Physical Actions, Spiritual Outcomes

Sometimes we really don’t know how good God is!

Many of us think of spirituality as some exotic, other-worldly state of existence. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those of us who hold this view tend to have a divisive or even schizophrenic view of life. They can treat others in un-godly ways while proclaiming their faithfulness to God. They may fool others, but trust me on this; God will not fall for that trick.

But back to how we sometimes don’t realize how good God is. When it comes to our spirituality, He does not require us to eat twigs and bugs while wearing a dusty and musty wrap-a-round sheet and living in a remote mountain. He does not even ask us to ignore our physical being to attain a higher level of connection to Him. Why is this a good thing? Simply put, because most of us would not be able to fulfill those requirements. I know for me, I am not down with munching on a bug and twig sandwich. And, I actually like where I live, so mountaintop living is not for me.

God has graciously allowed us to perform physical actions that can have spiritual outcomes. Now I can do that!

• Being nice to people and being considerate of their needs
• Not looking at people of the opposite sex as only sex objects
• Going to church, reading my bible and praying regularly
• Taking care of my physical body
• Being faithful to my platonic and romantic relationships
• Being a shoulder to cry on and a friend who can keep secrets
• Going out of my way to make sure the things I engage in do not bring harm in any way to others
  

These are all physical things we do that can have spiritual results. It really does not get any simpler than that.

Thank you Lord for not requiring me to try to become something I am not just to honor you. Thanks for the capability you have given me to praise you through the physical things I do. I appreciate you for making a healthy relationship with you possible not through some strange mystical guidelines, but through the physical things I carry out. Thank you so much for keeping things simple when it comes to grower closer to you.

Just Like 10,000 Tongues

If I had 10,000 tongues, I could praise God constantly from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. Maybe then I could adequately list what He has done and not leave anything out. He has done this and He has done that. With 10,000 tongues, I could be certain that I would not miss anything that God is worthy to be praised for.

But with only one tongue, how can I sufficiently give God His due? Even if I talked without ceasing, there is no way I can capture every act that God has performed on my behalf. With just this one mouth, how can I speak enough words worthy of the magnificent and wondrous Creator? Lord, I feel so inadequate. Will you accept my sincere but insufficient praise?

As a Christian single, how can I praise God with the same level of success as if I had 10,000 tongues?

• I can put God at the forefront of my thoughts and actions.
• I can endeavor to love others as He has loved me.
• I can affirm the humanity of others by not limiting my perception of them as only a sex object nor as just someone to fulfill my needs.
• I can share my testimony with others so they can see God’s influence on me.
• I can express compassion by sincerely trying to help the less fortunate.
• In my relationships with others, I can elevate their interests over mine.
• I can use my God given talents and resources to uplift those with whom I am interacting.
  
  

By doing these and other things, I can demonstrate my praise of God on a constant, 24/7 basis. With each breath, I can proclaim His goodness just as effectively as if I had 10,000 tongues. What a powerful thought! With the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I can take my one tongue and miraculously multiply my praise. God has given me the opportunity to put my spiritual mouth where my heart is.

Thank you Lord, for making it so that I don’t need 10,000 tongues to adequately praise you. Thank you Lord for the capability to take my one tongue and still lift my voice so that it is sweet music to your ears. You have designed me to honor you by serving others as if I have been spiritually cloned. With your empowering Spirit, only one tongue will do. If I do as you have inspired and guided me to do, I can praise you as if I had 10,000 tongues.

When God Was

Relationships are dynamic and fluid. For example, as we mature, our interactions with our parent(s) evolve from one of dependency to one of (hopefully) peaceful co-existence. Another example is the transformations from nervous first kiss to increasing comfort with intimacy that romantic partners experience.

