06

January HeartBeat

By JEROD McPherson

God himself , the

God who makes everything holy and whole , make you holy and whole , put you together — spirit , soul , and body — and keep you fit for the coming of our Master , Jesus Christ . The One who called you is completely dependable . If he said it , he ’ ll do it ” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 , MSG )!

Can we agree there is more to us than just our bodies ? You are more than your height , weight , eye color , and hair color . You have a spirit , an eternal existence capable of connecting with the eternal Creator of all things . You also have a mind where thoughts swirl , and most of our actions and behaviors launch .

Some Bible scholars feel that Paul ’ s use here of “ soul ” is closest to how we understand and use the word “ mind .” Our minds are the central processing unit for our whole self , connecting and even driving , if you will , our spirit and body . For most of us , there is a lot going on up here in these complex minds of ours . And it ’ s in the mind , or soul , where our enemies , the world , the flesh , and the devil attack .

Here in 1 Thessalonians 5:23- 24 , Paul is praying that God will set the followers of Jesus apart for Jesus ’ service and make them whole or complete . The idea is that God , who is holy and at peace , will also make us holy and complete . Paul is asking God to allow his friends to be set apart for God ’ s service ( holy ) and also at peace ( from the Hebrew ‘ shalom ,’ meaning wholeness and at rest ). As we

are holy and completely put together , we remain “ fit ” or “ healthy ,” “ blameless ,” and ready for the return of Jesus .

For me , this introduces an important idea . There is a wholeness aspect of my life that I often ignore . It ’ s certain that we all are drawn to just think about the physical aspects of life , our pleasures , and our comforts . This is a real temptation , but when we yield to our flesh or our body ’ s desire , we ignore or stifle the needs of our spirit and our minds to connect with God . AND , at the same time , we can sometimes lean the other way too ; I don ’ t know about you , but there are oftentimes I am spending every moment and all of my energies on the spiritual , completely ignoring the body and the mind . This , I find , leads to emptiness and hollow spirituality . We are doing things for God without being with Him being His follower . As we continue to serve the motorcyclists of our communities in this coming year , it ’ s easy to feel the weight of our spiritual calling . Serving within your local CMA chapter can be a heavy responsibility and places high demands on your time and energy . Without the mercy of God and His continual help , it can be pretty challenging to live “ holy and at peace .” We need to find in Christ the wholeness of life we need . Without His help , we can find ourselves imbalanced , doing many things and making many events , but empty , sick , hurting , and perhaps even dysfunctional within . The important truth we need to keep in view is that personally

, I must remain connected to Jesus in order to live whole , mind , body , and spirit .

Here is a small phrase I have found incredibly helpful : Ongoing Intentionality . Ongoing Intentionality speaks to continued purposeful actions . What if you and I could engage in a little ongoing intentionality toward holy and whole living ? What if we could stay aware of all of the aspects of our lives , body , soul , and spirit , and live purposefully toward staying “ fit ” in all these aspects of our being ? What would ongoing intentionality look like in our lives toward wholeness of body , mind , and spirit ? ( Doesn ’ t that sound like holy habits or spiritual disciplines to you ?)

“ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord ” ( Ephesians 5:10 , NLT ).

“ So be careful how you live . Don ’ t live like fools , but like those who are wise . Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days . Don ’ t act thoughtlessly , but understand what the Lord wants you to do ” ( Ephesians 5:15-17 , NLT ).

These encouragements from the Apostle Paul seem to speak to ongoing intentionality . Carefully determine what pleases the Lord , what will address complete dedication to Jesus and wholeness and completeness in your life , and then do it .

So , make it your intention to remain in Christ ( John 15:1-8 ). Yes , plan to serve the Kingdom of God by loving motorcyclists at events in your area . Also , at the same time , make it your intention to walk with Jesus personally , tak-

( continue on page 07 )