God is constantly inviting us to welcome Him into our hearts. At times God gives us pleasure: at these moments, we are to thank God for how He nourishes us. At other times God tries us, and tests us through difficulties: at such junctures, we are to thank God that He is strengthening us. At such times, we are to petition God that He help us to weather what we are enduring. In any event, no matter what our circumstances, we are to thank God, aware that God loves us immeasurably. As we welcome the love of God into our hearts,* we see the love we want there to be in the world. Thus conscious that all we receive provides occasions to be grateful to God, we come to appreciate the value of both delights as well as pains.
Here in this country so often we are given numerous material blessings. In this way we have constant opportunities to thank God. Through so many avenues I have witnessed the generous loving care of God, including through substantial amounts of food which caring people donate.
Occasionally I've gotten calls from a certain supermarket, telling us that they had a lot of food to donate to us. Amongst the food they gave to us, we received some particularly delectable desserts.
Both a certain homeless friend of mine and I are fond of sweets in general, and also this one particular dessert. So both she and I enjoyed this one certain dessert.
Weeks after I'd picked up one of those large donations of food and we'd enjoyed some of those especially delicious desserts, my friend asked me, "Hey, you haven't gotten any more of that kind of dessert, have you?"
I replied, "No, we haven't gotten any more of those. We don't usually come across those."
Ever since she asked for more of those particular desserts, from time to time I think of how her request reflects how we live in such a state of abundance in this country. I've thought that if, as a homeless woman, and as a man who survives mostly on food donations, we can not only get all the sweets we want, but can express our preferences for types of desserts, it's a good reflection of how incredibly God blesses us with material benefits here in this country.
Being incredibly blessed, we are called to give thanks to God always** for these material blessings. God can draw us closer to Him by doting upon us. We can be sanctified through comforts, we can be purified in our relationship with God due to luxuries, if such blessings lead us to thank God more fervently and more often than we have been thanking Him.
Some people complain that there are many poor people who greatly suffer. They demand how God can exist when such suffering is felt. As we become increasingly desperate, we are presented with ever more precious opportunities to grow closer to God by depending ever more upon Him. When we are faced with hardship, we are presented with a chance to call upon God to help us. If we respond to adversity by praying to God to give us grace and strength, through an ordeal we can be sanctified, and our relationship with God can be deepened.
Here in this country so often we are bountifully blessed by God with numerous material benefits. We can become complacent in our acceptance of such blessings from God. We can get used to not expressing our gratitude to God for how generously He blesses us. If we start to take for granted copious blessings from God, and thus show a lack of gratitude to God, we come to resent trials and tribulations when they befall us, instead of recognizing them as the loving invitations from God that they are.
When we come to realize that God is love,*** we come to see that God is always inviting us to welcome Him into our hearts. Once we recognize that since God is infinite, and thus that God loves infinitely, we come to see that God works all for the good of those who love Him.**** As we open our hearts to all that God presents to us, we realize that God intends everything in our lives for our benefit.
By thus coming to trust in God and have faith in Him, we open our hearts to His love. In welcoming God's love, we come to be channels of His love. In time we can bring peace to our neighbor, by helping to show to our neighbor through our loving actions that God is loving us in every moment, in all that happens. As we welcome the will of God in our lives, and the love of God into our hearts, we become empowered to love our neighbor. With God in our hearts, we love our neighbor as ourselves, just as Jesus taught us to do.***** With God abiding in us,****** and loving through us, God gives us peace, and the world comes to be as we wish it to be.
Opening our hearts to God, we welcome God into our lives, no matter what happens. Opening our hearts to love, we love regardless of what occurs. Fully open to God, and thus completely open to love, we become love. Let us open our hearts to God, and thus to love, so that He may love our neighbor through us, and so we may become the love we wish to see in the world. Amen.
* Romans 5:5
** 1 Thessalonians 5:18
*** 1 John 4:8,16
**** Romans 8:28
***** Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14
****** John 15:7
Here in this country so often we are given numerous material blessings. In this way we have constant opportunities to thank God. Through so many avenues I have witnessed the generous loving care of God, including through substantial amounts of food which caring people donate.
Occasionally I've gotten calls from a certain supermarket, telling us that they had a lot of food to donate to us. Amongst the food they gave to us, we received some particularly delectable desserts.
Both a certain homeless friend of mine and I are fond of sweets in general, and also this one particular dessert. So both she and I enjoyed this one certain dessert.
Weeks after I'd picked up one of those large donations of food and we'd enjoyed some of those especially delicious desserts, my friend asked me, "Hey, you haven't gotten any more of that kind of dessert, have you?"
I replied, "No, we haven't gotten any more of those. We don't usually come across those."
Ever since she asked for more of those particular desserts, from time to time I think of how her request reflects how we live in such a state of abundance in this country. I've thought that if, as a homeless woman, and as a man who survives mostly on food donations, we can not only get all the sweets we want, but can express our preferences for types of desserts, it's a good reflection of how incredibly God blesses us with material benefits here in this country.
Being incredibly blessed, we are called to give thanks to God always** for these material blessings. God can draw us closer to Him by doting upon us. We can be sanctified through comforts, we can be purified in our relationship with God due to luxuries, if such blessings lead us to thank God more fervently and more often than we have been thanking Him.
Some people complain that there are many poor people who greatly suffer. They demand how God can exist when such suffering is felt. As we become increasingly desperate, we are presented with ever more precious opportunities to grow closer to God by depending ever more upon Him. When we are faced with hardship, we are presented with a chance to call upon God to help us. If we respond to adversity by praying to God to give us grace and strength, through an ordeal we can be sanctified, and our relationship with God can be deepened.
Here in this country so often we are bountifully blessed by God with numerous material benefits. We can become complacent in our acceptance of such blessings from God. We can get used to not expressing our gratitude to God for how generously He blesses us. If we start to take for granted copious blessings from God, and thus show a lack of gratitude to God, we come to resent trials and tribulations when they befall us, instead of recognizing them as the loving invitations from God that they are.
When we come to realize that God is love,*** we come to see that God is always inviting us to welcome Him into our hearts. Once we recognize that since God is infinite, and thus that God loves infinitely, we come to see that God works all for the good of those who love Him.**** As we open our hearts to all that God presents to us, we realize that God intends everything in our lives for our benefit.
By thus coming to trust in God and have faith in Him, we open our hearts to His love. In welcoming God's love, we come to be channels of His love. In time we can bring peace to our neighbor, by helping to show to our neighbor through our loving actions that God is loving us in every moment, in all that happens. As we welcome the will of God in our lives, and the love of God into our hearts, we become empowered to love our neighbor. With God in our hearts, we love our neighbor as ourselves, just as Jesus taught us to do.***** With God abiding in us,****** and loving through us, God gives us peace, and the world comes to be as we wish it to be.
Opening our hearts to God, we welcome God into our lives, no matter what happens. Opening our hearts to love, we love regardless of what occurs. Fully open to God, and thus completely open to love, we become love. Let us open our hearts to God, and thus to love, so that He may love our neighbor through us, and so we may become the love we wish to see in the world. Amen.
* Romans 5:5
** 1 Thessalonians 5:18
*** 1 John 4:8,16
**** Romans 8:28
***** Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14
****** John 15:7
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