Book Review: Crafting a Rule of Life
May 19, 2012 | 
Author Book Review: Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to a Well-Ordered Way
Publisher: InterVarsity Press ISBN: 9780830835645
I love this book/workbook (see the website). I’ve been waiting almost three years for it. I was introduced to Stephen Macchia and the Rule of Benedict while attending a Renovaré Conference in June of 2009. Following that conference and the workshop I attended with Dr. Macchia, I immediately set out to use the information I learned from my notes and worksheets and I crafted my own personal Rule of Life. Since that time, I have continued the discipline of practicing a Rule of Life and I’ve taught others to do the same. I was greatly delighted when I was notified that Stephen had finally put together and published a workbook that could be used for individuals and groups. I did not hesitate a moment with getting my own copy.
While the book is arranged and formatted in the style of a workbook (fill-in-the-blank, listed notes, personal journal sections, tables, charts, and etc.), there are very informative reading sections that provide historical context, Biblical reasoning and reflection for the purpose of your rule and what each component of the rule represents, and anecdotal personal interest reading. It is a good and engaging mix that will appeal equally with individuals or groups who will work through Crafting a Rule of Life.
The book begins with an introduction explaining what a Rule of Life is in a literal context and moves from there to give a historical understanding of the same as Macchia shares the origins of the Rule as crafted by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century (540AD).
The workbook is formatted into three primary sections; Part One: Framing Your Personal Rule of Life, Part Two: Forming Your Personal Rule of Life, and Part Three: Fulfilling Your Personal Rule of Life. Each section has a number of sub-sections and exercises to work through that assist in crafting a rule that will result in a workable and unique grouping of disciplines helpful in Christ-like spiritual formation.
Part One is helpful in becoming “self aware” with exercises designed to examine and understand personal relationships, individual gifts and talents, and more. This is a needful first-step in order to proceed to Part Two, which helps to identify the components of your Rule that will need structured and in what capacity of development. Part Three moves the personal rule into a context of community with exercises designed to bring fulfillment to the Personal Rule.
The workbook is completed with a few pages of resources, suggested reading list, and a few personal testimonials from persons sharing their experience with crafting a personal rule of life.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I was and remain very excited about the publication of this book. I plan to use it often as a personal resource guide (my original notes weren’t nearly as comprehensive as this workbook), and as a teaching tool to share this wonderful spiritual discipline. I cannot speak enthusiastically enough about what a positive experience having the Rule of Life in my own spiritual journey has been. This is an excellent resource for the individual and I think it is even better suited for groups. Thank you, Stephen Macchia, for this awesome resource!
Book Review: The Walk
Book Review: The Walk
Author: Stephen Smallman
Publisher: P&R Publishing ISBN: 9781596380936
I’ve had The Walk: Steps for New and Renewed Followers of Jesus in my possession for awhile now. I’m just getting around to reading it. Written by Stephen Smallman, The Walk is a book written to those who have expressed a desire to follow Christ as his disciple. It assumes no prior understanding of what that means, nor does it assume that the person has actually come to the point of professing faith. The book is designed to be used as much as read. It will be helpful to someone who wants to read on his own, but also includes readings and projects that will make it useful as a workbook for that individual, in a mentor relationship, or for use in groups. This is the information provided by the publisher to describe the book.
I suppose all this is true, well, and good, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the book. Will it work as it has been described? I’m relatively sure it will; the information, the flow of learning, and the structure of the process is all solid material… it just seemed there was much missing for my tastes. And again, I must repeat this is crafted as a beginner book…my expectations are probably much higher even for that of a “beginner” work.
I think the steps outlined by Smallman for a discipleship path are honest steps; however, I think the perspective is rather narrow as it is presented wholly from a reformed perspective. I don’t mean to imply this is a negative critique, but the person using this book should be aware of this detail if they are not already. The Church as one body under the headship of Christ is very robust and has a very diverse and colorful history. The traditions of the Christian church are a bountiful buffet to be feasted upon by new and old believers alike. Why attend a smorgasbord with almost unlimited spiritual delights to feast upon and spend your entire appetite on a three-bean salad?
