To the Ends of the Earth: Legacy – Catholic Men's Devotionals, Week 4 – Sorrow and Hope
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Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:12–14
We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Rom 12:1). The Father calls us to offer up our whole lives to him as powerful instruments of change in a world that has missed the mark. Because we have been set free from sin, our changed lives become a powerful sign of the grace of God in the world. Like precision surgical instruments, we can cut deeply into the wounded lives of the lost, removing the cancerous growth of lies, guilt, and shame, and replacing it with the life-giving righteousness of Jesus. Like powerful weapons of battle, we can use truth to destroy strongholds of falsehood and fortify the lives of those who are looking for a refuge in Christ.
It takes time to become accustomed to seeing our faith as a tool in the hand of a powerful and loving God. Even as we share the Gospel with others, we must also seek to grow in our knowledge of Scripture and the teachings of the Church and come to a greater understanding of the sacraments as signs that allow us to touch and taste and hear and see the Kingdom of God on earth. The more we learn how to use what God has given us to spread the Gospel and build up the Body of Christ, the more we will be able to take the stories of the lost and transform them into the eternal story of salvation.
Questions for reflection
How much do you consider yourself to be a living sacrifice and a weapon of righteousness?
How have you seen deeds of charity destroy fortresses of sin and fear?
How are you effecting lasting and meaningful change in the lives of others?
Praying with Scripture
For the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Cor 10:4)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
You can watch and listen to this devotion HERE
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
