Week 39 : Imitate Christ, Christian Mens Breakfast

Week 39 Discussion Notes:[1. References to days are from the Imitate Christ Study Guide]

1. Kempis wrote in chapter 50, “You know all things without exception, and nothing in man’s conscience is hidden from You.” Is this a good or a bad thing for you? (Day 268)
2. Kempis wrote that Jesus is willing to give us more than we ask of Him. Have you found this to be true? (Day 268)
3. Kempis asks in Chapter 50, “What does Your servant possess that he has not received from You, and that without any merit of his own?” Are you a “self made” person? To what extent are you correct in saying you earned what you possess? Are you claiming credit for what God has done? (Day 268)
4. Richard Henry Dana notes in Two Years Before the Mast that personal hardships don’t mitigate punishment. Everyone has hardships, so no one would ever be punished, if this was an adequate excuse for bad behavior. Do you agree? How does Dana’s observation on punishment compare to God’s treatment of punishment? (Day 271)

The Christian Mens Breakfast group meets this Saturday and (almost) every other Saturday at a local restaurant in Davie, FL. Call Tom Truex, or use the CONTACT tab at K-Line.ORG to get more information.

Our discussion will focus on the Chapters listed below, from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis.[1. The dates listed are the dates the chapters were posted online, which also corresponds to the suggested reading plan in the study guide.]

All items listed below are online at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Book 3 , Chapter 50 : How a Desolate Person Ought to Commit Himself Into the Hands of God (September 25, 2012)
2. Book 3 , Chapter 51 : When We Cannot Attain to the Highest, We Must Practice the Humble Works (September 28, 2012)

Also Posted this Week at ImitateChrist.ORG:

1. Challoner’s Reflections[2. Right Rev. R. Challoner, D.D., V.A., Imitation of Christ, Dublin: McGlashan and Gill, 1873 ] on The Imitation of Christ for each of the above chapters.

Footnotes: