Advent I Bottom Line Spirituality: Worldly and Godly Thinking

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Godly Abiding Spiritually in Jesus Changes the Meaning of What we See Worldly When Not Abiding in Jesus.

The theme for the Advent Season is to recognize how our Worldly thought outside of the Presence can create negative feelings and how the Godly feeling in the Presence can create positive thoughts in the same situation.

Luke 21:25-36 "I tell you the Truth, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place."

The background to this scripture starts in the previous chapter as Jesus and the Disciples are inside the Temple. There, the rich were showing off their wealth and as a sign of their faith. A widow put in all her property: that is, two coins worth a penny. Jesus was moved by this act of faith but the disciples are still looking at the amount the rich were putting in.

As they are leaving the Temple, the Disciples continued admiring the wealth of the Temple's stones. One can feel the frustration Jesus must have felt on the week just before His death. Here His Disciples were impressed with the material things in life and not in the faith experience that comes from being in His Presence.

Jesus shocks them by saying all these stones will be thrown down and nothing of the Temple will be left. Their shock is the loss of the Temple rather than the depth of the faith of the widow and her mite.

What were the apostles thinking?

Now they were fearful of the coming destruction of the Kingdom. This was reflected in their question, when will this happen? These signs of the destruction of the Temple actually did occur some fifty years later. Israel was completely destroyed by Rome. The Temple was burned down.  No stone was left in the City. The Jews were hunted down and slaughtered or made slaves. No Jew was allowed into Jerusalem.

It is irrelevant to think “I tell you the Truth, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place” has to do with our time. Worldly thinking is this is a warning for a specific event in our time. Godly thinking knows it is a general warning any time we are facing tribulation. Jesus’ advice is to be spiritually alert at all times and then praying that we may have the strength to escape these tribulations that will take place by standing in the Presence of the Son of Man. In Me you will have Peace, in the World tribulation. John 16:33

To be alert in a Worldly manner is to be physically alert to escape this great disaster. In Godly thinking, what we escape from is our overwhelming fear of what might or may happen to us. When these things take place, we need to know how to stand in the Presence of the Son of Man. The Mind of Christ creates a Peace that brings us the Wisdom to know what is required for the turbulent moments we will all face one time or another.

It is all about practicing now for what has or will come.

Think of your most disturbing issue. What thoughts do you receive when you are in or out of His Godly Peace?