2/07/2007

The Christian Life is...

I have been reading Invitation To A Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr. It is a great book that I have read several times before. I try to read it at least once a year.

The premise of the first half of the book is the sentence "The Christian life is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others." I love that. He breaks it down over four chapters based on each phrase: The Christian life is...

  • a process (hard to understand in our on demand world)
  • of being conformed (means we are the object acted upon...we do not conform ourselves to some idea or plan we think God has for us)
  • to the image of Christ (the image of Christ is not something we add on to our life like a new piece of clothing, but it is that which brings restoration and wholeness to our life)
  • for the sake of others (we are meant to serve others...one cannot be a true follower of Christ and not live our life to serve others and show them Christ)

This phrase (and this book) has helped to shape my life as a Christian. It serves as both a challenge and a reminder of what my life should be about. I pray it will challenge you in some way.

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