RISE
Day thirty-eight – Today is day thirty-eight. Today we want to focus on core ideas or values. Perhaps you have heard someone tell the story of the apple and at the end of it they cut the apple in half from side-to-side, rather than from top to bottom (that is, the stem side). When you do so the center looks like a star, which the story teller reveals is an allusion to Christ. It is an interesting. If you have never heard the story you can look it up online.
The thing I like so much about the story is that it puts Christ in the right place. All legitimate growth is from that core outward. He is the core or center. Oddly enough, most people will discard the core of the apple when they eat it. Similarly, we often neglect the core of our faith. These are the things about you and your belief system that may grow stronger, but will not change in their foundation. These are the things that we remember and reinforce daily. These are foundation upon which we daily stand. They sustain us in the trial and keep us humble in our victory.
One mistake that people make when they are in the midst of the transformation is process is that they move their core; change their focus; stand on a different foundation and somehow think they have “reached a higher spiritual plane.” They abandon the inerrancy of scripture…the deity of Christ…and somehow they are more enlightened.
Do not mistake transformation for Christ with transformation simply for the sake of transformation. On the other hand, we must not fear real growth and change simply because some have gotten off base in the process. Real growth, much like the apple, comes from the seed or core outward. Anything less is discarding the core or neglecting your faith.
Today is day thirty-eight. How is your core? What is your core? How do you know?
