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God is always previous, God is always there first, and if you have any desire for God, and for the things of God, it is God himself who put it there.
- A. W. Tozer
(Could that be why you’re reading Daily Spiritual Seed today?)
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1 SM 15:16-23; PS 50:8-9, 16BC-17, 21 AND 23
MK 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
"Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them,
"Can the wedding guests fast while
the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are
ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
"Fight against them until you have
exterminated them." —1 Samuel 15:18
Saul, king of Israel, was ordered by the prophet Samuel to put the Amalekites "under the ban" (1 Sm 15:3). This meant that Saul was to kill every Amalekite person and animal. In the light of Christ and His new covenant, we no longer think in terms of solving problems by committing genocide. However, the concept of putting things "under the ban"
is important in our Christian discipleship. In putting something under the ban, you fight it until you "get it all," as a doctor would fight against cancer. Likewise, we are to put Satan and sin under the ban.
We cannot presume that we can handle "a little bit of cancer." If we are satisfied getting rid of 90% of the cancer in our body, we are mistaken. The cancer will grow back if we let it keep a
foothold. The presence of sin in our lives is the same. We are to "fight against it until we have exterminated it" (see 1 Sm 15:18).
The Spirit fights against sin and the flesh and the devil (Gal 5:17). Therefore, a major part of this fight is to receive the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22) and let the Spirit take control of our entire life. We put off the old flesh, the old lifestyle, represented by the old
wineskin (Mk 2:22) and let Jesus make all things new, fresh, and healed. Put your old lifestyle under the ban. Let the Spirit recreate you in Jesus (2 Cor 5:17).
Prayer: Father, may I no longer allow the things of the world to have any influence in my life. I am all Yours.
Promise: "He that offers
praise as
a sacrifice glorifies Me; and to Him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God." —Ps 50:23
Presentation Ministries
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What is Christian Love? - Reprinted from Freedom from Codependency, by Philip St. Romain In this mini-series, I will be contrasting Christian love (agape) with the kind of giving characterized in codependent relationships. We're probably all a little codependent--looking to others for a sense of approval and worth--and it's likely that our understanding of God and
love has been affected by this conditioning. I hope you will find it so.
Let us begin, then, by noting that Christianity has much to say about love. In fact, the essence of our religion is love. As 1 John 4:16 puts it, “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” Jesus teaches
that love of God, neighbor, and self fulfills the law and the prophets. (See Matthew 7:12.) In an ideal world, the Church would be a community in which recovering codependents could learn about healthy love. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. One of the saddest things I have seen through the years is the disappointment many recovering codependents find in the Church. Some have gone so far as to tell me that the Church actually teaches codependency. In
Co-Dependence: Misunderstood-Mistreated, Anne Wilson Schaef writes, "The dishonesty in the church is perhaps the most devastating institutionalization of dishonesty in our society, because it takes place within the realm of the spirit — the very essence of our being. The church teaches so many forms of dishonesty that I find it difficult to know where to start." She then goes on to give examples of narrow-minded teachings concerning God and relationships. While I agree with
Schaef and others that many distortions about love are propounded from Christian pulpits and classrooms, I maintain that the true Christian teachings about love lead to healthy relationships. This series will explore the differences between sick love, or codependency, and healthy Christian love.
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