The Christ-Life Speaks Joy to the Soul

Freedom versus Bondage

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. --John 10:10 NIV

Christ-following is not rule-following. 

Christ is life; not a burden, not working harder, not being buried under a weight of guilt unable to meet all the requirements of "righteous" living. Bondage to an ideal is not the stuff of freedom in Christ, contrary to what many have been taught, and in some ways, as I was taught.

Joy is repressed when the Christ-life is reduced to a list-following duty. You see, Christ came to set us free. We can access that freedom by living in close relationship with Him. He is life. Real life is an over-flowing of Christ in us that is life-giving and real.

Liberating in essence, Christ-following is crying out to Him with your heart and soul, to know Him, to love Him, to being filled with Christ's life now bringing -- and His Life now being -- life in you. Christianity is about Christ, His hope, His love, and His life. Pure and simple, it is all about Christ.

Many Christians live in duty-bound bondage to the religious form that has little to do with the "life" of Christ in their daily living. Christ came to set the captive free. He is life eternal. Through Him we partake of Living Life. His Life brings life with its joy to the soul. We become fully alive in our spirit.

Belief is rooted in what you believe. If it is reduced to a list of rules, traditions, and religious practices, then it will fail to bring life to the soul. Instead, it will cause bondage to the practices. Opening your life to Christ and focusing on Him is what gives life to your inner being. This is freeing and breaks the bonds of do-good-ing religiosity. Trying to achieve holiness in our own strength is not possible though it may be well intentioned. Striving to be godly will fail. Its motivation is from the wrong source. Godliness originates from Christ, in us and transforming us.
.
What goes on in the heart is where we must look to find our true spiritual state. As we are in our heart, so are we. Why we do what we do is important to know. A self-examination is in order. What does your heart love? Therein you will find your spiritual truth. Is it in Christ the Savior or is it in the practices and forms? I mean, really look for what is true in you. The wearing of "spiritual masks" is commonplace. They quite effectively hide the true truth about your spiritual condition. Seek God until He mirrors your soul's condition to you. Then you're ready to access freedom through Christ and in Christ.

Grace, joy, and peace come through Christ living in us. Embracing Christ, loving God, seeking spiritual truth through Father, Son, and Spirit -- through God's Word, and through a life enkindled in its reality through love in Christ, prayer and meditation -- is life-giving goodness. It is then you live spiritual life from a place of light and beauty rather than bondage and servitude.

It doesn't get any better than that.

A Relatable Tale That Grabs You

A good book speaks about real life.

Do you ever read a book and feel like you're reading your own personal story? I just finished a book that way. I couldn't believe it. So many passages were matches and ponderings much like my own past conflicted feelings.

Wow! What it told me is the author understands the human mixed with the spiritual elements. She gets how they cause us to act in self-protective mode, which is not all that good for us in the long run. We can't be genuine if we are controlling the conversation.

You have to risk being real.

Decisions  and choices abound in our daily walks. Sometimes we simply do not know what to do. That happens quite often in my life. I try to ascertain the best course of action by using my best thinking. Yet there are the occasional curve balls.

The book I was reading was about a later-in-life romance. I could relate. I've been in a similar predicament. The relationship was one of the joys in my life, but it also brought me a great deal of angst. Like the protagonist, I suffered through indecision and fears while also being filled with joys and sweetness. I was trying my best to make it work but all the time doubting that it could work. Such thinking sabotages best effort. Not a good way to do life.

It was strange and delightful to read a book that captures that conundrum well, the confusion and contrary feelings that hold a debate in the head. Ever been there? Relationships have everything to do with life. Did I mention the author is Jan Karon? Have you heard of the Mitford series?

Author magic is such that it elicits a response in you. 

Prayer in the Daily Occurrences of Life

We could pray 24/7.

Praying throughout the day is a beautiful thing. Suffering and struggle are everywhere. Hope and healing are also everywhere, but you must intentionally look for them in order to see their effects. Praying throughout every day becomes a lifestyle practice, an on-going conversation with our Heavenly Father. It is also a mind-set of doing good for others.

I pray as I drive, as I shop, as I sit in a coffee shop, as I view a natural wonder. As I see them, I pray for them. I pray for the homeless, for the elderly, for the children and their parents, for the disabled, for the person who looks sad, for the person in line at the clinic or pharmacy, for the friend or relative in need of a touch from God. Life is hard and everyone needs prayer. While in the hospital E-R, I pray for the newborns every time the music on the intercom announces a baby's arrival. I pray for their life and that they will someday know God and his love. Yes, it is a privilege to pray. Prayer is a blessing we give to the world.

Daily I visit an acute rehab facility where a family member is receiving assistance. Some residents have amputated limbs. Some suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Some have head traumas that limit their capbilities. Some are alert and some are not. There is a cheeriness in the place due to a friendly, caring staff. It's a different world, though. Some there get forgotten by the outside world.

An old friend of mine sings hymns with the residents on Sunday afternoons. It is a gift from his heart to theirs. When he asked me to pray in the middle of the service, it caught me off guard. I didn't know these people or their spiritual path. Yet God's grace was in that room with us. The peace of God enveloped me and them as I prayed and thanked God for being in the room with us. It was a beautiful moment. One of the residents who suffers with Alzheimer's was singing the words of a hymn. That surprised me. I had silently prayed for her the day before because she was confused and behaving erratically. I asked God to calm her and to reach her. It was amazing the difference in the moment.

We pray for those struggling in difficult marriages. We pray for those with anxiety and depression. We pray for those who need a relationship with Christ. We pray for the many needs, and we ask God to intervene. We pray prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of praise, and prayers that honor God and for his blessings to us. We meditate, contemplate, and speak words of gratefulness.

Prayer enriches our lives and the lives of others. What a joy it is to pray. Prayer changes things. Prayer changes us. We soften in the center of our being when we pray. Our attitude towards others also soften as we make prayer a light that glows in the daily. Prayer is God's work. He uses us. Our prayers effect eternity. That is praise-worthy.

Revitalize your day by speaking blessings as you encounter people, places and things. Stressed? Send a prayer up. God is awake. Happy? Give thanks to God. Sad? Know you are heard. Thankful? Send up a praise to God. Discouraged? He understands. Be blessed.

The need is great. God calls us to pray without ceasing

"Father God, I pray blessing on each person who reads this. May you surround them with your love and grace. Amen"

A Matter of Perspective

Life is hard. I hear people say that statement, and I say it. Life IS hard. There's no way to get around it. But God is good. My mind thinks that thought as the answer to the equation. Two big truths connected together by an unseen thread, one conjunction that brings the two side by side. Life is hard BUT God IS good.

All I know in my human limitations is that every time I go through hard times I draw upon God to help me get through them and grow in the process. He carries me along, sees my tears, gives me hope, and blesses me in the process. That's being a good Father God. I never welcome the struggle and I complain more than I should, but I'm never alone.

I asked an elderly lady how she was doing. She said, "I'm upright." Yes, some days it is that way. We are hanging in there and pushing through. God is pushing with us, the unseen partner that we call upon time after time. Some days he seems more distant, that is where trust comes in. He teaches us to trust him for the journey. Later on, we look back and are amazed that we made it through. Praises and more praises.

The deeper we go with God, the more we center our thoughts and being in him, the more we will know his blessed peace in the middle of a storm. He calms the storm with "Peace be still." I know it's true. He's been that for me. New challenges keep coming, and I am stretched a bit further in a new direction. Life is hard but God is good. He teaches me how to handle these new dynamics and disappointments. He is my best friend throughout it all. I love him.

God bless you today