Too cold for our morning jog (and there's an "air stagnation warning" in effect anyway) so I went "running" with Dallas Willard this morning. But not without stretching extensively by reading Romans 5 over and over again in several versions.
He started out at a good trot, but I was with him. At first. By the third paragraph I was already mentally winded but determined. My gray matter needed the workout.
Amazingly, I actually kept pace with him through the Wesley quote (about half way) before I finally had to stop, doubled over; out of breath.
But the insight I gained into Romans 5, and the real-world implications of having His Righteousness in us, was worth the strain and really got my blood flowing.
Romans 5:5 NIV
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
If you are up for a workout, do keep going until you see the bold, italicized phrase, "[life is] self-initiating, self-directing, self-sustaining activity," followed by conversation about "environment," and how spiritual formation is a matter of giving up our interaction with our "reverse trinitarian" environment of the world, the flesh and the devil. (Eph. 2:2-3) for interactions in and with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as our life-initiating, life-directing, life-sustaining environment.
If you are anything like me, this will be enough of a workout for at least one day!
Father, pour your love--your Righteous Life into us. May our life-initiating, life-directing, life-sustaining environment be you and you alone, oh Father and Son and Spirit. Amen.
http://www.dwillard.org/articles/artview.asp?artID=135
No comments:
Post a Comment