This is post #1 in a twelve blog/podcast series entitled REAL LIFE CHRISTIANITY. In this series, we’ll look at very practical matters like how we must learn to love and honor both ourselves and others in order to be the Christ-centered followers the Master wants us to be here in the twenty-first century. Here’s the homepage for the entire series.

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Our Lectio Divina for today: 1^st Thessalonians 5: 23-24 (MsgB)

May God Himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If He said it, He’ll do it!

Yowsers.

Wouldn’t it be terrific if once we said the sinner’s prayer, offering our broken lives up to Jesus, we’d suddenly get swept up in the euphoria of heaven, living godly lives for the glory of God for the remainder of our days both here and in heaven?

Nice thought, huh?

But simply not reality.

So, as I see it, here’s the rest of the story. Once we decide to follow Jesus, giving Him access to all of our life, our good-bad-and-ugly life; the true salvation work of God begins. And to be quite honest, it’s a miracle. You see, as Paul states it in his letter to the Thessalonians…

God Himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, (will) make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.

And so, the work of becoming holy and whole begins.

But unlike the fairy tale some like to believe that God is going to accomplish this transforming miracle in us without any effort on our part, this work of wholeness and holiness is a cooperative effort. Yes, without a doubt, the completely dependable God Paul speaks of will get-r-done. But it won’t be without a few scrapes, bruises, and bloody moments where our old flesh fights tooth-and-nail against the will of God, hoping to stay the way we, quite honestly, want to stay…

Independent. Free. Calling our own shots. Large and in charge.

There are many names for our self-centered self-sufficiency. Some nice. Some not.

But in Christ, the work of becoming holy and whole takes brave men and women who are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to cut deep into the reality of our sin-sick lives.

Are you ready for that?

Let’s begin this week by addressing the purity level of our bodies. God cares a lot about that you know. In Psalm 139, King David wrote a song about how very involved our Creator/King is in our physical well-being. As we close today, let’s remind ourselves of that amazing role God has in all this…

Oh yes, You shaped me first inside, then out; You formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—You’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before You. The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. Psalm 139: 13-16

My prayer: Father God, my Creator/King, it’s easy for me to limit my view of healthy spirituality to an exercise of the mind or of my heart. But in truth, You care as deeply about my physical body as much as You do my soul. May I be completely open and willing to cooperate with You as You bring wholeness and holiness to every aspect of my life. For Your name’s sake. Amen.

My questions to ponder: Have I ignored the call of God to wholeness and holiness in my physical body, limiting Him access to that portion of my life? Am I willing to open up my entire being, including my physical body, to the in-breaking power and presence of God’s Kingdom?

So what is God speaking to you today as we attempt to live the Christ-centered life?

Thank you for joining us on this 12-session journey we call Real-Life Christianity. We suggest you bookmark our blog/podcast homepage for this series to keep all the blogs and podcasts in one place for your future reference.

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