If I choose to live by my own desires, my life is headed for ruin. No one will tell me this. As a human being, this is my modus operundi; my mode of operation. If I am young and single, I will naturally follow this path without much thought any other way. Then other life circumstances kick in. If I am married, I begin to see that my way isn’t always the way it is. If we have children, this is even more evident. When I learn that I am not in charge of my life, it is a good start. It isn’t a shock that research “married with children” brings about greater physical and emotional health than any other social arrangement. Without living a deliberate path of self-denial and moving toward God transformation, from human terms, this is the best chance we get. Yet, marriage and parenthood are not enough. Married or single, parent or not, to live intentionally, focusing on renovation of all the parts of who we are, is the means to long term health, and through Jesus, eternal significance. We don’t have to wait to get married and have kids to begin this process. It can start any day at any time in our lives. The soul is at the center of the whole endeavor. A soul process. Join Jesus in transforming our hearts, minds, bodies, and social relations. The soul integrates all of these and makes our life “our life.” For the first time, we can actually live life the way we are designed. It may be a stretch, but compare the soul to Michael Jordan. The Bulls had Michael Jordan for a couple of years before they started winning championships. They didn’t become the world famous Chicago Bulls until Michael learned to involve the other four players and integrate them fully in the game. When all five were working together toward the common purpose of getting another “ring” things clicked. Michael functioned like our soul, making sure everyone was involved and contributing in a healthy way. Even Luc Longley! Next week, we will look at the means to wrap everything together. Transformation of the soul.
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