The "Gentle Whispers"

   Communication is fundamental to humans and their relationships.  A family who doesn't talk to each other is a group of people who are related, and nothing more.  A business who doesn't practice internal communication is doomed to failure.  Two friends who don't listen to what the other has to say are straining to keep a relationship that doesn't have any substance.  A husband who will not speak with his wife-- and more importantly, listen to her-- is slowly losing the love of his life.
   Our relationship with God relies on the same premise.  As very children of the Creator, we rely on communication to build the foundation of our relationship with our heavenly Father.
   The other night, I was lying in my bed.  It was late, and no one was in the room, so (as I often do) I prayed out loud.  I began by thanking God for who He is, and proceeded to recap my day, with its high and low points, and so on.  Eventually, I began to get a little more personal, as I honestly told my Father about some things I was struggling with in my social life.  I ended up asking a question (remember, I'm praying out loud) and waited for a reply.  As silence ensued, I proceeded to tell God how I was disappointed for the lack of reply.  "God, ya know, sometimes it would be cool to hear you every once in awhile," I said.
   Instantly, I felt convicted.  Why should I expect the God of the universe to have such an intimate conversation with Him whenever I barely give Him five minutes a day in prayer?
   Have you ever considered what it would be like to have a child and live with him/her, yet barely communicate with them?  Wouldn't that break your heart?  The child is able to say "I love you" at every minute of the day, since they are with you constantly, but you rarely hear the phrase cross their lips.  Sometimes you'll hear it once a day.  Twice if you're lucky.
   I feel like that's how God feels about our relationship with Him.  Remember, this is the God who provides for His children.  This is the God that desires to talk with His children.  Yet, they are so busy with the things their Father has provided them with, they forget to stop and talk to Him.  I mean, they barely say "Thank-you," yet they have the audacity to ask for more things.  More?  Really?
   This is why it is crucial for God's children to talk.  It is crucial to talk to the Father, and even more important to consistently speak with Him.  Let Him know what is on your heart.  He's ready to listen.
   One of the many facts in life that people constantly overlook is the fact that communication is a two-way street.  Talking is often remembered, yet listening is conveniently forgotten.
   How does this apply to our relationship with Christ?  Not only do we need to speak to Him, but we need to listen to His words too.  He has given us the Spirit to translate for us.  Translators work both ways.  How amazing is it to think that we have the potential to hear words directly from God?  Yes, it may not be audible words (although, God certainly has the ability to make Himself heard if He so desires), but He consistently speaks words of truth about our lives.  His language may not be one of winds, earthquakes, and fires, but we can be happy in knowing that God speaks in the "gentle whisper."
   Here's the challenge to myself, and to you as well.  Spend more than five minutes a day talking with God.  The more time you spend with God, the more intimate the relationship.  Isn't that what we want, an intimate relationship with God?  This is how we grow.  We strengthen our bond with the Creator when we speak with Him.  He talks; we just have to be trained to listen.

