Hello,
At a point in time in my life, I wanted to know how monks lived. How they were able to live their lives solely on Buddha’s teachings, at work, or in the temple. I was impressed by their dedication and lifestyle, by their willingness to give up life to follow Buddha. Monks take time out, even amongst themselves, to meditate on what they know and believe in achieving their version of enlightenment.
For Christians, the starting point of our walk with God is salvation in Christ. I checked Strong’s Concordance for the definition of salvation and found these words: deliverance; hence aid, victory, prosperity, health. Salvation is just the foundation; we are to build on it.
The reality of our lives is the truth of our lives. So your current state is either based on God’s truth (the word of God) or based on your reality. When people say they are living their truth, that’s what they are doing. Living life based on what they know and believe.
Time for a self-assessment: What is the truth that you are living out right now, are you living based on the truth of the word of God or based on your own?
The reality of salvation is that we are to live out God’s truth, God’s way, and with God’s life in us. We are to chose to live by faith and not by sight. We are to follow Christ, depend on the presence of God in us, instead of on ourselves (treasure in earthen vessels).
I was fascinated by the movie Dr. Strange. I watched Buddhist monks achieve levels of spiritual enlightenment. Their powers increased based on the levels of knowledge they attained. These were men and women who willingly gave up their lives just for knowledge. On the other hand, we Christians have the truth.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
The more we engage the Spirit of God in our daily endeavors and submit our lives to Him, the more we will live out truth and are set free.
‘For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.’ Ephesians 3:14-19
Allow me to paraphrase the verses above from Ephesians. Paul was praying to the Father to strengthen us internally through His Spirit, to carry Christ (the truth) in our hearts, through faith. So, being grounded in Christ, we may understand the fullness of His (God’s) love, which goes beyond knowledge to living it out. Consequently, as we live Christ, we live out the fullness of God.
I believe we can learn something from the monks that would help us live out the truth. They set the time out to meditate. For us, it is the time to commune with the Holy Spirit, to ask, seek, and knock. Does this have to be a first thing in the morning or last thing at night event? I believe that it should be all the time. When we wake up, at work, and till we sleep. Let the reality of our salvation be the basis of life in Christ to enable us to move on to living out our destinies in Him.
Till next time, be transformed!!
Transformation Place 