"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."
~Pericles
How will you be remembered when you leave this earth? We do not hear much preaching and teaching on the four last things any longer--death, judgment, heaven, and hell. If we speak about the hard subjects people will frequently label the preacher as a person with a "fire and brimstone" style of preaching. Thus, I think church leadership has a tendency to shy away from teaching the more challenging aspects of living a moral life in tune with God's commandments. We seem to speak more of God's mercy rather than God's justice. While I am continually seeking God's mercy, I also ask for grace that I may more fully live my life in union with God. I don't want to use God's mercy as a license to live an immoral life.
The words of Sacred Scripture remind me that Jesus called people out at times. His reference to certain individuals as a "brood of vipers" or "whitewashed tombs" immediately comes to mind. Turning over the money changers tables reveals another side of Jesus. What gives us the impression that we can live any way we want and there will be no consequences?
The four last things still exist--death, judgment, heaven, and hell. When was the last time you you meditated on these realities?
~Pericles
How will you be remembered when you leave this earth? We do not hear much preaching and teaching on the four last things any longer--death, judgment, heaven, and hell. If we speak about the hard subjects people will frequently label the preacher as a person with a "fire and brimstone" style of preaching. Thus, I think church leadership has a tendency to shy away from teaching the more challenging aspects of living a moral life in tune with God's commandments. We seem to speak more of God's mercy rather than God's justice. While I am continually seeking God's mercy, I also ask for grace that I may more fully live my life in union with God. I don't want to use God's mercy as a license to live an immoral life.
The words of Sacred Scripture remind me that Jesus called people out at times. His reference to certain individuals as a "brood of vipers" or "whitewashed tombs" immediately comes to mind. Turning over the money changers tables reveals another side of Jesus. What gives us the impression that we can live any way we want and there will be no consequences?
The four last things still exist--death, judgment, heaven, and hell. When was the last time you you meditated on these realities?
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