Attraction

Is there a person in your life to whom you are attracted, whether it is because of looks, character, influence, lifestyle or some intangible quality? You are drawn into the circle of their influence and you are glad for the mutual nourishment that comes from this connection.

Most of us are drawn to other people in some way:
George Cluny draws women by his looks and roguish charms; Jennifer Hawkins draws men by her beauty and elegance; Nelson Mandella draws people because of his story, his perseverance and his oratory capacity to inspire; Dr. Fiona Woods draws people through her intelligence, and ability to apply medical practices in trauma situations (remember the Bali victims and their burns)

You may be drawn to someone locally or personally and the celebrities don’t attract you at all. Perhaps it is the smiling face of your local butcher or the kindness and coffee of a neighbour.

Jesus drew people to Him. His teaching; His peace and grace amid persecution; His charismatic energy and personal power; miracles and control over supernatural forces. All these traits and many more caused people to flock to fields, synagogues, markets and even the Jewish temple to hear Him or receive healing and blessing from Him.

However, many people eventually moved away from Him, reacting like a moth coming too close to the light and getting burnt. He once said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:20. These Pharisees donated one tenth of their herbs and home crops; they would not walk further than a few hundred metres on the Sabbath; they prayed often throughout the day; they gave extensively to the temple from their wealth and income; they pored over the Scriptures and were men of the Word. How can our righteousness surpass this? Does this model of a life attract you?

That which attracts us to Jesus is a life based on the goodness of love. Do not be drawn in by a list of righteous things that actually move you away from the law of love and erect a barrier between you and Jesus. As an act of your own will, remain close and be nourished by His goodness, love, sacrifice and blessing.

A Spiritual Makeover

Dominating our television screens over the past decade has been lifestyle and reality television shows. Lifestyle programs are those targeting how we construct our daily living, and how we want our wardrobe, home, car, caravan or holiday to be. Perhaps you have an image in your mind of the perfect life and you have used some of the television shows to help you build this dream!

The power of lifestyle programming lies in its ability to present you with a dream that stimulates many senses and instincts, so that your mind can anticipate look, smell, feel and ambience. Furthermore, the television networkers have re-defined an existing word with powerful overtones to draw all our hope and dreams into their particular program; this word is MAKEOVER.

v A person’s face can be reconstructed to give an individual a sense of approval by others.
v A lounge room can be “madeover” so that it reflects your culture and preferences.
v A holiday can be planned so that children get kids stuff, parents get time away, and also the entire family gets time together.

God has a claim on every human soul, and at the centre of His claim is a call to a spiritual makeover. By this, He means that we must relinquish our hold on shaping our morals, ethics, attitudes, behaviours and instincts and allow these to be totally remodelled according to His blueprint. The image of a potter making a mistake with a moist piece of clay, crushing it back to a ball and starting again is helpful in trying to understand how God wants to change our inner life.

Some of this happens the instant we admit our inner sin, hurt and turmoil and reach out to God for salvation through Jesus Christ; however a lot of work remains as we learn to live with God’s Holy Spirit as He works out a new spiritual framework within our spirit.

What is important is to understand the imperative here. This spiritual makeover is an absolute and an essential in Christian spiritual life. It is not an optional extra to faith in Christ and attending church services (both of which are good and noble).

So, how is your spiritual makeover going? Are your hopes dreams, preferences and instincts all informed and inspired by Christ in you through His Spirit?