We human beings generally want what we want and want it now; hence, impatience and wars. The root of fleshly desires is very strong and needs to be severed and uprooted. Then the seed of the Spirit can be planted in our hearts. The Spirit will root itself and become our instructor, leading us into a relationship with the person and teachings of Jesus (John 15: 26; 16:1-15).
We human beings generally want to live by feelings. “If it feels good, do it….If it doesn’t feel good, why do it?” Feelings are not fruits and to live by feelings can be shallow, impermanent and at times dangerous. My life as a disciple of Jesus must be solid and secure, like the taproot of a plant. We are not always going to feel good. Jesus didn’t feel good when he was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He felt abandoned by God and by his friends and the very people he was going to be crucified for. If it had been me I would have said, “The hell with them. I am out of here.” He acted on the word he had from God, not on his feelings about it. This is difficult for me to do sometimes, especially in a culture where there is no Christ centeredness and the Scriptures are put aside very quickly the moment they interfere with what people want to do in their lives. Legalism is not the solution. It’s more a matter of BEING than doing. Using the Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus as the spring of living water we drink from and the bread that we feed on will give an inner direction to holiness, not an outer law or rule to be obeyed.
Fundamentalism has taken on a negative meaning these days. But fundamental simply means elemental, basic, and essential. It is the taproot that keeps things healthy, whole, and from going adrift. Jesus lived a fundamental life, rooted in God and Truth. I want to live that kind of a life.
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