Why Isn’t This Working For Me?
Part Two
Some born-again believers might test the waters of Biblical discipleship for a while, but when “other things” come along, or when the challenges associated discipleship present themselves, they conclude soon enough that, “This is not what they signed up for,” and that they really don’t need to be “that” involved, reducing their “walk” with God to an hour or so, once-a-week experience, and maybe an occasional peek into the Word of God, with a minute or two of bed-time prayer.
Sad to say, but for many “Christians,” there is little overt difference between their lives and the lives of the “worldly” people around them.
If you would have to announce that you are a Christian in order for others to know, you are NOT living the life of an advancing disciple.
Others may not know what makes you different, but the difference should be obvious by the words you speak, your priorities, and your actions. It is this difference that will draw inquirers (1), affording the advancing disciple the opportunity to evangelize or to edify others.
Of course there were always enough opinionated persons around to tell me what they thought I was doing wrong, or what I need to do to make things right.
I would show my elders due respect, but would privately harbor thoughts that some of them might do well by considering the Matt. 5 : 7 admonition to take the beam out of their own eye first!
If we were to be honest, most of us would have to concede that we have entertained such thoughts and reactions, and have had to struggle to maintain the course that God has set before us (2).
Yet, as annoying, irritating, and agitating that some people (that God sends our way) can be, deep in the soul of any truly born-again believer, there is a genuine desire to experience the same peace, contentment, confidence, courage, boldness, and endurance that they see in more spiritually mature believers.
The problem for most of us is that we don’t want to pay the cost of discipleship. Fallen Man is all for what God will do for us, but not so interested in what God desires to do through us.
It is by no coincidence that many of the more mature believers among us seem to be the same ones that have been knocked down and kicked in the teeth more than once by all that life has brought to them, but they seem to pick themselves up, and keep on moving forward, with ever-increasing determination.
Acknowledging one’s weaknesses and the need of divine power (3) to manage them, plays a major role in advancing along the road to spiritual maturity,
Humble pie is not something that any one of us enjoys eating, but until we acknowledge the Romans 7: 18 divine assessment of us, and the presence of, and how to deal with, the fallen nature within us, we will not get too far along the road to spiritual maturity, let alone find any genuine joy in it.
There is the public side of us that most of us want others to see, and then there is the “real” us that is known only by God, ourselves, and perhaps a few others, who know us best and have seen our dark side in action.
It is what we do (or don’t do) when we think no one else is looking that reveals the true character of the one we see in the mirror. Fixing up the overt appearance of the image we see in the mirror is easy, but taking corrective action (4) to address issues revealed in a 2Cor. 13: 5 examination is not.
We do not all commit the same sin(s), but that makes no difference, as James 2:10 places all of us in the same sinking, stinking, boat of sin.
“For I know that good does not dwell in me that is in my flesh (sin nature); for the willing (to do good) is in me, but the doing of good is not (Rom. 7: 18 NASB2020 parenthesis mine.”
End of Part Two
(1)\t1Pet. 3: 15 (2) 2Tim. 4: 7 (3) John 15: 5 (4) 1John 1: 9 /John 8: 11