I Exam: Clarifying Your Spiritual Vision
"Are You Loving The Lord With All Your Soul?"
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31 (NKJV)
(ill) In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in theBlack Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn't a technology problem like a radar malfunction - or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship's presence nearby. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.
T/S: How many people's lives could be described in the same way? Too proud to change, to self-centered to give in first, and as a result they crash and burn, insisting all the while that they are correct and on course.
Today we call that pride individualism, or enlightened tolerance or political correctness ? but by any name, we are culturally conditioned to believe that we are the masters of our own souls. We are the pilot for our own lives. It is the prevailing assumption that we are in charge of ourselves that keeps many people from accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ and becoming part of His church. But it is also the prevailing assumption of many people in the church, and that keeps them from loving God with all of their souls.
We are beginning this year with an I EXAM ? an inventory of ourselves that hopefully will clarify our spiritual vision. We are basing this exploration on Jesus' answer to the question ?What commandments are the most important?" Jesus responded with a summary of the law of love that assumes and summarizes the way of God. Love God, with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind and al of your strength. And love others as you love yourself. While we have some idea what it means to love God with our strength and our mind, and our heart (or our will) --- what does it mean to love God with all of our soul? To unpack this, we need to understand what the soul is, and ask ourselves this question:
What are your default settings?
The quest to understand our soul and the default settings of our lives, begins in the creation account of Genesis, where God made mankind.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 [KJV]
The NIV and KNJV translate this last phrase as "a living being." The NLT and the NCV render this verse as " a living person." The difficulty is because no English word fully captures the Hebrew here. We say soul or person, because the language indicates that it is more than mere "life" that is meant. A rose bush was created by God and a rose bush is alive, but it does not have a soul. What is it that makes men and women ?persons?' What is it about a soul? I think the answer is found in Genesis 1:27 when we discover that God created men and women in His own image. The other creatures and life-forms were spoken into existence, but only mankind received God's breath of life. Only mankind received a soul.
Our souls operate in conjunction with our heart/wills, minds and bodies, but the Bible addresses the soul independently as well. The soul is the inner dimension of our being that coordinates our life. The heart is the passion that exists at the core of our being, the desires and wants and decisions that we make. (That's what we talked about last week.) But the soul is the operating system, that runs the program of our heart. It is the Windows to our heart's Word or Media Player. The problem is that our souls are corrupted by sin, and that changes how we relate to God.
But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death." Proverbs 8:36 [NKJV]
We have to understand that we need transformation at the operating system level, if we are to grow in love for God. Obviously, we have not yet perfected this, but we are moving in that direction. But an assessment of our movement must begin with a determination of the direction we are going. Is the inner dimension of you directing your life toward God and the kingdom of heaven, or toward yourself, and the fulfillment of your plans and desires? Generally, the kingdom of self exists within the kingdom of the world. Here's the difference-maker: only God and the kingdom of heaven seek to male your whole person, whole. Complete. Mature. The Bible uses those words interchangeably, but they express the heart of God Who wants to see you physically, mentally (which includes emotionally), socially, psychologically and spiritually whole. The world addresses what the world can see or measure: our body, our ideas and emotions. But the soul's health is required for a person to be whole, and only in God's kingdom is there an answer to the soul's corruption.
That's why we need to ask and answer for ourselves, what our default settings are. It's not enough that we think some Godly thoughts, or perform some Christian duties or wish for some Christ-like desires. Our desires, our actions, our emotions and our ideas have to be coordinated and directed by an overarching sense of righteousness that points us toward a deeper, loving, intimate relationship with God. That's our soul. And having the ability to imagine and dream and direct our lives toward something beyond mere base instinct is what separates man form animal and makes us uniquely valued in God's eyes.
