The Zeal of Salvation
As I read my daily reading of Praying With Saint Paul, a Catholic collection of Reflections on the Letters of the Apostle, I was struck by the verses used for Aug 8th.
“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16 ESV)
What struck me first is that this one sentence contains sixty-seven words in the English, is three verses long and spoke directly to my heart. The second thing was that it was chosen as the verse for the opening day of the Olympics and speaks of running. The last thing was that it tells us to quit complaining about the world we live in and start making a difference.
The sixty-seven words is not so important, but that fact that Paul went to such length to make a point about living a blameless life, one with the innocence of Faith and to stay without the blemishes of the world was important. We do live in a wicked and crooked world. We can not escape it, so we must make the most of it. The best way to survive in this cruel and harsh world is to live with the Light of Jesus shining brightly in every thing we do. We need to hold fast to the concept of Christian living in every way, every day.
Paul also used sports often when writing and it makes you think that he must of loved the Olympics of Greece. To use this verse as the one for the opening of the Olympics in China, a nation known for its lack of religious freedom and its oppressions, says volumes. But we must remember that China is not the only country that suppresses religion. We must be the torch bearers to the World, we must let the Light of Christ shine in us as we run in life. Paul was proud of his little group of believers.
The last important thing is the first one Paul brings up. Quit your belly-aching! We are to stop the whining and complaining and focus on living a blameless life so that no one can place guilt upon us. We are to live in the Holy Life that Christ places us in by His Grace and to work in the world of corruption and deceit. Each generation is full of evil and vile people, yet we are to stand above the fray and be strong in our faith, living wholly and completely for Christ’s good.
We are to live Holy and blameless before God and man that they can not find fault with anything that we do.
This is the message that Paul imparts to his children of faith. Put your faith into action by living the imitation of Christ in every aspect of your being.
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