Learning Along the Way

First, Alex, who comments on this blog wrote an incredible entry on his blog that I recommend to you. You can get to his blog by clicking on this link. And next week I hope to have another link for you to my friend, Gary Goodell's thoughts on how intimacy with God, community with one another and outreach fit together. But for this week, I share with you some thoughts that were beginning to dawn on me one year ago. I found them in my journal and wanted to share them with you as things I am learning along the way. Again, straight from my personal Secret Place journal with minor editing.

Here is a summary of some of the things I have been learning these past few days. First, I am learning both the importance of and the practice of continuous dialogue with you, Abba, no matter what. Whether during ministry times, or when I am pondering anything--all the time, I think it is possible and essential to be in constant communion and communication with you. I don't yet have a very good idea how to live that way, but I do know that it's what we must move into if we are to live as “kingdom-of-God” people.

The second thing I am learning, from reading The Kingdom Triangle by J.P. Moreland, is just how distorted our culture is and how this distortion has led so many people to pursue the wrong kind of happiness. Our culture tells us that the primary goal in life is our pleasure, our comfort, our “happiness.” But the pursuit of that kind of happiness, where it's all about me and my enjoyment, leads to continually increasing narcissism and depression and confusion, especially for believers who are clearly called to live a life that is not about pursuing happiness but pursuing You and Your Will.

The third thing I am learning is how little of the supernatural realm we have all tapped into. As I read the story in the Smith Wigglesworth devotional this morning about the lady who was told to pray in the Spirit and was then taken in the Spirit to Africa during the time of Mr. Burton's illness, and that he was raised up as she continued to pray, I realized that that is the "normal Christian life" that you intend for us, Father, but it is extremely abnormal and unusual for me and almost every believer I have ever met! We are settling for crumbs from your table when you have prepared for us a banquet, a feast, but I do not know how to get there except maybe perhaps the things you are teaching me that I describe in items number one and two above. And I would add to that a third item which is the importance of faith and the obedience that derives from it. Smith Wigglesworth continually brought people back to trusting the word of God, the Bible, because he knew it expressed the absolute trustworthiness of your character, and because he knew it was the only thing that we could use to bring us to a place of genuine, confident faith--the kind of faith that moves mountains, heals the sick, always cast out demons, etc.

Just some lessons I am learning along the way. I am happy to say that these lessons (and many others) are thankfully being added into my life. It's good to look back one year and see some progress at least!

That's it for this time. Keep pressing into Papa's love.

Tom, Daddy's little boy