Christ in You - Intervention, no. 5

 As It Were

 Finding God in the Daily

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles 

are the riches of the glory of this mystery, 

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

Colossians 1:27

Spiritual approaches are not all alike, not even close. The motivators differ.

LIKE MANY RAISED in the faith community, my childhood was happy. I had loving parents who lived the walk, were faithful, true and consistent. It was a good home.

I was a devoted Christian and consistent churchgoer and was an active participant in the on-going liveliness found in the faith-based community.  My religious background sheltered me and my family life protected me. It was a good life and a conservative life.

Because of my background and my own desire to live a holy life, a blind-spot arose regarding an area of human struggle within this same spiritual community. Much of my religious instruction was shaped around two fundamental beliefs that provided the framework for our Christian lives. 

First, we learned that we needed to be saved. This was taught and preached faithfully and frequently. The church community shared with its people what scripture teaches, that salvation of a soul comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Second, Christians were to live a moral, separate from the world, holy life. We lived in obedience to God as set forth in the Holy Word. Close adherence to certain standards of action and behavior were expected. This structure didn’t have much bend or wiggle room, but I accepted it and did my best to abide by its teachings. It bothered me that some in the church struggled to abide by its teachings

Much later, I began to understand why they struggled. The church’s beliefs were not where it fell short, even though it had a legalistic bent. I now believe its motivation was off. People were working hard for God, but they could never do enough. In this case, the focus was on Christian work and obedience, not on the God of the work and relationship with Him. There is a distinction between the two approaches.

Life in the spirit is its own motivator. When the Spirit leads, it is then the base for action and behavior set in God. Christians are best served when their actions stem from their relationship with God rather than trying hard to live the best they can in every way they can. They will either fail and feel miserable or they will look good and become prideful or somewhere in the middle.

Christ first. Christ always. Christ in you.

Dear Gracious Father, Help us to get this right. We want to be salt and light in the world, the best we can be. But without you we are unable, and we can't hope to get it right. Be our motivation. Amen

To God be he Glory

A Message of Life
Inspiration 44