The Walk is written to be a “first steps book” for discipleship teaching. It is also written so it can be done as an individual study or a group. In this, the book excels and Stephen is to be commended. I think, though, if I were choosing a curriculum for new disciples, I would select a source that had a more well-rounded theology. I particularly like Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful by Gary A. Parrett and S. Steve Kang. Parrett and Kang’s book is much more inclusive and exhaustive with material that pushes way past first steps, but I believe the material it contains could be excerpted and used for a beginner disciple in the same way as The Walk and still have room to grow.
My assessment of The Walk = good and practical, but not great. I would choose something different for my purposes.
Publisher’s Description: The Walk is a book written to those who have expressed a desire to follow Christ as his disciple. It assumes no prior understanding of what that means, nor does it assume that the person has actually come to a point of professing faith. It uses as a starting point someone who is simply wondering, “what next?”. Stephen also addresses those who have grown up “Christian” and may be wondering how to step out in their own faith. The Walk is designed to be used as much as read. It will be helpful to someone who wants to read on their own, but also includes readings and projects that will make it useful as a workbook for that individual, in a mentor relationship, or for use in groups. The division into twelve chapters is ideal for a typical Sunday School quarter.
160 Pages
Published September 2009
About the Author: Stephen Smallman served for over forty years in pastoral ministry and has served as executive director of World Harvest Mission. He currently teaches for CityNet Ministries of Philadelphia
Posted in Books, Disciple, Media | 
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Discipleship, Spiritual Formation, Stephen Smallman, The Walk | 
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To Comfort and Convict
[18MAY2012] To Comfort and Convict
I want to think out loud some more on the passage of Scripture Jesus spoke from John’s Gospel that was posted in my blog from yesterday. The original passage follows:
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” John 16:5-9
I have heard it said when speaking of issues of sin, especially issues where it concerns those outside of the Christian church, that it is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction. The passage above is oft quoted as a proof text.
While I agree with the intent of the Scripture, I’m not sure I am in agreement with what I perceive the passage as understood by many in the church community. I get the impression sometimes that a lot of folk think of the Holy Spirit as this invisible soldier of God who goes around waving his arms or a magic wand, perhaps speaking some silent holy incantation over people that will bring conviction of sin…. Then, all of the sudden, the person who was “incantated” over, has a divinely inspired epiphany from which they repent, turn to God, and the Hallelujah Chorus begins playing.
Maybe all this sounds a little flippant. Maybe it is and maybe it is not. I have a couple of thoughts that are a bit less snarky. The words of Jesus follow:
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. -John 14:15-17
Jesus says about the Holy Spirit, “He leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” And then, later, Jesus adds these words; “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin…” I don’t think it is a stretch to realize what Jesus is teaching his follower-disciples. While we, contemporary disciples, will attempt to shirk the responsibility that comes from being a living vessel of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is defining the role of disciples as ambassadors of God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), empowered and sealed with the Comforter-Convictor, Holy Spirit.
So I am not misunderstood, I should clarify that I’m not proposing that people get filled with the Holy Spirit and become obnoxious megaphones spewing hurtful words of judgment toward unwitting, unknowing, people who have not recognized the Holy Spirit or Jesus in their lives. I don’t think this is what Jesus intended when He said the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin. So, what did he mean? Here is a possible interpretation…
We, the followers of Jesus, who are filled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, are the living reflections of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, through us, introduces people to Jesus…brings comfort to those needing it and brings conviction of sin to those who are unaware of the sin and separation from God in their lives. We, the people of God, are the delivery system of the Holy Spirit to the world around us.
The apostle Paul called us “living epistles.”
You yourselves are our letter (living epistles), written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but of the Spirit…” 2 Corinthians 3:2-5
What does it all mean and how does it work? I think what this means is this: We have a greater responsibility than what many of us are willing to sign on for. Sharing the message of Christ through acts of service, giving of our financial resources, asking people to church, and/or using words are only peripheral ways of sharing the message. The primary way of sharing the Gospel is direct delivery through our personal lives, which are lived in the manner and model of Jesus Christ himself. We live as “little Christs” that is why the people were first called Christians in Antioch…because they acted like and lived like Jesus (Acts 11:19-26).
