When I “walked the isle” some four decades ago I was pretty sure I knew what I was doing. And it was a no-brainer as well. I was making sure I would have to go to hell. I was getting a guarantee life membership in heaven. And once I signed up, it was all over. Once saved, always saved. How could anyone pass up that deal?
Well, that was then, this is NOW.
Then it was a choice between heaven which had streets of gold, angels playing harps, no sorrow or tears, and hell which meant I’ve be tormented all the rest of my eternal life (which I was told was a very, very long time).
Now, I see that “moment” as nothing more that a “reasoned decision” to try and do things right. Life really was a matter of doing the RIGHT THINGS! And of course only my denomination knew what those right things were, such as baptism by emersion, not sprinkling or anything half-hearted, which I immediately did.
To delay Baptism meant I wasn’t respecting God.
Oh yeah, and it also meant more money for the denomination, which was based no baptisms, not salvations. Hmmm.
I see the salvistic journey today as one wherein I submit my will and my laundry list of to do things for His will. I’ve found that they seldom match. What’s up with that?
But, more and more, I am not so much into doing all those “right things” as I am communing with God. Belief in God (which 95% of America does) and communion with Him are night and day.
My salvistic journey has had “fits & starts“, detours galore, and an ocasional mountain top experience here and there. I’m finally comprehending that “die to self” concept that was mroe an intellectual box that I kept open than any sort of real lifestyle change.
I never knew self and ego were the same. Back then we didn’t talk about ego. It was so, well, so New Age, so pyscho-babble oriented. Neat ploy by Darth Vader don’tcha think: to keep us from the real end game?
Where are you on the journey? Got any mile markers? A map?
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