Obscure in Christ

“Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1-2 MSG)

Our visible life, what we can see and feel right in front of us, gets most of our attention. We call this life ‘real’, even though we suspect much of it is an illusion. Like a reality show, it is somewhat scripted, staged, and motivated by audience approval. An authentic spiritual life, however, is invisible, and thus, not amenable to public valuation.

“Your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life...Be content with obscurity, like Christ.” (Colossians 3:3-4 excerpts from MSG)

We often assume that God’s Spirit is tucked away in us like a tiny vestigial organ instead of us being a fragment of an all-encompassing God. We imagine that our life is a big deal, and God is a small part of it--while, in reality, God is a big deal, and we are a small part of Him. We presume that the purpose of life is to fulfill our potential and leave a legacy. Even many of us who claim to serve God, unwittingly call attention to ourselves instead of glorifying God.

When we are hidden in Christ, God becomes more visible. The more obscure our lives, the more God is glorified. Thus, let us be content with obscurity while God takes center stage.

Praying in the Spirit

(Continued from the last post)

“Carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love.” (Jude 1:20 MSG)

We often presume that our human objectives are divinely inspired. Here is a personal example: This morning, a thought came to me that I should suggest something to my son that seemed beneficial. And, since I was praying when the thought occurred to me, I figured it may be divinely inspired. Yet, I  knew that this was also in alignment with my natural instincts, my worldly objectives, my rational self. This gave me pause. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would directly influence my son in this matter according to God’s will.

Shifting our trust from our physical instincts to our spiritual instincts requires us to submit to the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit. Instead of being influenced by our gut-level desires, we start praying from a higher level. As we surrender our human objectives, we get closer to the center of God’s will.

Natural Insincts

“They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.” (Jude 1:20 NLT)

Do you follow the popular adage to: Trust your gut? This seems like practical advice, especially if you are a sensible person with good instincts.  Our natural instincts are developed from our worldly experiences. They are often shaped by our emotions, feelings, senses, and passions. When we ‘follow our gut’, we are operating from our lower level, primal instincts. Our actions are reactionary, influenced mostly by our need to preserve and  protect what we value. Our parental instincts are a good example. Most parents react from their gut when they feel their children need protection. We may extend this instinct further by defending other loved ones, our territories, and our way of life.

What could be the downside to trusting our gut? Well, when we follow our natural instincts, we are not following God’s Spirit. Spiritual intuitions originate from a higher level. They often seem nonsensical and illogical. They are not based on our feelings or emotions. They are unitive rather than divisive. Many of us prefer using our primal instincts, because it is quicker and more familiar.  Divine guidance is far superior.

(Continued in next post)

Every Detail

(Continued from previous post)

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”  (Romans 8:28 NLT)

Parts of the Appalachian trail run along the North Carolina-Tennessee border for several miles. These man-made, state boundaries become unnoticeable on the trail. You can actually walk with one foot in North Carolina and the other foot in Tennessee!  

Similarly, the lines between the spiritual and secular realms are man-made; it is possible to function in both spheres at once. In our walk with God, we are called to traverse the boundaries between our humanness and our sacredness.

When love for God becomes the primary motivating factor in every choice and decision, we begin to live Spirit-saturated lives. We go to God with every concern, every emotion--in complete trust and humility.

We are able to have this familiar intimacy, because we have experiential knowledge of God. We know He is dependable, loving, and available. We recognize that God has been a constant presence in our lives.

Now, this doesn’t mean that everything will work out according to our liking. Our human concerns are secondary to God’s purposes. We are called to walk through this life with our feet grounded on earth, our hearts brimming with love, and our minds focused on God’s sphere of influence.

“Every Detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (Romans 8:28 MSG)

Compartmentalization

“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.” (Galatians 5:25 MSG)

Most of us compartmentalize our lives into sections--work, business, home, family, church, social, entertainment--and we conduct ourselves differently in each situation. We split the spiritual from the secular. Many of us delegate Sunday morning to spiritual time. Or we may spend some quiet time every morning before we go on to do worldly things. It doesn’t seem practical to mix the two. Yet, compartmentalizing spirituality and relegating it to a small corner of our day is limiting. How can we incorporate the Spirit into every detail of our lives?

We may not recognize some of the barriers that we unwittingly erect to cordon off the Spirit. For example, when facing a major decision, most of us take an inventory of our resources and talents, look at the pros and cons of each side, and make the most efficient, practical, and productive choice. Thus, our resources, talents, logic, efficiency, practicality, and productivity--all can become barricades against the Spirit.

True surrender is only possible when our options are limited. Once the barriers of pride and self-sufficiency come crumbling down, we are no longer able to compartmentalize. Brokenness thus becomes a blessing; it leads to vulnerability, which, in turn, allows the Spirit to flow freely into every aspect of our lives.

(Continued in next post)

Image Maintenance

The other day, I saw a cleaning company van  with the following logo:

“We are in the Image Maintenance Business.”

I found this quite amusing.  If we were completely honest, most of us would have this logo on our cars, our homes, our bodies, our clothes, our kids, etc. We all spend a great deal of our time and energy on maintaining our self-image. We want to be perceived as good, attractive, smart, successful, capable, competent, etc.  Therefore, we display our positive traits while camouflaging our negative traits.

Image making and maintenance is a normal phase of human development. According to author Richard Rohr, during the first half of life, we typically operate from our ego-consciousness. Everything is self-referential at this stage: How does this affect me? How does this make me look? What’s in it for me? This is a necessary part of figuring out our place in this world, our purpose. Unfortunately, some of us get stuck in this phase well into the second half of our lives. As young adults, we create an image and then spend the rest of our lives trying to maintain it. Some cultures encourage this behavior from generation to generation. Instead of recognizing it as developmental stagnation, these societies condone status seeking and social climbing, even among those who are old enough to know better.

By the second half of life, we are capable of moving on from this egocentric paradigm. We can recognize that using ourselves as a reference point is silly. As we realize our insignificance, we become less attached to our visions. As we evolve, we become less concerned about how we fit into this world and more interested in God’s purpose.  

Planting and Harvesting

“The person who sows through human means will harvest decay from human means, but the person who sows in the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. Let's not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest—if we do not give up.”  (Galatians 6:8-9 ISV)

This year, I planted two raised-bed gardens. In the first bed, I planted seedlings that had already sprouted. These small plants, bought from a local store, gave me immediate satisfaction. They could be planted in neat rows with mulch in between to keep the weeds at bay. Since they were visible, they were easy to water, and they grew and matured quickly. In the second  bed, I planted seeds. For the first few weeks, it was disheartening. There were no visible signs of growth. Weeds popped up before the seeds sprouted. It seemed like I was just watering dirt and weeds. I almost felt like giving up on it.

The first garden is similar to investing in worldly pursuits. It yields visible, tangible results quickly. Since we are sowing through human means, it is more manageable--we have a certain degree of control over the outcome. It is gratifying to connect our efforts to the positive rewards.

The second garden is similar to investing in spiritual pursuits. We plant in faith; we water what we cannot see; we wait in hope. The timing and the results are beyond our control. It is difficult to take credit for anything.

Our human nature compels us to pay more attention to the first garden of worldly pursuits, where our investments and our returns are visible, manageable, and immediately gratifying--while neglecting our spiritual garden. Planting in the Spirit may not yield conspicuous rewards, but the the growth is enduring. So don’t give up. Keep investing in God’s goodness; wait for His timing and harvest.