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Posted on 04/01/2019 6:53:58 PM PDT by JustAmy
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Bible in a Year: Job 3–4; Acts 7:44–60
Create in me a pure heart, O God. Psalm 51:10
In February 1497, a Monk named Girolamo Savonarola started a fire. Leading up to this, he and his followers spent several months collecting items that they thought might entice people to sin or neglect their religious duties—including artwork, cosmetics, instruments, and dresses. On the appointed day, thousands of vanity items were gathered at a public square in Florence, Italy, and set on fire. The event has come to be known as the Bonfire of the Vanities.
Savonarola might have found inspiration for his extreme actions in some shocking statements from the Sermon on the Mount. “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away,” said Jesus. “And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29–30). But if we interpret Jesus’s words literally, we miss the point of the message. The entire sermon is a lesson on going deeper than the surface, to focus on the state of our hearts rather than blaming our behavior on external distractions and temptations.
The Bonfire of the Vanities made a great show of destroying belongings and works of art, but it is unlikely that the hearts of those involved were changed in the process. Only God can change a heart. That’s why the psalmist prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). It’s our heart that counts.
What behaviors or distractions might be on your list of “vanities”? How do you try to “manage” them?
Holy God, please give me the grace to surrender my heart to You and yield my life’s vanities to the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit.
Good morning, hope you’re doing well.
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I had no idea where The Bonfire of the Vanities originated! Thank you for another good lesson, Rus!
Precious kitten, Kitty Mittens!
*HUGS*
Ditto!
The Sun is shining this morning.
Grateful for that!
Now it looks like rain. Oh Well.
Thank you, getting better slowly.
It was news to me too.I love the ODB
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Partly Cloudy I burned my breakfast
Today will be amusing
and partly cloudy
Lycia Harding
A Happy GratiTuesday to everyone here at Amy's Place!
Beautiful flowers and sunshine. Very nice picture, suitable for framing!
: )
Thank you! Maybe I should! :)
Was partly cloudy and somewhat amusing here today.
Some of my petunias died from being over watered by the rains.
It rained all day Monday ( again) and they decided they’d give up.
Replaced them with geraniums this afternoon.
Tough gardening this year.
I did not burn my breakfast but it was only cereal and coconut milk.
: )
Bible in a Year : Job 5–7; Acts 8:1–25
Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Ecclesiastes 7:2
My heart is full from attending the funeral of a faithful woman. Her life wasn’t spectacular. She wasn’t known widely outside her church, neighbors, and friends. But she loved Jesus, her seven children, and her twenty-five grandchildren. She laughed easily, served generously, and could hit a softball a long way.
Ecclesiastes says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (7:2). “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning” because there we learn what matters most (7:4). New York Times columnist David Brooks says there are two kinds of virtues: those that look good on a résumé and those you want said at your funeral. Sometimes these overlap, though often they seem to compete. When in doubt, always choose the eulogy virtues.
The woman in the casket didn’t have a résumé, but her children testified that “she rocked Proverbs 31” and its description of a godly woman. She inspired them to love Jesus and care for others. As Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), so they challenged us to imitate their mother’s life as she imitated Jesus.
What will be said at your funeral? What do you want said? It’s not too late to develop eulogy virtues. Rest in Jesus. His salvation frees us to live for what matters most.
Are you living out things that will affect your résumé or your eulogy? How would your life change if you lived each day with your eulogy in mind?
Father, give me the courage to live for what matters most.
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Awwww...Precious pair!
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