DNOTS, part 5
5. Saints in a Day
. When the soul begins to enjoy the benefits of the spiritual life and then has them taken away, it becomes angry and embittered. This is the sin of spiritual wrath, the fourth capital sin, and it, too, must be purged in the dark night.
. When their delight comes to an end, these persons are very anxious and frustrated just as an infant is angry when it is taken away from its mother's breast. There is no sin in this natural disappointment, but if it is left to itself, it may become a dangerous vice.
. There are some who become angry with themselves at this point, thinking that their loss of joy is a result of something they have done or have neglected to do. They will fuss and fret and do all they can to recover this consolation. They will strive to become saints in a day. They will make all kinds of resolutions to be more spiritual, but the greater the resolution, the greater the fall.
. Their problem is that they lack the patience that waits for whatever God would give them and when God chooses to give them. They must learn spiritual meekness which will come about in the dark night.
Labels: DNOTS, General Life Issues, Theology
posted by Heather R. at 11/14/2006 10:21:00 PM
2 Comments:
lol
This is like what i went through. I've gone through it before.... almost feeling depressed.... and i kept making resoultions to myself and to god... only few of which i've fufilled. Only this previous time (which i was discussing wiht you, heather) did I start learning that something good was going to come out of it and i just had to be patient and find out what was in store for me.
(BTW Heather: Thanks for the comment on my blog. I updated it with another fun story.... but i need more time to update it with my own writing. ^.^ )
11/28/2006 10:16 PM
I have to get going to Small Group tonight, but here's kinda what the author is saying --
You know when a person first becomes saved? When they first experience Christ in their lives, they are ecstatic - riding on cloud nine. They go to Bible studies all the time, go to church all the time, get excited about worship, etc. all because they *feel* the joy of the Lord. That starts becoming their spiritual high. What might happen is that they start coming, not for God and not to really have a relationship WITH God, but to get that "high" from God. God wants more than that. God wants relationship, not co-dependency from believers. God wants a steady road, not drastic highs and lows for the believers.
So to do this, God may take away some "benefits" of the spiritual life to cause the person to seek an even deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him.
At least, that's my take--what do you think?
12/05/2006 7:02 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home