Commandments For Abundant Life: Part 7: Conscious Self-Transendence or the School of Hard Knocks?

Does an alternative to the “School of Hard Knocks” really exist and if so, what is it?  One of Jesus’ stated purposes was to help us satisfy our basic need to BE MORE and to experience the abundant life, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.“ - John 10:10.  With a declaration of purpose as clear as that, surely Jesus must have left us guidelines and directions to show us HOW to become MORE of who we are, MORE of children of God; and in doing so have life, and have it more abundantly.

The alternative to the School of Hard Knocks is conscious and systematic growth.  It is the path that Jesus gave us through his commandments.  It involves putting into practice the Commandments of Christ and accepting the truth that the kingdom of God is within us; that our true identity is that of worthy children of God. 

Given these choices, who in their right mind would choose to continue to live life the “hard way” and continue their education in the “School of Hard Knocks”?  Who would say, “I prefer to keep on doing my own thing, even if for years I must suffer consequences which include physical and psychological suffering, lack and limitation, until I figure out that I need to change and how I need to change”. 

Can the Commandments of Christ really help us in this life?  Life is about change and growth.  The question is, do we want to continue to change and grow through the lessons of the School of Hard Knocks, or are we open to the possibility of a better way?  What is the “better way”?  Well, it is through the Commandments of Christ, like Jesus’ commandment to “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” because if we do, then everything else we need in this life will be provided without our worrying about it.

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:31-34)

The Gospels are the only documents we have about Jesus; his life, what he did, and what he said.  The Gospels are more like a pamphlet than a book; there really isn’t a very great volume of material there, and a good portion of the Gospels repeats from Gospel to Gospel.  It is clear that it was not Jesus’ desire to leave a set of detailed “How-To” manuals for mankind to mindlessly follow to the letter.  Jesus of Nazareth, the most important figure in human history, certainly could have left volumes if he had chosen to, but he didn’t.  Perhaps the reason is that, as he told us in Luke 17:21, the kingdom of God is within us, therefore external manuals, which would have been subject to human interpretation errors, and distortions, were unnecessary and would actually be more of a hindrance than an aid to our spiritual development.  But how likely is it that Jesus would have left us with absolutely no directions to at least point us in the right direction and anchor us on the right path?  

Wouldn’t it be a cruel thing for Jesus to do, to tell us we are children of God, to tell us we are the light of the world, and that he came that we might have life more abundantly and not give us any directions or at least some good clues as to HOW to go about finding the kingdom of God within us? 

Jesus openly and directly promised us the abundant life in his ministry on earth. The major premise of this book is that Jesus also left directions of how to find the path to the way home, the path to a state of being as self-aware children of God.  These directions are contained within the Commandments of Christ, forty two of which are found in the Sermon on the Mount. 

The question is, do we have “ears to hear” and “eyes to see” the life transforming wisdom in those commandments?