John 15:11 - I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
As Christians, Christ promises that our “joy will overflow” – how many of us have truly claimed that promise? If our view of the Christian walk is a grim plodding along to the dismal drumbeat of obedience we have completely missed the mark. Chambers asks: “Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?” Well? Have we?
The focus of our faith should always be first and foremost on strengthening our relationship with the Father – on seeking His face above all else. Above service, above obedience, above anything we can do in this earthly realm should be the effort we put forth in seeking to know who God is. When we know our God intimately it is only then that Christ can introduce his joy to us. If our lives as Christians are dreary and joyless, then we have a lot of work to do in terms of acquainting ourselves with the Father.
Chambers says:
The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happenings, not in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that Jesus Himself had. The first thing that will hinder this joy is the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances…[God] wants us to get to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.
The joy of Christ transcends our circumstances, but it can only do so when we extract ourselves from our habit of being self-absorbed and instead shift our attentions to being rightly related to our Lord.
Several months ago I came across 2 quotes, both of which had a huge impact on me.
- "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still."
- "God does not have problems. Only plans."
Who said these things and under what circumstances? The first was said by Betsie ten Boom as she lay dying in the indescribable filth and misery of a Nazi concentration camp. She and her entire family, including her sister Corrie (who later became famous for writing her family’s story “The Hiding Place) had been arrested for aiding the Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland. The second was said by Corrie Ten Boom herself after her release. These women were devout Christians who suffered indescribably, one to her death, and yet they had the peace of God even in the midst of their ordeal. Their misery didn’t destroy their faith, their faith overcame their misery and in the midst of it they saw God at work. What an amazing testimony of what God can do when we walk with Him. If these women can find hope – even joy – in the midst of such desperate circumstances, how can I even think to allow the small inconveniences in my life to steal the joy Christ has promised? When I find myself distracted by my difficulties, I need to take a step back and refocus on the Lord. Christ never promises us that we won’t have struggles or that we won’t suffer, but he does promise that He will buoy us through even the most desperate times.
In his closing paragraph, Chambers says:
Stop being self-conscious, stop being a sanctified prig and live the life hid with Christ (Colossians 3:3). The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes.
There is nothing fake or contrived about living life rightly related to God. It has nothing to do with priding ourselves on our exemplary behavior, and everything to do with allowing the love and grace of our Savior to shine through even the minutiae of our daily lives.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
August 28, 2009 WHAT IS THE GOOD OF PRAYER
Luke 11:1 - Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
How many times have we heard someone say – or said ourselves – “well, I guess all we can do now is pray.” So often we consider prayer a last resort – an exercise reserved for that point when nothing else we’ve done or said has worked. But isn’t this backwards? Shouldn’t we consider prayer our FIRST resort? Shouldn’t we bring everything to God in prayer BEFORE we attempt any human effort? When we consider prayer our last choice of remedy, it makes me wonder that with so little faith in the results, why bother with it at all? We need to transform our view of prayer from a short sentence or two before a meal to a powerful opportunity to seek fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
I don’t pray as much as I should. The concept of setting aside a specific time just for prayer is, I’m sorry to admit, not something I’ve ever really taken the time to do. I’ll read my devotional, even read my Bible, but pray? I mean really PRAY? By prayer, I mean more than just the obligatory sentence or two – I’m talking about deep conversation with God. I am guilty of being painfully neglectful of that that aspect of my faith – and I know that I’m not alone in that negligence. Chambers says:
It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
It isn’t that I never pray, but I tend to reserve the privilege for when I have something specific to pray for. Before Carson was born I prayed in that 9 months more than I’d prayed in the last 20 years. First for a healthy child and then that the Lord would squelch my tendency towards hysteria and give me the grace to handle the birth of our child in a way that would make it a wonderful experience for my husband. God answered those prayers for me so completely and I am incredibly grateful for that (as is David, I’m sure). If God will answer THOSE prayers, how much more will he fulfill my desires to know Him better?
