High Definition Christianity
"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again or someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food." Hebrews 5:12
My wife and I have recently begun contemplating replacing our 17-year-old television. At the time of purchase, it was state of the art, but that is no longer the case. In the electronics store, I had my eye on a beautiful new unit that was almost half the price of what we paid nearly two decades ago and a nice upgrade from what we owned. The salesmen informed us that the reason the TV was so inexpensive was that its technology (the same as my current TV) was soon to be rendered obsolete. The FCC had mandated that the analog signal would go the way of the dinosaur and all programs would soon have to be broadcast in the new High Definition (HD) signal.
For quite a while I had been hearing about HDTV. It produced a very impressive picture that was sharp, crisp, almost life-like. But it came with a steep price. Not only would I have to purchase a pricey new television, I would also be required to pay a monthly fee to receive the signal. The costs led me to conclude that my old TV was just fine. It was not a price I was willing to pay for a better picture.
The call of the Christian life is to make continual progress toward the goal of looking just like Christ Jesus. As new believers, though we are in the family, we are far from carbon copies of our big brother and Father. If you catch us at the right time, in the right light, with certain expressions, you can see the resemblance, but no one is going to mistake us for Jesus or God. Getting to that point takes a lot of hard work and effort. Becoming a High Definition Christian is costly. But what is a HD Christian? Three descriptions come immediately to mind:
One who has a clear sense of purpose. This means that you are singularly committed to pursuing and walking in obedience to God’s call on your life.
One who presents a clear picture of Jesus. This means that your life clearly reflects the presence of God in you.
One whose lifestyle is observably distinct from the rest of the world. This means that you live in a way that anyone observing you can recognize there to be a qualitative difference in your approach to life.
Achieving this type of clarity of vision, this reality of Christ-likeness, this distinct sharpness of color and detail between our lives and the lives of unbelievers is costly. Advancing to this point of spiritual technology does not come cheaply.
It will cost us more time hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating in God’s word.
It will cost us more rusty knees as we spend extended time in prayer.
It will cost us the pain of personal discipline as we seek to eliminate ungodly personal attitudes and actions.
Like electronic technology, our spiritual imagery must change and improve with time. We cannot be satisfied with being and looking the same as we have for years. With time, we must mature and advance in relationship with and reflection of God. Everyday we must seek to get better. Yes, it comes with a price, but the reward is well worth it.
Looking for a better picture,
Jason P.
© 2005 Jason Perry
My wife and I have recently begun contemplating replacing our 17-year-old television. At the time of purchase, it was state of the art, but that is no longer the case. In the electronics store, I had my eye on a beautiful new unit that was almost half the price of what we paid nearly two decades ago and a nice upgrade from what we owned. The salesmen informed us that the reason the TV was so inexpensive was that its technology (the same as my current TV) was soon to be rendered obsolete. The FCC had mandated that the analog signal would go the way of the dinosaur and all programs would soon have to be broadcast in the new High Definition (HD) signal.
For quite a while I had been hearing about HDTV. It produced a very impressive picture that was sharp, crisp, almost life-like. But it came with a steep price. Not only would I have to purchase a pricey new television, I would also be required to pay a monthly fee to receive the signal. The costs led me to conclude that my old TV was just fine. It was not a price I was willing to pay for a better picture.
The call of the Christian life is to make continual progress toward the goal of looking just like Christ Jesus. As new believers, though we are in the family, we are far from carbon copies of our big brother and Father. If you catch us at the right time, in the right light, with certain expressions, you can see the resemblance, but no one is going to mistake us for Jesus or God. Getting to that point takes a lot of hard work and effort. Becoming a High Definition Christian is costly. But what is a HD Christian? Three descriptions come immediately to mind:
Achieving this type of clarity of vision, this reality of Christ-likeness, this distinct sharpness of color and detail between our lives and the lives of unbelievers is costly. Advancing to this point of spiritual technology does not come cheaply.
It will cost us more time hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating in God’s word.
It will cost us more rusty knees as we spend extended time in prayer.
It will cost us the pain of personal discipline as we seek to eliminate ungodly personal attitudes and actions.
Like electronic technology, our spiritual imagery must change and improve with time. We cannot be satisfied with being and looking the same as we have for years. With time, we must mature and advance in relationship with and reflection of God. Everyday we must seek to get better. Yes, it comes with a price, but the reward is well worth it.
Looking for a better picture,
Jason P.
© 2005 Jason Perry
posted by Jason Perry at
6:55 PM
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