About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:11-14
Recently came back from visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. The family is currently training our granddaughter how to use the toilet. She is two-and-half years old and plans to start attending nursery school in the fall. But, she needs to be potty trained before acceptance.
This weekend, she was at the stage of being aware of the need. Yet lacked the willpower to stop what she was doing to take care of business. So, the adults in the room would always check-in with her whenever she began to twitch. At first she would ignore the reminder and continue her play. Other times, she would agree and rush to the bathroom.
It is a process we all had to learn. Some of us quickly pick it up. Others take longer. The same can be said about our walk with Jesus.
Initially, we hear the good news. We begin to investigate. We read material from third-party sources. Then we begin to read the Bible ourselves. Like other material we read and master, we begin to practice its teachings. But somewhere we hit the spiritual wall. Our lives are still a mesh. We become frustrated with our growth. We become tired of pushing ourselves away from the temptations. We become confused through all the various influencers on social media. In some ways, it’s like being potty trained. We know the importance of the toilet, but are too busy with what we are doing to stop. We don’t grasp the importance of the moment. We again miss the mark. Sin spoils our life again.
Discipleship involves training the willpower to do good at all times. To recognize evil and have the wisdom and maturity to overcome it. In many ways, it is like being potty trained. When the moment arises, one can do nothing and experience the messy consequence. Or one can find the toilet and manage the discharge quick and efficiently. The same is true in our Christian journey.
We begin with attaining knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. But failure to execute what we know doesn’t complete the task. We are instructed to renew our minds. To transform our thinking under the governance of God’s Kingdom. But it also requires help from the adults in the room. Church elders who are working along with the Holy Spirit to nudge you toward maturity. To assist you to become the person God has wired you to be in Christ.
Yes, one may say the maturity process begins when one is potty trained.
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7
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For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:16-17
Where does evil that corrupts the world come from? How does one escape from it?
Don’t we all have the tenancy to point a finger at others when we notice they did something unrighteous? Yet when we do, are we also not pointing three at us?
I love the passage from 1 Peter 3:10-12. “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
We may all desire the good life, but how we manage ourselves forward is the challenge. We have the misconception that evil, sin, and the uglies are out there somewhere. That if everyone was more like me, this would be a better world. Yet when one meets Jesus, who is the reflection of the perfect God, one’s own mirror reveals otherwise.
There is not a person who ever lived on planet earth who is morally perfect with the exception of Jesus. HE had the immunity of the Holy Spirit from birth. His divinity gave him strength to resist temptations. The rest of us however have had our spirit corrupted with the sin virus. But those who have surrendered their kingdom to God’s kingdom are now being sanctified. We are being prepared for eternity through the workings of the Holy Spirit in us. But the process is slow.
It starts in the heart. We need to desire the good. This starts with first learning what good looks like. The anti-god crowd have their definition. But how does the Triune God define the situation? This is why coming to know God’s heart is important if you are a serious student of Jesus.
We discover God’s Truths through the pages of the Bible as well as throughout creation. This is the foundation of divine knowledge. As we begin to seek HIM through prayer and other disciplines, HE draws closer to us. HE begins to reveal HIMSELF to us. The more you seek HIM, the more you will come to know HIM. The more you come to know HIM, the more you come to know HIS ways. HIS desires. HIS values.
But then the work begins. No, you are not saved by your work. We cannot earn salvation. We are all saved through the grace of God. It is HIS gift to us. But as we are being saved , we exert effort to walk with HIM in doing good work. Where we fall short or fail, HIS grace sustains us. As HE molds and shapes our spirit from the inside/out, our behavior follows. We begin to exert energy for doing good. This is not an overnight change. Our character, until then, has been ignorantly shaped since our birth. Our habits and automatic responses need to be rewired. The hurtful pasts and painful triggers need to be reprogrammed. There is much healing that is needed.
Evil desires need to be replaced with holy ones. The Willpower needs to be reshaped and exercised to follow these new attributes. You may even join others in the gym of practicing spiritual disciplines. This helps you keep your mind and focus on Jesus in your daily routines.
Over time others begin to see more and more of Jesus’ reflection in you. God’s divine nature begins to shape you and prepare you for eternity. The evil desires are now replaced with a heavenly heart. Your heart begins to bloom with action. You become a servant of God’s kingdom doing good work that HE has prepared for you from the beginning of your birth. You are now living your potential for HIM. You begin to reap the benefits of a Christlike life.
Yes, it takes a lifetime to convert godly desires with habitual willpower into action. Otherwise, who are you going to become? As others who have gone before us have shown, the adventurous journey of transformation in Christ is worth the effort. Both for this life and the one to come.
Radical In Christ 