The cost of being a Christian in the terms of the original description is monumental. The cost is our lives—in the least, this will be metaphorical sense, calling us to sacrifice our personal ambitions, rights, finances, and more—all for the purpose of putting God’s kingdom first… at the most, we may be called to (literally) lose our lives for the cause and purpose of God’s kingdom. In this fashion, it is we, through the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world of sin…and helps them to see Jesus.
Jesus has given to us a model of the Kingdom of God spoken through his Sermon on the Mount. The epistles and church letters, which make up the majority of the New Testament teaching, tell us about the life that is lived in the kingdom of God today—on this earth, on this side of eternity. This teaching describes a life that is lived freed from the bondage of sin, capable of living exuberantly the love known as agape, and always hopeful with joy looking forward to the return of Jesus regardless of what the circumstances of the day may dictate. Living the life described in the New Testament is not easy. Jesus told us that it would not be, but to say that we cannot live the life taught by Jesus is to call him a liar.
“We who have once for all cloned ourselves in Christ, and been made worthy to have him dwelling within us, may show everyone, if we choose, simply by the strict discipline of our life and without saying a word, the power of him who dwells in us.” John Chrysostom
Eastertide | Ascension Day
[17MAY2012] Eastertide | Ascension Day
O Almighty God, whose blessed Son our savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abideth with his church on earth, even unto the end of the ages; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” John 16:5-9
The Church celebrates the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ on this day. What that means may be recognized and interpreted in as many different ways as there are people who follow after Jesus… but I do know this; the Ascension of Jesus Christ is hugely, magnificently, overwhelmingly, significant to me and the current context of my life.
For the past few weeks, I have been examining my heart, my motive, my dreams, my understanding of Scripture, and the mission of Christ in my life. So I am not misunderstood, my faith hasn’t been in crisis, but I have been taking note at the odds by which my personal beliefs about the teachings of Jesus seem to diverge from the mainstream of Christian America. This has disturbed me and has been the source of my inner reflection and soul examination. You see, I believe that we, every Christ following believer, can live the life that Jesus lived while he walked the earth. I believe this because he said we could do it. Likewise, I also believe the teachings he espoused in the Beattitudes and The Sermon on the Mount are true and livable expectations for people who have determined to live a life of self-denial and Christ-likeness as they pursue the kingdom of God on this earth while waiting for the ultimate and glorious return of Jesus for the eternal kingdom. The conflict is this; while some people profess to believe these things likewise, there are few that I have met personally, who are intent on pursuing them. I realize this may sound critical and judgmental, and I apologize for that, but it has been my experience.
“We who have once for all cloned ourselves in Christ, and been made worthy to have him dwelling within us, may show everyone, if we choose, simply by the strict discipline of our life and without saying a word, the power of him who dwells in us.” John Chrysostom
This past week I had a break-through of sorts and realized that my discontent was founded in the sense that what I was seeing was true. I also realized that I could not allow the discontent to swell to discouragement. I resolved to continue the course that God has set my heart on; I will press on toward living the kingdom as full as I possibly can on this side of eternity. I will settle for nothing less than all that Jesus has promised. Those persons, believers they may be, who are misguided in their understanding of the promises of God (Galatians 3:12-21), I will pray for them. I will press on with the conviction God has placed in my heart.
Don’t want “believers”
I’ve only recently begun reading this latest book from Mark Buchanan, Your Church is Too Safe: Why Following Christ Turns the World Upside-Down. At this juncture, I’m loving it. This comes as no surprise to me; I think I’ve read all but one of Mark’s books and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. Expect a full review once I’ve completed the book, but until then I’ll leave you with this quote from Your Church is Too Safe.
“At some point we stopped calling Christians disciples and started calling them believers. A disciple is one who follows and imitates Jesus. She loses her life in order to find it. She steeps in the language and culture of Christ until his Word and his world reshape hers, redefine her, change inside out how she sees and thinks and dreams and, finally, lives. Whatever values she brought into his realm are reordered, ofttimes laid waste, and kingdom values take their place. Friends who knew her before scarcely recognize her now.
