Posts Tagged ‘charity’
Automatic Christianity
I just don’t get it. Why is it I meet so many people that think ‘just because’ they were baptized that means they are Christians and will be saved. It is as if baptism is some sort of magic pill that guarantees entrance to heaven. Others think, “I believe in Jesus. That’s enough.” Then there…
Read MoreCreated for Good Works
One of my least favorite sayings is, “God has a plan for you.” It makes it sound as if we have no free will in the relationship. It makes it sound like we have ‘only one thing’ to accomplish in this life. It is true that God has a plan for us, but the plan…
Read MoreEpisode 417 – Learning to Love
When Christ was asked which law was the most important, He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these…
Read MoreFreely Give
As Americans we are raised to believe ‘we are worth’ our effort. Sayings such as ‘an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay,’ fill our conscience. We also say, ‘nothing is free’ to further convince each other that we deserve the pay we receive. What if I told you there was a better way?…
Read MoreThe Church Mission
It has become vogue to talk about Church as a family. It is a family, but being a family is not the Church’s mission. It is not the mission of any family to keep to itself, but many churches do just that. We live as if our Church is ‘just’ for our entertainment. It is…
Read MoreHeaven is for You
As humans we are so preoccupied with getting into heaven, we forget that we can’t ‘do anything’ to get in. We can only prepare ourselves to accept what God has already done for us in the first place. A life of prayer, fasting and taking care of the poor isn’t about getting ‘in’, it is…
Read MorePractice Endurance
Do you have what it takes to be a Christian in the 21st Century? Every news report seems to include stories about moral struggles that are at odds with our Christian way of thinking. It seems like we are quickly returning to a time when the Church will be considered the enemy rather than sin.…
Read MoreWorks follow Faith
We’ve heard it before. “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2.20) As Orthodox Christians we are challenged all the time by our friends that works will not save us. Of course, what they mean is that fasting and prostrations won’t save us. They’re right, but not because they’re right. Fasting and prostrations are not works…
Read MoreLoving God
We say we will do anything for the ones we love. History is filled with dramatic love stories, many of which end in tragedy. We don’t mind the tragedy because it represents love. We like to imagine that we would endure tragedy for the ones we love. When push comes to shove, it is true…
Read MoreWatch Your Roots
Whether we are ‘born’ into the Church or come to the Church later in life, one thing remains constant. We must have faith deep enough to hold us up against the battles with Satan and his angels. Our lives are spent on Earth, faced daily with temptations and burdens. Shallow faith is not enough to…
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