I was studying this morning and I came across this Oswald Chambers quote taken from Jesus' conversation with the rich young ruler.
Good Master, what good thing shall I do? (to demonstrate my worthiness of eternal life?). The great lesson that Jesus taught him was that it is not anything he must do, but a relationship he must be willing to get into. A voluntary abandoning of property and riches and a deliberate, devoted attachment to Jesus Christ. What are we depending on that is keeping us from this attachment to Christ? God sanctifies what we give to Him!
As I read it, it is the same message as Tim Keller conveys. Total abandonment of everything that I find comfort in instead of God which could include riches, identity, idols, what I hallow, call it by any name, but these things keep me from the fullness or deepness of my relationship with Jesus. The rich young ruler wanted to make it about his "do." Jesus told him to "do" something - get rid of everything that he depends upon -- but it wasn't because he needed to do something to gain eternal life, the doing was only necessary in order to remove his love for something other than God. That's the reason we "do." Those are the only works that count.
What do I hold back from Him? What keeps me from this total surrender? The surest indication of the things that mute my relationship with Him is the time that I am upset or anxious or stressed. My emotions are the tell-tale sign. The loves of my heart are conveyed in these heated emotions. If I honestly ask myself, what am I after? what am I not getting that has me so riled up? the answer to these questions is the thing that my heart tells me "I must have." This is the very thing that I desire more than God at that moment. This is the thing that is keeping me from totally surrendering. This is my love instead of my God (James 4:1-8).
To know God is to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. Anything less is not truly knowing Him.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Lord is at Hand
I've been studying the book of Philippians the last few weeks. The first week, in error, thinking it was the topic of our Saturday morning study. I did a brief search of the number of times the word "joy" occurs and also any words that pertain to the mind or thinking. One of the themes of the book seems to be that having joy in our hearts is much related to the things that we allow ourselves to think about or dwell on (for Liz).
I have a friend who is having a very serious surgery today. She has been battling colon cancer for the last six months. After taking the prescribed chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she has finally come to the culmination of the treatment; that moment of truth when a surgeon visibly inspects and removes whatever remains of the disease.
I had the privilege of visiting with her this morning. She has been such an encouragement to me. As we visited this morning, I was reminded of her and her husbands devotion to the Lord. They live for the things of God. They understand that God's purposes are the most fulfilling and their lives reflect that. I also understand that there is a tension in living. We know that death is sure, and that things don't always turn out like we would plan.
It is difficult to control our thought life. We are prone to fears in our natural tendency toward self-preservation. Those "what if" thoughts are so difficult to beat down. But if we truly believe in God and that He is in control, the battle begins. We must make the decision repeatedly to totally abandon whatever the outcome will be to Someone who is greater than us. This is the challenge. Our confidence is that no matter what the results will be today, God is ultimately in control of that outcome. We gather all those fearful thoughts and bundle them neatly and carefully to lay all at the feet of Him who holds the world in His hands.
She has demonstrated to me the importance of maintaining her faith by speaking words that elevate and breed confidence in our loving and faithful heavenly Father. But our Father has also demonstrated His faithfulness. He prepared a special devotion for her this morning. Her regular reading spoke specifically of the removal of sin from our lives and referenced a scalpel, of all things. She received such a comfort from reading those words the precise morning the reality of that scalpel was so near to her. She received a special song in church Sunday that was given to her prior to another surgery many years ago. In her past, she was fearful and God gave her a song. He reminded her of His faithfulness by having that same song sung a few days prior to this surgery. God is faithful. God is good. And He made sure she was reminded of it.
We don't know the outcome right now but we do know that God knows. And therefore, everything is alright.
Isaiah 46:9,10
"...for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
and
Ps. 52:9
"I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly."
I have a friend who is having a very serious surgery today. She has been battling colon cancer for the last six months. After taking the prescribed chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she has finally come to the culmination of the treatment; that moment of truth when a surgeon visibly inspects and removes whatever remains of the disease.
I had the privilege of visiting with her this morning. She has been such an encouragement to me. As we visited this morning, I was reminded of her and her husbands devotion to the Lord. They live for the things of God. They understand that God's purposes are the most fulfilling and their lives reflect that. I also understand that there is a tension in living. We know that death is sure, and that things don't always turn out like we would plan.
It is difficult to control our thought life. We are prone to fears in our natural tendency toward self-preservation. Those "what if" thoughts are so difficult to beat down. But if we truly believe in God and that He is in control, the battle begins. We must make the decision repeatedly to totally abandon whatever the outcome will be to Someone who is greater than us. This is the challenge. Our confidence is that no matter what the results will be today, God is ultimately in control of that outcome. We gather all those fearful thoughts and bundle them neatly and carefully to lay all at the feet of Him who holds the world in His hands.
She has demonstrated to me the importance of maintaining her faith by speaking words that elevate and breed confidence in our loving and faithful heavenly Father. But our Father has also demonstrated His faithfulness. He prepared a special devotion for her this morning. Her regular reading spoke specifically of the removal of sin from our lives and referenced a scalpel, of all things. She received such a comfort from reading those words the precise morning the reality of that scalpel was so near to her. She received a special song in church Sunday that was given to her prior to another surgery many years ago. In her past, she was fearful and God gave her a song. He reminded her of His faithfulness by having that same song sung a few days prior to this surgery. God is faithful. God is good. And He made sure she was reminded of it.
We don't know the outcome right now but we do know that God knows. And therefore, everything is alright.
