Flourish

There is a direct relationship between the inward work of the Word of God and the resident Holy Spirit and the outward manifestation of God's presence - the fruit of our faith. The one-chapter book of 3rd John contains these words:
1 The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

God desires for us to live a life in which we are in fellowship with Him, experiencing His close companionship, and seeing the manifestation of His presence in every area of life.  

Even a secular study has been set up by Harvard University to measure the degree to which a person is "flourishing." Its website notes its "measurement approach to human flourishing, based around five central domains: happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships."

While these measures of a stable life can be attained through human effort, we recognize that a life that pleases God and reflects His glory comes not from what we can do to attain that in a worldly sense, but by the degree to which we depend on Jesus and His Word and allow His Spirit to flow through us.

The American Bible Society, in one of its recent releases in the 2024 State of the Bible survey, attempts to measure the relationship between how we interact with the Bible and the fruit it produces. Its website quotes from John Farquhar Plake, who is the Society's Chief Innovation Officer and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the State of the Bible series. He relates: “For the last few years, we’ve reported some rather troubling statistics about Generation Z. As a group, these 18–27-year-olds are less connected with the church and the Bible than older generations. They also experience more stress and less hope..." Plake adds: “But what about those in Gen Z who do engage with Scripture? Not only do they score higher on the Human Flourishing scale than other young adults who don’t read the Bible—but they have the highest score of any generation. There’s more research to be done here, but this suggests that the unique challenges keeping young adults from flourishing are countered by a regular connection with God in Scripture.”

Some of the leading talking points regarding this ABS human flourishing study include:

Gen Z also reports the lowest levels of hope and scores the lowest on the Human Flourishing scale, with especially low scores in the “meaning and purpose” category. When young adults are Scripture Engaged, however, they flourish just as much as adults in older generations, demonstrating that frequent interaction with Scripture is a key component in overall wellbeing.

Also, "in each of the last two years, mental and physical health levels have continued to decrease, flagging an area of concern for Americans. Interestingly, the data also indicates that Americans’ confidence in their Financial and Material Stability has risen again after a drop in 2023."

Plus, those who indicate that they "strongly agree that they can forgive another person, with or without apology, score higher on the Human Flourishing scale than those who strongly disagree."  The Society's website also notes that, "These individuals also score significantly higher when it comes to hopefulness, indicating that the ability to forgive is a key element in charting a positive path forward."

Regarding overall Scripture engagement, according to the State of the Bible website, 57% of Americans surveyed note that they are "Bible Disengaged," 25% belong in what is called the "Movable Middle," and 18% are "Scripture Engaged."  So, there is plenty of work to do. 

But, we have to see that the practice of Christianity is not merely some sort of ritualistic practice or lip-service to a set of ideals.  We have to regard God's Word, as Hebrews 4 suggests, is "living and active." If we are interacting with the Word of God regularly and allowing it to take root in our hearts and minds, it will produce fruit - our hearts are changed and our actions line up with what God would intend. But, it starts with a willing heart and a dedication to study Scripture. 

Those five markers of human flourishing from Harvard can be directly related to Scripture.  But not as the world gives or promises.  We can have true "happiness and life satisfaction," not as the world gives, but through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  God will direct us in our physical and mental health, we can discover meaning and purpose for our lives through Him and develop character and virtue. In the Church, the body of Christ, we can experience close social relationships.  A fruitful and flourishing life is attainable through lining our lives up with the principles of God's Word.