Tag Archives: One life to live

Who are you?

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During a heated political debate Abraham Lincoln was accused of being two-faced and insincere. Lincoln quickly retorted with a touch of humor. Referencing his homely appearance he said, “Honestly, if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?”

We chuckle at the witty reply but the truth is, none of us like to be called two-faced. It casks a negative light on our character, suggesting we would easily flow with whatever tide of opinion seems to benefit us at the time. While we’re tempted to think of it as gain or the easy way out of a difficult situation, it’s actually a strategy for defeat. Lincoln borrowed from the wisdom of Jesus when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25) It’s true for a nation; it’s true for an individual.

In his little book of wisdom to business people, Myron Rush reminded us that Satan’s cleverest lie was to convince us we have two lives: one for worship and one for work. Believing the lie sways us to believe we can:

  • act reverently in church and then yell at the kids on the way home
  • talk about world missions at church but neglect telling our neighbors about Jesus
  •  pray for compassion but treating employees and coworkers with contempt
  • build treasures in heaven while heaping  up treasures on earth

We have just one life to live, a life of integrity and consistent character, whose word is true which ever audience receives it. Whether a person is considered particularly spiritual in nature or not, the one whose word is true is respected. And if it’s what we most respect in others, shouldn’t we strive to achieve it as well?

What does an integrated life look like? I think it best to state the obvious up front: it’s not perfect. No one has it all together all the time. None of us own the corner store on truth. Even if we embrace the absolute truth of the one true God whose character and wisdom is always the same – yesterday, today, and tomorrow – our understanding and application of that truth is limited. We wisely seek the mind of Christ, but none of us have it completely, save what the Spirit of God reveals to us and we readily embrace.

An integrated life does not seek balance like the stage performer who tries to keep all the plates spinning on a stick by spending a little time here and there with each one. That’s chaos waiting for disaster. We try to balance work and family, hobbies and devotions, financial security and generosity. But eventually we all run short on energy and the plates come crashing down in our lives.

Rather an integrated life is more like the process of infusion. We all know that if we put some lemons, limes, and oranges into water along with a touch of mint, cucumber, or basil, will result in a tasty and refreshing drink. The water absorbs the vital essence of that which is allowed to steep in it.

We – whose bodies are 2/3 water – likewise are most refreshed and satisfied when we’re infused with the fruit of the Spirit. When we intentionally infuse love, joy, and peace into our daily agendas, everything we think, say or do starts to become flavored by their virtue. When we allow our relationships and interactions with those around us to be bathed in patience, kindness and goodness, we effectively live out God’s singular message of “love your neighbor.” When we pursue the character of God which includes faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, we are able to see the world around us, even our troubles, through his eyes.

Of course, what the water tastes like depends on what is infused in it. Replace love, joy, and peace with anger, jealousy and bitterness and our lives take on a very different, unpleasant taste. Infuse self-centered thinking and apathy, and we  will not see others at all. Soak our lives in instant gratification and comfort, we take on the flavor that does not satisfy nor refresh.

The longer the essence is infused, the more it will resemble the original. We were created in God’s image and urged to reflect him in all we do – not just our Sunday prayer lives but our everyday activities and ambitions. When what we seek is to be infused completely by God’s truth and grace, our lives are transformed. Dedication to thankfulness drives away self-pity. Forgiveness (of self and others) banishes bitterness and regret. Generosity dissolves greed.

There’s nothing two-faced about it. Who God is becomes who we are. One life to live with his purpose and passion.

 

 

Who are you?

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Recently, I’ve been thinking on what happens to our bodies, soul, and spirit when we die. We know the body goes to the grave and decays or is cremated and ashes scattered. But what should we think about the rest? Who will we be in heaven? And how does that relate to who we are now?

I confess that my early view of heaven was heavily shaped by popular media. The whole idea of ghosts walking around or being changed from humans to Angels, the bit about the fluffy white clouds and harps, the pearly gates was all I knew. Most of it came from wishful thinking. There’s a lot of things I wish were true. But wishful thinking doesn’t make them true. When it comes to our understanding of heaven or who we are now, we need to turn to the author and creator of both. It’s God’s view that matters, not our wishful ideas.

