Spiritual Consumption

The process of consuming things has been on my mind lately. (maybe the holiday feast at Thanksgiving and the upcoming feast at Christmas) After all, consuming is really necessary for life. To eat food and drink water is important for your body to receive the nourishment that it needs for strength, or even survival. For a believer it is important to desire and consume the things of God. This includes studying His Word, corporate worship (with a local Church body), discipleship relationships (mentors), and the list could go on and on with more specifics. This desire is the “want to” for spiritual growth and vitality. Vitality meaning to live a lifestyle grounded and established in the pursuit of God through your freedom in Christ. Since Jesus has provided all that is necessary for salvation, the battle with sin can be conquered now as it has been eternally won already. We are free to dwell in the presence of God and enjoy the things of God. Having this freedom allows us to have intimacy with God and all we need is to follow the desire of our changed heart. Eternal perspective takes over, when you are close to God, to drive your life purpose to be in the will of God. Consistency in this focus is to have a steady diet of consuming the Word of God. So those that are in Christ must crave and eat the divinely inspired Word, and all that is of God. 

Some Passages to Consider:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" -Matthew 5:6

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" -2 Timothy 2:22

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
 come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food" -Isaiah 55:1-2

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death" -Romans 8:1-2

Contentment

To truly be thankful one must learn to be content. A believer who has given to God what is rightfully His, finds all things in an intimate relationship with Him. All of life belongs in submission to God, as He is the giver of life. By submitting to God, you are pursuing His leadership of your life. With God as the leader of your life, one becomes more aware of His power and authority over creation. (Jude 24-25) The dwelling in or abiding in the presence of God to find contentment while living in this world, is the challenge for all who are in Christ. Finding a daily pursuit of God through spiritual disciplines such as prayer and bible study are essential, but still just the beginning. Heart engagement while practicing the spiritual disciplines is the key to truly finding closeness with God through Jesus. Being close to God constantly will provide satisfaction in the will of God alone, which is contentment. To be overflowing with thanksgiving is found in contentment with Christ alone, forsaking all of this world that is apart from the righteousness of God.

Passages to consider:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world"          -1 Timothy 6:6-7

"I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me"   -Philippians 4:10-13


"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" -Colossians 2:6-7

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me"    -John 15:4 (Really verses 1-17)

The Relationship

At the heart of the Christian faith is the understanding of salvation through Jesus as the Savior for all mankind. As the Son of God, Jesus paid for the justification for those who believe and trust in His blood sacrifice. At the core of this belief and trust is a continual relationship with the Savior. Once the surrender to trust is there, one continues to pursue knowledge and wisdom from the source of salvation. This knowledge and wisdom is the revealing of the nature of God. Nature meaning who He is and what He desires for His creation. So our growth and life moving forward, from the moment of trust, is based on this relationship. Are we actively pursuing this knowledge and wisdom of God I now have access to? This is the question at the beginning of each day for the one who trusts in Jesus. Another is: Does my life’s actions reflect that I am growing in this knowledge? If the answer is yes to these questions, we are on the right path. What a powerful relationship this is, that we have with Jesus. We find purpose, motivation, strength, and endurance in Jesus, to name a few. But probably the most fascinating thing is how this relationship helps all other relationships. Because of the love found in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, we can find a way to love all others. Yes, ALL others. Even those that make it hard to love and even when it is YOU that makes it hard to love. There is always a way to love someone with the love of Christ. The pursuit of the things of God through Jesus bring understanding of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice. These are barrier or hinderance breakers to relationships. Redemption by the blood of Jesus is the cause of so many effects!

Passages to consider:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” -John 13:34-35

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” -Romans 5:1-2

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” -Colossians 3:12-13

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12:1-2

*Romans 12- The Whole Chapter!!

Building Up Others (Romans 15:1-2)

How do I effect others? When going about your life there are consequences to all words and deeds. This  question of self analysis seeks to understand the outcome of your relationships with others, whether it is positive or negative. A priority must be on love for the follower of Jesus, of course. (John 13:35) Are you providing any type of growth or encouragement for those that are in your life? All followers of Jesus are to find relationships that help them to grow spiritually and to can help the other person grow spiritually. This is made possible when we make it a emphasis to “bear with the failings” of those who might disappoint or even hurt you. Although relationships should be encouraging and provide some satisfaction in your life, the only relationship that doesn't disappoint is the one we have with our Savior and Lord. So to “bear with” others is to be expected and for them to do the same with us. Maturity in Christ, that has had growth into strength, intentionally looks for ways to continue growing and to bring others along for the ride. For those that are in the household of faith, (the family of God) taking care of each other brings glory to God. This is our distinct marker in comparison to the rest of the world. (John 13:35) By building up the body of Christ through ministering to one another, we are better prepared to lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus and expand the Kingdom of God. When “building up” someone in Christ, this is to deepen their knowledge and trust in the Lord leading to more acts of obedience. So let us invest in others to the Glory of God and build His Kingdom!

