A Radical Approach

First of all, I want to make it clear that I am not writing to you as an authority on the subject of God, Jesus, or the Bible. I am but a mere student, still going through reading the Bible for the very first time. As my faith continues to grow, I realize how important it is to constantly ask God what I can do to become closer to Him and to understand Him better—and as God answers my prayers, He has made it abundantly clear that I need to share what I am learning to anyone who will listen.

I’m not sure if navigating faith in the 21st-century is fundamentally different than it has been for Christians in any other time period, but I believe as the world changes, technology evolves, and people accomplish increasingly greater feats, there are more convincing false idols in the world than ever before. In this day and age, following Christ requires what may seem like a radical approach. I have realized that when living my faith feels easy, comfortable, or kumbaya with the world around me, I am doing it terribly wrong.

Seven Critical Points

There are, however, seven imperative points that God keeps reminding me of to help keep me on His Path in this spiritually corrupt world. They do not make Christianity easy, but they make it, at least for me, simpler. While reading my list may be a good start, it would be even better to pray and ask God yourself—“Which of these points do I need to focus on? What else am I missing?”

1) Glorify God (Do you deny Him, even subtly?)

2) Love the sinner (Do you judge other sinners rather than pray for them or make excuses for your own sins?)

3) Hate the sin (Do you make excuses for your own sins?)

4) Do not commit nor condone the unforgiveable sin (Do you excuse murder of innocent life?)

5) Despise the world (Do you seek validation from any source other than God?)

6) Defer to God (Do you rely on yourself, other human, or manmade intellect to make decisions, especially non-trivial ones?)

7) Seek suffering to offer it up for others (Do you avoid discomfort or do you resort to self-pity when you are in pain?)

I think that focusing on and mastering these spiritual areas can truly have a transformative impact on your spiritual life and the way you show up in the world, as long as you are really honest with yourself about the ways that you fall short today. I am constantly finding more ways that I fall short of perfecrly living these seven principles, and these are the sneaky faults that keep me distanced from God—for instance, feeling embarassed to praise and worship in a public secular environment, making excuses for subtle gossip, and even worrying about what people think ahout my haircut. When I can overcome these things—and I don’t always overcome them—I feel an instant closeness to God and feel like I have reached another level in my understanding of Him.

In my next posts, we will dig into each of the seven principles and dissect the supporting scripture so that together, we can grow as Christians and learn what it truly means to follow Jesus.

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