books.

May 14, 2021May 14, 2021 by Kathleen Moulton

Books.

So many books have been written about how to live the Christian life.

I’m not opposed to the offering of knowledge, understanding, or personal experiences.

Yet, over the years, I have been very selective only because there is this thing about me – not wanting to jump on bandwagons – expecially when it’s a book everyone is reading.

I’m cautious about trendy things. I think about this scripture found in 2 Timothy:

For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.

If we’re honest, it’s human nature to gravitate to an easier way. Sometimes I think many contemporary Christian books do this unknowingly through appealing to our soul (intellect, will, emotions) first which will then hopefully affect our spirit second. This isn’t necessarily bad but I wonder if authors can appeal to our spirit first?

Many Christians understand the “natural” or “carnal” man which is our soul. They know being a Christian means to “crucify the flesh” with all it’s worldly desires which are in direct opposition to the scripture. I think many are weary of what they have defined as a continual battle.

Instead of thinking about winning a battle, how about focusing on strengthening the spirit?

We don’t have to live a life of suffering in order to mature as a Christian. There are times of suffering but there is also this truth found in Proverbs:

The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.

I’m saying the Christian faith requires some serious thought. It challenges us. It confronts us. And the soul (intellect, will, emotions) may feel some suffering to turn away from sin and choose God’s ways.

The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee, written 92 years ago, explains the three components of every human being: spirit, soul, and body.

According to Nee, our soul (intellect, will, emotions) joins the spirit and body. The soul makes it possible for the spirit and the body to communicate and cooperate.

Spirit: The spirit part of us is awakened when it connects through being reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. The spirit part can also connect with Satan wherein we find witchcraft, et al.

Soul: The soul is our intellect, will, and emotions. We use these everyday. Nee says, “ … he [man] is still powerless to uncover the Word of life by his much thinking and theorizing. How untrustworthy are human reasonings! … without the guidance of the Holy Spirit intellect not only is undependable but also extremely dangerous because it often confuses the issue of right and wrong.”

Body: Our actions seen by everyone communicated through either our spirit or our soul (intellect, will, emotions).

Which one dictates the most in our daily lives? Is our soul determining more than it should and is it what causes our continual daily struggles? Always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth?

I have learned about our spirit, soul, and body in a church setting. One sermon might deal with our emotions or another about being led by the spirit and not the flesh. I don’t remember learning about all three together in the way Nee presents it.

Learning, and most importantly, wanting to yield to the spirit instead of the soul is life changing. Christians understand “obeying God” or “submitting to God” but too many of us have viewed it as a life long struggle. We view it as the old cartoons with the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other shoulder. Everyday we are presented with choices (gossip, lying, gluttony, etc.) and we should listen to the angel, right? But if we listen to the devil, well, God loves us and forgives.

Yes, He does forgive. But we are delaying the work in our spirit maturing us.

God wants us to be free from everything that entangles us. Instead of living with daily battles of the soul, we learn to draw from our spirit. As our spirit matures, the stronger we become as we face life with all its challenges. We experience peace, joy, contentment, and more.

It becomes a lifestyle of abiding in the vine.

We may soon forget what we read in the newest book, but when we allow God to mature our spirit through yielding our intellect, will and emotions, we will have all we need on this side of eternity.

the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

April 16, 2017April 16, 2017 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 2 Comments

“Christianity is unique among world religions, and Christ’s true uniqueness is the centerpiece of Christianity. The truth about Christ is based primarily on the New Testament documents which have been shown elsewhere to be authentic. The New Testament record, especially the Gospels, is one of the most reliable documents from the ancient world. From these documents we learn that numerous facets of Christ are absolutely unique.”

Christ offers a better way of salvation. Unlike the God of Islam, the God of the Bible reached out to us by sending his Son to earth to die for our sins. Muhammad offered no sure hope for salvation, only guidelines for working oneself into Allah’s favor. Christ provided all that is needed to get us to heaven in his death, ‘For Christ also died once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that he might bring us to God’ (1 Peter 3:18).

Christ teaches a better way of salvation. The Hindu is lost in the karmic cycle of reincarnation until he reaches moksha and is left to work the way out of this maze alone. Jesus promised that we would be saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5–7), and that we could know that our salvation is guaranteed (Ephesians 1:13–14; 1 John 5:13).

Christ offers a better way of salvation. The Buddhist also teaches reincarnation as the means of salvation. However, in this form the self or individuality of the soul is eradicated at the end of each life. So even though you live on, it is not you as an individual who has any hope of attaining nirvana. Jesus promised hope to each man and woman as an individual (John 14:3) and said to the thief on the cross beside him, ‘Today you shall be with me in paradise’ (Luke 23:43).

on Christianity.

August 17, 2015August 16, 2015 by Kathleen Moulton

Some people think Christianity is for the weak … a crutch.

If that’s the case, I am weak.

I’m not talking about a particular denomination or church.

I’m talking about Jesus Christ and him crucified. Period.

Until you find yourself in full desperation and devastation, you might think you don’t need God.

I don’t fully comprehend how, but I know that running to God is the best place to go when you’re hurting.

If you don’t want God because you blame him for your demise in the first place, you will be suffering even more.

Why not go to the One who sees and knows more than our finite minds understand?

Why not go to the One who knows how to fix things?

World Bank Photo Collection / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

sacrifice.

June 30, 2014June 30, 2014 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 1 Comment

Sacrifice is when we care about others over ourselves.

It may be giving our time, money, or possessions. It’s almost always doing the opposite of what we might choose to do with those things.

It costs us something because it draws from a depth of caring that is very close to our heart. We feel the withdrawal from our soul and it can be painful. Yet, it turns out to be a joy to know our sacrifice made a difference for someone.

Even if they don’t know about it.

What if the recipient of your sacrifice isn’t grateful for their circumstances changing because of you? That is part of your sacrifice.

It hurts when you know what you’ve given and it is not appreciated. And sometimes, it’s even thrown back in your face.

If you’ve wondered about Christianity, that’s really what it’s all about. Jesus gave his heart to the world. He sacrificed himself and endured the cross because of the joy that awaited him.

When you sacrifice it is noticed by God. Don’t focus on the pain. Focus on the joy that comes from sacrifice.

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Photo credit: aussiegall / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

sorry.

October 4, 2013October 4, 2013 by Kathleen Moulton

Sometimes, we’re the one who causes pain.

When I think in those terms, I am not so ready to be angry at someone who has hurt me.

This is humility.

Humility is taking your rightful place in God’s creation, yet, submitting yourself to the bigger picture.

We don’t say we’re sorry enough. Far too often, we make it about us and our feelings. Our feelings count. But so do the feelings of others.

In Christianity, the focus is on loving God and your neighbor. Jesus said these were the greatest commandments and if you are doing this, “the rest” will fall into place. If you think about it, it’s because all of our thoughts, words, and actions are affecting God or our neighbor.

When you give and don’t think about yourself first, you are a happier person.

Challenge: For the next 7 days, say you are sorry to one person every day. See how humble it makes you feel.

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Photo credit: ToniVC / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND