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TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said, “How can you believe, since you look to one another for approval and are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God?”

– John 5:44

REFLECTION…

Jesus is still saying this today, very much so! There is a growing number of “Christians” who are drawn towards a way of life which certainly does not have God’s approval but which, unfortunately, is becoming the accepted norm in today’s society. So many “Christians” choose to reinterpret God’s Commandments as they insist that their circumstances are particular and that God will surely understand. They then look to the permissive world for approval…and, of course, they will get it!

God, our Creator, gave us full freedom to choose, and the world, under the pretext of so-called human rights and liberties, claims to do the same. The world’s “Thou Shalt Nots” are purely legalistic and often formulated through opportune and egoistical compromise. God, on the other hand, knows exactly what is or is not good for us, and His “Thou Shalt Nots” do not reflect approval nor consensus – they only reflect love and are the key to life everlasting.

God, simply loves us so much, that He just does not want to see us get lost forever. That is why Jesus is challenging us, in case our own lifestyle may indicate that we “are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God.”

PRAYER…

My Lord and my God,

make me always look at You for approval,

and help me always do Your will.

My Lord and my God,

help me never, under any circumstance, compromise with Your Commandments.

Help me love in the way You love.

Help me guide and be guided by Your promise of life everlasting

and not by the short-lived justification of the now.

For this I pray with all my heart. Amen.