MANY THINK THAT becoming a
Christian is like joining a spiritual Marine Corp. “Just a few good men." But
Christianity is not primarily about self-discipline. It is about motivation. It
is about a heart fully engaged in
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Is Christ Your Treasure? |
pursuing life's most exciting Treasure.
The Bible
is all about spiritual riches. The apostle, Paul, saw the Christian religion
this way. For Paul it was about the “riches of his glory” (Rom 9:23), the
“riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7), and “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph.
3:8-10). All of this Paul sums up in Colossians 2:3. Christ, "In whom are
hidden all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge."
Many
Christians think that their problem is a lack of self-discipline. But a lack of
self-discipline is seldom the problem. A lack of motivation is the problem. All
motivated people are disciplined. All unmotivated people are undisciplined. We
all pursue with great discipline whatever we are convinced will make us the
most happy.
My point is that Christianity is
a treasure hunt. Christ is the Treasure, but the discipline to pursue that
Treasure doesn't begin until the Believer connects knowing Christ with his or
her happiness. When that happens self-discipline follows.
Illumination
is the work of the Holy Spirit in the human soul that convinces us that all of
our happiness is connected with knowing, loving, and serving Christ. That is why most of Paul's prayers are for illumination. For example, see Eph 1:15-22 and 3:14-21.
So, let us pray fervently for
illumination. We need to see Christ as our Treasure. To the degree that this happens the application of our self-discipline in the pursuit of our happiness in Christ will be extravagant.
Labels: Illumination, Motivation, Sanctification, self-discipline