This week I am more or less continuing the theme from last week of bearing fruit by "maintaining a living communion" with Jesus. In spite of my affirmation last week that I am seeing more consistency in the "practice of the Presence of God," I am also acutely aware that far too often by the end of the day I have once again seized control of my life to some extent and am once again back to "working for God." But today Father reminded me of something so foundational to this journey that I knew I had to share it with you.
First, I take you to an entry from my journal from January 5 of this year. I hear you repeating to me what you said to me on July 5 of last year, Abba. It is a real key to all of this: “See, little one? You must always wait until full awareness of my presence comes before doing anything, even praying. And you must return immediately when you lose it.”
Ah, Father! At least I can at last “see” this. It is possible to live this out! Anytime that my sense of your presence leaves (usually due to a willful choice on my part, but other things can cause it as well) I can and must turn immediately back to you. There is a way to live life totally dependent upon your grace as Brother Lawrence describes, yet in a way that requires us to be mature and interactive in our relationship with you. I see it, and that gives me hope that I will live it! “Show me your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.”
Okay, so as I am pondering this little review from Papa God and realize that I still struggle at times to live this out, I ask Him for help. And He graciously responds by taking me back to one of the books I recommend most highly and most often, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero, particularly the section where Pete writes about the Daily Office (taking time at points in the day to refocus on God). And the lights come on for me in a way they never have before: there is a power to living with rhythms in our lives that we in our western culture have almost entirely lost. As I ponder this, I realize that several times in the past couple of years, Father has told me that I need to be intentional about taking time throughout the day to purposefully re-center on Him. In other words, He was telling me that as someone made in His image, there is place for rhythm in my life.
As I have continued to reflect on this today (taking time to re-focus), I have come to realize that for thousands of years, God's people have had rhythms in their lives. Moses established the rhythm of the Sabbath, and Jesus and his contemporaries practiced the rhythm of set times of prayer throughout the day, etc.
Why is the place of rhythm so important in our lives? I am not sure. I am sure that there is a difference between routine and rhythm, though, and that the difference is found in how we view the regular part of a rhythm. I won't fall into routine if I remember that it's about building relationship with the One who loves me most. And allowing Him to lead during the times, adapting it to my own unique "wiring" keeps things fresh. My wife and I enjoy a date night every Friday night--and some of it is similar--but it's always good and fresh because of the dynamic part of being in relationship with one another. How much more true is this when we are with the One who is the most creative Being in the Universe!
I close with a few quotes from Peter Scazzero, so that you will want to get this book if you haven't already. I think these quotes will help you catch both the power and the freedom found in this rhythm. (Note: I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this book, at least in my journey. I am convinced that if people "really get it," everything will change!).
"At the heart of the Daily Office and the Sabbath is stopping to surrender to God in trust. Failure to do so is the very essence of the sin in the Garden of Eden." (p. 156)
"The root of the Daily Office is not so much turning to God to get something but to be with Someone." (p. 157)
"God has built us each differently. What works for one person will not for another. Geri and I approach our Daily Office very differently. I prefer more structure...Geri utilizes a variety of tools...and enjoys great flexibility to what she does in her time with God." (p. 159)
"The purpose of the Daily Office is to remember God and commune with him through all our days. Keep that clearly in mind as you (TW note: I would say, He) develops structures and habits that fit you." (p. 162)
So what will this look like in my life? I am hearing Papa invite me to two specific changes in how I approach my life. First, I am planning to add brief times around noon and in the evenings to refocus (stop, re-center, still my heart, ponder Scripture). Second, I am asking Holy Spirit to make me even more sensitive when my peace leaves and to call me back--at that moment--to a "mini-Daily Office." I am sure I will have some things to report as this unfolds in my life. (And I have now made myself accountable to my entire blogging audience--what was I thinking????
Pressing in to find the rhythms that Father has for me. I invite you to do the same.
Tom, one of Abba's little boys.
7 comments:
Hi, Tom,
I must say you make walking in the Spirit or being led by the Spirit harder than it is. All we need as believers is the Spirit, the Word, and all aspects of prayer, yielding or surrendering to the Holy Spirit in complete obedience as He leads us.
