Join us on Sunday at
8:30am, 10:00am & 6:00pm

Yearning for the Spiritual – Live Long and Prosper

It seems that almost every month in Adelaide I could attend some sort of show that is promoting human spirituality. It could be something big like the Body, Mind and Spirit show that is held each year or it could be the smaller expo’s that are held in the suburbs.

The search for the spiritual is huge in our western world. Not only does the search for the spiritual get regular crowds at fairs and expos but these crowds are also prepared to part with huge quantities of cash in their search. One particular person I found charged $180 per 30 minute psychic reading. He did not meet you but you had to send your picture and a money order to his postal box. He would return to you a CD recording of his reading. He informed those who sent their money that he was booked up for three weeks in advance.

Whilst most people are looking for slightly different things in their search for the spiritual many would summarise their search as ‘seeking to better themselves’, ‘to be more enlightened’ and concerned about their ‘spiritual well being’.

Unfortunately much of their looking is to focus on the here and now. They want increased wealth or better their health, or enable themselves to participate in more successful business dealings or maybe they just wanted ‘a bit of fun’. Space will not enable me to expose where these sorts of “spiritual answers” fail to deliver but I am more than happy to discuss them should you wish.

The Christian message is deeply spiritual but rather than focus on ourselves and the ‘here and now’ the message of the Bible is to extend our thinking to eternity and God. Jesus offers life in all its fullness now and he also offers us life that goes on for all eternity. It is not a hollow offer that lacks any real substance but rather it is an offer that is backed up by his real and physical death on the cross and the empty tomb on day 3. If someone offers you eternal life it is good to see if they can overcome death themselves. If the person who offers you eternal life ends up in the grave themselves I doubt their offer has much credibility.

The challenge we face in satisfying our thirst for the spiritual is not to be distracted by false options but to get ‘life in all its fullness’ or to ‘better ourselves’ or to be ‘more enlightened’ or to ‘improve our spiritual wellbeing’ by getting our answers from the one who made us, who loves us, who died for us and who rose physically from the grave in order that we could live forever with him.