I read a few chapters today of The Ragamuffin Gospel and passage after passage just blew me away. Let me share with you some passages from the chapter entitled "Freedom From Fear". I make a few notes, but I want you to really read these lines and ruminate on them and what thoughts they stir up in you.
"The question has not become 'What does Jesus say?' but 'What does the church say?' This question is still being asked today." (pg. 141)
While I trust that my church makes an active effort to make sure its teachings/attitude/etc are based on God's word, I do think this is an important distinction for people to make.
"The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of freedom. Jesus invites and challenges us to enter this kingdom, to walk the royal road to freedom, to be set free by the Father's love. He calls ragamuffins everywhere to freedom from the fear of death, freedom from the fear of life, and freedom from anxiety over our salvation." (pg. 141-142)
"We accept grace in theory but deny it in practice. Living by grace rather than law leads us out of the house of fear into the house of love. 'In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love' (1 John 4:18)." (pg. 142)
This is definitely one of the most difficult issues for me. As a person plagued by anxiety, paranoia, and several different phobias, I live in a world of fear. I'm constantly stressed and anxious and questioning, "What if?" The problem is, I don't know how to stop. I don't know how to overcome this. It is something that I cannot do on my own; I need Him to help me. But I wonder.. is my paranoia and anxiety keeping me from letting God take those very things away?
"Home is not a heavenly mansion in the afterlife but a safe place right in the midst of our anxious world." (pg. 143)
"Home is that sacred space--external or internal--where we don't have to be afraid; where we are confident of hospitality and love. In our society we have many homeless people sleeping not only on the streets, in shelters or in welfare hotels, but vagabonds who are in flight, who never come home to themselves. They seek a safe place through alcohol or drugs, or security in success, competence, friends, pleasures, notoriety, knowledge, or even a little religion. They have become strangers to themselves, people who have an address but are never at home, who never hear the voice of love or experience the freedom of God's children." (pg. 143)
I seek safety in other things, things that cannot give me what I want. I want to have more than an address--I want to come HOME. (Is it weird that now I have the chorus from P. Diddy's "I'm Coming Home" now stuck in my head? I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world that I'm coming home, let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes, I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world that I'm coming)
"Freedom in Christ produces a healthy independence from peer pressure, people-pleasing, and the bondage of human respect. The tyranny of public opinion can manipulate our lives." (pg. 146)
"In Christ Jesus freedom from fear empowers us to let go of the desire to appear good, so that we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are." (pg. 147)
"Living by grace inspires a growing consciousness that I am what I am in the sight of Jesus and nothing more. It is His approval that counts." (pg. 149)
I know all of these things. But it's hard to put it into action. Especially when I am such a people-pleaser...
This following passage on prayer was a REAL comfort to me. I think it's a really good analogy and I hope it can be of comfort to you too:
Brennan states on page 150 that "A little child cannot do a bad coloring; nor can a child of God do bad prayer." He then follows that up with a quote from pages 68 through 69 of Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form by M. Basil Pennington: "A father is delighted when his little one, leaving off her toys and friends, runs to him and climbs into his arms. As he holds his little one close to him, he cares little whether the child is looking around, her attention flitting from one thing to another, or just settling down to sleep. Essentially the child is choosing to be with her father, confident of the love, the care, the security that is hers in those arms. Our prayer is much like that. We settle down in our Father's arms, in his loving hands. Our mind, our thoughts, our imagination may flit about here and there; we might even fall asleep; but essentially we are choosing for this time to remain intimately with our Father, giving ourselves to him, receiving his love and care, letting him enjoy us as he will. It is very simple prayer. It is very childlike prayer. It is prayer that opens us out to all the delights of the kingdom."
"Jesus' tenderness is not in any way determined by how we pray or what we are or do. In order to free us for compassion towards other, Jesus calls us to accept His compassion in our own lives, to become gentle, caring, compassionate, and forgiving ourselves in our failure and need." (pg. 150)
Note: All quoted material in this post are from Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel, published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc. I'm not sure what the rules are on how much you can quote from someone else's literary property, so please let me know if I need to take some passages down. Thank you.