How did those who walked in the Spirit or were led by the Spirit do this before the book you recommended was written? What did the apostles have? The word of God and the words of Jesus the Holy Spirit brought to their minds. They were filled with and had the Holy Spirit, the word, and sought God in prayer for wisdom, revelation in knowledge, understanding to “See” what life in Christ was all about. Should it be any different today? Absolutely not! We have been given the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth and we do not need anyone teach us due to the Holy Spirit teaching us how to abide in Him. It is the Spirit who gives life and understanding to the word of God and we must spend the time and develop an intimate relationship in order to hear what the Spirit is saying to each of us personally. This requires that we must renew our minds with His word, find out what is acceptable to Him, examining ourselves to see if we are in the faith living for and pleasing Him or for ourselves. Simply put, walking in the Spirit or walking in our flesh. This would include the examination of our motives keeping our heart right with Him at all times.
We need to pray for ourselves as the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians believers. Asking God the Father to give us a spirit of wisdom, revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of our understanding being enlightened that we may know the hope of His calling (Eph. 1:17-18). We also need to pray as Paul prayed for the believers in Philippians 1:9-11 for ourselves. We should pray for our love would grow more and more in knowledge and all discernment to approve what is excellent, that we would be sincere and without offense of blameless, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ. We are to be filled with fruits of righteousness which are produced by Jesus, it Christ in you the hope of glory. We should be praying for ourselves as Paul prayed for the believers in Colosse. We should asked to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, in order to walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing Him, and fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, and strengthen with all might according to His power.
To pray these prayers with integrity would mean we would have to read His word to be filled with the knowledge of His will with all wisdom and spiritual understanding to practically and accurately apply the word of God as the Spirit leads us to do so to our situations in order to fully obey and please Him. We call this the discipline of surrender. We learn to surrender our flesh and learn to be dependent upon the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, direct, teach, give us wisdom, understanding, revelation, knowledge, enlightenment, the words to speak, and the ability and power to do all that is pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ. This how we learn to walk in the Spirit, grow in love and learn to discern what is excellent. Remember, the first century churches met in houses who were small in numbers they did not have access to books, or many brilliant minds. The eleven apostles were untaught and unlearned, but they all had access to God and the Spirit of truth as do all believers. If believers want to learn to be led by the Holy Spirit all we need to do is seek the Lord through reading His word, praying for understanding and wisdom, and listen for the Holy Spirit to teach, lead, and guide us into all truth, and as we walk in truth we grow in love.
Grace and peace,
His nothing,
Jeff
Once again, Thanks Tom.
It so echoes the place I find myself in as this journey with Him moves me closer to Him. I am reminded of Enoch who walked with God and was not for God took him!
I am finding myself frequently singing the chorus, "You're all I want; you're all I ever needed; you're all I want, help me know you are here."
Of late I have been wrestling with the line, "you're all I want." I can honestly say that I have never wanted this more in my life than at this point in my life. However, I am also wrestling with keeping in perspective wanting my wife, wanting time with my children and those I gather with. I know that Abba isn't saying "make a choice--me or them." But I wonder if Enoch didn't wrestle with this as for some 300-years he walked this incredible journey with Elohim that eventually brought him so close to Abba that he just stayed there!
Wow! What an amazing time to be on this journey.
Blessings on you.
ron
First, thanks, Ron, for comment. You are an encouragement to many, my friend.
Jeff, I am fairly sure you are sort of missing my point. But I recognize that you are only wanting to encourage me and I thank you for that.
Tom
Hi Tom,
I am was incouraged when I read your blogg because that very night (wed 5-20-09)I was explaining to our group how my relationship with God was feeling and what He was reveiling to me.To discribe the relationship I have with God right now is like the tides.When God and I are communing He and I are walking and talking together,I feel the intencity of Him being with me,guiding me n his word,clearing my way to reach Him in everything I do.But the pressure and distraction of the world creeps in and takes my attention frm being in constant contact,and I have faded from that intensity.So then I fight my to get it back to have him in my every thought untill that feeling of him is again surrounds me.I feel that these are the tides in my life the high tides is full of him and always fresh and exciting and my distractions are my low tides where I am praising,praying,worship for in incoming high tide that brings me even closer.This is my 'Ebb and Flow"Thankfully the High tides are lasting longer and I am always excited for them.
