Embodiment
“I believe in justice: but I am not a preacher of the gospel of justice, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to justice. I believe in love, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of love, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to love. I am committed to peace, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of peace, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to peace. I believe in the value of the simple life, but I am not the preacher of the simple life, but of the Gospel of Christ that calls us to the simple life. Let us beware of the ultimate plagiarism of borrowing some great concepts from Jesus then running off proclaiming these concepts and not sharing the Christ that empowers [embodies] these concepts.”
~ Myron Augsburger, Former President of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 1983. Quoted by Frank Viola. Mr. Viola’s contribution, and consequently the reason I thought this post-worthy, was to change “empowers” to “embodies.” I find them both applicable, so have left both.

I want to leave you with two quotes from C.S. Lewis which I think are quite arresting.
“The love that matters is His for you – yours for Him may presently exist in the form of obedience, He’ll see to the rest.”
We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.
Give to God your all. All your love, all your obedience and all your faith. He will do with it what no other can. If you don’t believe me, go and read John 14.
