Devotional/Discussion Thought of the Day:
¹⁵  You haven’t received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God’s adopted children by which we call out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷  If we are his children, we are also God’s heirs. If we share in Christ’s suffering in order to share his glory, we are heirs together with him. Romans 8:15-17 (GW)

Do not forget: anyone who does not realize that he is a child of God is unaware of the deepest truth about himself. When he acts, he lacks the dominion and self-mastery we find in those who love our Lord above all else. (1)

“The unexamined life is not worth living”  (attributed to Socrates)

One of my favorite authors back in my collegiate days was Peter Kreeft.  He had a couple of books that portrayed the average college student, questing after the best things in life. Socrates would show up on campus, and through some strategically asked questions, the person would find their quest changing, and what they would see is that they needed God.

They needed to see reality from His perspective.  By asking themselves the questions that Socrates put forth, they realized how twisted life becomes, and how what we desire, isn’t what we desire.

The questions weren’t easy to face; The same questions we need to face, the questions that aren’t easy, either.

Will we face them?  Especially as we put our views out on FB as if we were had the knowledge of Einstein, or the Wisdom of Pope Francis, or the power of a president or a king?  FB is the place that empowers us to put whatever we want out for the world to read. We might even think that it happens without consequence. We will use the power of FB and Twitter to announce that we are gods?  That we have the authority to determine what is right, no matter what God says.  That we have the authority to condemn those who are evil, not according to scripture, but because we think they are.  We may be the conservative calling those who sin differently to repentance, we might be the liberal condemning those who don’t see things our way, and throwing away our religion.  Will we continue to defend our divinity, and deny it to those unlike us?

Or will we, in humble awe, with incredible adoration, realize that God has desired, made possible, and re-created us to be the children of God?

Examining our life, asking the questions that Socrates would ask, guiding us into what is real, what is important, brings us to a shocking reality.

That we aren’t gods, but that we desperately need a God, who cares, who loves, who heals, who guides and empowers us.  A God who instructs us how to love, not just by laying down the guidelines, but is the example of that perfect life.

The deepest truth?  Yeah – we were sinners, we still struggle incredibly with sin. If we say, we don’t, we lie, and accuse God of being a liar.  But the deepest truth is that He will make sinners saints, and is doing so now.

We have to realize that God neither approves of our sin.  That like the women caught in adultery, His words are, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” Rather Jesus gives us repentance as He reconciles us to Him, helping us to endure, and healing us of the sin’s damage, and restoring us to life.

That is who we are, the children of God, the friends of Christ.

to base our lives on any other identity, is to fail to examine our life, and is to live life as a lie.

(1)  Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). Friends of God (Kindle Locations 619-621). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.