and i'll... follow You into the world

I’ve been stuck on The Message lately. The words jump off the page and slap me every time I read from the translation. And I love it. Spiritual bruising CAN be good, y’all.

This morning, the verses below clicked. I’ve claimed them as my back-to-school Scripps because they managed to be altogether convicting and inspiring and relevant (like, you know, most Scripture), and I really wanted you guys to see them, too.

I should probably let the Word speak for itself without any more of my babbling commentary, but do lock-in on this: “Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.” Now, here we go:

"It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

“This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

“But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

“Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.”

- Galatians 5:19-26

So you’ve seen the words. Read them in the original language. Heard them eleven billion times. Spoke them. Got them down.

A Franciscan saying goes like this, "Preach the Gospel. And when necessary, use words."

Time to live them?

I'm praying this for all of us. It's not easy AT ALL, but it's SO worth it. I love you guys!

"So let YOUR NAME be lifted higher, be lifted higher, be lifted higher...."