A believer, not so. She holds certain beliefs, but how deep down these go depends on the weather or her mood. She can get defensive, sometimes bristling so, about her beliefs, but in her honest moments she wonders why they’ve made such scant difference. She still feels alone, afraid, sad, self-protective, dissatisfied. She still wants what she’s always wanted and fears what she’s always feared, sometimes more so. Friends who knew her before find her pretty much the same, just angrier.
You can’t be a disciple without being a believer. But—here’s the rub—you can be a believer and not a disciple. You can say all the right things, think all the right things, believe all the right things, do all the right things, and still not follow and imitate Jesus.
The kingdom of God is made up of travailers, but our churches are largely populated by tourist. The kingdom is full of disciples, but our churches are filled with believers. It’s no wonder we often feel like we’re just going in circles.”
-Mark Buchanan; Your Church is Too Safe, p60.
Confession | Square Peg vs Round Hole
[11MAY2012] Confession | Square Peg vs Round Hole
I have confessed from time to time on this blog that I go through seasons of being “disturbed.” I get this sense of soul indigestion or something; it’s somewhat difficult to describe or explain. I’ve been in one of these seasons for a couple of weeks now…still somewhat in it, since I’m trying to be transparent about it. I don’t think it is a “bad” thing and it is certainly nothing that erodes or even gnaws at my faith, but I much prefer the placid waters, gentle breezes, and blue sky faith over the choppy sea, misty gale force winds, and stormy-thunder sky faith. The tranquil faith is the kind I can do in my sleep with both hands tied behind my back, while the other entails that I work tenaciously and sometimes round the clock to answer the questions in my heart, chokehold the doubts, and rebuke the fear that would shipwreck my joy.
I think one of the most important lessons about these seasons is to recognize them for what they are; they are messengers of the soul. I’ve often referred to them as “dashboard lights.” Regardless of what the seasons are called, I do not believe they can be ignored, at least not without serious repercussion. David Benner writes about this occurrence in his book Spirituality and the Awakening Self; he writes the following insightful words:
In addition to whatever other functions psychological symptoms may serve, they do bring us information about the state of our inner self. That nagging depression or low-level anxiety, or the case with which we lose our temper or are tempted to despair—these are all messengers from our depths that have been sent into consciousness to tell each of us that all is not well in our soul. However, if we ignore or silence the messenger, or refuse to open the letter they bring and attend to the issue they are point us toward, we are doomed to allow the inner problem to worsen and simply postpone the crisis that is eventually awaiting each of us.
The past couple weeks I’ve spent “opening the letter” and “attending the issues,” at least I have been trying. It takes time and discernment to figure some things out, especially when the message isn’t so obvious. In the end, after all the extraneous indicators have been distilled to their lowest common denominators, the message resolves to learning to trust God, growing in patience as we wait with Him, and acting with faithful obedience to the things we know He desires of us. As simple as all this sounds, our spiritual journeys and the tests that we encounter along the way can become incredibly complex at times…and if that is not enough, the complex situations are sometimes divinely shrouded in discernment evading stealth technology. In other words, God does not make it easy on us to figure out the soul disturbances and/or what we are to do about them, so we wrestle.
What I’ve realized once again is that God has a unique calling on my life, of this I am sure. I continue to find myself the square peg and all my furniture is made with round holes. I keep wanting to rush out and get new furniture, but the Holy Spirit continues to stay my hand. I ask myself and the Spirit, if my edges should be shaved that I might be more comfortably fit to the round holes… to which I sense the Spirit saying “Trust Me. Wait with Me.” So, I’ll stay square… and it ain’t easy when you’re surrounded by round holes, but it is the season I’m in and I’ll trust the God who remains always with me.
I was comforted as I was talking with Jesus today and He replied to me through His Word from Ephesians to remember that I am united with Christ. I am holy and without fault in Christ. I am adopted into the family of God and my sins are forgiven. I am “showered” with wisdom and understanding from God. His (God’s) plans for me will not be thwarted because I am identified as His very own. He also gives to me the Holy Spirit. Nothing can change or take this away because He (Jesus) is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come (Ephesians 1:1-14, 21). And so, square peg is comforted…still a little stormy on the inside, but I’m not dictated by feelings; I am just made aware by them.