I think most of us have said “I want to be a better Christian” but all too often, at least in my own life, the efforts to do so have consisted primarily of a human attempt to be kinder, attend church more faithfully, be a more patient parent or a more attentive wife. What if I were to put that energy into prayer – into nourishing the life of the Son of God in me? It isn’t that those other aspects are unimportant to our lives as Christians – quite the contrary – but when they are approached from our human efforts, success is temporary at best. When we nurture the Son of God in us and allow Him to change who we are, the other aspects fall into place as our lives reflect more and more who He is.
How many times have we heard someone say – or said ourselves – “well, I guess all we can do now is pray.” So often we consider prayer a last resort – an exercise reserved for that point when nothing else we’ve done or said has worked. But isn’t this backwards? Shouldn’t we consider prayer our FIRST resort? Shouldn’t we bring everything to God in prayer BEFORE we attempt any human effort? When we consider prayer our last choice of remedy, it makes me wonder that with so little faith in the results, why bother with it at all? We need to transform our view of prayer from a short sentence or two before a meal to a powerful opportunity to seek fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
I don’t pray as much as I should. The concept of setting aside a specific time just for prayer is, I’m sorry to admit, not something I’ve ever really taken the time to do. I’ll read my devotional, even read my Bible, but pray? I mean really PRAY? By prayer, I mean more than just the obligatory sentence or two – I’m talking about deep conversation with God. I am guilty of being painfully neglectful of that that aspect of my faith – and I know that I’m not alone in that negligence. Chambers says:
It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
It isn’t that I never pray, but I tend to reserve the privilege for when I have something specific to pray for. Before Carson was born I prayed in that 9 months more than I’d prayed in the last 20 years. First for a healthy child and then that the Lord would squelch my tendency towards hysteria and give me the grace to handle the birth of our child in a way that would make it a wonderful experience for my husband. God answered those prayers for me so completely and I am incredibly grateful for that (as is David, I’m sure). If God will answer THOSE prayers, how much more will he fulfill my desires to know Him better?
I think most of us have said “I want to be a better Christian” but all too often, at least in my own life, the efforts to do so have consisted primarily of a human attempt to be kinder, attend church more faithfully, be a more patient parent or a more attentive wife. What if I were to put that energy into prayer – into nourishing the life of the Son of God in me? It isn’t that those other aspects are unimportant to our lives as Christians – quite the contrary – but when they are approached from our human efforts, success is temporary at best. When we nurture the Son of God in us and allow Him to change who we are, the other aspects fall into place as our lives reflect more and more who He is.
My Mornings With Oz...
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers is the most amazing devotional book I've come across. Compiled from a series of lectures given by Chambers between 1911 and 1915, I'm often amazed by how relevant they remain even today. Though the language is sometimes a bit archaic the message is timeless and I've gleaned more insight into my faith through his words than I have from any book other than my bible.
Times of devotion are a challenge for me to maintain - I take on the commitment of daily devotions with great fervor only to find my enthusiasm flag months, perhaps even just weeks later. Now that I'm a mother and feel the responsibility of raising up a child weighing heavily upon me, I know that now more than ever it is critical that I maintain my spiritual health and my commitment to the God who created me - and my precious son.
These are my thoughts on those devotionals - my comments and considerations of each days offering from Oswald Chambers. His dedication is inspiring and his words fodder for further reflection. It is through these devotions that I'm continuing my journey of faith. Through them, I seek to simply grow in Christ, my life becoming more and more a reflection of His amazing love and grace.
Times of devotion are a challenge for me to maintain - I take on the commitment of daily devotions with great fervor only to find my enthusiasm flag months, perhaps even just weeks later. Now that I'm a mother and feel the responsibility of raising up a child weighing heavily upon me, I know that now more than ever it is critical that I maintain my spiritual health and my commitment to the God who created me - and my precious son.
These are my thoughts on those devotionals - my comments and considerations of each days offering from Oswald Chambers. His dedication is inspiring and his words fodder for further reflection. It is through these devotions that I'm continuing my journey of faith. Through them, I seek to simply grow in Christ, my life becoming more and more a reflection of His amazing love and grace.
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