Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Temptation

"Lead me not into temptation" but, when I am tempted.... Gene Edward Veith provides this quotation from Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today by John Kleinig:
Luther proposed an evangelical pattern of spirituality as reception rather than self-promotion. This involves three things: prayer, meditation, and temptation. All three revolve around ongoing, faithful attention to God’s Word.

.... These three terms describe the life of faith as a cycle that begins with prayer for the gift of the Holy Spirit, concentrates on the reception of the Holy Spirit through meditation on God’s Word, and results in spiritual attack.

This, in turn, leads a person back to further prayer and intensified meditation. Luther, therefore, does not envisage the spiritual life as a process of self-development, but as a process of reception from a triune God. This process of reception turns proud, self-sufficient individuals into humble beggars before God. (Page 16)
Prayer, meditation, temptation | Cranach: The Blog of Veith

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