Increasing Faith (3)

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the lifewhich I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.Galatians 2.20

You become what you admire
As a kid, I was a St. Louis Cardinals fan. Especially one Cardinal – Stan Musial, old number 6. He was, after all, an Illinois boy like I was. He menaced opposing pitchers with his hunched-over, left-handed batting style, his excellent eye for the ball, and his exasperating ability, throughout his whole career, to get a base hit more than once every three times at bat.

As often as I could, I watched the Cardinals on television. My dad took us over to old Busch Stadium on Grand Avenue to watch them play. I listened to their broadcasts on KMOX radio. And I always paid special attention when Stan the Man came up to the plate.

And when I went out on the sandlot or with my local baseball team, I was Stan Musial. I wore his number six. I assumed his batting stance, albeit from the right side of the plate. I insisted on playing first base. I thought Musial, felt Musial, ran and fielded like Musial. I had every Stan Musial baseball card from every year of his major league career.

The more I watched and imitated Stan Musial, the more I became him, if only in my own mind, during those times on the baseball diamond.

We’re all like this, you know. What we admire or love we concentrate on. And what we concentrate on, to a very great extent, we become. We are what we admire.

And if we admire, love, and concentrate on Jesus, we will become more like Jesus in every aspect of our lives.

To live…
What does it mean to be a human being? To “live” as a human being?

We are made in the image of God, and we make our way through the world by means of a soul and a body. Our soul consists of our minds, to direct our thinking and planning; our hearts, to develop and deploy our affections; and our consciences, where our will is lodged and our thoughts and feelings are processed into decisions and actions.

The more we contemplate Jesus and take Him into our soul, the more our minds, hearts, and consciences will begin to take the shape of His indwelling presence. We will think like Jesus, feel like Jesus, and will what Jesus wills. Full faith increases to the extent that we open every area of our souls to the presence and power of the risen Christ, learning from His Word and leaning on His Spirit to transform us from glory to glory into the very image of Christ in our souls (2 Cor. 3.12-18).

The same is true in our bodies. All the members of Jesus’ body – his eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet, and all the rest – were devoted to honoring God and furthering His rule of grace and truth. As Jesus rules more completely in our souls, He will also make Himself known through the members of our own bodies, in all our words and deeds, to the praise of the glory of His grace.

To live and be human is to function as a whole person – soul and body – in a wide range of relationships, roles, and responsibilities. To live by faith, and to increase in full faith is to see our souls and bodies becoming more filled with and like Jesus in every way, so that He refracts through our unique personalities, callings, and opportunities.

…is Christ
Paul said that the life he lived in his soul and body he lived by faith in the Son of God. We may expect to increase in faith to the extent that we yield more of our souls and bodies, and all the ways we apply these in the world, to the rule of our exalted King and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Are there thoughts in your soul which are not the kinds of thoughts Jesus would entertain? Be rid of them, and embrace more of His thoughts instead. Is your heart bitter, resentful, lustful, prideful, fearful and doubting, or otherwise contrary to the selfless, giving heart of Christ? Repent of such things, and seek the Lord to transform your affections so that they are more like Jesus. And what of your values, priorities, and will? Are they wholly devoted to Christ? And all your words and deeds as well?

There is plenty of room in each of us – soul and body – for Jesus to increase and make Himself known. By focusing on Jesus, and by opening up our bodies and souls to His indwelling presence, we may expect to increase faith and to know more of faith’s evidence and blessings in every area of our lives.

As a kid I knew I would never be Stan Musial. But I wanted very much to be like him. When, as a student in college, I finally met Stan Musial, he was as much the all-star gentleman and saint as he was a baseball player. I was glad at that moment that he had been one of my childhood heroes. As we contemplate the beauty and majesty of the risen and exalted Christ, let us freely and eagerly desire to be like Him. For as we do, as we long for Jesus and earnestly desire to be like Him, we will hold back no part of our lives from becoming conformed to the vision of Him that fills our minds. And our faith will increase as we do.

And when we finally see Him as He is, face to face, we’ll be glad we lived for Him in this life.

For reflection
1.  How is it evident that for you, “to live is Christ”?

2.  Are there any areas of your soul – mind, heart, conscience – that are not consistently and entirely devoted to Jesus? Explain.

3.  How can believers help one another to become more like Jesus – soul and body?

Next steps – Preparation: Spend an extended period of time thinking about yourself – mind, heart, conscience, words, and deeds. Can you see any areas of your life where Jesus might dwell more fully? How can you “make room” for Him in these areas? Share your thoughts about this exercise with a Christian friend.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s ReVision study is Part 10 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “Increasing Faith” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.