Assurance of Righteousness

The first thing that comes to my mind, when trying to understand righteousness, is anything that is "of God." While that might be the most obvious and simple definition, I think it  goes well beyond that. Certainly God is the determiner of what is truly good and righteous. He is the giver of all good and perfect gifts. (James 1:17) We find righteousness when we draw close to God through Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:27) As our fellowship with God becomes close, we then desire His plan and design for our lives. Conforming to the Will of God is the perfect way of understanding the righteousness of God. This desire will seek all actions, decisions, thoughts, and words to be a part of the Will of God. Since it is God that determines righteousness, it is the approval of God that assures us that we have found righteousness in His Will. Yes, He is the source of all things good and the one who helps turn us all to the ways of righteousness. The path of righteousness, that is a lifestyle that is according to God’s desires, is one of resistance and opposition in this world.(Matthew 7:13-14) Though, assurance from God is all the approval a believer needs to resist the world and embrace the ways of righteousness. 

Veil Removal (2 Corinthians 4)

Being blindfolded is an interesting and frightening experience. Seeing is vital to our ability to move around effectively and safely, so if this ability is hindered or removed in any way there will be mistakes. To be blindfolded and not  even know it is the issue that humanity has without Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus is the one that enables salvation, which removes the blindfold or veil so that we see clearly. What impact does this have? A few things come to mind and the first is truth. Specifically in the areas of morality and worldview. In Christ those that believe are able to see the world as the creator intended the world to be viewed. As we love God and have access to Him through Jesus, seeing the world as it was created to be and identifying the ways it falls short is a game changer. This ability changes everything from your thoughts to lifestyle. The Christians worldview enabled by Christ motivates you to fulfill the desire to please and bless God. Resistance is inevitable when one has their worldview changed by an encounter with God. Every decision you make now, in every area of your life, is through this lens. And those that remain veiled (blindfolded) cannot understand. No separation, with a clear conscience, can be made when living your life according to a worldview founded in Christ from any current circumstance. Life in Christ penetrates every decision from Salvation on. Being in conflict with the rest of the world, who does not have a clear vision of truth and world view, is a necessary part of being a believer. This gives you an opportunity to share truth with words and example. In this passage those that remain blindfolded are perishing, giving urgency to the need for the veil to be removed by the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Being unveiled frees people from the bondage of spiritual blindness, which has an empowering effect for the service of the Lord. All who trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins must do all through their changed life,  especially speaking the truth of the Gospel! 

Hope for Humility

“I am the most humble person you will ever meet!” 

This is a funny statement to hear and one used as a joke in many instances. Humility is a great struggle for most of us. We are told in abundance that the most important thing for you to worry about is: you. Self centeredness is rampant all around us and maybe in our own life because the popular belief is to do all things for yourself.  Building up of yourself takes priority over building up others.  So what has the greatest value, to seek after anything that will build up yourself or is it humility and investing in others. Humility has great value in that it is essentially the removal of selfish ambition, which can leave the room necessary for doing something for others. To be caught up in the pursuit of selfish gain will build up your life in some ways, but will often come with great harm done in the life of someone else. Should I tear down others for a temporary personal satisfaction of my own selfish desires? The most memorable people are usually those that try to serve others without expecting anything in return. With humility in action, one is remembered because of the service they provided in building the other up. So it is the resistance of trying to be remembered that leads to being remembered. In order to be motivated for this type of attitude, and making it your lifestyle, you must draw from something that is above you and everything else. In Scripture, the book of Romans, we see a statement of the ultimate sacrifice that has lead to the possibility of salvation for all. “-but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) So it is love for the world that lead the Creator God to provide a way for the world to have eternal life through the ultimate sacrifice. (John 3:16) For those that believe in the sacrifice of Christ, sacrifice for others becomes much easier. This is because of the influence of Christ in all areas of life for a believer. Those that trust in Jesus as the sacrifice for theirs sins learn from His words and deeds. Selfish ambition becomes clear for what it is, an empty endeavor. Because of the certainty of hope, that is eternal life in the presence of God the Father through Jesus the Son, we are enabled with the desire for a humble, fulfilled life in Christ serving others. A lowly and humble life that serves the needs of others, with the love of Christ. That is a valuable life, a life with eternal value. A challenge perhaps, but a worthy endeavor.