SPIRITUAL POVERTY

“Jesus answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.’”  (John 6:26-27)

There’s no end to the stuff that can be conceived. We go into debt to buy more and more of it. So why do we still feel empty? Your garage, your basement, and your storage unit may all be packed, and still you feel empty. It’s a little like eating a big meal. You feel full at first, but it’s not going to last. You’ll always need the next meal, the next purchase, the next jolt of brief fullness.

We’re trying to fill the cavity of the soul with things that won’t fit. Mother Teresa once said, “The spiritual poverty of the Western world is much greater than the physical poverty of our people in Calcutta. You in the West have millions of people who suffer such terrible loneliness and emptiness… These people are not hungry in the physical sense, but they are in another way. They know they need something more than money, yet they don’t know what it is. What they are missing really is a living relationship with God.” (from “Life in the Spirit: Reflections, Meditations, Prayers”) 

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me: Where Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins”

#5041

THE BEST, MOST SATISFYING

"So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."  (Genesis 1:27 NLT)

Clearly, God did not create us with desires simply so that we would renounce them. As Paul insisted, this world is God’s creation.  Like a loving parent, the God who created us wants for us the best, most satisfying life possible.

Christianity does not promise the ultimate in personal pleasure, a life oriented around hedonism.  Rather, it promises an ordering of life -- a putting together, not a reduction -- so that we realize pleasures as they were intended by our Creator.  Otherwise, we risk indulging to our own destruction, like an alcoholic who determines how much to drink.  Abuses arise from regarding pleasure as an end in itself rather than a pointer to something more.  "Perfect are the good desires You have given me," prayed Pascal; "Be their End, as You have been their Beginning."

-- Philip Yancey in “Rumors of Another World”

#4952

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT - Part 2

Paul writes to the Ephesians, “Do not get drunk with wine… Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Intoxication and spirituality seem like odd companions in a Bible verse. But Paul is saying it just right: don’t try to get inspiration out of a bottle. God wants to fill and inspire you through His Spirit. If you need comfort, don’t guzzle it. Find the real stuff in the one Jesus called the Comforter. Don’t try to work up courage by drinking. The Spirit is courageous! The disciples ran in fright when Jesus was arrested, but they boldly faced danger every day once the Spirit had come.

Do you drink just to loosen up and relax? The fruit of the Spirit includes peace from God. Not to mention love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

An old commercial used to tout two merits of the beer it was promoting: “tastes great” and “less filling.” At least the beer company got the second one right. Everything this world has to offer is less filling. And at the end of the day, none of it tastes great. But life in the Spirit is a different matter.          

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me: Where Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins”

#4903

A FULL AND ENGAGING LIFE

Jesus said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”  (John 10:10 NLT)

In the story of "Braveheart," Scottish national hero William Wallace declares, “Every man dies; not every man really lives.”

Wallace was well aware of the difference between merely existing -- something he witnessed in too many men who failed to respond to the challenge of a full and engaging life -- and the wonder of actually living to their full potential. Mediocrity is a sad curse that threatens to suck the lifeblood from many people, people who might otherwise pursue lives that actually mean something beyond the day in, day out of survival.

We all know people who constantly regress to the unremarkable. We may sometimes be tempted to follow the path ourselves. It is too easy to fall into patterns of below average, develop a comfortable rhythm there, and consequently live out our lives without ever pushing any kind of envelope at all.

-- Derek Maul in “Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men”


#4705

A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST

Jesus prayed, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." (John 17:1-3 NIV)

It certainly has been a blessing being on an NFL team and competing at this level. But as rewarding as that is, it's not nearly as rewarding as having a relationship with Jesus Christ. There's no other way to live. This is a mission field, because guys need to be reached. A lot of guys are hurting because they've bought into the big lie that they need more and more money, and more and more fame. But a lot of them are empty when they find out this isn't true.

-- Mark Brunell, former NFL Quarterback, in Sports Spectrum magazine


#4662