About Faith
Meekness
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”(Mt. 5,5)
One missionary worked on the island Jamaica which is between Northern and South America. He taught at Sunday school in which black pupils studied. Once he asked the pupils: “Whom it is possible to call gentle”?
One of boys has answered: «Gentle personis the one who gives soft answers to blunt questions». This boy told important true. We will aspire to reach such spiritual perfection always to answer softly rough and impudent questions. Meeknesscan achieve much more, than shout and abuse.
The gentleperson is a person, who doesn’t have a pride. Pride is the reason of family dissonances and quarrels, disagreements and misunderstanding in churches. It deprives of people of fellowship with God. The gentleperson is a person, who is not angry. The anger is a feeling of strong indignation, animosity, rage. “For anger resteth in the bosom of fools” (Ecc. 7,9).
The mild person is a person, who is patient. Patience keeps the love and the consent in families between husbands and wives, parents and children; between brothers and sisters on belief, friends and neighbors. The patience is that fertile soil on which many Christian virtues grow. The gentleperson is the restrained person. The restrained people are indulgent to weaknesses of others, create good and is low think of them. They with pleasure take down false charges. To be able to reconcile – means, to imitate Jesus Christ.
The gentleperson is an indulgent person. Condescension is necessary, if we want to build happy home life. Many people are lonely today, because weren't indulgent in the families, to the neighbors and friends.
And gentlepeople are people, who are always obedient to the Lord in all.
Let's be gentleChristians!
P.Shatrov
The king is not a merchant
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price”(Is. 55,1)
One sick boy couldn't anything to eat. His mother was advised to buy to the patient of grapes, but it grew only in a royal garden. It was in those days when yet there were no modern transport and consequently the fruit, growing in one place, it was impossible so quickly as now, to transport in other place. Grapes could be bought only from the king.
Poor mother took the money and went to a royal palace, but there the sentry stopped her. Fortunately, one of royal daughters passed by there. Having heard angry words of the sentry and the request of the woman, she came and asked them. The woman has told to her about her need, the princess laughed and told: «Poor, you were mistaken. My father is not a merchant, he is the king. He doesn't sell grapes, but he can only present it». Then the princess broke from a grapevine some mature brushes and gave them to the woman.
We are Christians. It is impossible to transform the house of God into the trade house. Jesus Christ – the King of kings, He is not a merchant. He gives all things for us free, instead of sells. To buy from Him anythingis not impossible! To receive it without pay – yes.
It is time to all people to return to a source and to find again salutary properties of the River of Rescue. Jesus has told to the woman at a well of Jacob: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn. 4:14). This woman was grieving about sins and disappointed, she was a symbol of all people. Her aspirations were our aspirations! Her disappointments were our disappointments! Her entreaty and sins were our entreaty and our sins! But her Savior can be our Savior, her pardon can be our pardon, and her pleasure can be our pleasure.
P.Shatrov
Search for kingdom of God.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6,33)
Once the young man found a gold coin in the street. Since then He goes with the lowered head, hoping once again to test happiness of a find.
For the long life he has really found some coins, but the trouble was that for these years he forgot to lift a sight to the fine azure sky. The sky for him was seemed nonexistent. He has died and though he was not a poor person, he has got nothing for the soul.
Millions people don't see any other purpose in the terrestrial life, except collecting perishable, earthly blessings. And certainly, some are a success in this business. But as it will be sad, when they in the ending of life will see their errors.
Lord Jesus Christ told: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. Where is the God’s place and where can we search for the Lord? The Bible says that the Lord fills with Itself «all in all» (Ef. 1,23) that He lives in heavenly halls and at the same time in the pure and broken hearts (Ps. 34,18), but «He is far the Lord from impious» (Prov. 15,29) and «is close to all calling Him» (Ps. 145,18). The kingdom of God is "monastery", sovereignty of the Lord (Jn. 14,23), and to search the kingdom of God – means to search for God.
The gospel says that kingdom of God, on the one hand, is paradise where the Lord eternally stays: “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”(Lk. 23,42-43). On the other hand, kingdom of God is something such that can be in us: « Kingdom of God is in you » (Lk. 17,21).
To stay in kingdom of God – means to obey God’s will. The Chinese Christians uplifted a well-known prayer: «My God, revive Your Church, since me», and we can paraphrase it and tell: «My God, establish Your kingdom of God, beginning with me».
P.Shatrov
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