Thursday, December 27, 2012

Life in Christ According to Charlie - Part 2


Last week I wrote about our entertaining experiences of attempting to coerce our uninterested critters into living according to our principles.

Not unlike our farm critters, we all have varying understandings of what life ought to look like and what freedom means.  It isn’t unusual for others to come along and attempt to force us into their “life in Christ” molds.  Rather than seeking to live in unity and bearing with one another, we argue with, criticize and shame one another.  If we can’t convince others to bend to our standards, we resort to directly or indirectly rejecting and discrediting one another.  The end result is living in isolation with our bigheaded conclusions.

It is pride that causes us to believe that we have it all figured out and that another does not.  It is haughtiness that leads us to think that others ought to live the way in which we live.  

Do we not understand that
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall,
(Proverbs 16:18)?

Paul begged the followers of Jesus to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, (Ephesians 4:1-2).

Why can’t we get a grip on this concept which is pressed more than any other in Scriptures? 

While we may be called to live it out differently,
we all have the same hope.
We all have the same faith.
We all have been baptized into Christ.
We all have the Spirit of Jesus dwelling within us!

Until we see much in ourselves which we find difficult to forgive, there will be little demonstration of humility, gentleness, or patience toward others.  Our haughty spirit will continue to separate the family of God.  We have been warned, The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle's, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD, (Jeremiah 49:16).
Brethren who will not communicate with one another upon spiritual subjects are as traders who shut up their shops and will not buy or sell.  Too wise to be taught and to idle to teach, they live isolated lives, like the man in the iron mask, without joy to themselves or benefit to others.  We shall all be beggars together if we shut ourselves like hermits and cry every man for himself…  Let us hold mutual discourses upon our experiences, make pleasant exchange of our knowledge and aid each other by our gifts. – CH Spurgeon
Don’t allow anyone to force or coerce you into their mold of what it looks like to “live in Christ”.  Be what Father has created you to be.  Fulfill the role He has given you in His family no matter how different it may look than that of any other.  The rest of us need you even if you‘re a “gangsta” like Charlie!

Whole-Heartedly,
Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:
             Bonnie Jaeckle
             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life
             Diagonal Progress
             505 Jefferson St.
             Diagonal, IA 50845

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