Just as our human relationships undergo change, the same is true of our relationship with God. Whether we want to admit it or not, we were not always as familiar with Him as we claim to be now. There was a time when God was just a concept that we had not yet made real. While our mouths spoke the words that God was the head of our lives, the reality behind our actions implied that He was just a part of our lives, but not THE MAIN part. Thankfully for many of us, that was then and this is now. Before we reached our current level of spiritual maturity, God WAS.

But now, things are different. Because of how He brought us through the rough times, we cannot help but thank Him. As we think about His awesome power and His wondrous works, we would be crazy not to praise Him. Remember that broken heart that almost did you in? That was God who uplifted you. Remember that person who joyously worked your last nerve? That was God who strengthened you. Remember that temptation you found hard to resist? That was God who delivered you. Remembered that depression and loneliness that threatened to overwhelm you? That was God who befriended you. Thank God that He no longer is a “was” but He is very real indeed.

Regardless of how long you have been a Christian single, you know God better today than you did yesterday. He has done too much and you have seen His hands working in your life in too many ways for you to doubt His existence. Yes, God is real because He is real to you. Yes, God is real because He guides your thoughts. Yes God is real because He keeps you from doing those things you used to do. Yes, Yes and Yes, God is real!

As God has blessed us, our divine charge is to affirm His existence through our actions by ministering to others. For them, God was, but we have the blessed opportunity to transform their thoughts into becoming more familiar with a God who IS!

God Is, So What?

Guilty! Upon hearing this, we say, “Guilty of what? What crime have we committed?” The answer is, “You are guilty of not ACTING like God exists.” We say, “That’s ridiculous. Of course God exists. Only a fool would try to argue against that fact.”

God is, so why, so when, so who? God is, so what? Should the fact that He is real lead us to feel indifferent or should we feel excited? Our choices are either to shrug our shoulders as if we could not care less or raise our hands in a gesture of sincere praise. We know what the choice should be when everyone is looking. But what about when we are alone?

What a pity that sometimes we live a boring uneventful life that seems to affirm that maybe God is no longer with us.

• That situation that we could not find our way out of, but somehow a way was made out of “no way”. Did God exist then? If He did, then so what? When it comes to acknowledging God’s rescuing power, we say “Let bygones be bygones.”
• That person, who would have turned our lives upside down, but didn’t because of God’s protection. Was He real then? If so, then so what? Wasn’t God just doing what He was supposed to do?
• That month whose days extended way past our money, but somehow the bills were paid and food was purchased and the lights remained on. So what if God was the one we called on? He should not have promised to always be with us if He did not want us to take Him at His word.
• Remember that period of loneliness or depression or isolation or even shame? Tell the truth; didn’t we think that things would never improve? But somehow, some way, the Lord made a way. So what if God rebuked the enemy? We think we are now smart enough or strong enough or tough enough to handle things on our own without any divine help.
  
  

As we reflect on how we have not always been Godly in our dealings with each other and how we have allowed things other than God’s will to influence us, we recognize that we indeed are GUILTY. Good thing the Lord knows our hearts, because our actions imply that the fact He exists is no big deal. Who can wash away our sins and wipe our slates clean? Only God can, but only if we acknowledge that He lives. It is kind of ironic that the God whose existence we regarded with a “so what” attitude is the very same God that can help us recover from our self-destructive nonchalant outlook.

Thank God that even as guilty as we are, we have blessed opportunities to show the world through our behaviors and choices that God is worth more than an indifferent attitude of “so what”.

God Is, So Who?

How many ways can it be said? God really does exist. What Christian single will argue against that fact? Unfortunately, many of us “argue” against the existence of God through our actions. True, we say the right things with the words from our mouths, but our behavior uncovers our lack of understanding of the meaning behind God’s existence.

God is, so who will step up and affirm this fact?

• When conventional wisdom suggests a course of action, who will dare to take the road less traveled?
• When everybody is saying to go ahead and get that “eye for an eye”, who will respond with the power of Godly love instead?
• When temptations rise and suggest that no one will know what bad things you are contemplating, who will choose to do the right thing for the right reason?
• When spiritual leaders falter, who will be there to pick them up instead of kicking them while they are down?
• When everyone is sharing the latest gossip and rumors, who will turn a deaf ear and listen instead to the voice of the Holy Spirit?
  
