Abundant life|
What does it mean to have ‘abundant life’; the life that Jesus seeks to give us? He speaks of living waters that will flow out of our hearts. He is the living water, so this abundant life is talking about union with God, becoming one with God in Christ Jesus. Often times our faith can come across as stilted, life denying and fear based. I think this is normal, since we all mature in our faith and grace seems to work from deep inside and outwards…. like a deep well filled with life giving waters hidden in the desert. So the fact that Christians struggle and fail is normal and we should not get upset over it. However, we are also called to witness this new life in Christ, that we are freely given, this living water that allows the desert of our souls to becoming an oasis.
We cannot control others. In fact I think it is fair to say that we, or again I am speaking for myself, have trouble controlling ourselves. The life we are called to share is a seed that we plant by our public lives, love and verbal witness that we daily present to others. We can’t cause the seed to sprout, nor can we put a time table on it, for the living water is buried deep and for many it can take time for the growth to be seen. Jesus talks about some being called early in the day, others in the mid-time and still others near the end. This is one way of saying, I believe, that the Holy Spirit works were it will; we have no control. It is important that our ‘witness’ is not counterproductive in this process. I do not think any of us can stop the love of God manifested in the Holy Spirit from bringing to fruition those who seek truth, love and goodness in their lives.
In the last judgment scene in the Gospel of Matthew, the people on his right seemed to be surprised that they were welcomed into the kingdom. I believe this parable points to the fact that when we are judged, it is the heart that is seen and what one professes not that important. I do not mean that our faith is not important, but if it does reach into the heart, making us loving and compassionate, then it is useless. Also, those who actually love their neighbors are in fact being led by grace. In other words, it may not be that easy to sort out, as many Christians seem to think it is, those who are living in God’s grace. There is a reason that we are told not to judge, we don’t know, in fact we should not judge ourselves. Only God see the depths of the heart, for the most part we can only see the surface, even if we think we see deeply.
What does it mean to have ‘abundant life’; the life that Jesus seeks to give us? He speaks of living waters that will flow out of our hearts. He is the living water, so this abundant life is talking about union with God, becoming one with God in Christ Jesus. Often times our faith can come across as stilted, life denying and fear based. I think this is normal, since we all mature in our faith and grace seems to work from deep inside and outwards…. like a deep well filled with life giving waters hidden in the desert. So the fact that Christians struggle and fail is normal and we should not get upset over it. However, we are also called to witness this new life in Christ, that we are freely given, this living water that allows the desert of our souls to becoming an oasis.
We cannot control others. In fact I think it is fair to say that we, or again I am speaking for myself, have trouble controlling ourselves. The life we are called to share is a seed that we plant by our public lives, love and verbal witness that we daily present to others. We can’t cause the seed to sprout, nor can we put a time table on it, for the living water is buried deep and for many it can take time for the growth to be seen. Jesus talks about some being called early in the day, others in the mid-time and still others near the end. This is one way of saying, I believe, that the Holy Spirit works were it will; we have no control. It is important that our ‘witness’ is not counterproductive in this process. I do not think any of us can stop the love of God manifested in the Holy Spirit from bringing to fruition those who seek truth, love and goodness in their lives.
In the last judgment scene in the Gospel of Matthew, the people on his right seemed to be surprised that they were welcomed into the kingdom. I believe this parable points to the fact that when we are judged, it is the heart that is seen and what one professes not that important. I do not mean that our faith is not important, but if it does reach into the heart, making us loving and compassionate, then it is useless. Also, those who actually love their neighbors are in fact being led by grace. In other words, it may not be that easy to sort out, as many Christians seem to think it is, those who are living in God’s grace. There is a reason that we are told not to judge, we don’t know, in fact we should not judge ourselves. Only God see the depths of the heart, for the most part we can only see the surface, even if we think we see deeply.
No comments:
Post a Comment