You are more than the sun of your body parts, ideas and decisions.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:36-37 [NKJV]
Your character is what matters most! All of the health in the world will some day fade and you will die. All of the possessions and money in the world are subject to loss, and even if hoarded and kept, don't provide peace, love or hope. Fame, power and pleasure are, at best fleeting. So what will it matter if you achieve the highest level of human and worldly achievements and accomplishments, if you don't address the need for your soul to be at rest. To direct your life in ways that make us human? Deep loving intimacy. .Hope and joy, even in trial. Justice and mercy in balance. Those are found only in God's economy, in God's kingdom.
Next to the ingrained physical responses of our body, our soul default has more potential to control our everyday lives. What template do you use to integrate your life? How do you make decisions, filter your thoughts and determine your actions? If the truth is known, most people struggle with rationalism and naturalism. The "-isms" of our day that we are conditioned with from childhood. EX: That science and religion are incompatible. That evolution is a given, and biblical Christianity must tiptoe around it. That people are basically good (much of the protest against Iraq action stems from the notion that if we negotiate with evil people, and show them respect, they will act nicely.) That righteousness is impossible, therefore unnecessary. That self matters more than anything else. And self is what it is .. and cannot be changed.
If those subtle but profound questions are part of your default, along with a million others, you will find that the rudder of your life weaves an inconsistent course. But just as you can change your mind, or re-shape your body, you need to know:
Your character defaults can be changed.
Max Dupree said: "Can you be who you want to be and stay where you are?" I once read D.L. Moody put it this way: "You cannot go with God and remain where you are." However you word it, this fact stands unarguably: Character growth demands change. Some will deny that change is possible, claiming that the way they are is the way God made them, and that is the way they must remain. Others will resist change, offering the claim that God loves them unconditionally and since perfection is impossible anyway, it's OK to remain where they are and as they are.
But the truth is, the underlying assumption of God, and the Bible, is that change is both possible and preferable.
(ill) An amusing cartoon I saw recently pictured a fourth grade boy standing That's why we need to ask and answer for ourselves, what our default settings are. at a blackboard, toe-to-toe with his teacher. Behind them on the board was a math problem that the boy had not finished. The caption shows the boy saying: "I'm not an underachiever, you're an over-expecter."
T/S: Many times we attribute this very same idea to God's expectation that we become holy in character. We think: "God you're over-expecting of me. God, don't you love me?" God does love you -- just the way you are, but God loves you too much to leave you the way you are. And God's love for mankind has always carried with it the idea that in relationship with Him, the refinement of the soul happens.
"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Deut. 4:9 [NASB]
Change is not always easy. Nor is change always comfortable. And it certainly, when talking about the soul, is not something we accomplish on our own. But changing the default of the soul is possible, through and with the grace of God, and our diligent efforts. Grace is always opposed to earning, but never opposed to effort. Jesus was the Master of grace, but time after time while He was on earth, the gospels record Him saying "You must become ?"
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; Psalm 19:7 [NKJV]
Your soul can be changed .. can be transformed, by God. It requires two things of you: willingness and cooperation.
Are you willing and open to change?
Now we get to the heart of things ? the application question that each of us must answer on a daily basis. Am I willing and am I open to change? Because to resist change is to resist the working of the Holy Spirit in your life. To resist change is to arrogantly stand up to God and say ?I know better than You.' Character transformation demands a re-ordering of your life and of your priorities. Are you open to relinquishing control over your life? Are you willing to change who you are?
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11 [NIV]
The kingdom of the world and the sin that is within it, tarnish and stain and corrupt our souls. To grow in righteousness and in Christlikeness means that we must grow and change away from the sin that tempts us and the worldliness that threatens to consume us. Our souls must direct our hearts to love the things of God. Our souls must cooperate and direct our minds to think and feel in conjunction with God's truth and God's heart. Our soul must coordinate our bodies to act in harmony with these new desires and ideas. These are changes that we must make, that require a change in our soul's default setting. And the journey of change that requires your willingness and openness, begins with a step of humility.
Martin Luther famously wrote "God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him." Resistance to change ? that drive within us to keep things as they are and hold on to the way we've always been and the way we've always done things ? is nothing more than pride. It is a refusal to admit that you need to and can learn something.
