Life at the Intersection

As men and women of the additional birth, we stand at the intersection of the merely natural "fleshly" and the spiritual. Saint Thomas Aquinas coined the word to express this state—Aevum. It is the mean between eternity and time, sharing in them both. It is two lives, two streams of awareness and power, mingling together in the individual who must choose which one he or she will truly be. The focus on entering new life with Christ requires that we take a stand as to who we are in this new life, that we identify with the Christ—life in us and against the sin still present in ourselves and that we settle in our will the question of who we intend to be. This is what it means to "count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). –Dallas Willard

Our lives are made up of choices. For those of us who are born again, we are confronted with the choice of walking in the ways of the world and walking in the ways of the Spirit in every given instance. The world’s voice is loud and seductive, and the more we listen and surrender to it, the harder it becomes to tune it out. Just ask any addict! But the more we tune our ear to God’s voice, the easier it becomes to recognize the voice of selfless love and truth rising above the seductive cacophony of the world’s selfish lies. The cacophony of confusion blares loudest in isolation. It’s not surprising, then, that isolation is a leading symptom in most mental health conditions and addictive lifestyles. We weren’t meant to go it alone! Finding and sharing the journey with other God followers is a key component of training our ears … and our hearts … to follow strong after our God. Where are you plugged in with other believers? Who are you sharing life’s journey with?