"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." - Two- Face, The Dark Knight RisesJohn Donne famously wrote, "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." Supposing that this is true, it should be said that we must reach a time where we are corrupted. I have been contemplating the idea of assimilation into the world. Can God's people withstand the debasement of the unregenerated human nature and overcome our inclined weakness to conform?
Jesus said to Peter, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail." (Luke 22.31-2). There is no promise that even the saints won't succumb to the evil of the world. There is no guarantee that even the devout won't be polluted.
There hardly seems a solution. But if Jesus prayed for us, it would be nothing short of stupidity that we do not pray for our integrity, faith, and commitment as well. St. Paul said that true worship (honour) is a daily renewing of the mind. (Romans 12.2) In this same breath Paul addressed the pressures of the world, of our environments, and he offers incredible hope. What we failed at yesterday, we can overcome today.
Pray for your redemption, to be delivered from the iniquity of this world, from the destitution of your surroundings and the insistence of those within it. The best part about failing is knowing what precisely needs to be changed. We are not defined by our mistakes, we are defined by our efforts.
Pray for your redemption, to be delivered from the iniquity of this world, from the destitution of your surroundings and the insistence of those within it. The best part about failing is knowing what precisely needs to be changed. We are not defined by our mistakes, we are defined by our efforts.
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