Holistic Life

Prayer may not be fully understood even by those who engage it well and often.  It is best engaged when the spirit of prayer prompts the Christian.  The formation of the Christian relates to an intensity of focus in meaning that identifies with the developing devotional nature of the person, a process that relates to the meaning to Nicodemus when Jesus said: Ye must be born again.  It is, when in full process of orientation, a compound in the Christian’s nature that is made up of faith, righteousness, love, learning, peace, service, relationship, prayer and immortality.  In that orientation, each factor is related to the others and the compound (integration) of the Christian life is cultivated in the nature of the individual.  Awareness of the process on the part of the individual contributes to conscious effort by the person to develop a holistic life that precedes but is related to his or her immortality.  In that meaning the factors of spiritual formation identify with immortality even during mortality.  There is a sense in which the mortal Christian can gain already that which identifies what is to come.  I have no doubt that prayer (communication with God) is a part of Christian citizenship, identified with immortality – as are also other factors. (Love/Faith is primary.)

All factors here find their origin in God’s nature.  For example, Christian righteousness in mortal life when rightly functioning is a reflection of God’s holiness.  When Christian love is rightfully in action it is a reflection of God’s eternal love nature.  When the world is at war, the spiritually oriented Christian is at peace.  Relative to prayer, Scripture expresses hope identity with immortality – hope, as a word is used in that sense in Scripture.  We commonly refer to the innermost being which relates to something beyond the touch of nature.  The Psalmist captures the concept in a magnificent poem: Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  (Psalm 37:4-5)  The desires of the heart of the Christian are presumed to fit a pattern that reflects the nature of God, so to make a loving person.  Anger, hatred, rebellion are set aside replaced by a deliberate love, spiritually oriented, for all – even for fierce enemies.  This love is proven and made practical in prayer: Luke 6:28.  None of this denies our active interest in achieving change in society and in persons, but that activism is in love, peace, order, perhaps with sacrifice for the objectives of righteousness so to make a level playing field for all persons, and that to reflect the love of God for all without prejudice for some and denial for others.  God wants to treat mankind with equity.  In choices mankind may refuse.

In this there is the desire of the Christian to model Christ-likeness.  The mortal performance of Jesus, motivated from his creative authority, provides a recipe for the life of the Christian.  We ask the question, Lord what would you have me do?  He answers: Follow Me.  The Apostle Paul gave some practicality to the concept when he wrote to persons and churches to follow in special ways.  Some of the challenges appear in Philippians 3:12; 1 Corinthians 14:1; and others.  When Paul asks his readers to follow him and the Apostles, what he means is to follow Jesus as the Apostles became followers.  The relevant passages include the concept to follow the perfect model, a direct statement that we learn and practice values that relate to the meaning of Christ to us.  Goodness (righteousness) is presumed in this to become a part of our nature.  It is related to the doctrine of Christ in you the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)  It is admitted in the context that this glory is a mystery together with sharing of it within the person of the Christian.  This is the practical Christian teaching of the apostolic tradition, likely not understood in humanistic terms.  The Apostles help in referring to followers of leaders who mislead so to compare the affirmatives by warning about negatives. (Romans 9:30-31)  Christianity is understood in its affirmations.  For those who have absorbed the Christian life that attitude becomes dominant and is identified as lively devotional life.  The person so surrendered to the prevailing attitude related to Christ has little problem with the experience.  It is not hallucination, nor is it presumption of a better-than-thou attitude.  It results in a prevailing concern for self and others to encounter life in the model of Christ.  The model won’t change.  I must.