Thanks, Damian! For my application, I'm going to intentionally identify and reflect on my blind spots. I'm praying and asking God to illuminate them and transform me through the Holy Spirit, His Word, and His church—keeping my eyes on Jesus as the ultimate standard for "what right looks like."
I also have a question for you: I believe that getting a solid grasp on our identity as image-bearers is absolutely essential. With that in mind, how important do you think our "purpose" is in light of that identity?
Chuck: I love it! I’ll be unpacking this more in future posts, but the practice of reflection you mentioned is ABSOLUTELY fundamental, and it’s a lost spiritual discipline for the church in the West. I’ve got some resources that might help you get started on the right foot. I’d be happy to share those with you offline if you’re interested. Just DM me and let me know.
RE: purpose - this is another great thought. I agree that purpose is huge, and that it’s intimately connected to identity. I tend to use “purpose” language now as a replacement/refinement of the “calling” language that the church has historically used. I do believe that we can and ultimately should receive our purpose from the Lord, and our purpose will have both an individual aspect and a corresponding collective/communal aspect. One important conviction I have is that purpose flows from identity, not the other way around. This may seem like a nuance, but the order is actually vitally important. I’ll also be hitting this in future posts, but if it’s important to you to wrestle with this now I’m happy to do so with you. Again, just DM me.
I declare… Dependence! :-) Now I need the grace of God to walk in it.
Thanks Damian! I hope in a future article you could give more guidance on how to identify unconscious beliefs rooted in idolatry.
Paul - Absolutely ... that's where this focus is going.
Thanks, Damian! For my application, I'm going to intentionally identify and reflect on my blind spots. I'm praying and asking God to illuminate them and transform me through the Holy Spirit, His Word, and His church—keeping my eyes on Jesus as the ultimate standard for "what right looks like."
I also have a question for you: I believe that getting a solid grasp on our identity as image-bearers is absolutely essential. With that in mind, how important do you think our "purpose" is in light of that identity?
Chuck: I love it! I’ll be unpacking this more in future posts, but the practice of reflection you mentioned is ABSOLUTELY fundamental, and it’s a lost spiritual discipline for the church in the West. I’ve got some resources that might help you get started on the right foot. I’d be happy to share those with you offline if you’re interested. Just DM me and let me know.
RE: purpose - this is another great thought. I agree that purpose is huge, and that it’s intimately connected to identity. I tend to use “purpose” language now as a replacement/refinement of the “calling” language that the church has historically used. I do believe that we can and ultimately should receive our purpose from the Lord, and our purpose will have both an individual aspect and a corresponding collective/communal aspect. One important conviction I have is that purpose flows from identity, not the other way around. This may seem like a nuance, but the order is actually vitally important. I’ll also be hitting this in future posts, but if it’s important to you to wrestle with this now I’m happy to do so with you. Again, just DM me.
Blessings, brother!