Recently I was doing a YouVersion Bible study with some friends and the days passage was Luke 23..and the direction of the study wasn't quite where my mind went when I read it but I thought I'd share it here.
Luke 23:39-43
"One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, "So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you're at it!" But the other criminal protested, "Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.""
And I had written in response:
"The two men on either side of Jesus remind me of the Native American wolf story (posted below)...which one will win? The one you feed.
Perhaps the man who said "remember me" had strayed, but he clearly still had room for love (God, Jesus) in his heart, as he was nailed to a cross. How many of us could focus on anything but the pain and suffering at a time such as that? When I have suffered injuries I recall being unable to focus on anything but getting it better, not salvation. The presence of Jesus is truly remarkable. Do we have enough of His presence?"
To expand, the Native American story goes like this:
ONE EVENING, AN ELDERLY
CHEROKEE BRAVE TOLD HIS
GRANDSON ABOUT A BATTLE THAT
GOES ON INSIDE PEOPLE.
HE SAID "MY SON, THE BATTLE IS
BETWEEN TWO 'WOLVES' INSIDE US ALL.
ONE IS EVIL. IT IS ANGER,
ENVY, JEALOUSY, SORROW,
REGRET, GREED, ARROGANCE,
SELF-PITY, GUILT, RESENTMENT,
INFERIORITY, LIES, FALSE PRIDE,
SUPERIORITY, AND EGO.
THE OTHER IS GOOD.
IT IS JOY, PEACE LOVE, HOPE SERENITY,
HUMILITY, KINDNESS, BENEVOLENCE,
EMPATHY, GENEROSITY,
TRUTH, COMPASSION AND FAITH."
THE GRANDSON THOUGH ABOUT
IT FOR A MINUTE AND THEN ASKED
HIS GRANDFATHER:
"WHICH WOLF WINS?..."
THE OLD CHEROKEE SIMPLY REPLIED,
"THE ONE THAT YOU FEED"
Source: https://www.nanticokeindians.org/page/tale-of-two-wolves
Do you see why I compared the two men to the wolves? Despite being in a fatal situation, one was focusing on pain and anger, mocking the Son of God...and the other was quite literally able to see the light through the darkness due to recognizing the presence of the Son of God. Having room for Him led one to Heaven, and not having room in his heart sentenced one to Hell.
And as Christians, don't those wolves sound familiar?
Galatians 5:16-26
"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another."
Feed your good wolves.
Focus on growing the fruits of the spirits.
Prune away at the bad wolf.
These will help increase a love for Jesus in your hearts, they will help keep you close to Him, even upon pain of death.
YOU ARE READING
Volume 2
Spiritual*completed* Here we go with round 2...me writing down my personal revelations and "aha!" moments to help encourage and hopefully help or uplift you. All comments, questions, prayer requests, topic suggestions, and constructive criticism are welcome!
