Thursday, June 08, 2006

It's been a while since we've thrown a Life Together quote into the mix. Here's a thought-provoking one. What's your reaction?


He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions my be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, page 27

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"HIs dream..." big clue.

Nothing worse than a man who thinks He is right. JUDGES...every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Anonymous said...

We are sinners. If Christ is not first we screw up the most honorable thing that we want to accomplish.

Anonymous said...

If we love Jesus the most, we can love the other things (or people etc) more than we would if we love those other things the most!

Anonymous said...

The quote speaks to me in a little different way...

It makes me question whether I am living my life planning for the future, regreting the past or celebrating the now.

Let the little children come unto me for such is the kingdon of heaven.

Yes, what a joy it must be to live in the now and let Jesus take care of the rest.

Just a pipe dream, I know.

Suzette said...

This quote reminds me of the book I have been reading. John Piper's "A Hunger for God". The first half was really difficult for me, but the second half has been really great. I have yet to fast one whole day of course.

Any way he likes Isaiah 58 as a different kind of fasting(other than food). Isaiah 58:6 "Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?"

"The point here is this: let us live to free people, not to burden them."

So to me this means that if I get an ideal in my mind and insist on other people meeting my expectations I will be burdening them, not setting them free. God meets me right where I am and accepts me. If I want to show His love to the world I need to do the same thing. Meet other people right where they are. Instead of trying to be perfect or pretending to be perfect I need to invite God into the broken places in my life and let Him work in me.

I have found that doing that is quite a challenge.