( The Source of Striving )
Eph 4:22-24
Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Adam’s spirit defined him as a son of God, beloved and accepted, fully capable of communion, that is; to walk and talk in fellowship with God his Father. Among the damages Adam incurred through sin, was the loss of his identity as a loved son of God. He no longer knew God as his Father, nor was there any affirmation of love to affect his worth, being severed from his God-like spirit created deep seated insecurity and selfishness. At the core of our being, every human is plagued with uncertainty and doubts about their value in the universe. After all, science assures us; our lives are merely mutations of an anomaly, an insignificant part of a huge cosmic accident. So we ask ourselves, “What is my purpose and is there any significance for my life?” These daunting questions taunt our soul and set us running on the treadmill of vain striving.
James 4:1-2
From where come wars and fighting among you? Does it not come from your lusts that wage war in your flesh?
Todd’s paraphrase
The Fear of Insignificance is the origin of all striving, struggle and competition. It is the base fear beneath our performance orientation; as we strive to become, determined to achieve, trying to prove our worth. So, naturally we fall into striving among men, measuring our accomplishments against one another, because the praise of men is a tangible and convenient means to prop up our frail ego. Thus, we quantify our intellect, we assess our skills, we appraise our wealth and influence, we judge our beauty, we gauge our fame and measure our manhood by the liquor we consume. We’re merely circus dogs jumping through hoops, hoping to get a bone at the end of our day. Paul writes,
2 Cor 10:12
“we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
There will always be someone bigger and better, who can out perform you. If you do achieve notoriety among men it is fleeting. Your trophies gather dust, your diploma gets packed away. You still go home, look in the mirror and wonder, “who am I ? ” and go to bed with a gnawing emptiness asking, “ Is this all there is? ” Only by knowing your Creator’s purposes and His great love for you, can your soul find rest, lasting peace and joy. Thanks be to Jesus Christ, by whom I am accepted in the Beloved and embraced by the Spirit of Adoption, whereby my soul cries, “Abba, Father ”. And now, my identity is not in what I do, nor in what I've done, but in whose I am. I am a child of the Almighty, a son of the most high God. My soul is now at peace…
Rom 8:15
Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
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