Loving Yourself

This post will attempt to summarize my life for the last six months or so. My reading of John Owen continues, but my understanding of Jesus Christ has increased. This is the goal. I also have been struck at how much I love myself, rather than my Savior. However, here are a few things that the Holy Spirit has taught me in my recent readings and meditations.

1. I need the Bible to understand God.
This may seem a "no-brainer," but the depth of understanding this truth has become clearer to my inner man lately. This is the grace of God. I have been reading Owen's "Work of the Spirit," and two of the treatises in that volume deal with this subject. I will commend you to do what the Spirit has been teaching me lately. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you His word. Ask Him to give you insight into the text, that you may understand your need for Christ.

If you do not read and meditate upon the Word, how will you ever align yourself with the will of God? If you do not understand the mind of God, how will you ever pray correctly? If you do not pray, how will you ever be found in Christ? These things have become more real for me lately. Are you praying more? relying on Christ? desperate for a word from God?

2. Prayer is the work of spiritual maturity in Christ
The Lord has been gracious to me in showing me that prayer is the work to Christ-likeness. It typifies Jesus Christ in that you show your dependency upon God the most when you pray. Prayer should always be coupled with the Scripture. Once again, the Scriptures show to the Church the mind of God. Understanding the mind of God, gives us the tools to pray rightly to God. So let me ask you, as the Holy Spirit asks me every day. Do you pray? I am not asking to you spend 10 minutes in the morning going through a routine word order. Do you pray with unction? Do you contend with God? Do you sweat blood?

If we find Christ as our goal, which I hope all Christians do. We will understand our need to pray.

The book I just picked up which has encouraged me to pray is D. A. Carson's "A Call to Spiritual Reformation." Though I am only three chapters in, this book has reminded me of my need to cry out to my God for help, strength, wisdom, and Christ-likeness.

3. The aim, the vision, the goal; Everything, is being found in Christ
If Christ is not there, I should not be. I pray my desire would be to hate what God hates and love what God loves. There is coming a kingdom that will not fail. This kingdom will never fall. Are you found in Christ daily? Do not think if you prayed a prayer you are found in Christ. Being found in Christ is a daily thing. Do you find yourself clinging to Christ more when things are different as you expect? The Holy Spirit continues to show me my sin, my hatred of God, and my faithlessness.

Will Jesus Christ be your portion? Will the supremacy of Jesus Christ be your mantra in life? Will you lose all things that you may gain Jesus Christ? Will you say with Paul, "all things are garbage to gain Christ?"