The Roman Character: Let this determine what you do and say and think

NO ONE EVER SAID THAT life is fair.

As for you, do you gain strength from Nietzsche's adage ’that what does not kill you makes you stronger’ ? Or do you put your fists in the pocket and boil for the next hour, or days?

If you want to master this day, understand from those that have been and predict those to come.

Do external things distract you? Then make time for yourself to learn something worthwhile; stop letting yourself be pulled in all directions. Remember how long you’ve been putting this off, how many times you have given way to confusion. At some point you have to recognize what world you belong to; what powers rule it and from what source you are made of. There is a limit to the time assigned to you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself, it will be gone and will never return. Everyone gets ONE life. Let that determine what you do and say and think.

Ignoring what goes on in other people’s soul – did anybody ever come to grief that way? No. But if you won’t keep track of what goes on in your mind and what your own soul is doing – how can you not be unhappy.

Concentrate every minute – on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine conviction - tenderly, willingly, with justice. Yes you can – if you focus and do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life. Stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you – stop being hypocritical, self-centred and irritable.

Then you see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life.

 

The Roman Character: Firm and Righteous Will

The Romans were bound up with the duty laid upon househould and state. Here is to be found the root of that sense of duty which marked the Roman at his best. It might have made him unintersting, but he could become a martyr for an ideal. He did not argue about what was honourable or just; his notions were traditional and instinctive and they were held with an almost religious tenacity. Thus the Roman was hard.

The man of firm and righteous will,

No rabble clamorous for the wrong,

No tyrant's brow, whose frown may kill,

Can shake the strengths that makes him strong

Romans had no sacred writings beyond the formula of prayer; there was no myth-made morality to be undone. The individual's purpose was to establish right relations with the gods, not to speculate about their nature.

The Roman attitude was always the same - Tolerance, provided that no harm was done to public morals and that no attack was made upon the state.

Salvation

IS IT POSSIBLE TO DISCUSS the price of salvation? Is it appropriate to ask whether salvation is a cheap or valuable thing?

In no way is a person believing in Jesus Christ unaware that saving his (or her) soul has required more, been more expensive than any other thing. To God, saving your soul certainly was not cheap. Heaven gave his best, Christ – who by no deed nor thought made himself guilty of sin.

But can we follow Christ without paying a price? Is not Christianity specifically that we can throw us in the goodness of God, and Christ who has done all for us.Why should we talk about something that we have to do - is not all done for us by Christ who died for our sins on the cross?  Can we not only receive his goodness – be thankful and feel blessed? Yes. Yes, indeed we can only do this. When talking about receiving salvation; being saved. This is the foundation. You cannot take any of your pennies nor any deed and by that increase any value for yourself. You can only receive salvation by the grace of God. Period.

However, there are 3 challenges to those who, after being saved - wish to follow the path of Christ and apply their belief in daily life. Heaven expects that you do something, that you don't only receive - but also give. Yes, when you have a foundation in Christ the words ‘have to’ and ‘must’ cannot be left out from your life … (to be continued).

 

Photo by Bruno Martins

 

Christianity is proclaiming the good news. Then why are so many Christians unhappy?

Why it is important to face this question is because we are living in a pragmatic age. People of today are less interested in truth, and more in results. And they ask - does Christianity work?

Well. Does it?

Many say of Christian people: 'Look at Christian people, look at the impression they give. They look so unhappy and troubled and downcast. They have written on their forehead - I'm not good enough'. All this while the people of the world are excited and thrilled about football matches, museums and culture - and they sure want everybody to know it!

There is no doubt that this 'display of unhappiness' by Christians is a big reason why large numbers of people have stopped to be interested in Christianity - and let's honestly admit that there is some justification in their claims. Christians too often give the appearance of unhappiness and of lack of freedom and abscence of joy.

There are large numbers of these Christians, or more specifically - miserable Christians, in this unhappy situation. Their Christian life seems to them be a constant problem, they read books, attend conferences which are meant to give instruction about the Christian way of life - yet they always seek this something which they don't find and seem to live a life of defeat. Astonishingly, most of them have a clear perception of the Christian faith, and here is often the problem. They often focus more on the question of sanctification and being righteous and doing good works - than justification. They have assumed they are on the right tracks and have forgotten or ignored about the basics of salvation and justification. The question they need to ask is 'Do I know God' not 'Do I believe in God'. 'Is Jesus Christ real to me' not 'Do I believe in Him'.

The best remedy for overcoming doubts, discouragements, regrets and fear for the future is learning to live the Christian life wholeheartedly. This is of course not easy. It is not an act of righteousness. This demands that you take time to explore whether you are humble or just play a game of appearing righteous! No, this is not in fashion today with all the social media hype about appearing so cool, right?! We are all in such a hurry to congratulate ourselves - and, we have to have everything at once. We also think that all truth can be stated in a few minutes, all questions answered immediately without contemplation. The answer to that is that it cannot, and so the reason why so many today are living superficial Christian lives is because they will not take time to examine themselves. Before we face anybody else, we must really face ourselves.

Conviction of sin: If you have not a conviction of sin, and if you do not realize that you are unworthy before God, and that you are utterly condemned and a complete failure before God - pay attention to nothing else until you have it, until you understand this because you will never get rid of your depression until you are right about that.

In other words: It does not matter if you have nearly entered within the gates of hell, if you are guilty of murder as well as every other wicked sin, it does not matter from the point of being justified with God. Because you are no more hopeless than the most respectable self-righteous person in the world!

Do you wish to be rid of your spiritual unhappiness? Then say farewell now once and forever to your past. Realize that it has been covered by Christ. By his blood to be more specific. What you need now is not to make resolutions to live a more holy life, to start fasting and sweating and praying. No, you just need to begin saying ... 'I rest my faith on Him alone'.

Therefore the conclusion is that a man is justified by faith without deeds of the Law.

 

Photo by Steven Kamps

How the redbreast got its colour.

"But little by little he gained courage, flew close to him, and drew with his little bill a thorn that had become imbedded in the brow of the Crucified One. And as he did this there fell on his breast a drop of blood from the face of the Crucified One;—it spread quickly and floated out and colored all the little fine breast feathers.

"Then the Crucified One opened his lips and whispered to the bird: "Because of thy compassion, thou hast won all that thy kind have been striving after, ever since the world was created."

As soon as the bird had returned to his nest his young ones cried to him: "Thy breast is red! Thy breast feathers are redder than the roses!"

"It is only a drop of blood from the poor man's forehead," said the bird; "it will vanish as soon as I bathe in a pool or a clear well."

But no matter how much the little bird bathed, the red color did not vanish—and when his little young ones grew up, the blood-red color shone also on their breast feathers, just as it shines on every Robin Redbreast's throat and breast until this very day."

Christ Legends, by Selma Lagerlöf

 

Photo by Luca Huter