This week, I am thankful for the great men and women who have lived before me, who have demonstrated amazing faith and wisdom, and have struggled through deep truths. I am who I am because I can stand on the shoulders of these giants.
As protestants we sometimes forget the very challenging work of the church fathers to "rightly handle the word of truth." Throughout our history as the body of Christ, there have been questions about who we are and who God revealed himself to be. These courageous men and women struggled through these questions and have established the truths of the Christian church.
As one example, imagine how very differently we would view ourselves if the gnostic beliefs had not been checked in the early church. We would believe that the physical world was evil and worthless, and only the spirit mattered. While we do hold to the importance of the new life we have in the spirit, we can also enjoy the beauty of the physical world -- the ocean, the sunset, the hugs of our children -- as part of God's good gifts to us.
So today I echo the statement of Sir Isaac Newton, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Join me in being thankful this week. Every Thursday you can enter your Living in Thanksgiving post at Blue Castle.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
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2 comments:
In reading your post it causes me to stop and acknowledge God's wisdom and sovereignty woven through pages of history. His truth that convicts the hearts of men to seek and stand for what is right. As I think about the shoulders of the giants we stand on today my heart and mind is reminded that it is Christ the solid rock that they stand on as well. Thanks Contemplative Mom for a wonderful post.
Really beautiful post, Chris.
We were just talking about how centuries before us, the Bible wasn't common like it is today. It was kept hidden and only the priests in the Catholic Church could read it and study it. What a blessing to be able to have a copy of God's word in our homes, to read and share with our children. We don't have to rely on what someone else tells us - we can know God's word for what it truly says because we can go to the source directly. Thank God for men who fought and died for this right we now take for granted.
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