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"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16Dorothy Sayers,: *Creed or Chaos?*
"It is not the business of the Church to conform to the world, but to convert it. The Church must not ask, 'What do people want to hear?' but 'What does God want to say?' And it must say it in the language of the people -- but without altering the substance of the message. To alter the substance for the sake of the language is not translation, but betrayal."
John Calvin,: *Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists*
"He expressly declares that the glory of good works belongs to the Father, that we may not claim any part of it for ourselves… Let us learn that this is the only legitimate end for our good works -- that God be honored. When we seek approval from men, the light is extinguished."
Origen,: *Homilies on Matthew*
"If you would behold the light that comes from the lamp of Christ, you must first cleanse the eye of your soul. For a lamp is of no use to a blind man. So too, Christ is the light; but if you are darkened by anger, consumed by envy, or blinded by the love of money, you cannot see what he illuminates. Cleanse the vessel, and the light will shine within you."
Francis de Sales,: *Introduction to the Devout Life*
"We must not fret over our own imperfections. Although reason requires that we should be sorry and ashamed when we commit a fault, we must not let that sorrow descend into vexation, irritation, or discouragement. The vexation that arises from the sight of our own faults is a greater fault than the fault itself. It springs from a secret pride, which is wounded at finding ourselves fallible."
What would change if you treated your daily work -- the emails, the calls, the decisions -- not as obstacles to faithfulness but as the very material it's built from?
Seneca,: *Moral Letters to Lucilius,* Letter 41
"God is near you, he is with you, he is within you. This is what I mean, Lucilius: a holy spirit dwells within us, one who marks our good and bad deeds, and is our guardian. As we treat this spirit, so it treats us. No man is good without God. Can any man rise superior to fortune unless God helps him to rise? It is he who gives noble and upright counsel."
St. Clair, MI: -- Sunny, 59°F, Humidity 44%, Wind ↓6mph