And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities which you give shall be your six cities of refuge. You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that any one who kills any person without intent may flee there.
Do you see how beautifully your soul is evolving, Peter? This acknowledgment of the supreme importance of kindness and caring is not the sentiment of a young, testosterone-fueled adolescent who is fixated on competitiveness, dominating, and conquest. You have grown to be wise. God is Love, and Love is caring, and I see that your motivations are pure of heart and spirit. And God forgives us of all of our youthful mistakes as we travel the path to true understanding.
When I’ve read biographies of famous people, a common phenomenon that is recorded is the person’s last words before passing from life. He will suddenly open his eyes wide and say something like, “None of it mattered!” - and then he’s gone. All of the competitive climb to wealth and power, all of the strife and vengeance, all of the earthly rewards of corner offices, awards, allocates, and titles were pretty meaningless. What matters were the caring acts he did in life.
The early Christian church wrestled with the question of how much aid should be given to those in need because, of course, you can give until you literally die from becoming a sacrificial lamb. The amount they agreed upon to give was 10%. But it had to be given freely, out of love for another.
The people today who are calling for all cities to be sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants have their hearts in the right place. But they miss the mark, because through forcing some people to serve others, they harm the innocent and fill peoples’ hearts with resentment. Voluntary charity is caring, but socialism is enslavement. If they could see that distinction, we could move on to becoming a truly caring society.
Do you see how beautifully your soul is evolving, Peter? This acknowledgment of the supreme importance of kindness and caring is not the sentiment of a young, testosterone-fueled adolescent who is fixated on competitiveness, dominating, and conquest. You have grown to be wise. God is Love, and Love is caring, and I see that your motivations are pure of heart and spirit. And God forgives us of all of our youthful mistakes as we travel the path to true understanding.
When I’ve read biographies of famous people, a common phenomenon that is recorded is the person’s last words before passing from life. He will suddenly open his eyes wide and say something like, “None of it mattered!” - and then he’s gone. All of the competitive climb to wealth and power, all of the strife and vengeance, all of the earthly rewards of corner offices, awards, allocates, and titles were pretty meaningless. What matters were the caring acts he did in life.
The early Christian church wrestled with the question of how much aid should be given to those in need because, of course, you can give until you literally die from becoming a sacrificial lamb. The amount they agreed upon to give was 10%. But it had to be given freely, out of love for another.
The people today who are calling for all cities to be sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants have their hearts in the right place. But they miss the mark, because through forcing some people to serve others, they harm the innocent and fill peoples’ hearts with resentment. Voluntary charity is caring, but socialism is enslavement. If they could see that distinction, we could move on to becoming a truly caring society.
Great post! Amen!