Give Us the Light

ALL of us who have been baptized in Christ and have “put on Christ” as a new identity are bound to be holy as he is holy.  We are bound to live worthy lives, and our actions should bear witness to our union with him.  He should manifest his presence in us and through us …

We are supposed to be the light of the world.  We are supposed to be a light to ourselves and to others.  That may well be what accounts for the fact that the world is in darkness!

What then is meant by the light of Christ in our lives?  What is “holiness”?  What is divine son-ship?  Are we really seriously supposed to be saints?  Can a man even desire such a thing without making a complete fool of himself in the eyes of everyone else?  Is it not presumptuous?  Is such a thing even possible at all?  To tell the truth,  many laypeople and even a good many religious do not believe,  in practice,  that sanctity is possible for them.  Is this just plain common sense?  Is it perhaps humility?  Or is it defection,  defeatism and despair?

If we are are called by God to holiness of life and if holiness is beyond our natural power to achieve  (which it certainly is)  then it follows that God himself must give us the light,  the strength and the courage to fulfill the task he requires of us.

He will certainly give us the grace we need.  If we do not become saints it is because we so not avail ourselves of his gift.

AUTHOR:  Thomas Merton from LIFE AND HOLINESS.  Copyright 1963 by the Abbey of Gethsemani, Inc..  Taken from Men’s Devotional Bible New International Version Page 1014. Copyright 1993 by Zondervan Publishing House.

The Vulnerable Man

SOCIETY’S definition of a real man is erroneous and its requirements of him are so burdensome that he really finds it difficult to be a man. He knows inwardly that he isn’t able to cope with these heavy demands. For that reason it’s time to reevaluate the question, “What is a real man?”

The answer comes loud and clear from Jesus. “Hey! If you want to see a real man, take a look at John the Baptist. Because, of all the men born of women, there’s never been a greater one than John” [see Luke 7:28]. John has six characteristics which qualified him as a real man: sincerity, simplicity, conviction, courage, vision and vulnerability…

Modern “macho” man in American is not supposed to be vulnerable. According to research, the five most difficult statements for the modern man to make are [1] I don’t know; [2] I was wrong; [3] I need help; [4] I’m afraid; and [5] I’m sorry. In other words, according to the world’s definition, real men do not admit any vulnerability. And if they do, their masculinity is in question. But John was not afraid to admit his vulnerability…

John the Baptist’s vulnerability is shown in two ways – his honesty and his humility. His humility is unbelievable. One of his best-known statements was in reference to Jesus: “He must become greater; I must become less” [John 3:30]…

There’s nothing phony about John’s humility – it’s real. He has come to grips with who he really is in relation to Jesus. A humble man is not afraid to admit it. Such a man admits openly, “I must go on decreasing. He must go on increasing.”

AUTHOR: D. Stuart Briscoe from WHAT IT MEANS TO BE REAL. Copyright 1988 by D. Stuart Briscoe. Published by Word, Inc. Taken from Men’s Devotional Bible New International Version Page 1132. Copyright 1993 by Zondervan Publishing House.