But in vain we would attempt to enrich the Lord by a distribution of our talents or gifts.
Since our goodness cannot reach the Lord, as the Psalmist says, we must exercise it towards "the saints who are on the earth."
Alms are compared in the Scriptures to sacred offerings to show us that the exercises of charity under the gospel have taken the place of the sacrifices under the law of the Old Testament. (1 Cor. 13:4-8; Ps. 16:2-3)
Posted by Deejay April 11, 2008@16:46
The law of love does not only pertain to the sizable profits, but from the ancient days God has commanded us to remember it in the small kindnesses in life.
God commanded his people Israel to offer him the first fruits of the corn, as a solemn token that it was unlawful for them to enjoy any blessings not previously dedicated to him.
If the gifts of God are not part of our sanctified life unless we dedicate them with our own hands to their Author, we must be guilty of sinful abuse if we leave such a dedication out.
Posted by Deejay April 10, 2008@12:42
According to Scripture our personal talents may be even compared to the powers of the members of the human body.
No power of the body has its power for itself, nor applies it to its own private use, but only for the profit of the others; and equally, no member of the church recieved any advantage from its own activity but through his co-operation with the whole body of believers.
Whatever abilities a faithful Christian may possess, he ought to possess it for his fellow believers, and he ought to make his own interest subservient to the well-being of the church in all sincerity.
Let this be our rule for goodwill and helpfulness, that whenever we are able to assist others, we must behave as stewards who must someday give an account of ourselves., and let us remember that the distrubution of profits must be determined by the law of love.
For we must not first of all try to promote the good of others by promoting our own, but we must prefer the profit of others. [John Calvin]
Posted by Deejay April 09, 2008@19:09
Profitting others with our Divine blessings.
If this be all that is demanded, that we do not seek our own, yet we must not exert little pressure in our own nature, which is so strongly inclined to self-love and self-exclusvely and does not easily permit us to neglect self and our own affairs.
Let us rather seek the profit of others, and even voluntarily give up our rights for the sake of others.
Scripture urges and warns us that whatever favours we may have obtained from the Lord, we have recieved we have recieved as a trust on condition that they should be applied to the common benefit of the church.
The legitimate use of all the Lord's favours is liberally and kindly to share them with others.\
You can not imagine a more certain rule or a more powerful suggestion that this, that all the blessings we enjoy are divine deposits which we have recieved on this condition that we distribute them to others. [John Calvin]
Posted by Deejay April 07, 2008@19:09
Loving Thy Neighbour
How extremely difficult it is for you to dutifully seek the advantage of your neighbour, unless you quit all selfish considerations and almost forget yourself.
How can you perform the duties which Paul teaches to be works of love, unless you renounce yourself and devote yourself wholly to others? "Love suffers long and is kind; love envies not; vaunts not itself; love is not puffed up; love does not behave itself unseemly; love seeks not her own; love is not easily provoked"; and so on. [John Calvin]
Posted by Deejay April 05, 2008@00:06
Honouring and respecting others.
On the other hand, whatever gifts of God we notice in others, let us value and esteem both the gifts and their possessors, for it would betray great wickedness in us to rob them of thier God-given honour.
The faults of others we are taught to overlook, not to encourage them by flattery.
We should never insult others on account of their faults, for it is our duty to show charity and respect to everyone.
If we pay attention to the honour and reputation of others, whoever they may be, we shall conduct ourselves not only with moderation and good humour, but with politeness and friendship.
For we shall never arrive at true meekness by any other way than by humilating ourselves and by honouring others from the depth of our hearts. (Rom 12:10; Phil 2:4; 1 Cor 4:7) [John Calvin]
Posted by Deejay April 01, 2008@22:50
Self-Love and False-ambition
To live happily the evils of false ambition and self-love must be plucked from our hearts by the roots.
If we listen to the instruction of Scripture, we must remember that our talents are not of our own making, but free gifts of God.
If we are proud of our talents, we betray our lack of gratitude to God.
"Who makes you differ?" says Paul. "Now if you recieved all gifts, why do you glory as if you had not recieved them?
We must watch and acknowledge our faults, and be truly humble. For then we shall not be puffed up, but have great reason to feel dejected. [John Calvin]
The poor yield to the rich, the common people to the upper-class, the servants to their masters, the ignorant to the scholars; but there is nobody who does not imagine that he is really better than others.
Everyone flatters himself and carries a kingdom in his breast.
Everyone is self-complacent and passes censure on the idea and conduct of others, and if there is a quarrel there is an eruption of poison.
Many discover some gentleness in others as long as they find everything pleasant and amiable; but how many keep their good humour if they are disturbed or irritated.
Posted March 29 2008 @ 11:29 by Deejay
The vices of which we are full we carefully hide from others, and we flatter ourselves with the notion that they are small and trivial. We sometimes even embrace them as virtues.
If the same talents which we admire in ourselves appear in others, or even our betters, we depreciate and diminish them with utmost malignity, in order that we may not have to acknowledge the superiority of others.
If others have any vices, we are not content to criticize them sharply and severely, but we exaggerate them hatefully.
Hatred grows into insolence when we desire to excel the rest of mankind and imagine we do not belong to the common lot; we even severely and haughtily despise others as our inferiors.
Posted March 28 2008 @ 14:28 by Deejay
Self-denial refers partly to men, but indeed, principally to God. When Scripture commands us to conduct ourselves in such a manner toward men, as "in honor to prefer others to ourselves," and faithfully to devote our whole attention to the promotion of their advantage, it gives such commands as our heart can by no means receive without being first cured of our sinful nature.
We are all so blinded and upset by self-love that everyone imagines he has a just right to exalt himself and to under-value all others in comparison to self.
If God has bestowed on us any excellent gift, we imagine it to be our own achievement, and we swell and even burst with pride. [John Calvin]
Posted March 27 2008 @ 18:42 by Deejay
Nothing is more difficult than to foresake all carnal thoughts, to subdue and renounce our false appetites, and to devote ourselves to God and our brethren, and to live the life of angels in a world of corruption.
To deliver our minds from every snare Paul calls our attention to the hope of a blessed immortality, and encourages us that our hope is not in vain.
As Christ once appeared as a Redeemer, so He will at His second coming show us the benefits of the salvation which he obtained.
Christ dispels the charm that blind us and prevent us from longing with the right zeal for the glory of Heaven.
Christ also teaches us that we must live as strangers and pilgrims in this world, that we may not lose our heavenly inheritance. (Titus 2:11-14) [John Calvin]
Paul reduces all the actions of the new life to three classes: sobriety, righteousness and godliness.
Sobriety undoubtedly means chastity and temperance, as well as the pure and frugal use of temporal blessings and patience under poverty.
Righteousness includes all the duties of justice, that every man may recieve as his dues.
Godlness separates us from the pollutions of the world, and by true holiness unites us to God.
When the virtues of Sobriety, righteousness, and godliness are firmly linked together, they will produce absolute perfection. [John Calvin]
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