life-style and death-style
“Stop worrying, then, over questions like, ‘What are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?’ ” —Matthew 6:31
Because many of us are so affluent, we don’t worry about food, drink, or clothes. Instead we worry about retirement, inflation, and investments. We are more like Solomon than like the “lilies of the fields” (see Mt 6:28-29). Trusting in the Lord as the birds do is “for the birds,” as far as we’re concerned (see Mt 6:26).
Because of our self-seeking, pleasure-seeking lifestyle, we regard the Bible and especially the Sermon on the Mount as archaic and impractical. Our lifestyle is putting us out of touch with God’s Word and God Himself, and therefore putting us out of touch with reality. We are following in the footsteps of the Esaus and Judases of all times who tried to gain their lives and thereby lost them (Lk 9:24), selling our birthright for a petty pleasure (see Gn 25:33-34) or even for thirty pieces of silver (see Mt 26:15). We refuse to admit our sin, because we are blinded by the god of the present age (2 Cor 4:4). Our lifestyle has become our death-style.
“I declare and solemnly attest in the Lord that you must no longer live as the pagans do” (Eph 4:17). “You have devoted enough time to what the pagans enjoy” (1 Pt 4:3).
Prayer: Father, may I have no love for the worldly lifestyle that ignores You (1 Jn 2:15). May I love You with all my heart.
Promise: “For when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.” —2 Cor 12:10
Praise: After seeing his father kill a man in a duel, St. Romuald turned his back on a life of worldliness to enter a monastery and eventually started other monasteries.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Living in Reality, order, view or download our book or order, listen to, or download our four-part CD series beginning with CD 38-1 or our two-part DVD series beginning with DVD 38 on our website.)
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