  

What happens if God’s response to our declarations of His existence is, “Prove it”? Will we be able to pass the test or will we wilt under the pressure? Saying God is for real is the easy part. Who among us will stand head and shoulders above the masses and follow the clues in the reality show called “CSI – Spirituality”?

So who is it going to be? Affirming the existence of God is not as easy as it sounds, but it is definitely worth the effort. We all want to be blessed, how do we expect God to bless us if we are not willing to prove to the world that He is alive and well today?

Tomorrow’s Post - God Is, So What?

God Is, So When

God lives! What can be better than that? We Christian singles should be beside ourselves with joy. As we have grown in our understanding that He exists, we ought to praise Him like we are out of our minds.

We proclaim with exuberance that God is more than just a lofty notion, so when did we get disconnected from our convictions? Is it something in the water that causes us to act out against our spiritual nature? We must have fallen and bumped our heads!

• Lord, we love you, but we find it so hard at times to love other people.
• Lord please continue to forgive us even while we refuse to forgive those who have wronged us.
• Lord, will you still bless us even though we heap curses on others?
• Lord, will you remain faithful even in the midst of our unfaithfulness to you?
• Lord, please don’t turn your back on us even while we forsake those who need us the most.
  
  

One aspect of God that we often take for granted is His unconditional love. Even while He was the furthest thing from our minds, God made up His mind to love us. He was persistent and consistent in His resolve to show us love. God CHOSE love! God willingly VOLUNTEERED to love us! Let the praising begin!

So when are we going to do what God has done? We have the perfect example to follow in how we should interact with the people in our lives. Let’s keep this simple and uncomplicated: God chose love; we should also choose love. God volunteered to love us; we should willingly volunteer to love others. God loved us in spite of our flaws, so we should express Godly love toward others even when they act ungodly toward us. We don’t need a Ph’D to figure this out. If God is, then we should ACT like it. We can’t deny the blessed reality of Him, so when are we going to live up to our calling as children of God?

Tomorrow’s Post: God is, So Who?

God Is - So Why?

In a world of subjective truths, most of which we just make up as we go along, all Christian singles can agree on at least one thing. That point of agreement is: God Is. Anyone who disagrees, please exit the room because you are reading the wrong blog!

The question really is not about God’s existence, but rather how real is He to us? If God is really, really, really real, then why do we act the way we do? We are quick to point out the obvious fact of the existence of God, but His impact on us is not as apparent.

God is, so why:

• Are we so tempted to return hate for hate when people mistreat us?
• Do we seriously contemplate cussing out someone who has found and plucked our last nerve?
• Do we wish bad things on that former boyfriend or girlfriend who broke our hearts?
• Are we so easily seduced into doing things we know are not the right things to do?
• Are we more likely to buy a new outfit or go out to eat than pay our tithes?
• Do we make our interactions with others more about our selfish interests and less about what is best for them?
  

When we prefer to serve God out of convenience rather than through spiritual conviction, He becomes less real and we incriminate ourselves as hypocrites and liars. God is? Because of the ungodly things we do to each other, who would recognize this God who is supposedly the head of our lives? Often our behavior says that God “MIGHT” be instead of confirming that He “IS”.

Let’s elevate our Christian singleness by “proving” through our actions that God really does exist. By putting into practice the high standard of pure love, we can affirm that He is very real. When we step up to challenge of making God more visible, we not only enhance ourselves, but we also bring blessings down on those we interact with. Helping us while uplifting others simply by living as if God is; that is some good stuff! It all sounds so simple doesn’t it? SO WHY are we not doing a better job of verifying through our actions and the quality of our relationships the undeniable truth that God Is?

Tomorrow’s Post - God Is, So When?