Transformed eyes

"...the whole philosophy of St. Francis revolved 'round the idea of a new supernatural light on natural things, which meant the ultimate recovery not the ultimate refusal of natural things."

- G.K. Chesterton, in St. Francis of Assisi

This is the grace of the Holy Spirit, that transforms the very way we perceive the world around us. To live with eyes that are transformed by grace--that will really be something incredible. To see all things as sacred, simply because they are God's creation, will transform the very meaning of pleasure and joy in how we experience them. It would let us see the good creation of God that is waiting to be redeemed.

Having now finished Chesterton's biography of St. Francis, I am inspired by the life of this great saint. Chesterton described him as a Jongleur de Dieu, a Tumbler of God, a court jester of the King who sees life upside down while he's standing on his head. Francis saw the world differently than most people, and that allowed him to have a love and joy for the natural things in life that most people don't. He truly lived his life in the light of Jesus, looking first to God, and then seeing all else around him from that perspective, and then acting out of that love and joy that naturally (supernaturally) came as a result.

If I, if we, lived our lives like this...how different things could be. How much more like Christ we could be. How much more of a powerful witness to the world of radical transformation by the  Holy Spirit we could be.

Lord, transform and sanctify my eyes, so that I might see all around me in light of Your love and grace, to be filled with joy and the pleasure that only comes from You, and in doing so, find greater joy and pleasure in Your creation, taking part in the redemption of the whole world that You are working. Amen.

Side-Effects of a New Creation

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view (according to the flesh); even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.  So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

                                                     2 Corinthians 5:16-17

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Galatians 2:20

These two oft-quoted Scriptures in our modern Christianese are also two of the most ignored. It's really easy to quote Scripture that can inspire us and make us feel good, but when it comes down to looking at what these really mean for our lives, it's easy to look only as far as we're comfortable. 

The Lord has been hitting me over the head with this the past couple weeks. I came into this year fully expecting that it would change my life. Recently I realized that my prayer for God to change me was really more like "Lord, change me, but only in the ways I want to change." I want to grow spiritually and in my maturity, but only in ways that conform to my plan for my life. Really, I don't want to be single anymore, I don't want to give up my things, I don't want God to mess up my plans. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

Do we really realize that we are, in fact, a new creation? Do we really know that the old "us" has passed away, and we are being made new in the name of Jesus Christ? Have we really crucified our old lives to be in conformity with Jesus?

That's the unfortunate side-effect of being a new creation: that newness requires change, discipleship requires a cost, and crucifixion requires dying to self. 

But it's this radical change that Christ calls us to, and it is for this purpose that He came. This is the purpose of God for you--to make you a new creation. But first you must die. 

"Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." 

John 12:24-25

We need to stop getting in the way of allowing God to bear fruit with our lives. What are you holding back? What part of your old life are you holding onto? In this life, with this faith, it is not about you. It is about a God Who is bigger than you can possibly imagine, Whose love goes farther than you can comprehend, Whose greatness we can never even put into words, Whose glory lights up the whole universe! This God is your salvation, and you owe him everything. 

If you're reading this, please don't just read and nod your head and say "Amen, brother." Please take time to examine your own life and ask the Lord what He wants from you. What are you holding onto that is keeping you from the Lord? If your automatic answer is "Nothing," then search deeper. And then search again. This is the most important thing you can do with you life--do you really understand that, at your core? 

This is stuff I'm just re-learning and trying to apply to my own life again, and I feel the Lord calling me to share it. This is the Gospel that He wants us to preach. This is Good News.