Devotion
Seek evil, find evil. Seek good, find good.
David Jacobs
No matter how far we may walk off the path of righteousness, God still keeps us near. My friend's son got involved with a very bad crowd. He was squatting in empty houses, doing and selling drugs, in and out of prison, and not working at all. In middle school, he was a sweet boy, great at sports and music, a good student, and beloved by parents. It was hard to even recognize who he had become, and it was hard to even reach out to help him because of how heartbroken it left us.
One pastor from the church was made aware of his situation and knew him like a brother, reaching out to him. He refused. The pastor asked again and was refused. And again. And so on and so on until finally the boy relented, came to the church, and wept as soon as he entered the sanctuary. His entire family and his friends had gathered there to support him, and the show of love took the evil spirit out of him and changed him that day.
One might think that the boy was walking with the devil, on the path to damnation, but that is not how I view it. Even if you choose to love evil and hate that is good, God is patiently waiting for you. God does not abandon his flock, he will never reject his people (Psalms 94:14).He is always there, no matter how far we may stray.
Another thing to take away from these verses is this: if you seek evil, you will find it.
Prayer
If you seek good, you will find it. God allows us to make the choice, but He is watching and waiting, for us to choose Him.
Devotion
Culpability
Frances Taylor
This is an interesting passage because, among other things, it talks about sin and who is considered guilty of sin. Paul is talking about how he has been forgiven, how God has been merciful to him because his actions were committed in unbelief. In order for sin to be committed, one needs to know he is committing it. No one can commit sin in retrospect. Sin is always a deliberate act. This can be hard for some to understand. Actions can be considered sinful, even though the person committing them may not be culpable. For example, lying is a sin. However, is the two year old hiding behind the curtains sinning when he or she claims not to have broken the vase? No, because the child has no understanding of the difference between truth and lie. Those who do not have a relationship with God, who do not know the commandments, who have never heard of Jesus, may commit sinful actions, but are not guilty of sin. This is what Paul claims is his situation. Paul ...
Morning Prayer
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, ) full of grace and truth.
Inspiration
When the Lord sent his only Son, he sent also his word. For his body was this very word made flesh. Importantly this was not simply a manifestation of God's word, but also rather an 'animation' of it (meant here in the original Latin as 'animare' –'to instill with life or spirit'), an instance of God's love and divine grace in action, among us.
Prayer
Lord, I am grateful for your mercy in showing us your word made flesh so that we may be redeemed. Further, I am grateful to you for showing us your love and grace through your only begotten son. Let his body not have been torn and broken for no avail, but feed us now in the Eucharist. Let not his blood have...
