The Night of the Spirit

When we come out of Egypt we are called by God to freedom, total freedom, true freedom, eternal freedom.

But in order to become free - what a task, what a struggle, what a purging!

Liberation from the clutches of the senses is no small thing for sensual creatures like us.

To reach the "night of the senses" - the time when we become rulers of our own passions and are able to resist the extravagances of taste in physical pleasure - that take some fasting!

But this is nothing yet. This is only the beginning-baby stuff, you might say.

There's more to come!

There is another darker, much more painful night.

It is the "night of the soul", the night in which we chatterboxes have to learn to keep still.

We who are so ready to ask for things - now we shall not dare to ask.

We fall silent, thunderstruck with the grandeur that confronts us: God.

The night of the spirit is the mature ability of a human being to love God in the dark, to except the design even without seeing it, to bear the distance without complaining, even when love thrusts us towards him until we writhe with longing.

- From Why, O Lord? by Carlo Carretto

Myths of Parenting

Today's devotion was too good not to share. I found that it particularly hit close to home for me, and two of my main struggles as a father. 

Two myths of parenting:
(1) Good parents always keep tidy homes.
(2) Good parents must always be "right".

Devoted To Devotions

From our daily devotional "The Word For You Today"; The word "devotion" implies total commitment to someone - giving them your time and attention, enjoying their company, seeking to please them, and making them priority in your life.

I often struggle to understand how so many followers of Jesus Christ are not actually devoted to Him. There is no daily time spent with Him, no time spent communicating with Him or allowing Him to communicate with them. This would never work with our friends or our family members. This definitely would not work with a spouse! Over time the relationship begins to corrode until Christ becomes only an acquaintance that we see from afar for an hour on Sunday morning. 

One of the first questions I ask an individual or couple that comes to talk with me about their struggles is "how do you daily devote yourself to God". I have found that many followers of Jesus Christ are not following Him, they are just hoping that He is following them. I have found that many followers of Jesus Christ have no real relationship with Him, they are just hoping that He continues to relate to them. Notice that I wrote "hoping" not praying. 

I have found that many followers of Jesus Christ are not following Him, they are just hoping that He is following them.

This is a new day, at the start of a new year. Let this be a year that you become devoted to The One that is totally devoted to you. Let this be the year that you worship Christ Jesus with passion and devotion.

Thoughts on Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5 

1 Be followers [who imitate] God, therefore, as dearly loved children [who are led by the Spirit of God and are closely related to God] ² and live a life of love [and affection], just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us [in life and death] as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity [such as lust and wrong motives, or of greed [and coveting of the things that do not belong to you], because these are improper for God’s holy people [who are called to stand out as saints among the culture you live in]. 

⁴ Nor should there be obscenity [in actions], foolish talk [such as gossip and slander] or coarse joking [about matters that do not please our Holy God], these things are out of place, but rather give thanksgiving to The Lord. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure [or unclean—in thought or life] or greedy person [who covets and lusts after things in this world] —such a man is an idolater —has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

I want to receive the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. I want to receive all that God has in store for me. I want to receive all that Jesus is preparing for me. Likewise, I want a lot of things in this world; money is tempting, power and prestige sure sound good to me. However I will not inherit any of this if I do not do away with the desires in this life and the idols of this world. 

This leaves me with a choice. I can cling to the desires that come in this world —sex, money, power —I can continue to lust after the things in our culture, valuing them above my commitment to God. Or I can pass up on the idols of this world, completely focusing and committing to God —in doing this I am looking to the inheritance of the Kingdom of God and to all that God has in store for me.  

See, we will all receive an inheritance —we can demand our inheritance now or we can wait for the one that Our Heavenly Father has in store for us. 

God, don't wake me up!

This week the kids and I have been reading about Samuel. Saturday we read about Hannah at the temple praying for a son. Monday we read about Hannah dedicating Samuel to the Lord and leaving him to work for the priest Eli. And tonight we read about the Lord speaking to Samuel in the middle of the night.

Each night after we have read through these Bible stories we have had a brief time of discussion with some very profound questions from a three-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. But, what has struck me the most is the prayers that have followed our time of devotions and discussion.

Tonight we talked briefly about the story and ways that God may be speaking to us, we talked specifically about God speaking to us through prayer and through the Bible. Zion, my three-year-old son, followed our discussion with his prayer;

God, thank you for this day. And, God thank you for all the things we have done today. God thank you for my bed and my pillow, and Wubzzy, and thank you for Wocket in my pocket. Thank you for my chocolate milk, and Blue. And God, thank you for speaking to me. Make sure you speak to me when I am done with my prayer. And don't wait and speak to me after I go to sleep tonight and wake me up. Amen!

I thank God that He has given me this time with my children. I thank God that He has given me the opportunity to share with my children. I thank God that my children are listening to His Word. I thank God that He is applying His Word to their young minds and tender hearts. I thank God that He speaks; that He speaks to me, that He speaks through me, and that He speaks to my children.

Imagine...

Large billboards have been erected in Terre Haute, Indianapolis and other major cities around the United States by an organization known as the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" with the message; "Imagine No Religion". Perhaps you have seen one of these billboards?

The organization consists of a great number of atheists with the intent to protect "and to promote the constitutional principle of separation between church and state". The issue, of course, is that these individuals have not done their research on what the first amendment of our constitution says, why this portion of the first amendment was written, or what the intent of our founding fathers was when they wrote this portion of the amendment. Either they failed to do the required research or they did just enough research to support their desired outcome and argument.

Yet, the first amendment also provides for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom to peacefully assemble and for these freedoms I am thankful. But, what's interesting is that God also provided these freedoms shortly after He created the earth and everything in it. That is, when He spoke in the garden of Eden. See, freedom is what God gives to all of His creation, and that freedom is a beautiful thing!

