Thursday, July 17, 2008

Set Your Mind on Life and Peace

Paul described in Romans 8 the Law as “the law of sin and death” and said that the law was powerless to transform us and only weakened us because of our sinful and selfish nature. As we know, we humans will always look for ways to get around the law and to justify our sinful and selfish actions.

The world has the combined wealth and resources to provide the food, technology and education to prosper every country in the world. So then, why do we have children dying of hunger, malnutrition and ailments that we can treat with simple medicine and vaccines?

Greed and corruption are some of the causes of this misery but also ultimately there is a basic problem with the human race. Now we won’t find an answer to this dilemma in mere philosophy or even our traditional religion which helps us to simply focus on our own personal salvation. It is only through the working of the Holy Spirit and our response to that spirit that these immense problems can be overcome.

Most of us think entirely too much about our own problems and do not look around us at the even larger problems of others. We often respond primarily to our own selfish nature and not to God’s Spirit, which prompts us to see the suffering world and attempt to do something to help. We don’t have to go overseas to find that suffering world either. We have only to get beyond ourselves.

Jesus spent his few years of ministry trying to teach his disciples how to live unselfishly in their world and how to respond to other’s need by responding in a positive way. It appears they didn’t get the message until after he was gone. In several different accounts they are found trying to decide who will be the most honoured and where they will be positioned in the afterlife or in the kingdom. This is not a new dilemma. We all tend still to be overly concerned about our own position in life.

Jesus truly taught how to be not merely a concerned onlooker but a participant in making the world a better place for all to live. We all recognize the reality that life is difficult and so what we do with our short lives is very important. We all know what is right and what will bring new life and peace but doing what is right – is the hard part.

That is where we find the Holy Spirit at work. The Holy Spirit, the giver of life who proceeds from God; tries to make a reality in our lives of the things we say we believe. It tries to help us reconcile our beliefs with our actions. It tries to help us refocus.

The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives involves prompting us to action, joining with us in our participation in life, to create a synergy. The better life we live, the easier it gets to accept the difficult times. The Holy Spirit is able to reach us and influence us.

Jesus described the Christian walk as taking up a crucifix because it is a total and complete commitment to life and peace.

I think what Paul is saying in this scripture, is that there are many ways to die but there is only one real way to live. The only real life we have is the life that we have seen illustrated in the life of Jesus, who lived to show each disciple what real life is all about and how to turn away from serving our own selfish natures to be able to see the rest of this struggling world. By doing this and responding the God’s Holy Spirit, we recognize that Holy Spirit is bringing to us the focus on life, not death and on peace, not turmoil.

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