Flesh vs. Spirit. Which one are you hungry for?

I have given myself goals for each week to accomplish. These goals are things that draw me closer to Christ. One of them in reading 2 chapters of a book each week. This morning as I was reading Ravi Zacharias I was struck by what I was reading about, and how pertinent this is for me, and for the people I surround myself with. And of course, it can tie in with the sermons from Sunday, and into what I have been reading in the Scriptures as well. How convenient eh?

First, a couple questions to challenge yourself with:

How do we view God? How do YOU view God?

Is He distant? Or is He near?

Is He All Powerful, or is He just powerful?

Is He Good, or is He just good enough?

Is He worth everything, or is He worth only some things?

...

What do you crave?

Do you crave things of the flesh, or things of the Spirit?

Do you crave Jesus, or do you crave men?

Do you crave freedom, or do you crave shackles?

Do you crave the world, or do you crave The Kingdom?

...

I see people not living. I see people wishing for things to be so different than they are. I see people not willing to live in the now, not being okay with God being LORD of their lives, but wanting to be lord of their lives instead. This looks like discontentment, lazyness, lack of trust and faith...And this is something we all must walk through, and learn from. And I admit, I still struggle with this more often than I would like to admit.

In chapter 4 in the book Jesus among other Gods, Ravi mentioned this play, where a woman asks "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?

The only way one can realize life while one lives it is if he or she realizes that life is not a matter of nutrition alone but of the greater hunger that is beyond words and food. We do not live so that we can eat, nor do we just eat so that we can live. Life is worth living in and of itself. Life cannot be satisfied when it is lived out as a consuming entity..."

I see people (myself included) living life very one-track minded. With one entity in mind. And that entity, being themselves. We forget, as believers especially, that there is a spiritual realm, something greater than us. Our lives are not just about us, or what we see here and now, what we feel here and now. There is a battle going on that we cannot see, but so often that we can feel, and cannot understand, and we dont seem to give any attention to it sometimes for that reason (lack of understanding).

Yesterday while flying to Boston, I was reading in Isaiah 6, quite a famous passage. But as I was reading it, i was struck by the beginning, and challenged by my view of God and how I worship, by the way that the seraphim worshiped the LORD.

     The seraphim has 6 wings, and in the presence of the LORD, 2 of those wings covered his face, and 2 covered his feet, and the other 2 he flew with. And there was more than 1 serpaphim, and in God's presence, one called out to another, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:3)

      The presence of the LORD is always with me. And when I am with fellow believers, brothers and sisters, do I call out to another how Holy God is, and how the earth is full of His glory? Of all His goodness and the works that He has done? 

    I can say that sometimes I do, but I definately should be doing this more. And I definately should find more ways to do so, other than just on a  Sunday morning on the worship team. But on a daily basis, whether thats by words, or by actions, or however else the Spirit can lead me to worship and I can be obedient to share all He has done.

That is what we are unaware of. How the earth groans for the coming of the LORD. How these spiritual beings that we cannot see, worship the LORD, and how the angels fight for the LORD, often times on our behalf. How the Spirit is alive and at work in us and through us, calling out to us to come and be with Him because He is with us. We just have to do the work, that God has already given us and created for us. (Eph 2:10)

So i leave you with more questions to ponder. I dreamt that I wrote some of these the other night, so now I am doing it, and I hope and pray that you seriously consider what is more important to you, and if you are willing to do whatever it takes to love the LORD your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Because it is not easy, but it is worth every effort. Every tear. Every act of rejoicing. Everything...that feels good and bad. Christ is worth it. Where is you focus? What is your perspective? Do you need to broaden it, to a kingdom focus rather than a worldly focus?

   I know I need to change, I need to grow, I need a shift in focus. So....

Is joy worth the sorrow?

Is freedom worth the shackles?

Is healing worth the pain?

Is suffering worth the turmoil?

Is understanding worth the confusion?

Is beauty worth the refineing?

Is completeness worth the work?

Is fulfillment worth the hunger?

Is safety worth the danger?

Is peace worth the chaos?

Is the outcome worth the wait?

Is the Eternal Kingdom of God, worth the fight?