MM#74--The Gift of Faith

Welcome to the theory to action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately, and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now, here's your host, David Kaiser.

Hello, I'm David and welcome back to another Mojo minute. It's a special week this week, as we continue to celebrate the upcoming high holy day of Christmas. And Christmas is one of those highest holy days in all of Christianity, because for Christians, myself included, it's the day we believe God became man in the form of child. And I say these statements because the United States of America of today, this type of explanation is needed. Some people just don't even know why Christmas exist. 25 years ago, this country still had a culture where Christianity wasn't frowned upon. And for the most part, religious freedom still existed today. America's culture is certainly post Christian and even post modern, and its collective thinking of what you can see those effects. Everywhere you look, as an example, you can ask anyone what's the truth, and they will more often than not say, there is no truth, there is only your truth and my truth, but there is no the truth. And that type of thinking has caused many civilizations to break down the K and ultimately to go the way of history. And America will not be the exception to that rule. It's a broken country was once a great country, but it is now broken country. And with all that said about America, America wasn't the reason for God made man to come into the world. His reason for coming into the world was to overcome sin and death in to redeem humanity. In Christ also coming in the world was to heal a broken people, namely all people of goodwill, and that brokenness was within it was within the human person within the human heart. 

And so in this Mojo minute, we're going to explore the paradoxes of how the world views events, and how the Christian God becoming man acts within that human history. And we're also going to touch on most especially the virtue in the gift of faith. So let's share some examples. The world would say if God would become man, and come into the world, he would come like a great king, with Triumphant blast of horns and a lot of fanfare, like the kings and princes of old. God working in and through human history by brought his only Son into the world not in the glory of daylight. But in the darkness of night. Not in King's palace, not even in a small house, but in a manger, most likely a hillside cave. With tons of dignitaries and high legions of ambassadors and the world's greatest persons, were they on hand to welcome this king? No, no, no. 

On the contrary, those who visited him, those who welcomed him were some simple shepherds, tending to their flock in the region, a few animals, three wise men from the east that visited that young couple, and their child. Now speaking of that young couple, Mary and Joseph, you would expect like most young couples throughout all of human history, as they prepared for nine months, they perhaps made special garments for their expectant child. They perhaps sectioned off a special area within their modest house, for his crib and for other items needed for the coming newborn baby. They certainly had the security of their family and their relatives around them in their hometown. And when you know at the last possible moment, a government dictate forced them to up and move it to last moment and to Germany for four or five days on bad bumpy roads that were always put reached by bandits wanting to steal from the various traveling caravans. And by this government decree, the mandatory census, they had to go to that busy town of Bethlehem. the lineage of the father Joseph
had to go there for that census to be counted. 

And so when Christians look back on the wonder of that holy night, that silent night, they see so many paradoxes of how God made man works within human history. The gift in the virtue of Faith tells them and perhaps it tells you and me tonight in our human hearts, that same broken heart, that perhaps, no matter how bad our lives are upset, no matter how much of our lives are filled with anxiety, no matter how much our lives are filled with poverty. And no matter how much our lives are broken, and not perfect, it's for all of those reasons that God entered the world as a child and became man to clear the pathway for us for eternal life. 

So in today's Mojo minute, let's, let's examine our gift, and our virtue of faith, most especially within our own human heart. Because after all, our country, these United States, perhaps in another 25 years, might have already decayed and gone the way of history. But for the Christian, we know God works in many paradoxes. And that that's the real faith, to rely on most, especially for our broken human hearts. And so as we enjoy these beautiful Christmas lights that are adorned, in throughout our neighborhoods, and we see these beautifully, wonderfully made nativity scenes, let us appreciate our faith as a gift, and certainly as a virtue. And so we sing with those Christmas carolers and those believers way down through the ages. We sing that most wonderful of Christmas songs. Oh, come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant. Oh, Come ye Oh, Come ye to Bethlehem. Oh, Come and behold Him. born the King of angels. Oh come let us adore Him. Christ the Lord.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at T Mojo academy.com where we have everything we discussed in this podcast as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on