Second, Peter 1:3: "By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory."
Today, I watched a movie that validated some of my heart's cries to the Lord. The Forge opened in theaters today. It was not another movie about Jesus' love, as much as it was a movie about what that love asks of his disciples. I will not get into all the details, but one of the ideas of this discipleship is the requirement to "deny yourself. " There was a question prompted by a conversation between some men in the movie who faithfully walked with the Lord. "What has God been doing in your life that has challenged you through his Word?" I cannot say that was an exact quote, but it was the idea of the question. These men were intentional about connecting life and godliness. Many moments drew the audience to tears, but that question was where I could not hold myself together.
Many of you know my heart for disciplining women, and I have been given many opportunities to do so, but not as many here in Texas as I had in Washington. That was more because of the ministries I was able to be part of, and as of now, I have not had doors opened for me in Texas. God knows I am ready to have him be poured into the lives of women through me, looking to answer the question, "What has God been doing in your life that has challenged you to run to His Word?" That is asked a bit differently than the first.
I am beginning a study in the Book of John, and one of the points the author makes was a concern brought by John the Baptist's disciples about a man named Jesus. "... Everybody is going to him instead of coming to us." JTB responds, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven." Then John humbly says, "He must increase, and I must decrease." Yes, there is a context to those words, and we would not be eisegeting (reading into the text) to see our life and godliness from the perspective of that declaration from JTB.
If we are going to live godly, we must see every circumstance as a way that God is calling us to "deny ourselves" and to "decrease" so that he will "INCREASE" His presence and control through us. In the movie, the protagonist is called to "decrease" by offering forgiveness in a relationship where hate has consumed him. The scene where he wrestles to come to this place of denying himself is where faith meets a real opportunity to be walked out. This scene was riveting because, through the acting, you could experience the wrestling to surrender, and when he is finally able to empty himself to God, you could see the grace of God pour into him. The love of God's Spirit strengthening him was almost tangible and visible.
I saw that scene through the words of the author of the study on John I'm participating in, "John the Baptist highlighted the eternal plan of God above any of his earthly priorities." The protagonist of the movie showed how to do this in our era. We had an example on the screen of someone who could sit at the table and readily answer the question, "What has God been doing in your life that has challenged you through his Word?" He knew through God's Word that forgiveness was not an option to be a true disciple of Jesus. He took what he knew of God's Word and applied it to a relationship where he had to allow God's Spirit to help him apply godliness to life and deny himself. Through this obedient action, God opened his eyes to other areas in his life that had to conform to Christ, and the protagonist humbled himself and obeyed his Lord in these areas.
These are the relationship-building conversations believers should have with each other so that we can be encouraged in the LORD. When we meet, the Lord waits to unite us through conversations where we share how he has been challenging or allowing our circumstances to challenge us, drawing us to His Word. In other words, how is life running you to him through His Word? Those are the conversations I deeply desire. I don't want to be asked, "How are you?" I want to be asked, "What things are happening in your life that keep your mind focused on Jesus or meditating on God's Word?" Again, I phrased it differently. The point of the question is more focused on the objective, not the phrasing. The aim is to allow for deeper and richer communication with one another. The objective offers conversation that invites God into the midst of his daughters or sons, and they recognize life and godliness are not two separate issues, but one without the other, life without godliness, is in vain. God wants us to connect them.
There are not the things of life, and over here, spiritual things. We are given life; we don't get to separate it. All of it, the busy, the mundane, the important, the resting, the hidden, the visible, all count toward godliness. Then how do we walk it out before the Lord in all these areas? That is where we help each other by asking questions of each other, which allows for the connection of life and godliness to be spoken so we receive and offer encouragement. I desperately desire this. Through the movie today, I felt like God told me, "What you desire does exist, and I hear your prayers."
As God's children, our lives matter to Him. They should matter to one another. Empty conversations are not sinful, but wouldn't you rather have conversations full of reminders of what is said in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." When we meet, there are opportunities for us to remind each other of this truth. How easy is it to get so bogged down with life and forget we have "... become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus)?"
The perfect scenario is meeting with a sister or brother in Christ and asking, "How is life causing you to seek Jesus more intently?" That question leads to a deeper, more challenging conversation in which the participants leave richer and perhaps reproved, but God's desire is for us to leave encouraged. The goal is to be drawn back to the reality that we cannot separate life and godliness. For disciples of Jesus, they are inseparable.
I'm not sure how some form of this question can come from you, but if you ever want to meet for coffee, let's have this conversation. I want to hear, "How is life causing you to seek God more intently?" I may ask, "How has God allowed circumstances in your life to push you to meditate on God's Word? What passages are you focused on?" Then, "How are those Scriptures meeting you in your life right now?" I'm showing you the question can be asked in many ways. The purpose is not to be preachy or drone on with knowledge that offers no hope. Conversations around those questions lead to vulnerability, sharing real life, and allowing God to come and sit with us, encouraging you and me through one another.
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