Stairway To Heaven (The Message) Part 1
For this article/message, Stairway to Heaven is a metaphor for the spiritual journey that one embarks on. This journey is a road trip to get to the Stairway to Heaven. As with many trips, various stops will be made, and we will learn many things along the way, both about the spiritual walks of others and about ourselves. This is a trip that is being made because we want to know Jesus better. Who is he? Why are we embarking on this trip for?
We are embarking on this journey because we love Jesus. We realize that he is a personal friend that is there for us. Jesus wants us make our relationship and personal friendship with Him the top value in our Christian walk. On this journey, we become very excited about Heaven. Heaven is essentially the reward that we get when we place our trust and faith in Jesus.
However, Heaven isn't the end of the journey. Our spiritual walk to our destination is determined by our continued love and relationship for Jesus, and not doing these things just so that we get to Heaven. By making the goal just about getting to Heaven, and ignoring the steps that one would need to get there, one misses many opportunities that one has in building that relationship with Jesus. Kicking back at the end of the day and drinking an ice cold soda with Jesus should be the reward. Heaven is just the nice place that we do this at.
They’re two people on that trip. One chooses the path that's consumed with just getting to the destination, and is not concerned with the sights and experiences of the journey. The other is absorbing all that life and nature bestows during that trip. The first rhetorical question is asked. The question that the speaker is not expecting a answer too. Who is getting the more rewarding experience on the journey? The one who is just concerned with just getting to the destinations vs. the one who absorb life and experience on that journey getting to the destination? One shouldn’t be consumed with getting to the destination just because it's well...the destination.
Examination of our Spiritual Self
Going on this journey forces us to do a spiritual examination of our lives. It causes us to look deeper into our lives and not just take things at face value just because someone told us to. Getting to the Stairway to Heaven means that we need realize what Jesus is about. Jesus is the Son of God and he died for our sins. He provides the Salvation for us to get to Heaven. He loves us and we are not beyond forgiveness, despite the sins that we commit. He also embraced the attributed of love, kindness, and compassion. On this trip, we get a better understanding of Jesus, his expectations, and his likes and dislikes.
Jesus doesn’t want us to take his father’s name in vain. This phrase is commonly interpreted as using a profanity with God’s name attached to it. However, even this face-value definition has a deeper meaning when one reads “in between the line”. What this phrase means is that taking the Lord’s name in vein is when someone is making a false declaration, but paints themselves as someone who is a representative of God. Spiritual bragging is frowned upon as it could lead to this. We do our spiritual deeds without the need of bring attention to ourselves. This interpretation of musing God’s name can be seen in various places. People bragging about their charitable contributions in the name of God. Several bragging about their awesome deeds to bring attention to themselves and not God. Those who show off there contributions as a status symbol, of their contribution to the church. The journey to Heaven teaches us of how not to be and not miss-use God's name to elevate our own.
We Have A Tour Guide In Jesus
On this journey, we need to embrace a attitude where we are constantly reaching out to those in need, regardless of whether those needs are physical or spiritual in nature. God’s love for others is reflected when we do this. This means reaching out to those who are poor and/or marginalized by society. We must embrace our beliefs, but also reach out to those that are less fortunate and/or different. This also means not embracing the attitude that we're better. Confrontation is counterproductive to the ministry of Jesus. It’s doesn’t accomplish anything, and people’s love of God could be contradicted in the process. People who are embracing confrontation isn’t partaking in Jesus’s ministry since the time being used to fight could have been used to helping others.
On this journey, one needs a guide. There is none better than Jesus! When looking at the gospels, Jesus is very spoken out about reaching out to the poor. Understanding their needs and reaching out to them. They have the same physical needs that we do. Food, water, and shelter. This is where we listen to people and so we can understand their needs. Listening is a very powerful tool that can help understanding what a person’s needs is. Listeners are highly valued on this trip to that stairway.
Jesus had a ministry that reached out to those who have been marginalized by society during his time, like those with leprosy, tax collectors, poor people, prostitutes, etc. There are still people who are marginalized by society today due to economic and/or social reasons, or they might have diseases. Someone might feel marginalized because they have AIDS's. Many people are still poor. Women with unplanned pregnancies that stay away from institutionalized religion because they feel that they will be condemned by the self-righteous who are perceived to be very judgmental. Several from minority groups feel marginalized because they feel out of place by society for reasons. Others feel out of place because their drunk or because they have alternate lifestyles. Everybody mentioned are human and still have the same physical and spiritual needs that need to be meet. Nobody is beyond Salvation.
Enter The Self Righteous
On our journey, we realize that Jesus frowns upon self-righteousness. They are the people who embrace the “holier than thou art” attitude and perceived to be better than everybody else. I’m right and your wrong.
When one looks at Jesus himself, one sees a person who was very committed to his beliefs. At the same time, one also see someone who was reaching out to help those in need, regardless of whether those needs were spiritual or physical in nature. And he provided those contributions to society in love. In doing so, he was making a world that was consumed with suffering into a better place. He wanted his followers to exercise restraint when it comes to judging others. It would be a contradiction to condemn others if we overlook our own flaws. Being self-righteous is discouraged for the fact that we start to forget about the attributes of Jesus when we start to think that we know better than him.
The self-righteous act like they know how to get to the stairway to Heaven, even if many aren't concerned if people actually get there or not. Many are more concerned with their 15 minutes of fame than the spiritual walk that one embarks on.
On our spiritual stairway to Heaven, these are the ones that you do NOT want to ask for directions from. If there is someone who looks like they have the scars of life and experience that they want to share, they might make for great help. Jesus still bore the scars of humanity. This is why he's a relate-able guide. Many of those representing him also provide for great help. But some don't make for effective guides. Along with the self-righteous, if one runs across a Televangelist asking his followers for donations so he can buy a $54 million dollar jet for "evangelizing", then look elsewhere for directions. That person isn't concerned with your spiritual walk and only wants your money.
Comments
Post a Comment