Reflections
Far too easily we settle for holiness rather than wholeness, conformity rather than authenticity, becoming spiritual rather than deeply human, fulfillment rather than transformation, and a journey toward perfection rather than union with God. Far too often we confuse our own spiritual self-improvement tinkerings with the much more radical agenda of the Spirit of God. The call of the Spirit — which is always gentle and therefore easily missed — is an invitation to abandon our self-improvement projects that are, in reality, little more than polishing our false self and become the unique hidden self in Christ that we have been from all eternity. The call of the Spirit is always a call to return home, to settle for no other habitation or identity than that of being in Christ and knowing the reality of Christ in us.
— David Benner
- What does it mean to following Christ?
- To relinquish social status (v20)
- Boast about the Lord, not anything else
- Rooted in Christ (v30)
- To relinquish control and consume, power and choice
- All the products and shops and restaurants in the world to try
- The need to have TV remote control
- All the “temples” or choices we would go to, for all our desire
- To embrace new way of transformation
- Our old self needs to “die” in order to have the transformation
- We don’t want to be the “Consuming Caterpillar” not trusting to be transformed into a butterfly
- Make yourself available, to be open for transformation
- To relinquish social status (v20)
