‘The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared
to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with
astonishing discomfort. We gradually
have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as
the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount
is not a set of rules and regulations— it is a picture of the life we will live
when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us.’ CHAMBERS
Can you recall how you react when you are in a dark
room and someone turns the lights on, without warning? It is a shock to your eyes, but then your eyes
refocus .. your pupils get smaller and the light no longer hurts your eyes. That is the feeling you have when the reality
of Jesus’ teachings .. the Word of God … is made know to us by the Holy
Spirit. It adds new meaning to the idea
that ‘I was blind but now I see’. (2
Corinthians 4:3-4) ‘And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who
are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the
light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.’
Becoming aware of spiritual reality is as if you
were in a dark room and surrounded by many things .. when the light came on .. you
could suddenly see what was around you … So it is with our faith … we were
living our lives totally unaware of the Spiritual reality around us .. then we
were given sight by the Holy Spirit and those things are no longer hidden. But we must be careful that we are more than
hearers or seers of spiritual truth. For
spiritual understanding to have value, it must be applied to our everyday
life.
Imagine you live 5 miles from work. You have no car, so every day you walk to
work. Rain or shine, you walk. You typically arrive a little late to work
and your boss is becoming less and less tolerant of your tardiness. Then, one day, you leave your home for work
and there in front of your house is a new car.
There is a note under the windshield wiper that says, “I have given this
to you .. it’s paid for … use it and it
will bring great blessing to you. Love Dad’.
You look at the new car with amazement and joy. You sit in the driver’s seat. Your start the car … you breathe in the smell
of the new car ….. then you turn off the motor .. get out of the car …. close
and lock the door … and walk to work.
That is the picture of many Christians who
continue to live their lives in the same way .. with the same struggles … after God has given them a great gift. In Galatians
5:16-17 Paul said ‘ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the flesh. For the flesh
desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the
flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever
you want.’
I want to encourage you to live in the reality of
your faith and not continue to walk in the way you did before you received your
new life in Christ. God has given you a
great gift .. so that you can have a great life … not just in heaven .. but
today …
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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