Holy Indifference

St. Ignatius talks about living with "holy indifference." He means for us to live with faith that God is at work in our lives and desiring whatever God chooses to do in our life that will make us more like Jesus.

He writes in The Principle and Foundation these insightful thoughts and wise words.
"The goal of our life is to live with God forever. God, who loves us, gave us life. Our own response of love allows God's life to flow into us without limit. All the things in this world are gifts of God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily. As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God insofar as they help us develop as loving persons. But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and so hinder our growth toward our goal. In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God. Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God's deepening His life in me."

Remember this truth; "The Lord does not always answer prayers as expected!"

Jesus declares in John 8 verse 12 that he is the light of the world. Then to walk in the day means to walk in the light that Jesus gives, that is to walk in fellowship with him believing and obeying his words. Walking in the night is the opposite of this - not believing in him, not obeying him which means there is no spiritual life for the light which gives this light is not in you.

Rob Bell writes, "Respect people's doubts. You can't lead them to where they don't want to go."
So I need to ask myself (you need to ask yourself), "Where do I want to go?"

Augustine, another ancient Church Father, wrote, "In order that we may know how to love ourselves, an end has been established for us to which we are to refer all our actions, so that we may attain to bliss. For if we love ourselves, our one wish is to achieve blessedness. Now this end is to cling to God. Thus, if we know how to love ourselves, the commandment to love our neighbor bids us to do all we can to bring our neighbor to love God. This is the worship of God; this is true religion; this is the right kind of devotion; this is the service which is owed to God alone."

We celebrated the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation tonight. I am so grateful to know salvation by grace through faith which is God's gift and work in my life. I cling to the promise that God's grace will always be sufficient for me whatever the trial or blessing.