My Unusual Journal 60

My Unusual Journal

My Unusual Journal 60, Monday, January 23, 2012, 1:12 AM

Consistency in Spiritual Growth

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4.13 NIV)

Change by osmosis. Osmosis is “…2 the diffusion of fluids through a membrane or porous partition; 3 an apparently effortless absorption of ideas, feelings, attitudes, etc., as if by biological osmosis.” (Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1999 The Learning Company, Inc.) Osmosis, used in a spiritual context, can occur when a vessel (you or I) is drawn by the strong magnetic attraction of a Master Vessel (Jesus Christ) and opts to place itself in close contact with the Master Vessel. There occurs then a dynamic exchange of “ideas, feelings, attitudes, etc.,” between the two. Needless to say, the subsidiary vessel benefits tremendously by this act of aligning itself with the Master Vessel.

Now, about this little elementary lesson on biology (osmosis): Paul wrote on one occasion to the Corinthians,

“I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, ‘his letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.’” (2 Cor. 10.9-10)

Believe me; I am not attempting to impress anyone with a show of knowledge. I lack the academic credentials. All I want to do in this particular “My Unusual Journal” is to show you how we can grow in Christ. It is by osmosis or by getting close enough to God to absorb some of His glorious Self into our spiritual beings. God made us deliberately incomplete without Him as part of our person. No person is the person he or she should be without their God to supplement them. We have to be in close contact with the Master on an ongoing basis, not by occasional spurts such as revivals. Don't misread me: revivals are the periodic renewal of the Church's faith by special efforts like fasting and praying and study of the Word of God; but often these efforts are followed by relapses on the part of the congregation into the same old habits.

Our habits as a congregation are not sinful nor are they necessarily bad habits, but there is always higher ground for which we have to strive. When we are content with the “good old ways” or have to look backward for the blessings of God in the days of old – it is not a sign of good spiritual health. Instead of falling back on the blessings of yesteryear, let’s look ahead and reach forward to making new memories that are just as good as, and better than, the past.

I can remember with pleasure how God used to bless us "way back when,” but I am looking ahead to even more and better blessings, blessings to which I can look backward as those good ol’ days – while still striving to make more blessed memories by getting closer to my God. The key to this good ol' days syndrome is to deliberately make the present days that are going past us at blinding speed, memorable. At present you may be undergoing a severe trial of your faith, which you think could hardly be memorable at some future day. But when that future date rolls around, you may find yourself looking back at this day as one of the good ol' days. Why?

You will recall how God kept you from losing your sanity in the midst of the furious attacks by the adversary. You will recall your sweet communion with God when the fierce assaults would let up for a while before resuming their ferocity. You will remember that you had been taught you would experience days like that and also recall the wonderful recuperative grace of God that kept you through the violent struggle. The same grace that held you up during the battle soothed and renewed your strength after the battle.

Yet you will not want to go back to those blessed days. You will have grown spiritually since then and your state at that time will be more blessed than the former days. For instance, I still miss my father/pastor after these forty years since his passing, but I have no desire to go back to that time. It is past and God is much sweeter to me now than He was then. He never changes, but my perspective of Him does as He draws me closer and closer to Him.

A true revival of a church or an individual worshiper can only occur when God sends a spirit of revival. We don't animate or motivate ourselves; God does that and we then should follow up on the increased zeal and spiritual drive that come only from God. When God begins a rustling and shaking among us, He expects us to follow His leading and engage in the special efforts such as fasting and praying and the like. But here is where we drop the ball. After the special period of consecration has passed – as it must in time – we relax our special efforts and ease up on our zeal for the house of God. We go back to the old manner of living; we take up again the former less than ideal ways of following God.

Now God does not expect you to continue your fever-pitch efforts; that would not be realistic as we are only human and we have a natural life to sustain. We must work and pay bills and maintain a marriage and a family (God expects this of a godly person). These things take time. But when we have made our spiritual gains by a special effort blessed by God and when the time for that effort has passed, we have to be careful not to relax overmuch. Do what you can by the grace of God to hold onto the ground you have gained by His grace and your diligent efforts. Why should we slide back onto the old ground when God has said He would give us all the land we have thus far conquered? (Jos. 14.9)

We are only slightly pleasing God by our jerky efforts of pushing ahead three paces and sliding back one. The secret to making sustained progress in God is by applying a steady pressure on the forces of darkness and on our own carnal selves. Serving God is not a natural trait; it goes against our nature, which is to do as we please without regard for God and the creatures He made in His image and after His likeness.

When we cease our special efforts, which as humans we cannot continue indefinitely, let's relax – but not too much and let's settle down – but not into complacency. Keep that fervent mindset even when it is not there at the moment and continue in your zeal for the house of God.