The Gospel according to Mark (3:22-30)
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Reflection: This reminds me of a speech given by Lou Holtz, Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame (1986-1996). Now the following isn’t his exact words, and I am interpreting from the notes that I took and how his words nourished me.
Coach Holtz is talking about Life and how simple it could be, and you only need to follow three rules.
Life doesn’t have to be complicated but we make things complex. Now, you don’t have to sacrifice your personal, religious, or professional life to live because it’s not complicated if you keep it simple.
See you need 5 things in your life to feel fulfilled and accomplished:
- You need something to do
- You need someone and something to Love
- You need to feel wanted
- Someone or something to believe in such as JESUS
- You need something to hope for because Hopes, Dreams, and ambition is what drives us.
In Life, we are either growing or we are dying. Trees, flowers, marriage, business, and people of faith grow if we have these 5 things that are stated above. We need that hope, we need something to do because we love it, and we need something to dream for because we believe in it. It doesn’t matter what your age is and no matter what physical abilities you have or not.
Here’s The Plan to Maintain A Simple and Uncomplicated Life
Rule #1: Do What’s Right And Avoid What’s Wrong. If ever in doubt … pull out the Bible. There’s never the right time to do the wrong thing. There’s never the wrong time to do the right thing. Just be honest with yourself and others.
Have a Positive attitude. Enjoy life and just have fun. Yes, you’re going to have problems and difficulties …that’s called LIFE. Just because you’re successful doesn’t mean you’re not going to have problems. It’s wrong to be bitter. Being bitter would lead you to no friends to be your Paul-bearers therefore your family would have to hire them.
Rule #2: Do Everything To The Best Of Your Ability. Not everyone can be an all-American, or successful, or rich, or good looking. If you choose to fail, then that’s your decision and your right. But, you do not have the right to cause others to fail. The choices that you make are yours and yours only so don’t blame anyone else. If you get married, have a child, join a business, join a team, join a church then you have a commitment, obligations, responsibilities, and you owe it to the people that you do the absolute MAXIMUM. It’s that simple. In this country you can amount to something great. Commitment to Excellence is choice that you make.
Rule #3: Show People That You Care. Ask someone how you could help them. What do they need? When you do the right thing then people learn to trust you. My wife and I been married for 36 years because we trust each other, and we will never lose it. People will trust you if you do the right thing! That’s all God is asking of us to do. Do everything to the best of your ability. People can sense that you’re committed. Help others and care for them. What’s the prime commandment? Love God and Your Neighbor!
If you forget anything I just said, then remember this ….
- TRUST
- COMMITMENT
- LOVE
Action of the Day: Today is the “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children”. What can you (we) do to lend a hand in winning this fight? Please take the time to say a prayer.
Audio Reflection:
