Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 284 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 284 of our trek. Yesterday we finished hiking our 5^th trail of this trek, which is the Trail of Preparation. Today and tomorrow we head out on our new trail called the Trail of Complete in Him. There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. This book contains a series of practical lessons and was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy.

I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has been a beautiful early spring week here in Charlotte, and although I love the work we do, when the weather is nice, it sure makes this farm boy want to get outdoors and enjoy it.

On a different topic, another podcast in which I was interviewed on “Being a Better Man” was released this week. The podcast is hosted by Alf Hergistad and focuses on helping men to live an impactful life, especially on the lives of younger men. It is important that we take the time to help impact the lives of others, and I was privileged to have another opportunity to share our focus on legacy. We want to live complete and full lives.

The question for today is, “Are you living a complete life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?” All areas are important, but for our hike today, we want to focus on the spiritual aspect as we hike the Trail of Complete in Him. Our spiritual core needs Christ to complete us. This is the 6^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #1

On today’s trail, we continue to deal with foundational facts of our spiritual growth since our life can be no better than our root, our source. Growth should include a maturing process.  Youth and immaturity tend to act first and think later, if at all. If we mature properly, we learn to take the time to assess the facts. God, our patient father, is willing for us to take time and learn the eternal facts without which we cannot be brought to maturity.

When Jesus was on earth, he so often used natural facts to teach the deepest spiritual truths. He first teaches us about our natural life that we have in Adam before we can understand and appreciate our new spiritual Christ-life. Genesis 5:3 tells us that all humans took on Adam’s image or attributes, “When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him—in his very image. He named his son Seth.” This involves the source principle of inherited traits, or in the country we would say that you are the spitting image of Adam. Every believer first learns that he is complete in Adam. Romans 5:19a – Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. Or as Romans 7:18a states, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” This sinful nature could also be thought of as the inherited image we have from the first Adam.

God, through our failures and struggles, has taught us about the natural. This prepares us to take on the image of the 2^nd Adam, which is Christ. Romans 5:19b – But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Think about the image we take on from what we inherited in Christ as found in Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.  So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

There are two main aspects to this 2^nd source principle:

• First, the Lord Jesus is the source of our Christian life. We were born into Him; God has made us complete in Him. This first truth we are to hold by faith; it is true of each of us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
• Second, as we hold to this fact by faith, we are brought into the practical reality of this principle day by day in our experience. Little by little we receive that which is already ours. The important thing to know and be sure of is the full inheritance is ours; we are complete in Him. This fact enables us to remain at peace while God patiently works into our character the rich and satisfying life which is hidden with Christ in God.

Since we are complete in our Lord Jesus, we do not need to add to that finished work. It is now a matter of walking by faith on our daily trek and receiving what is already guaranteed to us from the ever-abundant source within.

Think of it in this manner…Christ’s resurrection was our resurrection to a life of holiness. In the same manner, Adam’s fall was our fall into spiritual death. We did not create our new holy nature; Christ did. We did not create our original corruption. That was based on Adam’s choice. Both are formed ready for us to share in them.

When we choose to sin, we become in union with Adam in death. In the same manner, when we choose to follow Christ and to be in union with Him, we partake of that spiritual life. Christ took possession of us at His resurrection, and thereby we are enabled to bring forth a great harvest of good deeds. This is clearly stated in Romans 7:4, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.”

Our part is not the production of good deeds within ourselves but the reception of our life in Christ. This entails the Bible-based truth of explicit faith in God and His purpose for us in Christ. It also requires patient trust while God takes us through the necessary processing involved. We do not fall into spiritual maturity, even though we are complete in Christ. Spiritual growth necessitates heart-hunger for Christ, determination, assurance, meditation, and prayer to take hold of that which is already ours in Him. We will never come into the knowledge of our spiritual possessions through a superficial understanding of the Word. How can we ever expect to have intimate fellowship with one we know little of?

Let me ask you this question today, “Do you understand and realize that you are complete in Christ?” Through the trek of spiritual growth, which does take patience and time, we can realize the rich and satisfying life that is already ours for the taking.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the first part of Trail of Complete in Him. On our daily trek, let us grasp the concept of the inheritance that is ours. Tomorrow we will continue with some additional mile markers of learning as we finish to hike the Trail of Complete in Him.

Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!