In Step with the Spirit II

   As a week has now passed, I look back on the events filling the past seven days, and let me say that it's not easy to live by the Spirit.  It's a lifestyle change that takes much practice and dedication as time goes on.  So, now begins week two, and where I left off in the last post.
   After showing the Galatians how important it is to be under the Spirit's control, Paul then moves into, what I call, the Fruits of the Sinful Nature.  Paul says they consist of "sexual immorality [which is more than just sex], impurity and debauchery [meaning immorality]; idolatry and witchcraft [yeah, witchcraft is real]; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy [that's a long list of bad things..], drunkenness, orgies [yep, Paul just said "orgies"], and the like" (Galatians 5:19-21; parentheticals added).
   Now before a person casually skims over this section of the chapter, I think it's important to reread a few times and meditate on it.  How many of those do you, and I, exhibit?  How many of those Fruits do you and I struggle with?  And this includes those who follow Christ and those who don't.  I can honestly say that I struggle with sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, jealousy, selfish ambitions, and envy.  I'm not perfect, and I don't claim to be.  However, it's these things that I can overcome thanks to the Spirit.
   After this long list of "what evil looks like," Paul counters with the Fruits of the Spirit.  Many young Christians can quote the list from heart, after learning it in Sunday school or at a camp.  It's one of those cute and "encouraging" messages about the good things... after we nonchalantly skip over the bad things of sinful nature (19-21).
   Here's what Paul says the Fruits of the Spirit are: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23a).  These list of things are counter to the Law, a major struggle for the Jews in that era.  And the new idea that one is to live without the strict guidelines of the Torah is quite a radical one.
   Again, this is another verse that we casually skim over.  We have this little checkbox as we quickly compare to ourselves and say, "Yes, I have love," or "Yep, I have patience" and so on.  However, one must look deep inside to truly know what needs to be changed in life.  For me, I struggle with the very idea of love.  I will be honest, I don't always love everyone, even though I try my hardest.  But true love isn't a forced entity.  I cannot just force myself to love my enemies; that is not true love.  Other things I don't have, for starters, is peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, and certainly not self-control.  How about you?  Where do you fall in?
   Again, I reiterate that I am not perfect.  I am not like Christ, and I am no where near the standards I shoot for.  But, Paul reaffirms that by ourselves, we cannot do good.  We cannot be good without Christ.  That's why Paul finally concludes with a simple, yet profound verse:
        "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." -Galatians 5:25
   I think the idea of being "in step" with the Spirit is a deep and thought-provoking one.  It's the idea of walking with the Holy Spirit, doing the things It would do, saying the things It would say, being the person It would have us be.  This is so foundational to our faith walk, and yet many of us read on without applying.  However, if a person is to truly change for the better, they must adopt the fruits of the Spirit and deny the fruits of the Sinful Nature.  This is how we should live.

In Step with the Spirit

     Lately, I've been feeling spiritually dead.  Well, not dead as in "void of life," but essentially stagnant or without movement.  There are regular periods in life that modern Christians like to dub as "mountains" and "valleys," and I guess I could say I was in the latter.  It was a convenient two-week valley, complete with lack of prayer and Bible reading (which doesn't improve your faith, by the way), and I was ready to get out of it.  I was feeling apathetic and lifeless, and I needed some vitality.
So, I prayed.  It was simple enough, something along the lines of "soften this heart of stone" and "give me new life" and "help me know you more" with other cliché contemporary Christian phrases.  But, thank God, He answered it nonetheless, because it was truly heartfelt.
     I have been reading through Galatians, a book characterized by a spiritually lifeless people.  They were more concerned about the Law and the things that the Judaizers (opponents of Paul's teachings) preached.  It is of significance to point out that these Judaizers attempted to incorporate Old Testament law into the newly Jesus-reinstated Gospel.  (I say "reinstated" because the Gospel was not a new idea, and even though the word is Greek, the process of being saved lasted long before then.)  And although there is nothing wrong with the Law (we often view it in a negative way), the Judaizers believed that all saved people were to adopt a Jewish perspective on life, following the Torah with its 613 commandments for the Jewish life.  Paul disagreed, and many times you will read Him arguing about the unnecessary act of circumcision, which was certainly new to the gentiles of Galatia.  So, there was some stagnancy in the Galatian church.
     But Paul begins to wrap up his letter (or in my opinion, begins the climax) with the Fruits of the Sinful Nature versus the Fruits of the Spirit.  In Galatians 5:16, he begins with, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."  How does one escape from the lack of spiritual vitality of the sinful nature?  In essence, live by the Spirit!  Is this a profound statement?  In my opinion, I don't think so.  It's something that is preached, yet rarely practiced.  We talk about God's Spirit as if It is some mystical being like the Force, and if we squint our eyes hard enough and "use the Force," good things will happen.  So, the charge to live by the Spirit is not profound by any means through wordage, but it is certainly radical when it comes to living life.
     In conclusion, what can we do to improve our faith?  What can we do to have joy?  What can we do to truly love others and have compassion on them?  Ask for guidance from the Spirit!  Each one of us who are in Christ are already living with the Spirit, so let us take advantage of the amazing opportunity that God has so graciously blessed us with, and live in a way that will improve our daily lives tenfold.  This is my challenge to you, reader.  Pray earnestly for God's generous helping of the Spirit, so that you (we) may be true "lights" in a dark world.

Hi!

Dear Reader,
     This blog was an attempt to get my "creative juices" flowing again in a way that can edify myself and other readers with positive and critical words that I feel are necessary to life.  I pray that you enjoy what is said, accompanied by disagreement too, because I hope to challenge the very precepts of each individual's belief system.  Blessings to you all.
     Peace,
           Derek