He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. Proverbs 15:32 [NKJV]
I am most open to change when I am most open to learn. There is no day that I know everything about God's will and God's way. There is no day when I know everything about God's creation. There is no day when I know everything about myself! When I think I know all I need to know - on any subject or in any area - I am less likely to change my opinion or my stance. Here's the deal - God doesn't want to be just the God of your church-life, He wants to be God of your WHOLE LIFE, so we need to be learners and growers across the spectrum so that God can be at work throughout everything we do.
"It is not good for a soul to be without knowledge." Proverbs 19:2 [NKJV]
The spiritual disciplines of study and silence and worship are just a few of the tools through which God works to make Himself known to us. Because we have much of Him to learn! A beautiful description of a transformed soul is found in Psalm 1. The person who delights in learning God's law. The person whose existence is determined by following and serving God. That is the biblical notion of wisdom - to know God's will and ways and determine to apply it to your own life.
He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good. Proverbs 19:8 [NKJV]
Attacking the pride and arrogance that enthrone the self in the soul is no easy thing. Becoming a learner opens the way for us to be changed, but in reality, that's not always easy. We don' like to be told that we're not perfectly OK just the way we are. We resist the rebukes and pursue only the rewards. (ill) The US Department of Agriculture recently completed a survey that showed one of the increasing occurrences in or country is weakened skeletal system. The study attributes the danger to too many people drinking too many soft drinks. The sugar-sweetened drinks that many people crave, deprive their bones of needed minerals. The pursuit of today's sweet pleasure provides the decay of tomorrow's health.
T/S: And so it is with our souls. When we don't listen to every sermon, not with an attitude of ?Boy I hope Joe-Bob is hearing this, but instead, Lord, what are you saying to me? -- We taste only the sugar. When we don't try to understand the people we disagree with, so that we can relate to them with God's truth, we taste only the sugar. When we don't assess our personality and our emotions truthfully, in light of God's Word and not our own opinion ? we taste only the sugar. Are you willing to listen to and embrace the idea that you need change?
I am learning to measure my soul's progress toward loving God totally, with the use of the phrase With-God Life.
Are you living a With-God Life?
O my soul, you have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You." Psalm 16:2 [NKJV]
Everything about me is of You. Right here, some people are going to get hung up by the thought that 100% is impossible. Be realistic, just do your best. Try hard. But the problem is, my best efforts leave me far short of where I want to be. If I don't measure my soul against God, then I end up measuring it against others, and I rationalize my being OK, beause at lest I'm better than so-and-so. And that doesn't leave me living the With-God Life on earth. Only when I aim for heaven can I get earth thrown in for good measure.
Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:8-9 [NKJV]
There's the whole person?mind, emotion, action. Desire - all directed by the guidance of the soul toward harmony with God. That's the With-God Life. The Psalms scho with the cries of our soul to live each breath with God.
Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. Psalm 62:1-2 [NKJV]
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 [NKJV]
(ill) This morning's message is like the strategy I heard one diet center employed for a woman customer recently. As she stood in front of a full-length mirror, they outlined what her figure would be like if she lost the pounds she was trying to shed. There would be weeks she would get discouraged because she didn't fit the outline, but that vision motivated her to continue until she did.
T/S: I want my words this morning to draw an outline in your mirror of what life can be like when you abandon your self-reliance, release your pride and surrender your soul to God. I want you to see that changing your soul's default settings allows you love God more fully, and live with Him and for Him more completely. I have had my vision refreshed my words from Psalm 16 that I read in my devotions one day this week.
I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8 (NASB)
That's the With-God Life - that's the life of a man or woman whose soul loves the Lord completely. That's what I want to be. I'm not there yet, but that's the vision that I'm holding out for myself and for you. Opening your soul to transformation, essentially means that you make a commitment to God .. that you will let Hi be God over you. Here are the words to describe that commitment of your soul that changes your default. I wish these were my words, but I didn't write them. I am, however, making them mine.
[A CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT]
Is your banner clear? What do you need to do to make it clear?
Sermon Series: Building A Godly Worldview