Isaiah 46:9,10
"...for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
and
Ps. 52:9
"I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly."
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Passion for Frivolity
I am absorbed in the Open. The U.S. Open, that is. I enjoy the challenge of sports. Where else can you experience the pressing of an opponent to make that fuzzy little ball so elusive. Often the match is characterized by the enlightenment --not the victor's crown -- but the newfound revealing of my own inner self. That mysterious, hidden, unknowable person that lives beneath the layers, that pops up after that really stupid shot. Sports is the perfect venue for unmasking this person. The exhaustion and disappointment of the match is the very catalyst that unleashes this beast. The anger in failing to hit the shot or being overcome by an opponents power. Whether playing or watching, I see the contest is defined by the mastering of this hidden personality. The real battle, not against opponent but against myself.
The actual contest is the other event defined by the three pound brain exercising its reign, directing and controlling the multi-pound mass of body. It has been said that 90% of sports is mental. The brain initiates the self-talk. The most profitable manifestation is the pep talk which provides the redirection necessary to persevere. This communication is not always a redirection. Some players are baskets of negativity. They shrug and stomp and throw their rackets to the ground. They complain to the officials and to the people in their cheering box, soliciting sympathy and compassion. Their talk is reflective of their errors and frustration. They fill their heads with more confusion and defeat.
The real difference is belief. Belief can be generated by self talk. Belief is a decision to hope. An act of your will. A conscious decision to look for a positive outcome. To visualize that elusive successful shot. To anticipate that it is coming, that it's undoubtedly going to happen. To see yourself hitting it and breathing again. Your body relaxing and the energy surging through your muscles. A former coach of mine called it "the flow". The unconscious moving through the shot. You can't consciously recall the moment or your activity. All that remains is the victorious outcome. A perfect muscle memory, devoid of thought processes. The kinetics of the body perfectly synchronized, moving through the ball, as if overtaken by some other force. No conscious thought of yourself or your being. No awareness of yourself, just motion. Clean and precise. As if you were only a spectator.
The same must be said of the normal Christian life. We are told to walk in the Spirit. This can only be accomplished through faith. Faith must accept the veracity of the Word of God regardless of the circumstances. Even as you believe, be it unto you. The Words Christ spoke, they are Spirit and they are life. Peter said, "where else would we go. Only you have the words of life." The life lived in the Spirit is 100% confidence in another person, Jesus Christ, and the fact of His resurrection. Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Real life is lived only in faith. Belief that He will do it. He will prove Himself strong and that He is alive and living through me. The outcome is not based upon my performance but upon His will. Whatever the outcome, when I am surrendered to Him, will be His perfect will.
I've enjoy watching the players as they compete. My greatest disappointment as a viewer is witnessing as they're swallowed by the waves of defeat. Not based upon the score, but as I interpret their inner talk. I enjoy the most seeing someone who believes that they can overcome, not necessarily the opponent but this battle with themselves. When I witness that victory, it is often through my own tears. I believe for them, with them, cheer for them and delight in their conquest. My own hope for myself is to be victorious in the biggest game of all, my life upon this earth. I know that, as John the Baptist said, this will come only as I decrease and He increases. That is the only victory that matters.
The actual contest is the other event defined by the three pound brain exercising its reign, directing and controlling the multi-pound mass of body. It has been said that 90% of sports is mental. The brain initiates the self-talk. The most profitable manifestation is the pep talk which provides the redirection necessary to persevere. This communication is not always a redirection. Some players are baskets of negativity. They shrug and stomp and throw their rackets to the ground. They complain to the officials and to the people in their cheering box, soliciting sympathy and compassion. Their talk is reflective of their errors and frustration. They fill their heads with more confusion and defeat.
The real difference is belief. Belief can be generated by self talk. Belief is a decision to hope. An act of your will. A conscious decision to look for a positive outcome. To visualize that elusive successful shot. To anticipate that it is coming, that it's undoubtedly going to happen. To see yourself hitting it and breathing again. Your body relaxing and the energy surging through your muscles. A former coach of mine called it "the flow". The unconscious moving through the shot. You can't consciously recall the moment or your activity. All that remains is the victorious outcome. A perfect muscle memory, devoid of thought processes. The kinetics of the body perfectly synchronized, moving through the ball, as if overtaken by some other force. No conscious thought of yourself or your being. No awareness of yourself, just motion. Clean and precise. As if you were only a spectator.
The same must be said of the normal Christian life. We are told to walk in the Spirit. This can only be accomplished through faith. Faith must accept the veracity of the Word of God regardless of the circumstances. Even as you believe, be it unto you. The Words Christ spoke, they are Spirit and they are life. Peter said, "where else would we go. Only you have the words of life." The life lived in the Spirit is 100% confidence in another person, Jesus Christ, and the fact of His resurrection. Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Real life is lived only in faith. Belief that He will do it. He will prove Himself strong and that He is alive and living through me. The outcome is not based upon my performance but upon His will. Whatever the outcome, when I am surrendered to Him, will be His perfect will.
I've enjoy watching the players as they compete. My greatest disappointment as a viewer is witnessing as they're swallowed by the waves of defeat. Not based upon the score, but as I interpret their inner talk. I enjoy the most seeing someone who believes that they can overcome, not necessarily the opponent but this battle with themselves. When I witness that victory, it is often through my own tears. I believe for them, with them, cheer for them and delight in their conquest. My own hope for myself is to be victorious in the biggest game of all, my life upon this earth. I know that, as John the Baptist said, this will come only as I decrease and He increases. That is the only victory that matters.
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