Abbot Pastor said: There are two things which a monk ought to hate above all, for by hating them he can become free in this world. And a brother asked: What are these things? The elder replied: An easy life and vain glory. (From “The Wisdom of the Desert,” by Thomas Merton.
I have a pastor friend who, several years ago, was offered a high-paying job to serve as president of an organization intimately connected with our denomination - a $500,000 annual salary with a guaranteed $100,000 annual bonus, perhaps more.
I can’t help but interject something here, and that is that all our denominational salaries were, at one time, publicly available. Sadly, this practice was changed. At the same time, salaries skyrocketed in our denomination while giving, and membership declined drastically. My friend, Mary Branson, wrote a book about this entitled “Spending God’s Money.” I recommend it. Mary paid a high price for her willingness to speak the truth.
Anyway, my pastor friend was quite tempted by the lucrative offer he received. But to his credit, he sought through prayer and the counsel of others to determine God’s will. After speaking with an older and highly popular and successful preacher in our denomination, he turned the position down. The reason? “I’ve been to the top,” said the older man, “and I can tell you, there’s nothing there.”
I’ve written about these fourth-century desert monks before. They forsook the cities after Christianity became the religion of the empire. I guess they decided that the way of Jesus was threatened by the growing institutionalization of the church, as well as its increasing political and worldly power.
They were simple souls living in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Arabia, and Persia. Abbot Pastor’s answer to a brother who asked what two things were essential to become free in this world sum up, both then and now, the way to freedom described by Jesus -
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (Bold italics mine)
The easy life and vain glory, or perhaps better, personal, worldly success are things which, if we are honest, all of us crave to some degree. Seeking to be recognized by others and enjoying the comforts of our world are common to all. I’ll be the first to admit that I like to be comfortable, and I like to be recognized by others.
BUT in the last decade or so, the words of Jesus about losing one’s life to find it have captured my mind and heart as never before. Even non-Christians can find truth and inspiration in these words of Jesus, as seen so clearly in the life he lived and the death he died. I can tell you that my personal sense of joy and well-being has increased greatly as I have abandoned my constant seeking after the so-called good life.
And yet, there is still, at times, this war that rages in my soul. It’s not easy to lose one’s life to find it. Not easy because it is an act of faith, and faith is not a one-time thing; it is an ongoing decision in our lives to trust God’s ways above our own.
My father was a successful man in the eyes of this world. I can also tell you that he was a godly man. I personally witnessed a powerful change in his life over many years. Near the end of his life, Dad gave me a Bible. In the front of that Bible, he personally wrote these words of Jesus from Matthew 6:33, and it’s with these words I close -
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
In Christ,
Dan
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