Hey, Get Off That Cloud!

Have you ever met a Christian that seemed super spiritual, out of reach, or even heroically holy? Without fail, we all have a way of summarizing believers as a way to relate and communicate - to get our foundational footing so to speak.

During my long journey into the faith (and before salvation), I'd see some believers displaying spiritual "shortcomings" that often discouraged me in my budding faith. I had ideas of how true Christians interacted with the world because I had actually read the entire Bible and later camped out in the New Testament where I'd eventually learn about Biblical application through head-knowledge. I was the one who perpetually thought of the critical narratives of Christians who walked out their faith in the flesh and not the Spirit.

This was an immature problem, of mine, that needed to be remedied over time. But, until that glorious day of graduating into the class of Supremely Spiritual Saints, I'd just observe and learn. Of course, the Bible (today) is my guide for life, and back then I was eager to see what it had to say about the "insufficient" saints who appeared to be stumbling along the way (hyperbole for emphasis).

First, no one actually arrives at the Pedestal of Purification & Perfection. This is still hard to fully embrace as prideful thoughts of perfection creep in occasionally. I ask the Lord, from time to time, to humble me in some way as I had read many years ago, "God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud." James 4:6. How can we forget the beauty of humility? And just when we think we've reached that heavenly pinnacle, PRIDE steps in to obliterate it - a spiritual conundrum indeed!

As Christians, we need to be relatable and a bit deflatable at the same time. By this, we shouldn't elevate our spiritual life above reproach which many unfortunately do. I remember the days of just wanting to understand the Gospel and the surrendered life (of those Christians around me). It seemed at the time, many had forgotten when they too were lost (before surrendering to Christ) and how they had to be saved by God's grace.

Feeling as though I was always floundering in the dark, very few believers were willing to get on that wide road in order to help usher me to the narrow one; this isn't necessarily Biblical. However, the idea that a Christian is willing to do a little extra Kingdom work can be comforting to anyone struggling with unbelief.

As we know from Scripture, there are many reasons unsaved people are either willingly refusing the Gospel or that the Enemy is standing in the way. "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:4.

In either case, compassion and love have incredible results along with an abundant amount of patience. It's not that we should hover over the unbeliever and drench the

Gospel seed with spiritual water and hope it will take root and grow. Instead, we need to ask God to do the increase as we continue to encourage with gentleness and kindness.

It would be ideal if an unsaved person were always reachable and teachable every time we present the Gospel. But, realistically the challenges can mount and discourage the Christian as well as the unbeliever. Two steps in the RIGHT direction are to stand on solid ground (Scripture) and get out of those lofty, ethereal clouds that can create a gorge without a bridge.

It's true that issues such as sin, repentance, forgiveness, surrender, and hell are the essentials in the message of the GOOD NEWS, but we also need to be cognizant of the way we deliver the aforementioned. I was never intrigued or remotely drawn by preachers who yelled the GOOD NEWS in such a way that it resulted in my own anxiety.

It's true that we are to think about heavenly things while we live out our lives here on Earth. We're to keep from being rooted in worldly desires that can put us squarely into the devil's trap. However, it doesn't mean that we aren't thinking of the next opportunity to share the GOOD NEWS. And when we do, it's wise to be humble while remembering our own path to salvation with our feet firmly planted!