A Resonant Understanding

Sometimes out of nowhere someone will say something that sums up thoughts or understanding that I've carried with me for a long time, but have labored to convey myself. When it happened this morning, it caught me off guard and thrilled my own heart because it reiterated a perspective that I've carried with me for years, but one that I don't hear often with the same clarity or emphasis as I did this morning.

I participate in a morning bible reading group every week, Monday through Friday. For about a year and a half now, we've read one chapter online together every morning for about a half hour and shared our thoughts and perspective regarding what we've read. One comment made after reading the sixth chapter of Ephesians one morning summed up a message and perspective that the Lord put on my own heart long ago and it's one that has some serious implications for hearts and minds drowning in current worldly cares and consumed by this temporary life.

The comment:

"It took me years to understand that the spiritual realm is "more real" than the temporal realm. I finally had to look at it like this. We are not human beings that have spiritual experiences. We are spiritual beings that are having a human experience. Chew on it. It will make sense and puts things in the proper perspective for me." - T.Y.M.

I have chewed on it personally and it made sense to me too, but the full depth of change required to adopt that perspective of this life could take some time to fully grasp. The order of items in the mental columns marked "important" and "unimportant" might have to be altered and priorities might have to be revisited and revised. In that perspective, what matters most would be obvious - Father God would be first in everything and consistently, followed by all of the people that he created with loving intention while "stuff", personal fame and notoriety, physical wealth and other things tumble from their previous high perches to a far lower elevation. What's "real" suddenly has a new standard to meet based on a definition created outside of the realm of our flesh - ... a definition determined by our God.

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 (NKJ) (emphasis mine)

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27 (NKJ) 

For me, understanding this has made some things much more clear and has adjusted my own priorities as my own heart and mind have become more immersed in the reality of it. The "big picture" is much bigger than this temporary life, but how we live it now shows proof of our sincerity to have accepted and submitted our lives to Christ before God's judgment. Having "chewed on it" in the past (the understanding that we are created spirits and the big picture) has made me realize that as much as I so dearly love my family (they know this to be true), the family of Christ is the only family that is truly enduring - the one that will last beyond this temporary life. The prior knowledge and understanding of what my sister in Christ shared in that comment is part of what has bred an urgency in my heart to try to bear that same message to my loved ones - to try to make sure that they too are included in my permanent family also ... and it's why I write to you.

Having chewed on the truth extensively, my own heart is anguished at any possible thought of living in the permanence of God's presence without you - knowing that you could suffer the wrath of God instead. Our time here is short, but critical to our learning to know God, learning how we fit into His much larger plan and our conforming to His image through continuing sanctification. The consequences of having frittered this life away could be devastating and I don't want that for anyone - hence my persistence to reach hearts to make certain of their perspective and where they stand. Because given the daily confusion and chaos of the world around us - constantly straining for our attention, it's not only all to easy for us to become distracted and to lose our peace, but also to harbor something other than a correct perspective - the one that the God Of All Creation views from.

"The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight."   2 Peter 3:9-14 (NLT)

"This life" is not the life we were created for, but one we must pass through on our way to determine whether we will respond to God in sincerity and submission - then moving on to the one God intended, or whether we instead choose to make our lives counter to the fulfilling of His purpose and thereby make them void to both Him and ourselves. Time is short.

"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)