Posted in A Deeper Walk, Confession, iCrucified, Shaping Me | Tags: confession, Discipleship, Ephesians, Spiritual Formation | 3 Comments »
[28APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
[28APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
I will be posting this devotional series as part of my Eastertide reflections for the next three weeks (see this link for other installments in the series). Each week of this devotional series focuses on a specific theme (week one: brokenness, week two: repentance, and week three: renewal). I hope you’ll enjoy the series and I invite you to comment here on the blog or email me direct; I would love to hear your thoughts.
Renewal: Week 3 | Day 7
Scripture Reading: Mark 6:30-32; Matthew 6:6; Luke 5:16; Mark 1:35
Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”
There is no substitute for “alone time” with God. I think most Christians might agree with this statement, although how we interpret that “time alone” with God might be up for discussion. It might be argued that time alone with God could look very different from person to person, but I’m not convinced that argument is true.
It used to be that I considered my devotion to God as time that I spent doing things for Him. My participation in and with ministry activities accounted for the majority of my time spent with God. Considering there are only so many hours in a day, I wasn’t left with much time remaining after I devoted time to ministry “doing,” employment, daily chores, family time, eating, and sleeping. It was easy for me to justify my acts of ministry, church attendance, and small group as my time with God. If I am honest with myself though, I realize as profitable and God-glorifying as those activities may be, they are still not a substitute for time spent alone with God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes; “We are so afraid of silence that we chase ourselves from one event to the next in order not to have to spend a moment alone with ourselves, in order not to have to look at ourselves in the mirror.” There simply is no substitute for devoted, intentional, silent time, alone with God. It is in this space, alone with Him, where we learn to hear the intimately personal Voice of God. Oh yeah, and as much as I wanted for it to count…my daily commute to work didn’t really qualify as the alone quiet time my soul needed with God; not that I couldn’t pray and/or worship on a work commute or long drive alone, but the distraction of attentive driving precluded devoted attentive listening to God.
Following a number of years of this faithful devotion, I realized the passion and fire of my faith was lacking. I was pretty much on autopilot and going through the motions of religion without much of a relationship with the God of my religion. Oh, I was a good person who was doing good things and I was surrounded by other good people who were doing good things. I’m relatively certain my salvation was secure during this season of life, but there really wasn’t much life in this season, at least not the abundant life that Jesus promises us. I was busy all the time, tired most of the time, and always feeling as if the rest and peace of God were always just out of reach. It pains me to admit this, but I would often claim to be living and experiencing the peace and joy of God, but more often than not, my words were empty faith claims. Around the year 2005-06 I started making silence and solitude with God a top priority in my life. As this has become a faithfully practiced discipline over my past six plus years, I now realize and live in the place of God’s rest, peace, and joy. The times when I fall short in my devotion of solitude with God, I quickly begin to unravel and resort to my old practices of hurried and harried living.
Reflect on and examine the schedule of your life; do you have margin for spending extended quiet time alone with God? When was the last time you spent extended and regular time alone in His presence?
Our Prayer: Father God, I miss You. I know that I could be more devoted in the time I set aside to sit at Your feet and enjoy Your presence. I’m sorry for making excuses and justifying my busy-ness as a reason for not getting alone with You. I pray that You would guide me and help me to reevaluate and reorganize my schedule, so I can make “alone time” with You my most valuable priority. Amen.
Posted in A Deeper Walk, Becoming the Word, Bible Speak, Eastertide, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Liturgical Year, Meditations, Spiritual Formation, The Liturgical Year | Tags: Discipleship, Eastertide, Jesus, Spiritual Formation, The Gospels, The Liturgical Year | No Comments »
Book Review: Leaving Egypt
Book Review: Leaving Egypt
Author: Chuck DeGroat
Publisher: Square Inch ISBN: 9781592556731
Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places
Wow. What a great read! I am sure this is my favorite book I have read this year and I’m all but positive it will rank in my Top Ten List when I reach the end of my reading year. It is that good.
