A Gem from the Large Catechism
For this reason, no person should undertake to receive or to present any thing, unless it be commanded of God, that it be acknowledged as his gift, and thanks returned to him for it, as this commandment requires. These media, therefore, for the reception of benefits through the creatures, are not to be rejected; nor should other ways and means than those which God has commanded, be sought through presumption; for this is not receiving from God, but seeking from one's self.
The media through which God delivers His gifts are God's own creatures; they are the means by which God delivers every good thing to us. (This brings to mind a joke about a fellow who sat on a roof top during a flood, rejecting the aid of a boat, a helicopter, and something else as he waited for "divine intervention" to rescue him. On second thought, maybe this was someone's sermon illustration?)
And on the flip side, good things should not be sought except through such means as God has provided and where God has directed and commanded us to look for them. God is the giver of every good thing. If we look for good things elsewhere, we fall into the same trap that Adam and Eve fell into in the Garden of Eden.
2 comments:
Glad to see you back, Fr. Higgins! Where have you been?
Among other places, I've been losing weight at Sparkpeople.com. I'm down 60 lbs from where I started between the end of February and today.
I have also been somewhat occupied with thoughts about a project involving the Book of Concord that I'm presently working on... Details will come in the months to follow.
Other than that, I really have no excuse for my absence (outside of the typical crazy life that a parish pastor leads).
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