My work involves helping one towards alignment - aiming to line someone up with God's design for the life they've been created to live (the best life). I believe the overarching principle that governs all of life is Above-Down-Inside-Out (ADIO). It's the way relationship (the fabric of life) is woven together, how growth, health, healing, love and life happen. I'm confident that when we read the end of Psalm 50 "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”, God is saying that in order to see and experience salvation, we must get into alignment, on every level, so that ADIO can happen in our lives... obviously with thankfulness as that opens us up to receive!
In this current time of fear and uncertainty, many people are looking for salvation. Are we looking to the unnatural, the natural or the supernatural?
- The unnatural/man-made savior will be an Outside-In (OI) approach. Something that we can formulate/make and administer that will at best numb for a time and at worst corrupt us. OI is not in alignment with the natural order, bypassing steps/defenses and this will lead to weakness, disorder and degeneration.
- The natural/God-made savior will be an Inside-Out (IO) approach. An attempt by us to get the inside working well utilizing the gifts that God has given us. While all of what God has created for us is good, we are working with our own limited (very) perspective/understanding/experience and will not always (very often not) utilize the natural in the way God designed and that can lead to weakness, disorder and degeneration.
- Looking to God as savior is the ADIO approach. In order to truly embrace this we need to embrace/put our faith in God's faithfulness. It's recognizing that what will truly save us is not something that we can touch, taste, see, smell or hear. It's something that is gifted to us that we can't manufacture on our own or by any other person. It's an ability to choose between the seen or the unseen, self or others, physical comfort or relationship, the flesh or the Spirit.
What's the best way to engage in the ADIO way of doing life? I believe having a consistent morning time is essential. It is said that what is true of the 1st fruits is true of the whole lump... a good morning time will look something like this:
- anchoring your heart (the seat of your mind, will and emotions) to the truth. God's word is a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul and it will help us discern the orientation of our hearts - are we living for us or others? It will direct our focus away from the physical (which is degenerating) and toward relationship (where the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts).
- disciplining your body. Physical conditioning/training toward optimal strength and function... enduring the pain/discomfort not just so that you can look and feel better but so that you can love and serve more effectively!
- journaling. Writing out the seeds that the God is sowing into your heart. How God wants you to utilize his creation to empower you to love and serve others.
I believe when Paul asked God 3 times to take the thorn from his side, he was asking for a supernatural miracle - he wanted it gone instantly. But God said my grace is sufficient for you, that my power is made perfect (perfected) in weakness - God wanted Paul to step out the healing ADIO in alignment with the best way to live so that he could be an example! That when Jesus said to his disciples "and greater things than these you will do", he was sharing with them that there's a way of doing life that will help to prevent the need for super-natural healing, for super-natural provision, a way of life that requires sacrifice and suffering but that way of life will be good for you and good for others too! It's ADIO!
So the questions:
- how are you living?
- what does your 1st fruits look like?
- most importantly, what or whom are you looking to for salvation?