Godliness...
K, I read this in one of my devotional books yesterday and it was real challenging...taken from, " Simple Words of Wisdom, 52 virtues for every woman" and I'm sure men can relate, too...:)
"There is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul." - Victor Hugo, 1862
Those ancient family photos tell the tale: my ancestors in sepia tones, peering out at me from the cracking pages of an album that dates back to the Civil war. I don't know their names, but I know they trace their lineage from the Stokes clan. Heavy overhanging brows, dark eyes, square jowls that become more pronounced with age- even with the dilution of generations, those dominant genes prevail. The family resemblance is remarkable.
I pray that, as I mature, the "family resemblance" that marks me as a daughter(/son) of God will be equally evident. For that is what we're called to, after all- to take on the characteristics of the One who created us in the Divine Image. The prime directive of spiritual life is not what we do, but who we are. It is the passion to become increasingly like Jesus Christ, the Elder brother of the family. It is the invitation to godliness. Paul makes the mandate clear: "Be imitators of God...as clearly beloved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph. 5:1).
The problem is, some of us mistake godliness for god-likeness. Like Adam and Eve, we fall prey to the temptation of wanting to "be like God". Then when we get a little spiritual truth under our belts, we start acting as if we're omnipotent and omniscient. True godliness, however isn't a spiritual trump card that enables us to exalt ourselves over others. It is the quiet, secret, inner longing to become more like Christ, to imitate our Lord and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. In Phillipians 2, Paul exhorts us to "have the same attitude as Christ Jesus"- an attitude not of spiritual superiority, but of humility, of servanthood, of sacrifice, of love.
If Jesus Christ was, as the Bible claims, the earthly incarnation of the Divine nature, his life and ministry should give us an example to emulate. And what an example it is! Jesus loved. He reached out to those on the fringes of acceptable society. He fraternized with outcasts, embraced lepers, fed the hungry, offered hope to the despairing. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, set the captives free. He lived in grace, in forgiveness, in integrity.
This is the ancestral portrait. This is our spiritual gene pool.
Peace n Love! God Bless!!!
"There is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul." - Victor Hugo, 1862
Those ancient family photos tell the tale: my ancestors in sepia tones, peering out at me from the cracking pages of an album that dates back to the Civil war. I don't know their names, but I know they trace their lineage from the Stokes clan. Heavy overhanging brows, dark eyes, square jowls that become more pronounced with age- even with the dilution of generations, those dominant genes prevail. The family resemblance is remarkable.
I pray that, as I mature, the "family resemblance" that marks me as a daughter(/son) of God will be equally evident. For that is what we're called to, after all- to take on the characteristics of the One who created us in the Divine Image. The prime directive of spiritual life is not what we do, but who we are. It is the passion to become increasingly like Jesus Christ, the Elder brother of the family. It is the invitation to godliness. Paul makes the mandate clear: "Be imitators of God...as clearly beloved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph. 5:1).
The problem is, some of us mistake godliness for god-likeness. Like Adam and Eve, we fall prey to the temptation of wanting to "be like God". Then when we get a little spiritual truth under our belts, we start acting as if we're omnipotent and omniscient. True godliness, however isn't a spiritual trump card that enables us to exalt ourselves over others. It is the quiet, secret, inner longing to become more like Christ, to imitate our Lord and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. In Phillipians 2, Paul exhorts us to "have the same attitude as Christ Jesus"- an attitude not of spiritual superiority, but of humility, of servanthood, of sacrifice, of love.
If Jesus Christ was, as the Bible claims, the earthly incarnation of the Divine nature, his life and ministry should give us an example to emulate. And what an example it is! Jesus loved. He reached out to those on the fringes of acceptable society. He fraternized with outcasts, embraced lepers, fed the hungry, offered hope to the despairing. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, set the captives free. He lived in grace, in forgiveness, in integrity.
This is the ancestral portrait. This is our spiritual gene pool.
Peace n Love! God Bless!!!
Good point about the diff between godliness and go-likeness. I certainly hope I have the spiritual genes in me. Thanks for sharing
Posted by
Minty |
2:16 AM
love actually soundtrack
Posted by
Anonymous |
10:30 PM