Don
Tom,
Thanks for the vulnerability and the sharing of the journey! It rings true with me. I acknowledge that it is with me as it was with the disciples that day in the garden when Jesus said; "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"! I believe our brains and emotions are a part of that equation too. I also take comfort that I am in step with the likes of the Apostle Paul who also wrestled with this same thing I believe as well. As he speaks in Romans about the war within and his own struggle in his words "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing". Would that I could walk each day fully understanding all that is entailed in the truth - that I am immersed in the Fathers love and so walk fully in His power and Spirit at all times. That I was so in tuned with His voice that my every move, moved with Him. Ah but alas, it is not yet so. I too am challenged by the suggestion to stop at different points in the day with deliberate thought, to check in and make sure I'm in rhythm and not singing a melody of my own...off key to boot too!
Pam
Jeff I have to say at this point that I am directing this to you. I will preface with the thought and hope, that you may not realize how you come across in your writings. Your first words "I must say you make walking in the Spirit or being led by the Spirit harder than it is" rankled me. Aside from my great love of Tom and my personal knowledge of who he is and what he holds in that noggin of his, let alone in his heart, that statement itself shows how much you don't get it on many levels. The words that follow are true and scriptural, however you fail to balance them with the reality of walking out that life which the Word is replete with encouragement for BECAUSE it is no easy thing.
You speak of your life as if you have this down pat, and with a tone that smacks of works and not relationship. That we who speak of our journey simply must not grasp the truth of the Word, pray enough, read enough... all of which are important but can become "works", and a method in which one would think they were "doing" it right yet miss the "being". The apostles wrote of the struggles of sin, the battle of the mind and of the flesh. They were writing led by the Holy Spirit yes, but it was out of their personal growth and journey's. Not looking back only at what they had already accomplished but what they were walking, learning, and growing in themselves.
Paul writes of pressing on towards the mark. He uses words of war and strength. Being a Pharisee, he had much of the outward stuff under control. What sin/s could this man of God have struggled with so vehemently? He walked in the Spirit did he not? The "evil" he speaks of is a word that also reflects " of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting". Could it be that in the middle of the day he found himself not fully drawing on the power of Christ in him, but in his own knowledge.and strength? His reliance may have been off mark, perhaps caught up in the work of the kingdom he didn't rest fully in the Lord, or maybe his emotions got away from him. We really don't know for sure but we do know that he was a vulnerable man who spoke of himself and his struggles as in Phil as one who had a great desire to "know Christ", 'know the power of his resurrection", but goes on to say "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on" it was to Paul, a process. Yet in all you say I do not hear love, passion, humility, realness. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit, prayer, and the Word but we are also called to be in relationship with one another, to confess to one another, to seek wisdom from others more mature in the faith. Reading a book from a good strong Christian author who has traveled a road and then shared his journey would fall into that category.
I congratulate you, if you truly have arrived, but have to admit then that you surpass all I have ever met or read of their lives journey's and I have met some great ones in the faith! I wonder if you are speaking of the same thing as we are.
Thanks, everyone, for even more comments!
Pam, thanks for your encouragement and for your kind words. You know me quite well, so I opted to post your comments.
I should point out, though, that Paul's words in Romans 7 describe his pre-Christian life, not his life as a believer. A look at the entire context will reveal this to be true. For example, in verse 14 which immediately precedes the section you quoted Paul says that he is "of the flesh, sold under sin" a phrase that he never uses of a believer and certainly not himself. And in Romans 8:2 he clearly states that believers have been set free from the law of sin and death that he is describing in Romans 7. The reason it is important to not see Romans 7 as applying to believers is that it so misses the point of Romans 6-8 and it also leaves the impression that we cannot live a "victorious Christian life."
On the other points, however, you are spot on. Paul, even towards the end of his life, clearly said that he had "not arrived" (Philippians 3:7-14), and it is clear that he wrestled at times with anxiety for those he loved (see especially 2 Cor. 11:28-29 and also 2 Cor. 7:5 ff.).
Nuff said. Just wanted to gently correct a common Christian notion about Romans 7 while commending your wisdom and grace in your responses.
Tom
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