I teach Yoga. That may sound like heresy to some Christians. It doesn’t have to be. But I was just doing some advanced learning about Yoga–where they get beyond the poses and how to lead a class–that goes back into the Hindu roots of the practice.
An acquaintance who lives in India recently popped up in my Facebook “suggests” and his personal blurb said something about appreciating his Hindu roots that it taught him to be a good person. One of the trainers in the Yoga training said much the same thing. The thing I ponder is–can you be a good person in a vacuum? Now I don’t know enough about Hindu philosophy and practice to critique the religion, but I’m just running with the thought.
I place this at the opposite end of the spectrum from some Christians I know who think that “I’ve got Jesus, that’s all I need.” Can you just say you believe in Jesus (whatever that means) and then just sit on your rear and do nothing?
What I have learned through bitter experience and observation is that it’s very hard to be a good person consistently and over the long term without sufficient grounding in the Spirit of God. Jesus did say to believe in him, but everything else he said pointed to how to live in the Spirit of God.
Jesus said to “love your brother” and then gave examples that showed “love” to be an action verb and not a description of an emotion.
When you are living a with-God life, your natural impulse will be to live as a good person. That’s why Jesus said you won’t need the Law because the Law will be written in your heart. Being good is what you are.
Now, if I could just be that way 24/7…
Faith Venture 
June 5, 2012 at 8:13 am |
Gary,
You are spot on. So many church goers simply ‘listen and leave’ once a week. They never DO what the word so clearly describes.
The same can be said for a lot of our lives, at work and at home. We often listen to those around us, rarely doing anything with the requests and desires of our bosses and families.
Doing takes effort, self control, self motivation. Doing is the hardest part of living a with-God, yet is the one part that will make the difference.
June 5, 2012 at 2:35 pm |
Hi Ben, Back from the sea? Thanks for the note. I actually had a comment once on this blog from someone who thought the worst thing I could do was tell new Christians to do something! That’s actually what it’s all about. Cheers.