Living Beyond All Subsidence of Earthly Sense…

It is my belief that the life of a Christian goes beyond all human understanding. It’s like a journey of consistently pressing on towards fruitful growth in every area of life. Here’s how the Bible puts it:

“Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love. If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful.” 2 Peter 1:5-8(CEV)

Another translation of the Bible has it like this:

“….giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8(NKJV)

Now breaking it down into simple absorbable capsules, there are 8 characteristics in the text above that describes this fruitful growth. They are as follows:

1. Faith: (in Jesus Christ) the foundation on which we grow spiritually.

2. Virtue: a life of strong character and discipline.

3. Knowledge: an understanding of what God thinks and values.

4. Self control: the ability to lead oneself before leading others.

5. Perseverance: the ability to patiently stick to what is right.

6. Godliness: a spirit-filled, spirit-led lifestyle that reflects the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Brotherly kindness: a lifestyle that is warm, relational and caring.

8. Love: the highest quality that enables a person sacrificially give to others.

A life beyond earthly sense is a life that transcends the understanding of the trends of this world. Modern society cannot comprehend it. With such a life one is able to stand in joy even in the midst of great distress, sustained in God’s provision, even in the midst of the global economic depression, one remains productive. It is a life of stability, void of fear, so full of passion, grace and sincerity. It is a measure of life that flows towards God. God is orchestrating this kind of life in His people by the enablement of the Holy Spirit, yet we must learn to lay hold of it by living in Him. Here’s how to live in Him as the Bible teaches us in the Message translation of John 15:4-8,

“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes (fruits) by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes (fruits), when you mature as my disciples” John 15:4-8 (The Message).

Blessings
Uche