J
John_Russell_Jr
Guest
My dear friends
When I first came to these forums I had a quaint interest in how well the spirituality forum was doing. W used to get as many viewerrs and contributors as the apologetics forum you know. Now there slaughtering us for traffic. Knowledge is great, and knowledge of God and the faith is greater. It is very good and a must. But our knowledge is useless if we don’t take care of our spiritual life. People need to focus much more on the spiritual life. This does not excuse one from learning or apostolate though. The spiritual life is the soul of the apostolate. We understand what we learn much better when we are going well spiritually and all our apostolate is far more effective when we have our spiritual life in order. I think people want the prize which is souls for Christ without the real hard work which is to strive for greater holiness, sanctity. We will bear much more fruit if we are holy. The holier we are the more fruit we will bear. If you are not that intelligent you can bear much fruit in terms of souls just by a life of great holiness. Holiness should be the number one priority. Everything else should flow from that. We are to be Christ to our neighbour and see Christ in our neighbour. If we are not holy then we can’t do this effectively. We need the living love of God which is grace to understand the faith and be an effective apostle. It is to the degree that Christ reigns in our souls, lives in us, that our learning or apostolate will benefit us and others. People here need to spend more time on this forum focusing on their spiritual life in my opinion. Then they will bear much more fruit in terms of grace and souls. Some scripture quotes follow-
John.15
1] "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2] Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3] You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.
4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5] I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6] If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.
7] If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
8] By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
10] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12] "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13] Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14] You are my friends if you do what I command you.
15] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17] This I command you, to love one another.
My dear friends hilkited in red tells us we cannot bear fruit in grace or he apostolate unless God abides in us. We need to fill our souls with the living love of God to bear fruit in the apostolate. We can do nothing without God. The more God abides in us the more we can do. We are pruned to bear more fruit wit the cross.
In blue it explains this and tells us if we abide in Him fully whatever we ask shall be done for us. Prayer can be powerful.
In green He tells us if we keep His commandments we will abide in His love which is grace. The great commandment is to love one another. Knowledge does not produce this. Holiness of life does. We are supposed to be striving for sanctity. We are suppose to be abiding in His love all the time and true holiness is needed for this. We are supposed to obey the commandments and real holiness is needed for this.
1 John 3 :
When I first came to these forums I had a quaint interest in how well the spirituality forum was doing. W used to get as many viewerrs and contributors as the apologetics forum you know. Now there slaughtering us for traffic. Knowledge is great, and knowledge of God and the faith is greater. It is very good and a must. But our knowledge is useless if we don’t take care of our spiritual life. People need to focus much more on the spiritual life. This does not excuse one from learning or apostolate though. The spiritual life is the soul of the apostolate. We understand what we learn much better when we are going well spiritually and all our apostolate is far more effective when we have our spiritual life in order. I think people want the prize which is souls for Christ without the real hard work which is to strive for greater holiness, sanctity. We will bear much more fruit if we are holy. The holier we are the more fruit we will bear. If you are not that intelligent you can bear much fruit in terms of souls just by a life of great holiness. Holiness should be the number one priority. Everything else should flow from that. We are to be Christ to our neighbour and see Christ in our neighbour. If we are not holy then we can’t do this effectively. We need the living love of God which is grace to understand the faith and be an effective apostle. It is to the degree that Christ reigns in our souls, lives in us, that our learning or apostolate will benefit us and others. People here need to spend more time on this forum focusing on their spiritual life in my opinion. Then they will bear much more fruit in terms of grace and souls. Some scripture quotes follow-
John.15
1] "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2] Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3] You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.
4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5] I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6] If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.
7] If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
8] By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
10] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12] "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13] Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14] You are my friends if you do what I command you.
15] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17] This I command you, to love one another.
My dear friends hilkited in red tells us we cannot bear fruit in grace or he apostolate unless God abides in us. We need to fill our souls with the living love of God to bear fruit in the apostolate. We can do nothing without God. The more God abides in us the more we can do. We are pruned to bear more fruit wit the cross.
In blue it explains this and tells us if we abide in Him fully whatever we ask shall be done for us. Prayer can be powerful.
In green He tells us if we keep His commandments we will abide in His love which is grace. The great commandment is to love one another. Knowledge does not produce this. Holiness of life does. We are supposed to be striving for sanctity. We are suppose to be abiding in His love all the time and true holiness is needed for this. We are supposed to obey the commandments and real holiness is needed for this.
1 John 3 :
]6] No one who* abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.
]9] No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.
]14] We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
]17] But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide* in him?
]24] All who keep his commandments* abide** in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he** abide**s in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.
How can we hope to overcome sin without a depp spiritual life?
Any thoughts or comments are welcome.
May God bless you all:thumbsup:
John
:blushing: ). I mean, like one part at a time. lol. You DID break it up, already.