St. Isidore wants us to know that in order to share in the promise of Christ, we need to constantly update and reinvent ourselves. Just as the world around us is changing and evolving at breakneck speeds, we too must keep updated to do the good work of our Lord.
It’s easy to get stuck in the same mundane routine and do the same thing day in and day out. This comfort zone is dangerous as we are trapped in a false sense of security and develop idleness.
As children of God we are called to be proactive and to bring good change to the world. The time has come for a major update and a great wave of faith to rise above our nation and the world.
Although our world is full of sin & strive, God has promised us that he will no longer resort to extreme measures like floods and destruction to reset the evil roots in our time. Instead he relies on us his flock, to deliver his updates and promises to the rest of the world. The burden on us is heavy, but praying together we are united and will achieve great things by the grace of God.
Features of a Christian
Whilst we pray and give thanks to the Lord, do our behaviours reflect Christ in us?
As beings born into original sin, it is inevitable that our spiritual system is corrupted by the virus of sin and temptation. At times we seek to satisfy the flesh at the expense of the spirit.
God understands our struggles and calls to us despite our inequities. This is why it is important for us to update our system regularly and to purge any bad habits, or sinful thoughts from our minds in a bid to prevent us from further sin.
Saint Isidore is telling us that we need to update ourselves so that we have the recent spiritual features. Here are some of the features that identify us as Christians:
- Humility – Followers of Christ understand that they are not special in any way as compared to others. They follow the example of Christ and treat other people just as they would love to be treated.
- Kindness – As Christians it is our responsibility to be kind to other people, especially in this cruel world. Kindness requires us to be nice to others and tolerate them since they are our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
- Forgiving – As Christians, we are called upon to forgive those who sin against us just as Christ forgives us. Even when it is difficult to forgive, we ought to follow the example of Christ and not opt for revenge.
Enhancing Spiritual Performance
Just like electronic devices are regularly updated to enhance their performance, we are called upon to constantly renew our faith in God so that we may maintain a good relationship with him.
Our faith shouldn’t be a one-time payment to God, but rather something that we are constantly renewing and growing with each passing day. Do not be tempted by the evil one to sink into a false sense of security, just because we have embraced God doesn’t mean that we should take things easy and slide into lethargy.
The way to share in God’s kingdom isn’t made by simply hanging around, but by discovering new ways to renew and update our faith. Temptations and challenges we face on a daily occasion may weaken our faith and in return weaken our spiritual performance.
Saint Isidore is challenging us to enhance our spiritual performance by constantly renewing our faith in God. Here are some of the ways to renew our faith;
- Praying – By praying, we ensure that we are in constant communication with God. Communication strengthens the bond in any relationship thus our relationship with God is not an exception. We should always pray to strengthen the bond that we have with God and protect our spiritual system from viruses.
- Reading the bible – If we want to know and gather more information about someone we need to invest our time in finding more about them and keenly listening while they are talking. We are advised to read the bible so that we may learn more about God. The bible is a gift to us for it is God’s special message to us.
Functioning In the Right Manner
A gadget is only useful to the owner if it is functioning in the right manner. If it malfunctions, then the owner should seek to get it quickly repaired else it no longer serves its value.
Saint Isidore warns that our propensity to commit sin is a result of the mental limitations and paradigms in our mind. Sin is merely the end result, so if we wish to remove it from our lives then we must first fix our systems and habits to grow in faith for the long term.
God comes to seek us since he is our owner, and if we accept to return to his kingdom, he restores us to our rightful position. If we are stubborn and appear to be beyond repair, he keeps us close to him hoping that we will change and accept him. However, the decision to function is solely dependent on us.
Prayer for Saint Isidore’s Intercession
“Dear Saint Isidore, I thank you for reminding me of God’s love for me.
I beseech thee to help me in my hour of need and when my spiritual system malfunctions.
May I be protected from spiritual viruses and function in the right manner, as God had intended.
Empower me with the courage to learn new things,
and humility to accept that I am constantly in need of updates.
Be guide in a confusing world of new inventions and knowledge.
Guide me with wisdom to discern the things I should seek that will add value to my life, and bring me closer to God.”
Amen.
