Two Ways to Live Spiritual Life: Intervention no. 11

LIVING SPIRITUAL LIFE 

as it should be lived

Finding God in the Daily

Complexity and simplicity both have their roots in spiritual life. Where you are in the mix is good to know.

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH is divided into two groups. One group has found Christ to be real and living and life changing. They have awakened from their slumber and are connected in interactive, intimate relationship with God. Theirs is a deepening faith with a genuine construct in its core.

The other group hopes and wants to find Christ as real and loving and life-changing, but they are still asleep, not fully accessing the life which Christ offers His children. Although they don't realize it, they are missing a life of closeness and meaningful relationship with God due to a perfunctory spirituality or a casual lacking-in-depth spiritual reality.

It need not be this way. Christ’s arms are open wide to all who will come unto Him. Lasting change starts from within and reaches out in faith and honesty. 

It is not just about us. It is also about God.

Life is hard but God is good. What God desires is to be close and complete in us. He may allow or at least use difficult things to gain our attention. He desires for us to reach out to Him that He may help us and offer us comfort and a new and better way. 

God does not want us to live in a wounded state bound in a spirit of fear with unhealed hurt trapped in the interior places. Our lives need the freedom that is found in a life hid in God. He wants to set us free and to restore us to wholeness.

God desires for us to come to Him with the painful stuff 

-that God may minister to our need, 

     -that we may grieve the offense, 

          -that God may enter and heal the hurt as He removes its 

              sharp piercing

              - that God may place peace as a salve 

                      -that brings healing and joy in the soul.

In the areas that have brought much distress, God guides you on a soul journey that, in time, brings you to health and wholeness through a renewal and restorative process.

I know this is true because it happened to me.

Father, Bring Your children close to You. Bless their hearts. Mold them and make them after Your will. Amen

To God be the Glory

† † †

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

In Pursuit of God -- Inspiration 33

The Joy of Knowing God

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart 

and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Matthew 22:37

God can be known. Astounding as that may sound, it is true. God seeks relationship with His children. They can seek relationship with Him. This involves getting closer to God.

KNOWING GOD is a pursuit of the richest kind. Apprehending knowledge about God is one thing, but actual knowing God is another. The two are not the same. To know someone implies intimacy. You don't know someone or something unless you are familiar with them. The same is true for knowing God. One has to immerse themselves totally in seeking God to know Him. God desires for His children to know Him. He delights in this endeavor. We know this through Scripture's encouragement to love God with heart, mind, and soul. To know God is to love Him. Allow God access by engaging in activities of spiritual pursuit

1. Read the Bible: Learn about God: Know about God.
2. Pray: Confess: Give thanks: Ask: Seek: Knock at the door.
3. Meditate: Contemplate: Praise Him: Open up with God.
4. Absorb God's promises: Appreciate His ways: Be thankful.
5.  Desire God in relationship: Surrender: Let God lead you.

There is no one right way to pursue God to know Him. Individuals are individual, right? They will find God as they seek His favor. Asking God to reveal Himself is good place to start. Scripture can be studied. The Holy Spirit can be accessed to make this personal and revealing. An open heart and mind turned toward God is essential to the process. The spiritual journey becomes a blessed time of love, joy, and goodness. God becomes a faithful friend. He can be counted on. Knowing God and Him knowing you is the stuff of a beautiful relationship.

Dear God, thank you for being life to us. You are everything. Amen

To God be the Glory

Pleasing to God -- Inspiration 26

Let's be Pleasing to God

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 NIV

Having a relationship with God is a beautiful thing. Like human relationships, it takes intention and positive interactions to make it meaningful and beneficial. Pleasing God is part of spiritual maturity but its pleasure is enjoyed by both. It is both reciprocal and relational..

IT WOULD BE NICE if every thought, word, and action were pleasing to God. What a wonderful consideration. To get a handle on how to pursue this in spiritual life is to take a look at the heart. For with the heart humans do think before they doth act. The mind is responsive to the heart. Like how a physical heart affects the whole body, in much the same way a spiritual life is directly linked to what is in the heart. Spiritually speaking, an unhealthy heart produces unhealthy responses. Scripture encourages well-being in the soul. That is why the meditations of the heart minister to the soul. Spiritual life is nurtured in the Beloved, in His Word, and in such things as prayer, fasting, and meditation. God gives to His children because He loves them. Interestingly, God particularly notices those who want more of Him, and also those who are in dire straits and need more of God. His ear is inclined toward people who engage with Him. Are there walls? Walled off areas with restrictive barriers are unable to receive freely. When these barriers give way it is to make room for the better thing. Allowing God access is expedient to the process. Absorb what God shows and remove what detracts. God is pleased when relationship brings us closer to Him. In comes the joy of intimacy. God blesses a heart that loves Him. This is where one finds beauty and strength.

Dearest Father God, we are miserable without You. We long to be filled with You. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Amen

To God be the Glory