our identity as sinners. The idea was that we are sinners by blood, not just by behavior. You don't "become" a sinner when you commit your first act again God's will. Instead, you are born a sinner and your status as a sinner is passed on from your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on until you get to Adam and Eve and the original sin. We will never not be sinners because "sinner" is a part of our heritage, just as much as having curly hair, crooked teeth, or brown eyes. I think the importance of repenting is emphasized through both of these images. We will never be enough on our own, and we need God to break free of our human chains.