Friday, May 18, 2018

Using Alpha Power to Cling to What is Good




UV 2950/10000 Using Alpha Power to Cling to What is Good
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Romans 12 v 9

St Paul while writing letters to both the Roman church and the Thessalonian believers of Christ, the Saviour and Lord, emphasized that they cling to what is good and let go or repulse evil. We are to be spiritual magnets attracting or pulling to ourselves, drawing into our hearts and minds, our very DNA or divine nature what is good and repulse what is evil. But only God is absolutely good while we humans can at best be partially or relatively good. The uni-verse implies that we need to let go of what is only relatively good and partially evil and cling or cleave or stick like glue to God. We need to cleave to God and His very image sent on Earth Jesus like leeches and draw from Him our supply of what is absolutely good- His cleansing blood, His healing, His word, His precepts, His faithfulness, the fruit of His spirit. We cannot let go for a second. But just as salt causes a leech to let go of the human body on which it clings, sin causes us to let go of God. Conversely, the Word acts as salt to cause the leech of bad habits, evil attitudes, spiritual strongholds to let go of their tentacles on our lives. One cannot cling to what is good without hating what is evil and one cannot let go of what is evil without clinging to what is good. It does not happen in a single day but over one’s life, the degree to which one clings to good or loves good and the degree to which one hates evil and gets rid of evil in his life should increase from day to day.

Only God’s love is without deception, selfishness, without limit. When we cling to Him, His love is understood and assimilated by us as blood by a leech. We will remove our earthly masks and biases. In order to do so, we also need to hate evil the way the Lord does. We need to be first of all, intolerant of evil in and by us. We therefore need to be ruthless judges of ourselves, sensitive self critics, not blinded to our faults. For this we need the help and counsel of the Holy Spirit. Is there a trace of idolatry in my faith, in my life ? I need to give up any idols in my heart- there should be nothing that replaces God in my heart, my life, no other mediator other than Christ. My highest passion or love should be for the Lord and His word. I do not use lesser lights to light my path of life other than the light of the Lord- His word.

There is no mid-point between good and evil, no compromise that is acceptable to the Lord. Our hatred for evil should at least be as strong as our love for the Lord. The Lord will enable us to overcome momentary lapses, failures on our part as His grace is unlimited and adequate for all of our spiritual and holistic need. It is not an easy path for while our flesh is naturally attracted to what is evil or partially good, our spirits are attracted to what is absolutely good. It requires supernatural discipline and disciplining by the Lord to avoid the folly of being evil, doing evil, speaking or thinking evil and to stick to the wisdom of being good, doing good, speaking good and thinking good. This attitude determines one’s spiritual quotient. It affects all aspects of our lives and enhances us in 360 degrees. The cost is high but in terms of rewards or benefits, it far exceeds the cost. When we cling or cleave to good and hate what is evil, we receive the favour of the Lord, the reward of the blessings of Shalom, of eternal and enduring peace, of joy sublime, the rewards of a life lived wisely.

Prateep V Philip

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