Someone asked me not long ago what proof I could offer that God exists. After a lengthy response I concluded by saying that if God were to provide definite proof there would be no atheists and no agnostics, instead everyone would be believers in The One True God. That is the wonder of this thing God has provided for us all; free will.

But back to the billboards. These billboards do not upset me in the slightest. This atheists organization does not upset me in the least bit ; it saddens me that they are misinformed, it concerns me that they are misguided, and it disappoints me that they are misunderstanding, but it does not upset me. The truth is that these billboards provide us, even believers, with a great question and a persons answer to this question reveals the nature of their heart and their soul.

Imagine No Religion
Imagine if there was no set of beliefs or practices regarding God.
Imagine if there was no commitment or devotion to God.
Imagine if there was no worship or observance of God.

Considering this, I can imagine no religion. I meet people daily with no religion; no belief or practice of God, no commitment or devotion of God, no worship or observance of God. Yes, I can easily imagine no religion because I see that daily.

But, what if the statement is changed, changed by just one word, how does this make you feel?

Imagine No God

God's Time Clock

Weeks ago I talked with our church family about the great dangers of "playing church". I don't believe that our church is any more guilty, any more at fault than the modern church is of this tragedy.

You see, if the hour or two that we spend at church on Sunday morning becomes just another hour in our week, we miss out. If we allow our time with God to become just something that we have to do to be a Christian, we miss out.

If we allow worshiping Christ on Sunday morning to become an unexciting, mundane activity and if we walk out of the church unchanged and untouched by the Spirit of God, then there is no reason to come come  into His presence at all.

I think that many people have this idea, whether they realize it or not, of God honoring our worship and devotion to Him on the basis of a time clock. As if when we stand before Him on the day of judgement we are going to be able to show Him our years of devotion and service in the form of time stamps on our Spiritual time card.

BUT, IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!

I think Dr. John Vernon McGee said it best;

"I am of the opinion that the Lord could stop many church services today and say, 'Listen, let's cut this out. Why are you going through this form? You are not getting close to Me. You are not pleasing Me. When you leave this service, you gossip, you have bitterness in your heart, you are not moral in your conduct, and you are living loose lives. You think you are pleasing Me by your religious form. I want you to know that you are not pleasing Me."

Benefits of the Routine

I just put our two-year-old son to bed for a forth time this evening. Lately he has had a lot of trouble going to bed and staying in bed. It seems that the last few nights have ended with me putting on my "scary voice" and laying out the consequences of not staying in bed to him. So far this has worked for us.

It seems that he finds every excuse possible to get up from his bed and to stay out of his bed; the blankets are not straight, he has to go to the bathroom, he wants to kiss us good night just one more time. Tonight was no different and, as I made the trek down the hall and reached deep down to pull out the scary voice, he began to cry, perhaps sensing the frustration in the sound of my footsteps. As I entered his room, he puts one finger up in the air and yells out, between cries, "we just forgot to read one story".

In my rush to get him to bed I had, in fact, forgot to read him a story. After reading him a bedtime story, tucking him in one more time, and kissing him good night. I began to think about our bedtime routine; bedtime drinks, reading stories, praying together, saying good night, singing songs, and more.
When my wife and I started this routine with our oldest daughter five years ago we didn't fully think through the ramifications of the routine; how long it takes every night, all the steps involved, etc. But, although it is sometimes inconvenient and tiring, we see the benefit of each aspect of the kid's bedtime routine and we wouldn't (purposefully) change any of it.

The same is true of our daily devotional time/Bible study/prayer time. First and foremost, it has to be started! Second, it has to be carried out for some time in order for it to become a regular routine. Third, it may, at times, be inconvenient but the benefits of it are immeasurable. The benefits may not be seen at the moment or even the day of this quality, focused time with God, but it will change life forever, this life and the next life.

He is in control

I read this morning in "My Utmost for His Highest"

"If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign on His intimacy - silence."

Our church family enjoys many of the benefits and blessings that members of a mega-church might never find. We know one another on a first-name basis, we share prayer requests and praises on a weekly basis, we share in meals with one another at the church and our homes on a regular basis. I truly enjoy being the Pastor of this church body and consider it a true blessing to belong to this family.

Our average attendance on a Sunday morning is around 70. I spoke last week about being "content" with the size of our church family from the aspect of being complete, lacking no one, while at the same time being discontent with the number of people within our community and the world that do not know Christ or have a church home of their own. This is a wonderful concept and one that our church family embraced. Yet, as the Pastor, I found it very difficult to buy into my own words. You see, I want our church to grow, I want to see the seats packed every time we gather together, I want to see our numbers climb at an alarming rate, so much so that people within our community take notice and want to join in a become a part of it.

This past week we had 59 in our Sunday morning worship service. As I came to the church this morning I was a bit down, much like our numbers were yesterday. Yet these words from my devotional hit me where I needed it the most, MY PRIDE!

The question I must ask is: Why do I have the desire for our church to grow?" Well, I want the church to grow so that Christ may be glorified, so that His name is brought honor, and so that others may be brought closer to Him and know Him as their Master and Savior. This should be the desire of our hearts if we are striving to please God and fulfill the ministry that He has called each one of us to.

So, if this is the desire of our hearts we need to be more open to what the Spirit is leading us to. We need to be content with the number we have on a Sunday morning with the understanding that this is who God has called us to minister to on this given day.

If God has called us to a church of 60, 40, 20, or even 10, to Him be the glory! No one knows better than He does who will gain from the ministry done at this time, in the place, and with these words. Know one knows better than He does what gifts we have, what gifts we lack, what lessons we need to learn, and how we need to learn them.

This is just one more time I was reminded that God is in complete control and I need to let go and allow Him to have it. Completely!