Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you… LUKE 10:20
What do we hold
up to prove we are successful in the spiritual realm? Do we say we must visit a
certain number of people? Do we hold ourselves up as casters-out of demons or healers?
Do we put ourselves forth as ones who speak in tongues? Do we count how many
people we've saved? Do we keep track of the meals we've taken to people or the
number of people we've taken to the doctor? Do we keep record of these things
to show ourselves as better than others or to prove we are doing a lot of good
things?
There are so
many things we do, for which we feel pride about, yet, these are not the main
task. These are "markers" for worldly estimation of success. True
success, if we dare use that word when considering our work for God, is being
in a growing relationship with Him, leading people to Him, and discipling
people.
We don't count
the numbers of people. We don't parade ourselves as the greatest healer or the
most fluent spiritual-tongues speaker, or the most prolific caster-out of
demons, or that we have driven the most miles to help people, or, or, or. Those
are all manmade standards placed upon a spiritual realm. The two do not mesh.
One does not fit the other.
A life hidden with
Christ in God is not a statistically visible life. It's a meek life of
obedience and relationship to God made possible through Christ, not through
man. The world's standards don't determine the heavenly servant's worth or
work. How can it, when the world is sinful and so much less grand than heaven?
Man's standards are tainted with sin; heaven's is not. Would we dare to tell
God He had not saved enough people, get back to work? Ridiculous! Applying the
earthly idea of success to heavenly work is ridiculous. The measure would never
fit the grand scale, the grandeur and almighty-ness of who God is, and what He
has, is, and will do.
Discipleship
under Christ (to those who have been given a new self by Christ's Holy Spirit),
grows the mind, heart, and spirit of each person to the standard of heaven by
gradual growth in relationship with God, which leads to obedient discipleship.
It is the growing into the new life Christ has given us, becoming less of self
and more of Christ. ("He must increase, and I must decrease," as John
the Baptist said.). It is as Paul said to the Colossians in Colossians 3:3,
"For you (your natural life) have died, and your life is now hidden with
Christ in God. "Your old, natural life would never have done enough good
or been good enough to earn eternal life. Your new life, given by Christ
through His death and resurrection, is fully made for heaven. It is to this new
life in Christ that we learn and grow more like Him. When Christ appears, then
you who are made new through belief in Jesus will appear with Him in Glory.
(Colossians 3:4)
The two do not
mix. One is sinful and thus, it's standards are sinful, since made by men. The
other is righteous and justified since Jesus Christ gives new life to all who
believe in Him for salvation. "Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in
you." (Colossians 3:5). Seek God's standards and turn away from the
earth's standards and ways of measuring success.
May God
continue to grow you into His image so that your standard is always Christ and
not that made by His creation, humanity.
