Sunday, December 29, 2019

Chapter 6 "Problem of Sin" and Drama In Madrid : Lack of Wisdom and Lack of Attention to Details

Our family is in Madrid, enjoying worderrful culture and weather. 
Except for a detail: I forgot to cancel an InterContinetal Hotel Booking, totaling $2043.

Now I prayed for redemptionn, a partial refund of $1000.00. I am responsible for the first night, due to no-show. God please rescue my lack of wisdom.

Hopefully, the drama of such "absurdity" serves to do me good: remember Tracy said I don't take God's calling serious enough? Taking things serious means dive in and stay with the details of ups and downs. 

Chapter 6 of the Maturity Book focuses on "The Problem of Sin". 

in my case, a sin of ommision.
Introduction of Chapter 6:

New Christians, for instance with Ellel, are often encouraged to take heart of memory verses that cover:

  1. Forgiveness
  2. Assurance
  3. Guidance
  4. Coseration
  5. Obedience
  6. Turnning away from sin wheever and wheneer it sufaces in my life

How to keep my way pure and free from sin?


God provides a veariety of instruments to bring me to maturity:

  1. The word of God
  2. The indewellinng presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit
  3. The preaching and teaching of Scripture
  4. The various ministries of the fellowship of Christians
  5. The privilege of prayers
  6. The blessings of worship
  7. The service I render to the world in evangelism and compassion
Shuyi is quite alighned with Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)'s writing:
Sow a thought and you reap an action;Sow an act and you reap a habit;Sow a habit and you reap a characterr;Sow a character and reap a destiny.


But my innner world is more aligned with Augustine:
At a later stage in his life, Augustine wrote about his continuing sinfulness: 
I have become a puzzle to myself: he was simply repeating the crri de coeur that he read in Paul: "Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Rom 7:24)
My experiences have been rather too frequent: 
How can I keep my heart and hands clean in a polluted world? For instance free from masturbation and erotic thoughts





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