C.S. Lewis knows best
My Great Banquet 4th-day group is discussing The Screwtape Letters. Chapters 14 and 15 really helped me refocus on my relationship with God and where I fit in his creation.
Ch. 14
On grace and temptation:
"No more lavish promises of perpetual virtue, but only a hope for the daily and hourly pittance to meet the daily and hourly temptation."
On the danger of low self-esteem:
"... and, above all, if the self-contempt can be made the starting point for contempt of other selves, and thus for gloom, cynicism, and cruelty."
On Fame/Pride (and seeing through the eyes of a child):
"The Enemy (God) wants him (any Christian), in the end, to be so free from any bias in his own favour that he can rejoice in his own talents as frankly and gratefully as in his neighbors talents - or a sunrise, and elephant, or a waterfall."
The dynamics of repentence:
"Even of his sins the Enemy (God) does not want him to think too much: once they are repented, the sooner the man turns his attention outward, the better the enemy is pleased."
Ch. 15
What we should focus on minute-to-minute:
"He, therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself and to that point of time which they call the present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity."
Sins are future-oriented:
"...fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead. Do not think lust an exception. When the present pleasure arrives, the sin(which alone interests us), is already over."
The idolitry at the root of all sin:
"He does not want men to give the Future their hearts, to place their treasure in it."
I especially like the idea of dwelling in the Present.
Ch. 14
On grace and temptation:
"No more lavish promises of perpetual virtue, but only a hope for the daily and hourly pittance to meet the daily and hourly temptation."
On the danger of low self-esteem:
"... and, above all, if the self-contempt can be made the starting point for contempt of other selves, and thus for gloom, cynicism, and cruelty."
On Fame/Pride (and seeing through the eyes of a child):
"The Enemy (God) wants him (any Christian), in the end, to be so free from any bias in his own favour that he can rejoice in his own talents as frankly and gratefully as in his neighbors talents - or a sunrise, and elephant, or a waterfall."
The dynamics of repentence:
"Even of his sins the Enemy (God) does not want him to think too much: once they are repented, the sooner the man turns his attention outward, the better the enemy is pleased."
Ch. 15
What we should focus on minute-to-minute:
"He, therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself and to that point of time which they call the present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity."
Sins are future-oriented:
"...fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead. Do not think lust an exception. When the present pleasure arrives, the sin(which alone interests us), is already over."
The idolitry at the root of all sin:
"He does not want men to give the Future their hearts, to place their treasure in it."
I especially like the idea of dwelling in the Present.
posted by nai at 9:57 AM
1 Comments:
This was great! I enjoyed reading the quotes. Staying in the present is so important. Thanks for the reminder.
:-) With affection, Helen
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