Mark 1:22; “they were astounded at his teaching, for he taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
It seems that many of us, me included, chafe some when confronted with authority. Yet, when that authority is accompanied by love, we can respond with both joy and peace. Today I want to share what a few others have to say about the relationship with trust, authority and response.
James Finley: “Like the birth of a baby or the opening of a rose, the birth of the true self takes place in God’s time. We must wait for God, we must be awake; we must trust in his hidden action within us.”
Carl G. Jung: “We seldom get rid of an evil merely by understanding its causes…and for all our insight, obstinate habits do not disappear until replaced by other habits.”
W. H. Auden: “The distresses of choice are our chance to be blessed.”
William Law: “The creature has nothing else in its power but the free use of its will, and its free will hath no other power but that of concurring with, or resisting, the working of God in nature.”
H. A. Williams, on repentance: “…real repentance: a fundamental change in our whole outlook and attitude, a radical reorientation of our lives, a new beginning which is like being born again.”
Carlo Carretto: “The revelation of a triune God in the unity of a single nature, the revelation of a divine Holy Spirit present in us, is not on the human level; it does not belong to the realm of reason. It is a personal communication which God alone can give, and the task of giving it belongs to the Holy Spirit, who is the same love which unites the Father and the Son.
The Holy Spirit is the fullness and joy of God.”
Jesus speaks with authority blended with eternal love. Can we accept that our best response is to only trust him, trust him now?
Hymn: 337 v. 3
Yes, Jesus is the truth,
the way that leads you into rest;
believe in him without delay,
and you are fully blest.
Almighty God, whose word is authority and power and whose way is love, grant us today clear minds, understanding hearts, and willing spirits so that we may wisely appropriate your word of truth. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.
Pastor David Brosnan
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