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

The Spirit Life Rocks -- Inspiration 39

Make Your Life Count for the Good

  

So every good tree bears good fruit, 

but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

Matthew 7:17

People with a purpose live differently than those who meander along without one. Christians have a common purpose, to glorify God. How they do this involves living in the Spirit and developing a sensitivity to God's ways. This leads to fruitful living.

EVERY LIFE has potential. What an individual chooses to do with their life is up to them, barring outside manipulation, control, misfortune, or unwanted circumstances. Life can be lived for the better good. That happens when the person desires and determines to live in such a way. It is not as easy as it sounds. We can be our own worst enemy.

 Humans are born with a self-centered bent that requires managing. Scripture calls this the flesh. The flesh seeks its own and has lusts it wants to feed. Christians also have the spirit in them. The things of the flesh and the things of the spirit are oppositional in nature. Only one of these controls the person at any given time. The flesh is the default position. Even though the Spirit lives within the Christian, it is not given free access until the person aligns with it. This requires intentionality.

The Spirit dwells in the Christian. Their lives, with both flesh and spirit influences, means there is going to be spiritual conflict. Whichever one receives the focus will influence their thoughts and actions. Of course, anyone can do good and make their life count without being a Christian, that's a given. The person focused on Christ and open to the Spirit lives in a way that is becoming to their Lord. Their life becomes a reflection of Christ both inwardly and outwardly. 

The Spirit leads and guides in a multiplicity of ways. Christians can't help but bear good fruit when they're attached to things of God. You can know them by their deeds, conversation, and also, consequently, by their fruit. Often their fruit is produced behind the scenes and is not overtly visible unless you look for it, for they do their alms for God, not for human praise. So we could say, they are also known for their humbleness of spirit. 

Dear Father, Thank you for giving us the tools to live the life You've called us to. We couldn't do it without Your enabling. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Amen

To God be the Glory

Mind Reform -- Inspiration 29

Reforms of the Mind are Possible

 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, 

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, 

whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

Philippians 4:8  NIV

The mind is where decisions are made. It is powerful and has the power to make or break us in our spiritual lives.

THE MIND acts like a control center that directs incoming and outgoing traffic. It deciphers, decodes and makes sense of what comes in and what goes out. It works efficiently or inefficiently according to variant factors and stimuli. What is for sure, the mind is always busy doing its job. It constantly sorts, absorbs, decides, judges, compartmentalizes, likes, dislikes, considers, memorizes and so forth. In addition to the normal cause and effect, subliminal messages also give and leave impressions on the mind in addition to other influences. Some of these press the emotions into formulating a response. One has to be careful when evaluating content that is opinion-based. Cognitive functions interact with the message's suggestion.

For the Christian, the need to align beliefs and Scriptural teachings with life is paramount to God-centered spiritual growth. Wrong thinking and harmful considerations affect the whole person, in their emotions, intellect, and behavior. What goes in, then comes out. Positive behaviors are learned as well. Fill the mind with what is pure, healthy and good, what is honoring to God, and the outcome is to the positive and spiritual. To reform the mind of the presence of any internalized wrong-mindedness requires a vigilant, conscious effort to flush out what is not okay to fill up on what is okay. God empowers the refining.

There is a shortcut that facilitates this process in an easier manner. Those who seek God with their whole heart and God becomes close to them are sensitive to things of God and more aware of their own spiritual condition. It is like a flashlight turns on to highlight what needs to change. The mind then engages with their inner culture. That is one of the ways this sensitivity is developed. The Holy Spirit is involved in the enabling of God-actualized behaviors, where God leads and the Spirit influences an action.

Dear Father, help us to desire what You desire. Bring us in to a right relationship with You. Amen.

To God be the Glory