challenge?
Submitted by Splash! on September 20 2000 01:56:31
In reply to Running away from the challenge submitted by Forgiven on September 19 2000 18:56:13
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You say, "It is a common misinterpretation of the New Testament to reject the degree to which the pleasures of the flesh are part of God's GOOD creation for us to enjoy." What kind of proper balance can be made between flesh and spirit? I'm only asking because I'm curious about your views. You said, "...we need to get the balance right, not just reject what can be a problem." In Ecclesiastes (which inspired my previous poem), Solomon says, "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God" (Eccl 2:24). He is saying, "Enjoy life while you have it!" But balance this with what Solomon says later in Ecclesiastes, "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Once again Solomon is saying, "Enjoy life while you have it," but now he is adding the warning, "Know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Is this the balance you speak of between the flesh and spirit? But to what degree are we to indulge the flesh? At what point does drinking wine become drunkenness? And is it safe for some of us to even sip wine? Should we? The flesh *can* be dangerous in any degree. But what about the spirit? Where lies the balance, and should we seek to achieve a balance? Or should we merely seek holiness? Many monks and nuns live cloistered lives as a way to obtain and maintain a certain level of holiness, but is this really God's will for their lives? Maybe for them but not for us? How do we know? What does the Bible say and how do we know that we're not taking a verse out of context? To what degree, beyond necessity, are we to seek to satisfy the flesh, if at all? I only ask these questions to spark discussion. I would like to know others' thoughts on these things. Me... I seek to live a holy life. I have a couple vices that give me feelings of tremendous guilt because they arise out of selfishness and are not beneficial to the good of myself or others. I try to be an overcomer -- not to overcome the feelings of guilt, but to overcome the cause of the guilt: my own selfish actions that arise out of wanting to please my flesh through aural and sexual stimulations. We are often told to crucify the flesh and put away the "old" self. I continually seek to do this. Luke 12:19-21 says, "And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee..." I think it best that I also try to see things from God's perspective. Things of the flesh neither lead to nor secure one's salvation. Less of me, more of Him. "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt 24:13, 10:22, Mark 13:13). I persevere. Forgiven, I understand exactly what you're saying about those pastors who base their decisions on fear -- to banish the male friend of a newly divorced woman for fear that it will look bad in the church ("appearance of evil"), or to pull youth ministries away from a man because of his struggles with sexual attraction toward boys. Is this really what God would have a Christian do to another Christian? And do we base our own search for holiness on fears that we may have ourselves? Do we make the same fear-driven decisions in our own lives that a pastor may make in a church? I picture a man who becomes a monk so as to separate himself from the rest of the world so that he can live a life of holiness alone, without the presence of worldly temptations. But is this truly God's will for his life? Maybe God planned for this man to work among the many lost souls and sinners of the big inner-city, and to build this man's character by having him face, battle, and overcome the many temptations surrounding him on a daily basis? Anyway, I'll leave this discussion for now, as it is. Forgiven, you made some comments about what worship *should* look like. What a huge topic that is!! But, if others are willing to discuss, I'd be interested in reading their comments as well. "And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still" (Rev 22:11). Live the Eternal Now. ~Splash* |
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