Category: Interior Life

An important element of our faith is learning to “see” God’s unseen realities. These realities shape our lives as we internalize them. As believers God enables us to “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18 ESV). “Look” is a present verb; it is continuous. It is a stance that our heart adopts.   What are some of the other unseen things around us, in addition to our destiny? The most obvious one is the exaltation of Christ. We see Christ enthroned as king over all kings and authorities of this age and as king over his church (Eph. 1:20-22). Moreover, with faith we can see that we sit with Christ, for God “seated us with him in the heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6, ESV). Continue Reading →

The purpose of this post is to change the reader’s conception of reality and where their life is. I hope that it helps to create a new orientation in your soul that aligns with God’s reality. We begin with Colossians 3:1-2: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (ESV). We can get an idea of what we seek by asking ourselves: “How do I actually prioritize my life?” We can get an idea of what our minds are set on by asking ourselves: “What do I value in my mind and treasure in my heart?” This orientation to things above is critical to our growth since the environment of our heart determines what we will become. If we Continue Reading →

The Apostle Paul said, “I want to know Christ–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil. 3:10, NIV). Notice that Paul wanted the good and the “bad” because both were part of knowing Christ better. He loved Christ and knew that in him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3, NIV) and that he was the source of Paul’s restoration into the image of God. Therefore, he was eager to be remade in the image of Christ’s suffering and death, knowing this was a requirement for transformation and deeper communion with Christ. The word for “participation” in Philippians 3:10 is the same word used for “fellowship” in the New Testament. We have fellowship with Christ when we suffer. It did not matter to Paul what his experience was as long as it meant that Continue Reading →