While I was dining with friends a while ago, an interesting topic was brought to light. As we enjoyed a whole array of dishes and especially savoring the tender cuts of steak, a friend mentioned the concept of "savoring Jesus Christ."
What an extraordinary idea! As Christians we have the privilege of being in a relationship with the Lord himself. But sadly, we tend to starve out our relationship with Jesus, forsaking the untold joys of conversing with Jesus each step of our lives but rather we choose to come to him only in emergencies - when we cannot hold out on our own.
What a tragic shame! If we can come to a fuller understanding of the price Jesus paid on that cross just to enter into a relationship with us, how much should we treasure that! The greatest of miracles is a soul being won to Jesus - when one confesses their sins and gives their burdens over to Him. And yet, to not to continue to come before our Lord, does it not show that we still cling onto the fleeting pleasure of this world?
This is extremely pertinent to the idea of self-control and Christian discipline. The overruling idea of self-control is that there is one supreme desire in our lives, something that just takes us and won't let go. If we have such a desire, our lives will naturally fall into some kind of order, with the predominating desire ruling over every other desire. For those without a supreme desire, their lives resemble a chunky soup, with momentary desires popping up everywhere and without an order of any kind. Yet, for those whose supreme desire is to give glory to the only Glorious One, then our hopes and wishes fall under its command.
Yet how can we get to this place? Many of us are stuck in this mire, which stops us from ever growing in our fellowship with Christ- we simply feel exhausted! There seems to be no more of that joy or peace that once came with thinking upon our blessed Savior. What are we then to do?
Now, we must be thoroughly careful where we tread... More and more, it seems that the Church, especially the American churches, have begun to replace the role of the Holy Spirit with a kind of "practical Christianity." BY NO MEANS, are we to follow this model in our lives!
What do I mean by this dreaded "practicality?" Well, it goes something like this: First, it begins with a slight altering of the message preached to the congregation. Instead of further expounding upon the endless wonders of the Almighty God, King of Kings, we find ourselves hearing how we need to get back into a "relationship" with Him. We hear of the blessings and the benefits of being obedience to the will of God - and we are given a program, a system, a "logical" thought process that is guaranteed to lead us back to Him.
Well, it doesn't sound that bad, does it? Frankly, its extremely unbiblical. We try to gain a bigger audience with mere entertainment, pragmatism, a self-help program, etc. How can the Holy Church of Christ have fallen to these depths! Why do we need anything of the world when ours is the Invisible Kingdom, one full of endless Glory and Beauty?
We have to focus on the Glory of God! Our call is to come closer to communion with the Holy Spirit and enter into a deeper fellowship with Christ. I do not use the term "relationship" because it can be misleading. We can have a long-distance relationship, but not a long-distance fellowship. In a true fellowship, both sides talk and become intimate as they share their concerns, their passions, and their lives.
We are to enter that with the Lord! What an awesome gift! To enter into any kind of relationship, much less a fellowship with the Holy One. And yet, that is what Christianity is all about. Jesus' blood, shed for his elect, allows us to stand before Him without being completely annihilated by his Holiness. Now, we have access to an eternity with Him in his Holy City. What a hope we have in Him!
In conclusion, how can we truly savor Him then? His Word. Quite simply, we are to spend time alone with Him and through the Holy Spirit, we are to pour ourselves into the Bible. If it truly is, and really it is, God-breathed and God-inspired, then it is the spring of Life and Truth and Peace and Joy.
Prima Scriptura: Scripture is First over all sources of Divine Revelation.
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