I enjoyed reading this book, but am grateful I wasn't alone on this venture. I'm not sure I would have gotten through it solo tbh 😅 My bro was wrapping up the last chapter yesterday and it encouraged me to finish it up myself 😁
Dagger to the heart on pages 119&120:
"Men alone having rejected what is good, have invented nothings instead of the truth."
Invented nothings ... I don't know if it's funny or sad. We couldn't submit to Truth, couldn't even figure out partial truths; nothing. And, even worse is when others are led away from Him to ... invented nothings.
Oh, how His grace covers His children 🙌 So, so thankful 🙏
--
Page 131 succinctly expresses my feelings of being smitten with awe by Jesus:
"Who, then, is this Christ and how great is He, Who by His Name and presence overshadows and confounds all things on every side."
His Name holds power and grandeur! His Presence is all I need (though I all too often forget that).
--
The small conclusion chapter held two things I really liked:
"This will give you a beginning, and you must go on to prove its truth by the study of the Scripture." Page 145
I love Biblical fiction (Francine Rivers and Jill Eileen Smith are my two favs - yas!), but my husband is not in agreement 😂 He also doesn't like the show The Chosen, which I also argue is Biblical fiction. We just watched King of Kings with our kids last night, which is also Biblical but fiction nonetheless.
All that to say! I love my books because it leads me right back to the Word. It revives interest and perspective when I'm feeling a little spiritual dryness. But if the books (or TV shows) don't lead me back to the Truth to discover what He actually says, they wouldn't be good. In fact, they might be dangerous.
That's why I love this snippet Athanasius adds. We should be "entertaining" ourselves with messages that lead us back to the true Message.
--
When it comes to reading Scripture, Athanasius on page 146 encourages us to do two things: purify your mind and imitate the author's life. He restates it on page 147 by saying to cleanse your own life and copy the saint's deeds.
I had never heard to do this before. But, serendipitiously, I just started a study of 1, 2 & 3 John. So, I have Athanasius on one side telling me I can be "united in the fellowship of life" with the disciple Jesus loved. On the other side, I have that same disciple encouraging me to have fellowship with him (1 John 1:3&7).
How cool 😎 How miraculous 🙌 How GOD!
Anyway, I have enjoyed all of YOUR fellowship and I pray this year holds deeper intimacy with both God and our spiritual family. I know I need both.
Thanks for sharing your closing thoughts, and for powering through to the end of the book! I hope braving the challenges of reading an ancient book felt worth it. I think God will graciously use your perseverance and the things you gleaned from Athanasius for your Good. I’ve found ideas from this book come up again and again in my personal devotion and walk with God, so I hope the same is true for you!
What a beautiful post to conclude this study 👏
I enjoyed reading this book, but am grateful I wasn't alone on this venture. I'm not sure I would have gotten through it solo tbh 😅 My bro was wrapping up the last chapter yesterday and it encouraged me to finish it up myself 😁
Dagger to the heart on pages 119&120:
"Men alone having rejected what is good, have invented nothings instead of the truth."
Invented nothings ... I don't know if it's funny or sad. We couldn't submit to Truth, couldn't even figure out partial truths; nothing. And, even worse is when others are led away from Him to ... invented nothings.
Oh, how His grace covers His children 🙌 So, so thankful 🙏
--
Page 131 succinctly expresses my feelings of being smitten with awe by Jesus:
"Who, then, is this Christ and how great is He, Who by His Name and presence overshadows and confounds all things on every side."
His Name holds power and grandeur! His Presence is all I need (though I all too often forget that).
--
The small conclusion chapter held two things I really liked:
"This will give you a beginning, and you must go on to prove its truth by the study of the Scripture." Page 145
I love Biblical fiction (Francine Rivers and Jill Eileen Smith are my two favs - yas!), but my husband is not in agreement 😂 He also doesn't like the show The Chosen, which I also argue is Biblical fiction. We just watched King of Kings with our kids last night, which is also Biblical but fiction nonetheless.
All that to say! I love my books because it leads me right back to the Word. It revives interest and perspective when I'm feeling a little spiritual dryness. But if the books (or TV shows) don't lead me back to the Truth to discover what He actually says, they wouldn't be good. In fact, they might be dangerous.
That's why I love this snippet Athanasius adds. We should be "entertaining" ourselves with messages that lead us back to the true Message.
--
When it comes to reading Scripture, Athanasius on page 146 encourages us to do two things: purify your mind and imitate the author's life. He restates it on page 147 by saying to cleanse your own life and copy the saint's deeds.
I had never heard to do this before. But, serendipitiously, I just started a study of 1, 2 & 3 John. So, I have Athanasius on one side telling me I can be "united in the fellowship of life" with the disciple Jesus loved. On the other side, I have that same disciple encouraging me to have fellowship with him (1 John 1:3&7).
How cool 😎 How miraculous 🙌 How GOD!
Anyway, I have enjoyed all of YOUR fellowship and I pray this year holds deeper intimacy with both God and our spiritual family. I know I need both.
💛
Thanks for sharing your closing thoughts, and for powering through to the end of the book! I hope braving the challenges of reading an ancient book felt worth it. I think God will graciously use your perseverance and the things you gleaned from Athanasius for your Good. I’ve found ideas from this book come up again and again in my personal devotion and walk with God, so I hope the same is true for you!
Thankful for your fellowship, Shalisa ☺️