Beau, excellent point in your last sentence! I suspect (in fact I am deeply certain) God didn't put us on this earth to be “productive.” It was only after retirement did I become so much more involved in my church and feel the call so strongly.
As a practicing Presbyterian in the PCUSA I still remember the first question in the Shorter Catechism of 1647, one of the Reformed tradition stalwarts. It talks about glorifying God and enjoying him forever. Christianity is all about relationships with the most important one being that deeply transcendental one between God and is! When we are strictly centered on the world we are shortchanging ourselves and because we are profoundly imperfect we lack the understanding and example of the deepest love that can only be expressed through our relationship with the triune God and his infinite grace!
I suspect that is why Christ gave the two greatest commandments about love in the order he did, first God then our neighbors as ourselves! From that simplicity, all else follows.
Beau, excellent point in your last sentence! I suspect (in fact I am deeply certain) God didn't put us on this earth to be “productive.” It was only after retirement did I become so much more involved in my church and feel the call so strongly.
As a practicing Presbyterian in the PCUSA I still remember the first question in the Shorter Catechism of 1647, one of the Reformed tradition stalwarts. It talks about glorifying God and enjoying him forever. Christianity is all about relationships with the most important one being that deeply transcendental one between God and is! When we are strictly centered on the world we are shortchanging ourselves and because we are profoundly imperfect we lack the understanding and example of the deepest love that can only be expressed through our relationship with the triune God and his infinite grace!
I suspect that is why Christ gave the two greatest commandments about love in the order he did, first God then our neighbors as ourselves! From that simplicity, all else follows.