I was not familiar with the author, Chuck DeGroat, before reading this book and was a little skeptical when I first ordered it through the Amazon Vine program. I am very familiar with the Exodus Narrative through Scripture and I have studied the parallels of the narrative as it pertains to individual and corporate spiritual formation. I am always interested to read, study, and converse over elements of the Biblical narrative, particularly the primacy of the Exodus narrative, which occurs over and over again throughout the God-man story… and specifically the God-me story.
Not being familiar with Chuck DeGroat, I was somewhat skeptical and uncommitted to the book for the first few chapters. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of great references made in the early chapters from other theologians, writers, recognized resources from the field of spiritual formation and direction (C.S. Lewis, Gerald May, Henri Nouwen, G.K. Chesterton, Thomas Merton, Teresa Avila, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Brennan Manning, Dan Allender, and Walter Brueggemann… these were just a few of the names I knew and was familiar with). By the time I reached chapter seven, I was fully entrenched in the story, The Exodus Narrative, and completely sold on the fact that Dr. DeGroat was an expert in his subject…and well worth listening to.
The book is broken into four main sections; Egypt (oppression/bondage), Sinai (self-discovery/new identity), Wilderness (purgation/transformation), and Home (deliverance/mission/promise). Chuck moves through these four major acts with the care of a pastor-shepherd, the analytical prowess of an academic-theologian, the discerning ear of a spiritual guide, and the clinical eye and mind of a physician. In addition to the experience he brings from his in-the-trenches work, he also shares personal stories as well as real-life experiences from some of the clients he has represented. These personal interactions are helpful to interweave the millennia-old story of the Exodus into the personal DNA of every person who reads this book. This is where the “magic” occurs. The Exodus story is our story and when we are able to catch sight of this truth, it is when God, our Exodus Guide and Provider, does the work that each of us require as we are prepared for inhabiting the Land of Promise.
This story deals with almost every detail of formation in the life of a believer-follower of Christ. In it you will learn about fear and trust, dependence and humility, inner healing and deliverance from the false selves we create for ourselves…and so much more. This book is a real treasure and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is not a beginner book and I would not push it as a “read it now” book for a new believer, but it should definitely be on their must read list of Christian Living books.
Posted in Bible Speak, Books, Media, Spiritual Formation | Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Chuck DeGroat, Exodus Narrative, Leaving Egypt, Spiritual Formation | No Comments »
[27APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
[27APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
I will be posting this devotional series as part of my Eastertide reflections for the next three weeks (see this link for other installments in the series). Each week of this devotional series focuses on a specific theme (week one: brokenness, week two: repentance, and week three: renewal). I hope you’ll enjoy the series and I invite you to comment here on the blog or email me direct; I would love to hear your thoughts.
Renewal: Week 3 | Day 6
Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30; 14:15-31
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me… If you love me, obey my commandments. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.”
The past few weeks have taken us on a journey leading up to this place of spiritual renewal. We have realized that recognizing our brokenness and responding with repentance (turning back to God) are prerequisites to beginning the path of renewal, but there is more… As we have explored the dynamic of renewal this week, we are learning that it requires certain commitments from us. We learned on Monday that renewal requires humility and contrition; coming before God and asking Him to renew and restore us. Tuesday we acknowledged that renewal and restoration are a partnership with God and that we have a share in the responsibility of our spiritual renewing. Wednesday taught us that successful renewal is best found through deliberate and intentional planning: assessing our need, formulating a plan, enlisting the help of others and putting the plan into action. We learned Thursday, that being wholehearted in our efforts of turning back to God is necessary for our successful renewal. Without our wholehearted involvement, it is likely there will be no partnership with God and spiritual renewal does not happen when we are doing it alone.
The next step in our process of renewal and restoration is hearing the Voice of God and our active obedience to His Voice. Jesus said; “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” This short, but very deep, statement can be summed up as follows: Hear, Listen, Obey. If we have any expectations for hearing God’s Voice, it will always require obedience. Without obedience to God’s instruction, our ability to hear His Voice degrades. Without His Voice, there is no instruction and direction from Him. Without God’s instruction and direction, we lead ourselves blindly and return to our own way… spiritual renewal and restoration fails, as do we. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me… If you love me, obey my commandments. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.”
