| Being Incarnational |
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Wow, it has been a while since I wrote what I considered to be the set up for this post, Defining Incarnational. Summer has kept me busy, and to be honest I've not been sure if I should even write a follow up. I started this as an attempt to get beyond the buzz word and into something that I could understand and apply, because too often, we spend too much energy just talking about what the buzz words means, and we never get beyond the talk phase. Often our big words just end up confusing folks, myself included So, maybe I'm guilty of too much talk, thus I think I need to get a handle on what this should look like in my life so that the next time I'm faced with the "Incarnational" discussion, I'll at least know what it means to me.
Up front I have to state that I can't come up with a list of specific activities for me to check off to say I'm "Being Incarnational", which I consider a good thing. We all have different gifts and callings, so we should have activities unique to us. However, I do think there are some characteristics that describe our behavior that should be evident in our lives. That's what I'm going to concentrate on today.
First since the idea is to be the incarnation of Jesus, I have to have a relationship with Jesus, a personal relationship with Him as Lord and Savior of my life. Otherwise, what would be the point? I would just be emulating yet another person. I'd also be working out of my own sense of power and abilities, I would have none of the spiritual power made available to me to truly be incarnational. If Jesus is not on the inside, I'd just be wearing another external mask. If you squeeze something under pressure, what's inside begins to show, so if you squeeze me and Jesus isn't what comes out from the inside, I look like just another fake.
Once I have a personal relationship with Jesus, I have access to His power and now have a real chance to be incarnational. So, again, what characteristics will I possess?
To be incarnational, I have to know who I am striving to be like, in this case Jesus. The main way I learn about the character of Jesus is through the Bible, so I think a genuine hunger and desire for the Word of God is a characteristic of incarnational. The specific "how" you study may look different than my approach, but a commitment to to Word is essential.
This is the one that I believe really moves me in the right direction. I need to be "kingdom minded". I have to understand that I am part of a heavenly kingdom and am here as one of its ambassadors. The world is not my home. I must conduct myself is a way that honors and does not embarrass my king, and always be mindful of all my actions being toward to good of the kingdom. I must be about kingdom business and remember that my tasks are important even if they look different from yours. If I really get this one, everything else will fall into place.
From here, what we do becomes as diverse as each of us. The kingdom business threads that appear in all of us will include sharing the gospel, being a servant, and sharing in Christ's sufferings. What else would you add to this list?
I may have to spend some time thinking over being "kingdom minded", but I guess in a nutshell, this isn't as complicated as sometimes we want to make it. I'd love to hear what you think.
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