We learn from God’s Word that our soul and spirit go immediately to heaven (to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord). We read also that we will have resurrected bodies that are wonderful in every way. (Look in the mirror and imagine that!)

But in reading what the bible has to say about heaven, what piece of it we can know now, it occurs to me that I need to better understand who I am now. Like you, I was created and born into this world with mind, body, emotions! and soul. They’ve all grown and matured since those baby days, and continue to change in response to aging. I used to think that we all were spiritual beings living in a temporary earthly body, like hermit crabs, having a living organism inside a temporary shell- like body. But God’s Word persuades me to see myself as body, soul, mind, and spirit all completely intertwined, and that it will be this way not only from birth to death, but in heaven too.  It is what defines me both now and forever, except for the miserably corrupt parts from which will be removed when I die. But in the middle of this process…

Something changed!

As a teenager, I recognized my inability to conquer sin on my own and asked Jesus to save me and be my Lord. At once and over time, I became, as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 5:17, a “new creation.” “The old has gone and the new has come.” But even though I was now a “new creation” people still recognized me, and looking in the mirror, I seemed quite the same. As Randy Alcorn describes his own conversion experience, “I was a new person, and yet I was the same person I’d always been.”

Becoming a Christian doesn’t eliminate who we once were, it transforms us.

What was new was my way of perceiving myself and the world around me, along with my response to that new view. Seeing things through God’s eyes renews my minds and transforms my mind. But still, we continue through birth, salvation, life on earth, death, and resurrection as the mind-body-soul God uniquely created in us. We live one continuous life, destined toward God.

Thankfully, our minds and bodies will be perfectly redeemed in ways we long for but can’t understand. Joni Eareckson Tada explains: “Somewhere in my broken paralyzed body is the seed of what I will become. The paralysis makes what I am to become all the more grand when you contrast atrophied, useless legs against splendor out resurrected legs. I’m convinced that if there are mirrors in heaven (and why not?) the image I’ll see will be in mistakenly “Joni,” although a much better, brighter Joni.” Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven, concludes: “Inside your body, even if it is failing, is the blueprint for your resurrection body. You may not be satisfied with your current body or mind but you’ll be thrilled with your resurrection upgrades. With them you’ll be better able to serve and glorify God and enjoy an eternity of wonders he has prepared for you.”

Think on that for a moment. In heaven you will become who you were always meant to be. God created you in a specific way and for a specific for a purpose, to enjoy and serve him now and forever in heaven. Who I am is not a compartmentalized collection of work, family, leisure interests, and spirit. We have just one life to live that connects who we are now to who we will be forever in heaven.  I want to live with that in mind. How about you?

 

Pay attention

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Does the 1932 iconic photo of the RCA Building (Rockefeller Center) construction workers casually sitting atop a beam some 69 stories above the city cause you any anxiety? Whether or not it was taken as a publicity stunt, it makes me nervous just to look at them on their dangerous perch. I want to shout, “Pay attention! Be careful so you don’t fall.”

 

Actually, that is a message for you and me today. Though few of us are likely to pose for a photo atop a dangling construction beam, we remain each day a step away from believing lies that cause us to fall from our most cherished beliefs and positions.

 

What kinds of lies have you believed that have robbed you of joy, peace, and confidence?  We tend to view ourselves and others through the hazy filter of present circumstances, impressions, hearsay, and partial information. Our noisy soul tells us how miserable we are, how many times we have failed, and how hopeless things are. In reality, there is more than our present circumstances: there is the spiritual reality of who we really are, redeemed already by the Son of God, if indeed our full trust is in Him.  God sees us as righteous, forgiven, holy, His children. Yet, we continue to believe lies about our identity. We might think we are controlled by sin but Paul says we ought to reckon ourselves dead to it. That is, believe that it doesn’t control us. If God says we are not under condemnation, we ought to believe it.

 

The cleverest of lies,  we are tempted to believe we live two lives, a sacred one where we worship on Sunday, pray occasionally during the week, and a secular one where we earn a living, whisk away time with our hobbies, and live mostly for ourselves. It’s time we pay attention lest we drift from the truth that we have just one life to live while on this earth; and we are called to live (all of) it set aside for God.  We are spiritual beings with a temporary earthly body, not physical beings with some spiritual aspect.