I confess that my obedience to God’s Voice, following Jesus, has not always been easy. I have often had to make difficult choices, putting aside my personal desires and sacrificing many things along the way (friendships, career, financial decisions, my pride, and these are just a few). The upside of these sacrifices for obedience has been my renewed ability to hear and respond obediently to His Voice!
Have you struggled with being obedient to God’s commands and direction in your life? What has been the source of your struggle? How well do your hear God’s Voice? How closely do you “follow” Jesus?
Our Prayer: Lord Jesus, I admit that I do not always listen to your voice. Sometime I feel that following you is negotiable and discretionary…that I can jump on and off the path without repercussion. I tell myself this, but I know in my deepest heart that it is not true and every time I “jump off the path” or fail to obey you, I weaken our relationship. Lord, I want to confess again, that I am weak, but I know that you are strong, so I ask you to be strong in me. Help me to hear you clearly and by your Holy Spirit, help me to obey you and show you how much I love you by following you. May my life be all for your glory and your honor. Amen.
[26APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
[26APRIL2012] Eastertide Devotional Series
I will be posting this devotional series as part of my Eastertide reflections for the next three weeks (see this link for other installments in the series). Each week of this devotional series focuses on a specific theme (week one: brokenness, week two: repentance, and week three: renewal). I hope you’ll enjoy the series and I invite you to comment here on the blog or email me direct; I would love to hear your thoughts.
Renewal: Week 3 | Day 5
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:10-14; Luke 8:9-18
“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity…”
I’ve known about Jesus all my life, at least for as long as I can remember. My religious life and my ability to “walk with Jesus” for much of the first thirty-seven years of that time (I am now forty-eight) was start and stop, filled with highs and lows, and more often than not—filled with deception, incongruity, and frustration. And then, all that changed; instead of knowing about Jesus, I actually got to know him.
There is something about the dynamic with which God desires his people to relate with him. Early in the unfolding revelation of the God and man relationship, one of the most important instructions is received with the following words; “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5). Our falling short of this mandate has proved to be the weak link in our ability to walk in fullness of experiencing and reflecting God’s kingdom on earth. I know it was the reason for my thirty-seven years of weak representation of Christian living. What changed for me was the sum of what many of these collective devotional writings of the past couple weeks represent—total devotion and desire to seek God wholeheartedly with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I don’t profess to have the Christian walk mastered, not by a long shot, but mastering the Christian walk is not the command…seeking God and loving God wholeheartedly, whole-mindedly, whole-strengthedly, and whole-souled is. True spiritual renewal requires wholehearted participation, surrender and obedience.
Jesus speaks some very challenging and difficult words to his disciples when they ask him about why he speaks in parables. In Luke’s Gospel account, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower. After sharing the Parable, Jesus tells them the following:
His disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’” (Luke 8:9-10 – compare Matthew 13:13-15)
Jesus actually says he uses parables so that those who aren’t really searching won’t find him. He makes it more clear following his explanation of the parable when he very specifically warns his disciples; “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them” (Luke 8:18). Making our search for God and relationship with God a part-time affair or compartmentalized hobby is simply unacceptable to God. He tells us his very Name is Jealous (Exodus 34:14). Halfhearted searching for God usually results in a god of our own making; however, seeking wholeheartedly will be met with fulfillment of God’s promise to find him and finding the one True God makes all the difference in the world in the life of a Christian…I know it has for me.
Our Prayer: O Gracious and Mighty God, help us to desire you more than anything else. We are so easily distracted, but you call us to seek you and love you wholeheartedly. You tell us this is the only acceptable way to find you and love you. Our spirit wants you, but our flesh is often weak, so we pray for strength to follow our spirit as we strive to crucify our flesh daily in our effort to seek and follow you.
Posted in A Deeper Walk, Bible Speak, Eastertide, Gospel of Luke, Liturgical Year, Meditations, Old Testament, Shaping Me, Spiritual Formation, The Liturgical Year | Tags: Devotions, Discipleship, Eastertide, Gospel of Luke, Jeremiah, Old Testament, Spiritual Formation, The Liturgical Year | No Comments »
