The book was challenging in the best of ways when I read it the first time a year ago. This present day seemed to be the right time to read it through once again.

Our lives go through stages of growth in our relationship with Christ. He is ever moving us, through daily practices of prayer and scripture reading, to see His call to change.

As I came to the final pages of Stages of the Soul, the words were both powerful and timely:

“We live in sobering times. The forces of hate, polarization, and discord are mounting. Those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ can no longer live their lives as chameleons, blending in with the culture. We can no longer live with ourselves as the axis by which our world turns. The radical call of Jesus Christ means our lives must be completely transformed. We can no longer love Christ with reservation. Being a follower of Christ can no longer be a badge we wear identifying ourselves as a political group. Nor can churches function as a country club with a “members only” sign posted out front. Our work and service for Christ can no longer be more important than our love and devotion for Christ. Our faith can no longer be primarily driven by our mastery of the Scripture, our identification with an organization, or our loyalty to our leaders. We must be known for a love wrapped in mercy. In our lives, Christ must remain preeminent.”

(page 120)

Christ must be above everything in our lives. His love must bear its mark in and on our lives.

Reading the above words collided with the start of a new sermon series at church from the book of Revelation. There we find John has written down the words of Christ to the Laodiceans, who were a wealthy church but lukewarm in their relationship with Christ. They had become self-sufficient, depending on their ability and resources to take care of themselves.

But God loved them too much to leave them in their complacency. He rebuked and called to them, inviting them to get nearer to them:

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” (Revelation 3:20-22, NLT)

What do these Scriptures speak to me today?

There is a dual action which must occur – I must hear and be moved to action. I must both hear Jesus knocking and open the door of my life to Him. To do one without the other is pointless.

Then a relationship of acceptance and friendship can be deeply forged. The reward of this relationship and faith is to share in Christ’s victorious reign over sin, evil, and death.

Christ invites us to Himself through repentance,
requiring we turn from our self-sufficiency to dependency upon Him.
The result is friendship with God.

You can read my book review of Stages of the Soul HERE. I am most grateful to Moody Publishers for providing a copy for me to read.  All opinions are honest and my own.  This post contains affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small percent at no additional cost to you.