Increasing Momentum

Silhouette of an exhausted sportsman at sunset with the horizon in the background

There is a place in every Christian’s life where you find your stride. Your life turns into a perpetual stream of receiving good stuff from God, giving it out, and then receiving more from Him. Because of this positive cycle of giving and receiving, you gain two very important ingredients. These two are integral to living the more than abundant life that Jesus Christ made available. They are stamina and momentum. Both allow us to spiritually push ourselves beyond the limit we might have imagined was possible.

God calls upon us to push ourselves to what we perceive as ‘the limit’ because He is a God of unlimited supply. We can always do more and be more through His love and strength than what we suspect. Jesus Christ gave his life so that we might be able to push ourselves in this way. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God, the Father of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Colossians 2:10 tells us that we are complete through our union with Christ, and Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Christ! When we get to a place where we think that we can’t go any further, the Holy Spirit will give us all we need to go above and beyond. God pours into us, so that we can give out more. It is a tremendous example and pattern of spiritual increase and expansion.

When it comes to life on earth, two things are for sure; a beginning and an end. We may not be able to control the timeline, but we can definitely control how enjoyable and meaningful the journey will be. That’s our goal. All of us should want to stay here as long as possible and get the most of our earth experience. We want to be happy, and happiness gets its wings from this humungous thing called ‘destiny in Christ’.

Every Christian has a destiny in Christ, and it is to become more like him with each breath we take. It is to grow in his love. In John 14:6 (NLT), Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Some of us make the mistake of underestimating this verse, but if we want to take advantage of the opportunity Christ extends, he is making it clear that knowing the way, believing the truth, and living a Godly life all present the fullness of existence. He made this available to us, and we should desire it because it is what the Father intends all of us to have.

Jesus Christ is the total package, and he has made it available to us. He’s shown us the way to our Heavenly Father, he’s given us the truth, and through him you and I get to live life the way God created it to be lived. We can either keep getting better and better, or we can acquiesce to a life beneath our privilege. There is no neutrality—no in between. We’re either using our lives to go forward and higher towards the goodness of our Father God, or we’re using it to spiral downward.

There’s an inspirational saying that a person should shoot for the moon, and if they don’t make it, at least they will be among the stars. This should be the mindset of every believer. Colossians 1:27b The Message (MSG), tells us, “The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple.” The Spirit of Christ is on the inside of those of us that have been born-again. This was a mystery that God kept secret since the foundation of the world. The very reality that we would have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, and not hovering over us, was God’s plan all along. 1Corinthians 2:8(NLT) tells us that if the devil and his demonic cohorts had known this mystery, he would not have crucified Christ.

This is how tremendous and magnificent the gift of the Holy Spirit is. Through Christ, all of us have the potential to be the same powerful ambassadors for God’s Kingdom that Christ was. Christ is our King! Our Lord! No one could do what he did. God gave us the best! We have the best in us; therefore, God can expect the best from us! This is why He lovingly begs us in Romans 12:1 to give our whole beings to Him—lock, stock, and barrel, because it is our reasonable offering in gratitude for all that He has given us. In Romans 12:2(NLT), Heavenly Father further instructs us on how to live holy, and set apart; the way He wants us to. He tells us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

So, we can clearly see that we were created to be a very dynamic people, full of energy, stamina, and consistently building a momentum in life that equals that of Christ. Sin, bad choices and decisions, and behaviors and attitudes that are negative; these are the weights that slow us down, and keep us from living a blessed life. We can change this! We don’t have to settle for living a lackluster life. We don’t have to go through life with our eyes to the ground, and our heads hanging low. This is what you do when you don’t have faith in God in Christ. This isn’t who we are.

We were never meant to be a downtrodden people. We are created in the image of our wonderful Father, and He’s a good, good Father. Our privilege and honor is to celebrate the reality of Christ every moment of every day! We should strive to maintain spiritual stamina and momentum so we can live the fullness of life to the limits. When we place our minds and hearts on him, and surrender to the Will of God, the trajectory of our lives will change. Pray and ask Heavenly Father to help you put off the bad habits, attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors that hold you back. He will utilize your invitation to enter your life and do a work in you that equips you for the destiny He’s planned. Allowing God to direct our paths will keep us going strong, and ensure that we are building momentum towards a continuous cycle of being a blessing and receiving one. ■

4TheChristianMan

Christian encouragement and inspiration for men

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