"The question has not become 'What does Jesus say?' but 'What does the church say?' This question is still being asked today." (pg. 141)
While I trust that my church makes an active effort to make sure its teachings/attitude/etc are based on God's word, I do think this is an important distinction for people to make.
"The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of freedom. Jesus invites and challenges us to enter this kingdom, to walk the royal road to freedom, to be set free by the Father's love. He calls ragamuffins everywhere to freedom from the fear of death, freedom from the fear of life, and freedom from anxiety over our salvation." (pg. 141-142)
"We accept grace in theory but deny it in practice. Living by grace rather than law leads us out of the house of fear into the house of love. 'In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love' (1 John 4:18)." (pg. 142)
This is definitely one of the most difficult issues for me. As a person plagued by anxiety, paranoia, and several different phobias, I live in a world of fear. I'm constantly stressed and anxious and questioning, "What if?" The problem is, I don't know how to stop. I don't know how to overcome this. It is something that I cannot do on my own; I need Him to help me. But I wonder.. is my paranoia and anxiety keeping me from letting God take those very things away?
"Home is not a heavenly mansion in the afterlife but a safe place right in the midst of our anxious world." (pg. 143)
"Home is that sacred space--external or internal--where we don't have to be afraid; where we are confident of hospitality and love. In our society we have many homeless people sleeping not only on the streets, in shelters or in welfare hotels, but vagabonds who are in flight, who never come home to themselves. They seek a safe place through alcohol or drugs, or security in success, competence, friends, pleasures, notoriety, knowledge, or even a little religion. They have become strangers to themselves, people who have an address but are never at home, who never hear the voice of love or experience the freedom of God's children." (pg. 143)
I seek safety in other things, things that cannot give me what I want. I want to have more than an address--I want to come HOME. (Is it weird that now I have the chorus from P. Diddy's "I'm Coming Home" now stuck in my head? I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world that I'm coming home, let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes, I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world that I'm coming)
"Freedom in Christ produces a healthy independence from peer pressure, people-pleasing, and the bondage of human respect. The tyranny of public opinion can manipulate our lives." (pg. 146)
"In Christ Jesus freedom from fear empowers us to let go of the desire to appear good, so that we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are." (pg. 147)
"Living by grace inspires a growing consciousness that I am what I am in the sight of Jesus and nothing more. It is His approval that counts." (pg. 149)
I know all of these things. But it's hard to put it into action. Especially when I am such a people-pleaser...
This following passage on prayer was a REAL comfort to me. I think it's a really good analogy and I hope it can be of comfort to you too:
Brennan states on page 150 that "A little child cannot do a bad coloring; nor can a child of God do bad prayer." He then follows that up with a quote from pages 68 through 69 of Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form by M. Basil Pennington: "A father is delighted when his little one, leaving off her toys and friends, runs to him and climbs into his arms. As he holds his little one close to him, he cares little whether the child is looking around, her attention flitting from one thing to another, or just settling down to sleep. Essentially the child is choosing to be with her father, confident of the love, the care, the security that is hers in those arms. Our prayer is much like that. We settle down in our Father's arms, in his loving hands. Our mind, our thoughts, our imagination may flit about here and there; we might even fall asleep; but essentially we are choosing for this time to remain intimately with our Father, giving ourselves to him, receiving his love and care, letting him enjoy us as he will. It is very simple prayer. It is very childlike prayer. It is prayer that opens us out to all the delights of the kingdom."
"Jesus' tenderness is not in any way determined by how we pray or what we are or do. In order to free us for compassion towards other, Jesus calls us to accept His compassion in our own lives, to become gentle, caring, compassionate, and forgiving ourselves in our failure and need." (pg. 150)
Note: All quoted material in this post are from Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel, published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc. I'm not sure what the rules are on how much you can quote from someone else's literary property, so please let me know if I need to take some passages down. Thank you.
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