AS SPIRITUAL AS YOU WANT TO BE

You know how there are those special moments when you hear something profound, and it’s forever recorded on the gray matter of your brain? Well over ten years ago I was listening to my pastor preach on a Sunday night (you know it had to be a while ago because we still had Sunday night services), and as he was concluding he made a statement that I will never forget: “You’re as spiritual as you want to be.” I don’t know how that statement hits you, but it hit me like a punch to the mid-section. There’s a tendency in all of us to blame our spiritual health, or lack thereof, on everyone and everything, and to avoid accepting full responsibility for how we’re following Jesus. I saw a post on Facebook the other day that said something like, “If you’re not following the commandments of God, you’re not following God!” I don’t think it would be too hard to find scriptures to support that statement.

As I was teaching God’s Word yesterday I focused on Esau and the reference to his life in Hebrews 12:16 (NLT) “Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau.” As I was reviewing my notes at Starbucks early on Sunday morning the word “godless” jumped off the page and grabbed my attention. As I reflected on the word I began to see the two syllables, GOD-LESS. So in Sunday’s teaching I challenged my friends to live GOD-MORE, not GOD-LESS. If we choose to live GOD-MORE kinds of lives we will find ourselves becoming more and more like the One we follow, and isn’t that the goal?

So the question of the day is: How spiritual do you want to be? Are you concerned you’re going to become a spiritual wacko or fanatic if you become too intense in following Jesus? Do you operate from a flawed perspective that suggests people who are fully devoted to loving God and loving others miss out on all the fun and are relegated to boringly dull lives? My experience in life has been that the most frustrated Christians are those who know they’re not living for God the way they should. They’re seeking to live between two worlds: the world of the Spirit (and following Christ) and the world of the flesh (seeking to satisfy fleshly desires). The most miserable person on the planet is the one who knows the good they ought to do, but they refuse to obey. They know there’s a better way than the way they’re living, but they won’t commit to fully following Jesus.

Jonah 2:8 (NLT) reads: “Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies.” The NIV reads: “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” GODLESS and WORTHLESS are strong, strong words, yet hopefully they serve to re-focus our attention on what is most important in life: Growing in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, you’re as spiritual as you want to be! Now, let’s live GOD-MORE kind of lives today!!!

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”  (2 Peter 3:18 NIV)