Many Christians do not consider Jesus to be 'the smartest person in the world.'
Of course he is holy.
That's right, he's a kind person.
It is also true that he is God.
But an intelligent person? Somehow, I don't think he's that kind of person.
A growing number of Christians disagree with his teachings on important issues concerning human prosperity.
In such matters, they would rather believe in politicians, celebrities, or pastors who have taken the wrong path than in Jesus, their teacher, and the disciples who learned directly under him.
They don't even think to consult Jesus about the pressing issues of our time: politics, race, justice, sexuality, mental health, etc.
Dallas Willard diagnosed this phenomenon as follows:
“The core reason why so many professing Christians ignore Jesus in their daily lives to a shocking degree is because they do not respect Him.” This is a very important point.
Because to 'follow' Jesus is to trust that He will lead us to the life we ​​desire.
--- p.28

For Jesus, salvation goes beyond just getting us into heaven; it means bringing heaven into us.
Salvation is not just about Jesus becoming like us, but about the process by which we become like Him.
Salvation is more about 'change' than 'covenant'.
Salvation is not only about what Jesus did for us, but also about what He has done, is doing, and will do in us as we become His apprentices.
Salvation is not only receiving love from God, but also becoming a person filled with God's love.
It is not only about accepting the merit of His 'death', but also about receiving the power of His 'resurrection'.
It is not only about you and me as 'individuals', but about the transformation of the entire new humanity and the healing of the 'universe itself'.
--- p.46~47

Where is your emotional home? Where do you return for quiet, solitude? Where do you find comfort and joy? What does it look like to make God your home? It means learning to be in two places at once.
Have breakfast with Jesus.
Take public transportation to work and be with Jesus.
Join Jesus as you change your baby's diaper.
Organize your emails and spend time with Jesus.
As you prepare dinner for your family or friends, rest your heart in Jesus.
Jesus' apprenticeship is about transforming our bodies into temples, places where heaven and earth meet.
This is a foretaste of what Jesus will one day do for the entire universe.
On that day, heaven and earth will finally unite as one.
To get a taste of this moment is the most amazing opportunity in the entire universe.
What a wonderful opportunity it is for our bodies to become God's house! And this opportunity is before us every single day.
--- p.68

Tyler and I have completely different personalities.
But the longing for God remains the same.
And we both came to love prayer.
I pray cross-legged in a quiet room, and he prays while walking in a city park wearing a raincoat.
The methods are different, but the goal is the same.
It would be a shame if going to a 'secret place' were treated as a form of meditation only for introverted intellectuals.
Perhaps this is similar to the situation in the Middle Ages, when the serious pursuit of Jesus was considered the exclusive domain of monks.
First of all, it is very unfortunate for extroverts.
In that case, they cannot enter into the deep life with Jesus that He offers.
It's also incredibly unfortunate for introverts.
This is because the spiritual training designed to liberate them from themselves and lead them to a life of self-giving has degenerated into a mere 'time for self-recharging.'
This does not free them from themselves, but only makes them more bound to themselves.
So, don't force yourself to follow a method that doesn't suit your personality.
Align your spiritual practice with your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and life stage.
But somehow, find your 'secret place'.
Go there as often as possible.
Prioritize this.
Fall in love with that place and with God.
--- p.93~94

Now, let's say you want to obey Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: "Do not worry."
You want to live without worries in the world.
So what should we do? After hearing a good sermon on Matthew 6, we'll stop worrying. Will that approach work? I don't think so.
For most people, being told to live without worry is like being told to run a marathon.
Even if you try to do it right now, you can't.
Not yet.
So how can we live without worry? We must become people who are free from fear by relying completely on God.
To do that, you need to train (or retrain) your body and mind.
Of course, first of all, you should listen to a good sermon on Matthew 6.
But it doesn't end there.
We must observe the Sabbath.
We must set aside a day to focus solely on training ourselves to rely solely on God.
And you must go into your room and lay down all your fears at God's feet.
And as we live in community, we must encourage one another to rely on God.
And we must practice giving so that our hearts can be freed from vain desires.
And many other things as well.
Then, over time, worry gradually gives way to peace and unwavering faith in God.
Please don't try hard, just train.
Practice constantly.
--- p.155

