Crossing Over

"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." Ps.37.23-24
Crossing over and leaving the soulical realm behind.
There will be many crossings we will have to negotiate in this life journey of following after the Lord.
Not all will be easy. Some will require a great amount of faith, Some may be a battle of will, mind, spirit, soul.

Leaving the familiar is a challenge, since many of us do not like change.
This has always been the greatest problem within the church that God desires. Since he does not want a church built upon man's ways, but his and because he changes the dynamics and circumstances we always question the upheaval, the chaos at times.
His word never changes, it is the one constant factor. Salvation in Jesus and no other remains a constant also. But the journey into his heart and seasons he designs so there will not remain a stagnancy will be the wall we face, or river, or ocean or continent we will ultimately have to cross.
God is not a God of the boring. His creation we enjoy is filled with his character, imagination, love for the unique, the mind blowing, the awesome. The church has been contented with the mundane and time after time the Lord comes along and brings mystery, a new paradigm.
Jesus used a variety of analogies for the Kingdom of God. We have only a few written down to consider. It is written that he spoke volumes of things, that would take a multitude of books to contain.
Who are we to question God on what he wants to do in us both as individuals and as a church body, country, nation, even the world?
We use our limited mind and resources and think we know the mind of God by our own investigation.
Scientists the world over are continually amazed at what they find and the structure of the created, although many of them will not conform to a created universe. Their discoveries which have no end should be a minute reminder of how enormous God is.
We continually want to put him into a jar like a firefly and say to ourselves, "i have understanding."
"i have enlightenment!"
In the book of Ephesians the apostle Paul in his prayer for these people asks for the Spirit of wisdom and understanding and that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. Why? So they could know God better, as should we.
Ephesus at the time was one of the most prominent cities in the known world. But yet they as us needed more understanding of God. This knowledge is a nonstop learning curve without end.
We cross over from soul into spirit.
Jesus introduces for the first time, "you must be born again!" A phrase the spiritual leader Nicodemus was unfamiliar with. "How can this be?" was his question. "I am old, do I have to reenter my mothers womb?"
Jesus said, "You must be born from above."
Crossing over. A New dimension. A passage with reference to birthing. A process. Receiving the seed, the Word of God, who was standing before him.
There is no other way.
Birthing is a trust issue, it is out of your hands now. Any parent will tell you, from conception to the birthing moment you trust. What we trust in is of our own volition, but every human goes through this exact same experience.
Every human now enters a place of choice of being reborn.
Where does this new dimension of birthing take place?
It happens in our heart.
Jesus says, "No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."
(John 3.5)
The ever continual process. Our soul had a way of loving, having joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and even a measure of self control.
Now we have to leave these soulish realm virtues and enter into the Spirit dimension of the same. A shift in our heart.
But weren't these virtues good? Yes, but not good enough, not fulfilling the spiritual requirement which is higher, better, richer, fuller.
The Kingdom of God requirement is to leave behind what was earthly.
Jesus says, "I speak to you of earthly things and you do not believe, how then will you believe if I speak to you of heavenly things?" (John3.12)
So i now make a choice in my heart to say, "I like what I have, who I am and the things I have done and how I love others and so on and so on."
If we keep what we had from our old nature, it will corrupt what we have received into our New nature and our New heart, and we are in violation of Kingdom principles. But the choice remains with us.
Reminder: Parable of New cloth ripped from New material and put onto old garment, does not match, New wine in Old wine skins, bursting and loss, indulging only in the old wine saying it is better. (Luke 5.36-39)
Many people only take a part of this parable but it is three fold.
It is about process, change, New vs Old.

God is not one dimensional and neither are we.
What an awesome life of ongoing experience we live in.
Embrace it now, because when we meet him we will be changed, again!