What should our spiritual aspiration in life be? There are many good answers to this, but I think one of the most necessary is for us to actually see God. I don’t think many of us do—not really, and certainly not even close to fully—and even those who somewhat do tend to get so quickly distracted from Him, like the amnesiac Dory from Disney’s Finding Nemo. Of course, I don’t mean seeing Him visually with our eyes but with our spiritual sight—but seriously, if we’re honest, isn’t one of our biggest problems that we’re incredulously spiritually blind—unrecognizing and oblivious—to who God is and what He does for us.
“As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:2-3 NKJV) a
Jesus identified eternal life as knowing our heavenly father God, and Himself, Jesus Christ, whom He sent. But what is that, and how many of us actually do know Him? So much is involved in knowing Him, but the truth is that it’s hard to know Someone we do not see.
What He does for us, for example. Do you ever think about what God has done for you? Most of us just grumble about everything we wanted that we didn’t get and about things that didn’t turn out as we had hoped. Our discontent is actually so endemic to us that it tends to characterize us—and we don’t even realize it. Are we ever actually conscious of the fact that God has done for us and given us nothing but absolute total good during our entire lives?
When we die and face eternity, I know for a fact that there is absolutely not one instance in which I will be able to accuse God of being unkind or giving me anything but good: He has so fully lavished me with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus—and many other blessings as well. But how often have I thanked Him with something other than a perfunctory “thank you,” if I’ve remembered even that. Most of the time, I have to admit, I respond like an entitled spoiled child, merely accepting all the good He gives as if it is my due, when nothing could be further from the truth because I am a sinful being and deserve no good thing.
How about understanding in greater fullness who God actually is—how magnificent and glorious beyond any actual human description? Even those of us who go to church, pray and read the Bible struggle to fully understand who He is—how indescribably good. We are basically blind to how indescribably magnificent, how big of a deal, gaining Christ is, and what a misery missing out would be.
I mean, we intuitively know God is good, but do we understand exactly how incredibly good He is? I think that’s why Jesus said knowing Himself and our father God is (not leads to) eternal life, because we could not possibly trade a right relationship with Him for any sin once we know Him that well. So if we’re still struggling with giving up something, it just means we don’t yet know Him as we should—we don’t see yet it’s a no-brainer. This is why the martyrs were able to even be martyrs: because they knew God well enough to know that as bad as it would be, it wasn’t worth comparing to the cost of giving up God.
And the reason we don’t know Him that way—with such incredible comprehension and intimacy—is because we don’t spend enough time in His Word, because those are the “magic words” that breathe life into us. I placed quotations around them, but they really are magic—even though we’re not used to calling them that. There is nothing like the words that came from God, and nothing else with the power they possess to give us eternal life—because they reveal God so we can know Him properly, and essential truths for life.
I also suspect we don’t recognize how important the condition of our soul is—that (1) we even have a soul to begin with, and that (2) it’s not just “there;” that it has to be cultivated (that it can be healthy or sick, well-developed or poorly-developed, wholesome and good, or damaged).
I’ve believed in Jesus Christ for quite a while, but for for me this has been an eye-opened. I knew I have a spirit that fellowships with God through Jesus, but coming to understand that I really do possess something called a soul which I have personal control over—which I can cultivate and work on for for good or evil, better or worse—may be one of the most spiritually useful things I learned recently. Why?
Because it means I’m an active participant in my own spiritual journey; I’m not merely at the receiving end of everything thrown at me, so to speak. I personally, have some control.
This is very empowering, and it comes from God. God never meant us to be powerless victims of the difficulties of life; He meant for us to exercise our will—tempered by our connection to Jesus Christ through His Word and prayer—to respond in holier and holier ways. Why?
Because our souls are like a spiritual tree. They should be rooted deeply into the living water of Jesus Christ through God’s Word, which nourishes it and causes it to grow tall and beautiful, regardless of the winds or scorching heat or frost of winter. In the absence of this firm foundation, they will be deformed, regardless of how pretty the face or body is. They will be shriveled up, or cut, or otherwise damaged or deformed or stunted, as so many seemingly walking souls are today—because that’s what people are; our souls reside in our bodies. And when they are damaged as many are, the body, mind, and emotions function on some level, but the soul is grossly stunted and deformed; the spirit may not even be alive to God at all.
Do you see now that the spiritual formation of our souls is of utmost importance? It is vitally significant that we actively participate with Christ’s Spirit to grow a beautiful soul that is capable of fully reflecting God’s love and goodness to those around us. But to do this, we must see God Himself more fully, which we do be saturating ourselves in His Word!
Dear “God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
“…give to…[me] the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of…[my] understanding being enlightened; that…[I] may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:17-21 NKJV)
Amen.
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