It goes without saying that it is dangerous to talk about the church in abstract terms.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said:
“Those who love their own dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself will destroy that community, no matter how honest, sincere, and sacrificial their personal intentions may be.” He called this a “hopeful dream” of an ideal church.
Among the 'real' churches, there is no church that can live up to the hope and dream of an ideal church.
So people either leave the church altogether or fall into cynicism.
We must embrace the ‘current pastor’ and ‘current saints’ of ‘this church now.’
We must forgive ‘this kind of flaw’ and rejoice in ‘this kind of strength.’
Community is always a journey that concretely collides with 'reality'.
Having lived in a very tight-knit community for over 10 years, I can honestly say that it hasn't been easy for me either.
But it's a wrestling match worth it.
There were many moments when I was deeply in pain, but there were also many moments when I was very happy.
Community is an experience that glimpses eternity in time.
--- p.158

The Code of Life invites us to a freedom of definition that is very different from the definitions of the modern world.
Ultimately, it is an invitation to the constraints that set us free.
Novelist Annie Dillard said:
“The way we live each day is the way we live our lives.” If we read this from the perspective of spiritual formation, it would be like this.
“The way we live each day” determines what we do with our one and only short and precious life, and “what kind of people we become.”
If the first thing you check on your phone when you wake up in the morning is social media, that's not just a bad choice.
It's a choice that makes us a certain kind of person.
If you watch the news more than you read the Bible, it's not just a bad choice.
It is a choice that makes us more like our favorite news messenger than like Jesus.
Constantly spending money on things you don't need isn't just using up disposable income (income that you can spend as you wish).
Because of this, he becomes more and more greedy as he satisfies his greed.
--- p.217

You don't have to adopt the same rules as me.
However, we 'all' need to establish at least some rules when it comes to cell phones.
In particular, social media requires extreme caution.
Does the word "rule" bother you? "I'm a free spirit.
I hate being controlled to death!' Sorry to say, but you are already controlled.
Our addiction to cell phones and our physical desires for pleasure are being controlled by Silicon Valley's terrifying algorithms.
By setting rules, your life can 'return' to the control of your deepest desires.
Choose your own constraints.
Otherwise, instead of the Spirit of God moving your heart toward love, you will be moved by Silicon Valley programmers who steal your time and shape your behavior for the worse.
The choice is yours.
Of course, if you want to live by the rules, you have to learn how to say “No.”
We must be able to reject all kinds of things, good and bad, of course, including sin.
To do so, you will need to rethink your own criteria for decision-making.
In the past, I asked myself these questions before taking any action:
“Is this action evil or not?” But now that we have a better understanding of the gospel and the “true life” with Jesus, we ask a new question.
“Does this action bring me closer to Jesus or takes me away from Him?” This question is much better.
--- p.220~221

But the rules are completely different.
Rules are self-created, based on our inner desires, and are very flexible.
The rules are based on relationships rather than morals, and are designed to guide you toward your own vision of the good life.
For example, the wide road outside my neighborhood has a speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour, which is strictly a traffic law.
Regardless of whether it's a holiday, whether there's no one on the road, or whether I'm driving a sports car (purely hypothetical situations), I must always drive under 40 kilometers per hour on that road.
Let's compare this to some of the 'rules' my wife and I have established for our family.
We decided to have 20-30 minutes of alone time each day, go on a date once a week, and take a trip without the kids once a quarter for pure rest and connection.
However, there is a lot of flexibility in this rule.
Even if we occasionally break this rule, there is no guilt or shame involved.
But the more we break this rule, the less love we have for each other, and the more tension and distance we feel.
That's why we need rules.
The code of conduct is not a straitjacket for prisoners.
It is a map and a path that guides our lives.
My friend Tyler Staton likes to use the metaphor that rules are the anchor and our lives are the boat.
When we live rightly, we are usually not even aware of the existence of the anchor.
But when the ship of life begins to drift, the anchor pulls us back to the center.

--- p.226