A Wise Word of Encouragement from the Early Church to Today’s Generation
Saint Cyprian penned the following wise words in AD 256. Brothers and sister, we would be do well to take them to heart. They remind us that what God requires of us is not a deeper understanding of his ways, but a life that is lived following them. It is easy to get the two confused. Learning facts is one thing. Living them out on a daily basis is something entirely different. When we have more facts than fruit in our lives, our lives are out of balance. Of course, theology was important to the early church. It just took a back seat to living the Christian life. Cyprians words reminded me that it should also take the back seat in my life.
But for us, beloved brethren, who are philosophers, not in words, but in deeds… (we) do not speak great things, but live them,—let us, as servants and worshippers of God, show, in our spiritual obedience, the patience which we learn from heavenly teachings..”
Saint Cyprian, Treatise IX On The Advantage of Patience
Posted on December 8, 2011, in Christianity, Early Church History, The Christian Life, Theology and tagged christianity, christmas, Cyprian, early church history, faith, family, inspiration, priorities, religion, spirituality, theology. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Amazing move on your part, Jim. I was going to ask if you had found any interesting quotes pertaining to your recent posts by the Church Fathers. Wow, did you find one. Thanks for this. It puts things back into their proper perspective.
LikeLike
It reminds me of something I read from Fulton Sheen a while back: “We have been trained well beyond our level of obedience…”
LikeLike
That is a very good way of putting it!
LikeLike