I think you know by now that my hope is never to be considered “Religious.” Just the term makes me shudder and cringe. I do, however, hope that each and every one in our family would be considered “Spiritual”, and deeply so. Of course I have never dictated to you, legalistically, what that should look like in your life as I will not answer for your thoughts and actions. What I would like to do today is just share a brief outline of what a few components of that spiritual life must contain for you to experience the hope and joy that God promises.
Before we start, we must understand that our first or principal calling in life is to develop that spiritual component. Those who do not have it will never be able to feel fulfilled because without the spiritual component – well, something is missing that cannot be otherwise replaced. During the last few days of September (27th – 30th) we talked about various texts that have stood out through the ages from all parts of the world. We also identified why only one of them could be the God interacting with mankind. So as we walk through today and the days ahead, that will continue to be the context of our direction for walking in the Spiritual realm. So we must adopt the spiritual principles from Christ’s life to give us the direction we need to do so.
- We must be intentional the way Christ was intentional. Without intentionality we will be moved by marketing ploys, other’s opinions or whatever the crowd is focused on at the moment. You must make a conscious effort to develop your spirituality the way Christ did – independently and sacrificially. Christ set the example when He decided that he must walk through life the same way we walk through life and give up His rights as creator of the universe (Philippians 2:5 – 8). See June 9th if you don’t remember this concept.
- Christ’s willingness to take on a human body required that He illustrate what He wanted us to do as physical representatives of God’s spiritual domain. Just the willingness to leave perfection and enter a world filled with chaos, confusion, pain, suffering, etc., required a mentality of knowing there was purpose for this life and the need for compassion so others could experience what the Spiritual realm could contribute to the physical life – to make it tolerable and hopeful.
- To identify depth and understanding of this spiritual realm He became a mentor to others, teaching them what He knew. With that knowledge spiritual boundaries became clearer so that as the “disciples” learned spiritual principles it would be easier to understand why obedience granted them less pain, trouble, and stress while providing them with joy, hope and peace.
- What most people miss about the spiritual walk of life is that the majority of learning is done internally, where others will not notice what the Spirit of God is doing within our hearts. During those times you may feel like you are in the same wilderness that Christ experienced (Matthew 4, Mark 1 and Luke 4). In reality God is giving you time to assimilate, think and reason behind the experiences so you will be better equipped (spiritually) when the world has impacted you from the same or different angle.
- That experience is what prepares you to, at some point, become a mentor who will teach and guide others. 90% of leadership is in the preparation – you must build an experiential foundation in order to help, guide and lead others. Refer back to January 17th so you can see that each of those leaders learned through wilderness experiences.
If you really want to have the depth that provides you peace during moments of chaos and crisis then your spiritual component must be alive and well so you can walk through the fires of life and come out better, rather than bitter. I know you can and I see you struggling at times because no one is exempt. Just remember you are growing into a role of mentorship for others as you walk with the Spirit.
Love Dad