November 14
A "religion" is a highly acceptable thing. Once it
is firmly established in a fixed form, people can
do anything they want. They can go to church
and take communion, while all the while carrying
on with their stealing and cheating.
God could say, "Did I ever tell you to build churches,
or to celebrate divine worship and communion
so as to be saved?" And particularly if people
practice the superstition of bravely taking
communion before death, in order to be more
certain of salvation, then the Savior might well
take a rod and say, "Did I ever command the
Last Supper as something to be taken
mechanically?" If we think we have something
mechanical that will save us, we are heathen. If
our Christianity is a matter of forms and rituals,
it will be dark around us.
Let us learn to obey once more, to respect the
words of God and to do right. Then we shall have
a church. He who is truly close to God can
experience no greater joy than when he sees
what is right and is allowed to do it.
What was the worst thing at the time of Jesus?
I will tell you plainly: religion! People stagnated
in religiosity instead of expecting something
from above. We, however, should understand
the promptings of God; we should run to where
God rules and gladly accept what he does.
Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, from
Jesus Is Victor, Divine Worship and Religion.
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A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Blumhardt's prayer for today and every day of the year.
http://blumhardts.com/bl/DailyPrayer.htm?source=Breakfast
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