Better Human Beings
The Spirit shapes my thinking and attitude to be more in line with what God desires.
How many of us want to be a better human being? I know I want to be. The daily work of connecting deeply with God helps me become that better human being who lives more consistently with Christ's values. Honestly, living out Christian values in our world today is very hard. This makes sense because Jesus said that His disciples "are not of the world" (John 17:14 ESV). We don't really belong in this world as Christians and our home is in heaven. We must often choose to live in opposition to the world and the world’s ways and possibly suffer the physical, mental, and social implications.
On earth, there are a lot of things that the world promotes and values that Christ does not. And because we live in the world, we can be influenced and tempted by these worldly values. So living out Christ's values that are in opposition to what our world values can be a very challenging prospect. This is where prayer and meditation come in. Our deep times with the Lord will help us solidify our Christian beliefs and values and will help us remain steadfast in applying those values in the world we live in. We end up becoming better human beings in God's eyes who consistently bring Christ's values wherever we go. We will live as much better disciples of Jesus, our Lord.
As I deeply and consistently draw close to Christ each day, I notice my values shifting. Through much prayer and meditation, the Spirit shapes my thinking and attitude to be more in line with what God desires. I become much more conscious of wanting to do things God’s way and I become much more sensitive to the sins in my life that may hinder my spiritual progress. As Paul said in the book of Romans, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Rom. 12:2 ESV). How do we renew our mind? It is through our deep times with God that He renews our mind and perspective. We then have a fighting chance in living out that renewed perspective in our day to day life. As our minds are changed during those Spirit-filled times, our actions and behavior will hopefully follow suit. Through even more prayer, the Spirit provides us with the power we need to actually live consistently with God's values in the world. I ultimately end up not only as a better human being but also as a better disciple of Christ.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
