Embrace the Within no. 113

"Growth [is] the only evidence of life."

John Henry Newman

To be still is to be dead. Standing still in my faith is the quickest way to end up spiritually dead. How did I ned up making a journey of faith three years ago? Decades of being still in my faith. Decades of slowly sliding away from the truth because I wasn’t fighting to keep my faith. Decades of slowly letting my temple become a mess. Allowing that temple to get dirty, remain unrepaired, and break and crumble.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

As I physically fell apart, I mentally fell apart, and I became less of a temple. So, I started getting my mind and body right and the spiritual part found a place to begin repairs. I used to think that physical fitness was, like mental and spiritual health, a game of comparisons. If I was doing better than most Americans, then I was doing good enough. BUT there are no comparisons with humans that are going to allow me to be better. The only comparison that I needed to work on was my comparison with what Christ says. And Christ doesn’t want me to be a spiritual mess, He doesn’t want me to be an emotional mess, and He doesn’t want me to be a physical mess either. And being healthy by comparison isn’t going to cut it in the Kingdom.

I have a perfect comparison to work out that will take me this side of eternity to work. I mean if, as Paul writes, “We are the temple of the living God”(2 Corinthians 6:16). Then I should be working on making a temple that is a worthy palace for the one true God, a worthy home for the perfect God. How else am I going to manifest the fruit of the Spirit?

'For this cause wee also, since the day wee heard of it, cease not to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will in all wisdome, and spirituall vnderstanding, That ye might walke worthy of the Lord, and please him in all things, being fruitefull in all good workes, and increasing in the knowledge of God, Strengthened with all might through his glorious power, vnto all patience, and long suffering with ioyfulnesse, Giuing thankes vnto the Father, which hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saintes in light, Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenesse, and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deare Sonne, In whome we haue redemption through his blood, that is, the forgiuenesse of sinnes, Who is the image of the inuisible God, the first begotten of euery creature. '

Colossians 1:9-15 GNV

Grace and Shalom this week. Shalom to your home. Bless your being. The reign of the Lord is now. Be a blessing to the Lord and others.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH