There were Roman soldiers who were sent to apprehend me. You may guess from this description that they were not leaders, or well learned, or people of the covenant. Yet they returned to their superiors empty-handed, although they had the authority and the weapons to take me into custody if they wanted. When asked about this by their superiors they said never a man spoke like this. What kind of an answer is that? A good question here is what did they see in me that neither the Roman civil authorities nor the Jewish religious authorities could see?

What food do you enjoy most? Do you eat it in unlimited amounts, or do you discipline yourself to eat limited quantities? Most people learn to control their appetites even for things they like for their ultimate benefit. How do you view your spiritual life? Is it a matter of denying yourself things that you want? There may be some validity in this concept, but it presents spirituality from a negative viewpoint. How do you present your faith to others? Is it primarily positive or negative? Do you see a correlation between this and the number of people who respond to your message?

Have you noticed that people use the term ‘absolutely’ casually in everyday conversation? This dilutes the true meaning of the term. There are, or should be, some absolutes but the concept cannot be applied to everything, for most things are passing away. Yet there is a deep, innate human desire for some firm ground to stand on. How could you live and orient yourself in life if everything was shifting and up for grabs? I told a story about a wise man who built his house on a rock and a foolish man who built his house on sand. They both built houses, but only one would endure.

Are you aware of the spiritual climate you experience? Do you discern places that are full of light and divine presence? Do you also discern places that are full of darkness and oppressive energy? Do you seek the first and avoid the latter? Be careful that you don’t enter into unrighteous judgment about the places you do not favor, and realize that I may call you to go to places you would not choose. If you are led by the Spirit, you will always be in the right place at the right time. Are you also aware that your presence affects the spiritual climate?