I have been reading some church history lately and read about Athanasius. He served as a bishop in Alexandria in the early years of the church. One of his contributions to the church was that he stood opposed to Arianism ( the belief that Jesus was not really God). So, the Nicene Creed was composed to assert emphatically that Jesus was "of the same substance" of the Father. What struck me about his life was this... here's a direct quote from the book...
" His strong quality was in his close ties to the people among whom he lived, and in living out his faith without the subtleties of the Arians or the pomp of so many other bishops of important churches. His monastic discipline, his roots among the people, his fiery spirit, and his profound and unshakable convictions made him invincible."
Earlier on the book said that Athanasius was not admired for his subtlety of logical argument, nor elegance of style...nor even in his political perspicacity. ( In all these areas, he could be bested by his opponents)
Basically... He walked with God and loved people.
This encouraged me today.
