Blog

Mar 22, 2020 08:00am

How Do You Know if You’re Spiritual Enough?

873 Views

Before we get started, I need to let you in on a little secret about a deeply ingrained insecurity that I have. It is something I think about quite often. In fact, every time I sit down to share thoughts with you through this medium, it hits me squarely in the face. The secret is:

I don’t think I’m spiritual enough!

There are a lot of reasons I tend to think this.

Heaven is one of those reasons.

I see Christians everywhere that seem laser focused on heaven. Their life seems filled with genuine and eager anticipation of how incredibly wonderful it will be. They could read and study about heaven for hours with tears of joy streaming down their faces. I wish that were me. But the truth is that I just don’t think about heaven as much as I probably should.

Don’t get me wrong — I am incredibly thankful for the assurance of getting there through the work and grace of Christ on the cross. I truly believe it will be perfection beyond anything I can imagine. I really am moved emotionally when I hear the words of the old hymn “What A Day That Will Be”.

BUT—

I must admit that I identify more fully with the line from an old country song that said, “Lord, I want to go to heaven, but I don’t want to go tonight”

Prophecy is another of those reasons.

Try as I might, I cannot get interested in prophecy about the end times and such. I see book after book shouting to me about it. I hear some very smart people who seem to think that it is important that I understand it. I fully believe that it will all come to pass just as the Bible has indicated. I have absolutely no doubt that God’s kingdom will one day become fully established and perfect. And that does give me anticipation and hope:

BUT—

Sometimes, it’s tough enough just making it through the week, let alone the end times.

SO, AM I SPIRITUAL ENOUGH?

Well, fortunately I do have full righteousness before God. Jesus assured that reality when he died on the cross as my substitute. Because I have believed this truth, I never have to worry about being spiritual enough to earn God’s love or eternal life. Ever.

I do not have to contort my thoughts and focus to match up with what anyone thinks is required to be spiritual enough.

I only need to strive to align my thoughts and focus with the thoughts and focus of Jesus. Period!

HOW CAN I DO THAT?

Included in the prayer that he modeled for his disciples, it seems to me that Jesus gave us some guidance on where he would have us focus:

“May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

1. In this model prayer, Jesus did not focus on heaven. He focused on earth becoming more like heaven.

2. He did not focus on prophecies of the future perfect kingdom. He focused on bringing more of the perfection of the kingdom to reality right here and right now.

Perhaps these should be guiding principles for each of us also.

THE PRINCIPLE OF THE MEANTIME

While we should and do look forward to heaven and the coming of the fully established and perfect kingdom of God, we were never intended to just bide our time until that occurs.

We can live in anticipation of what is coming, but “in the meantime” we are expected to join with God to make things on earth right now more like the way they are in heaven.

Each of us has been given a unique opportunity to advance the kingdom of God in our own sphere of influence this very day. We can do that in our families, our schools, our workplaces, our churches, our communities, and around the world. God can use even our smallest of actions to have a significant impact in his kingdom right here and right now.

What would our world look like if each of us truly focused on God’s will being done on earth right now as it is in heaven?

What could happen if that one line from that one prayer that we know by heart truly became the driving passion of our hearts?

“May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Jesus has already taken care of eternity and heaven for us if we believe in Him and what he has done.

God will handle all the details of the end times and such just fine without consulting with us.

But “in the meantime”, God has some work for us to do.

And yea, I’m spiritual enough for that.