 

What lies are you believing these days that have caused you to drift from what you know to be truth? Today’s the day to renounce those lies and the control they attempt to have on you. Keep your eyes and mind guarded by God’s Word and promises, lest you find yourself drifting away.

 

“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” Hebrews 2:1

 

 

Keys to enduring the journey

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Sometimes, life is tough. Real struggles make our journey difficult and painful. Imaginary ones confound our life experience. The old hymn, “Trust and Obey,” sums up our hope but how do we bear up in practical ways day by day, moment by moment? One way is to remind ourselves that we have ONE life to live, and it is a life that goes on forever. Living a forever Kingdom Life instead of one just focused on circumstances elevates us beyond our fears and anxieties. 1 Peter 5:6-10 offers practical guidance.

V. 6-7. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

There is a fight under way to remove the phrase “under God” from the pledge of allegiance. But key to enduring our journey amidst pain and sorrow, fear and anxiety, is to humble ourselves under God. Submission to His will frees us from the imprisonment of our own efforts and our own fears. Our faith promises He cares for us and will lift us up, so shouldn’t we live today as if we believe it?

V. 8-9. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

Wake up. There is a real enemy. We cannot fight him in our own strength, but only through humbling ourselves before God and standing in our faith, protected with spiritual armor of faith, truth, peace, the Holy Spirit, and the assurance of salvation. You are not alone in your suffering. God sees you where you are and gives you other believers to share your load.

V. 10.  “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Steadfast means to remain resolute, committed,loyal, true to the faith God has given you, fully persuaded, trusting Him.

Life is tough. But this life on earth isn’t forever. As Francis Chan illustrates: Imagine a long rope that goes on forever. Now imagine the end of the rope that you hold, that last couple inches, representing your entire life on earth, 70,80, maybe 90 years. Most of our worries and fears and efforts are focused on this tiny piece of the rope’s beginning. But how much of our thought and ambition is focused on the part of the rope (our life) that goes on forever? Chan says, “I can endure anything for a mere 90 years!”

90 years of MY pain and suffering? Humble yourself before your God, receive His sufficient grace and power, and experience His persevering Spirit alive in you. Even as you take each sip of cool water to refresh your body, invite God’s Spirit to refresh your soul and experience the power to endure the difficult journey.

The Integrated (Not Balanced) Life

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Have you ever tasted two cakes made from the same recipe and discovered that one is much tastier and more satisfying to the appetite than the other? Or gone to the same restaurant and ordered the same meal at two different times and discovered what a difference the touch of the chef makes?

As much as we often talk about having the right ‘ingredients’ in our life or the proper “life balance”, I’ve often struggled with that concept actually working very effectively. We try to get “enough” of this and that in our lives: enough work, enough family time, enough time for chores and hobbies, hopefully some quiet time, time with friends, time with God, and time to reflect on the impact of our life and our dreams. And it IS wise to make sure we prioritize our thoughts and actions to make sure these vital elements aren’t robbed by other worthless endeavors. But have you ever felt this ‘balancing’ act leaves life feeling torn apart into pieces rather than made peacefully whole?

Wilbur Reese wrote a tongue in cheek poem years ago about wanting to buy just three dollars worth of God:
Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,
But just enough to equal a cup of warm milk, or a snooze in the sunshine.
Just ecstasy, not transformation.
The warmth of the womb, not a new birth.
A pound of the eternal in a paper sack.
(Excerpts)

We might be better to replace the ambition of a perfectly balanced and compartmentalized life with a blended, integrated life, lived with one purpose throughout our various activities, a life of integrity and passion, intentionality and consistency. As Myron Rush pointed out, the enemy’s greatest lie is to convince us we can separate our ‘secular’ and our spiritual lives with a little bit of one and so much of that. The truth is we have just one life to live fully and with consistency.

Like making bread or cakes, the FULL amount of ingredients of life must be blended, not just ‘balanced in proper proportions.

“Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:23