Time is Precious

Psalm 90:12 (NIV)  Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

As part of a group study I am doing, I engaged in a 48-hour media fast this past week. The purpose was to eliminate all TV watching, radio listening, internet time, emailing, podcast listening, and pretty much most things electronic or digital. I did keep my phone on for calls. I did not look at emails, check on or hear weather forecasts (or any news), or look at Facebook, etc.

You would think that 48 hours of this is not very long. But one thing I found is that I seemed to have a lot more time on my hands: time that I used to start a book that has been sitting in my briefcase for at least a month. I also had a lot of time just to think. I had time when I was not doing work-related activity that I was not used to having. I had more time to pray. I had more time for undistracted conversation with Joanne. I even had time to take a nap both days, something I rarely do. My “new-found” time enabled me to do a little more (work) around the house than I usually do.

All of this made me realize that I actually have more time available to me than I often think I have. It challenged me to be more aware of time wasters that do not serve as the optimal or best use of my hours. I am not sure if I will continue to do such “fasts”. I think if I don’t, then it will be easy to slip back into a less guarded use of my time.

Time is a precious commodity in our lives. Exercises like this one can help us evaluate if we are serving God with our time. The time God provides to us is a gift from Him that can be used for His purposes and glory, or for our own selfish ends. I am reminded of an old rhyme I learned as a child – “Only one life, ’twill soon be past: only what’s done for Christ will last.” Another way to think of this is that time is worship… or not. Another old saying is that “Time is money.” That is one way to look at it. But as a disciple of Jesus saved by God’s grace, I think that understanding time as worship (or not) is a much more powerful – and spiritually healthy – way to think about time.

Here is the question: How does my use of time (even small bits of time) glorify God? I honestly believe that there are times in our lives when taking a nap (or just sleeping more) is the most spiritual thing we can do – so that our bodies are renewed and our service to the Lord is enhanced. Then there are times that too much sleeping is just an expression of laziness, or poor time management (staying up too late, for example). I would never dictate to anyone how to use their hours. But I do know that God knows the difference between hours in my life that honor Him, and hours (or even minutes) that do not.

I am the last person to be a lecturer on this subject. In reality I am just a learner. May we together be intentional about guarding our time and continuing to learn how we may best glorify our Lord in how we use our days. I have noticed as I have grown older that my days seem to pass more quickly. But every day is the same (timewise) and is a great opportunity to experience the abundant life that Jesus gives.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (NIV) ²⁹  What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; ³⁰  those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; ³¹  those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV) ¹⁵  Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶  making the most of every opportunity (redeeming the time), because the days are evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 (NIV)  Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"--

PRAYER:  Lord God, let me look at time as your gift. Let me enjoy it and lovingly – not legalistically – use it with you and for your glory, and thus bring honor to your name. Thank you. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!   

Scott

God Is Always Faithful

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

I watched part of (including the end of) the Minnesota Vikings-New Orleans Saints playoff game last Sunday. The sports commentators and pundits have probably said all that needs to be said about that “miracle” ending, but I was struck with quickness and depth of emotional change on the part of both teams and their fans. The Vikings had taken the lead and things looked great for them. Then the Saints kicked a field goal with less than a minute left and took the lead. It then looked hopeless for the Vikings. With 10 seconds left Case Keenum, the quarterback of the Vikings threw a pass that – caught or dropped – should have virtually ended the game. But the defender failed to stop the pass and then to stop the receiver who caught the pass… and then Stefon Diggs ran all the way to the end zone – untouched – for a touchdown as time ran out and the win. The stadium full of Vikings fans roared and rejoiced, while Saints fans everywhere were stunned into disappointed sadness and the team could barely be mustered for the required extra point play.

Things like this happen often in sports. The drama of it all is one of the things that attracts fans. While we enjoy being on the winning end of things, fans also suffer through the losing end of some hard losses. Sports is not the only arena in life where such dramatic changes can happen. I worked with a pastor many years ago who often reminded the congregation – when they would become a little too confident in the church’s bank accounts or when people rested spiritually on their own laurels – “God can take it all away in a moment.” His purpose was not to be negative or depressing, but to be sober-minded and to call us to be careful to avoid being presumptuous upon God and His blessings: to enjoy them for sure, and to glorify God in/for them for sure, but to avoid any and all self-assurance in favor of God-assurance.

Any of our lives can change in the briefest moment of time – for good or for bad. The loss of a loved one, an injury in an accident, a diagnosis of disease, the loss of a job, a natural disaster… or an unexpected gift in the mail, the positive result of a pregnancy test, the news you got the job or made the team or passed the test… these are but a few examples of things that can send your emotions soaring or diving very quickly.

It is a comfort to know the Lord in the midst of the rollercoaster of life. The Lord does not change in our lowest lows and our highest highs. He’s there, always the same. But He does not remove us from them, either. He “rides along”, if you will, without change in His plan for us and His love and care for us. One of the favorite hymns in the lives of many, and certainly in my life is Thomas Chisholm’s Great Is Thy Faithfulness…

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

     

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

      Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

       “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Psalm 23:1-6 (NIV) ¹  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. ²  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³  he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. ⁴  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ⁵  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Lamentations 3:21-26 (NIV) ²¹  Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: ²²  Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴  I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." ²⁵  The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; ²⁶  it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Malachi 3:6 (NIV)  "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

James 1:17 (NIV)  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

PRAYER:  Lord God, I look to you in the depths of my lowest lows, and I look to you in the heights of my highest highs. Most of my life is lived in between them, and I look to you then and there as well. Thank you that you never leave nor forsake me. You are my Hope in all things. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!   

Scott

Get the Picture?

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

            There are two trails that pass through Great Meadow, a small section of Acadia just outside of the town of Bar Harbor. It’s so close that they are easily accessible for people like me to walk to and through. I try to walk daily, though I probably average more like 4-5 times a week. Both trails make their way to Sieur de Monts Springs, which is at the base of Dorr Mountain. The Jesup Trail, after cutting about halfway through Great Meadow, becomes a long, narrow boardwalk through a marshy and wooded part of the meadow. The other trail is called the Hemlock Road. From Sieurs de Mont it has a feel of a carriage path, and the term “road” fits somewhat. It leads to the Hemlock Trail, which is an access route to the North Ridge Trail up Dorr Mountain. It crosses the Jesup Path about where the boardwalk ends and continues on toward the loop road.

            It would be wrong to say that Acadia is beautiful just in the summer or fall. I walked these trails a couple of times last week. On Saturday I noticed a beautiful grove of trees with rough, gray bark in front of a background of brown grass and a gray sky that seemed to be saying, “Guess what… I have the first snowfall of winter on the way in me.” Joanne and I have snow-shoed these trails in winter. They are always beautiful. A good-sized portion of the Hemlock Road is lined with white birches. It is a fine-looking stretch. There have been times over the years that I have tried to photograph the path there, but have found it difficult. The reason is that a number of the birch trees have been defaced at some point in the past when someone (probably different people at different times) peeled a section of bark off them – in some cases up to a couple of feet long. These comparatively unsightly trees cannot be avoided in the viewfinder of your camera. As a teenager I was taught never to remove bark from a birch tree because it will never grow back. Doing so leaves a permanent scar on the tree. In a grove of birches, even one tree with such a scar stands out. As much as the photographer wishes it were different, the unsightly blemish will inevitably show up in his photo – if he takes it.

            As I walked on the path through these trees I began to think about the scars of Jesus. We learn in reading the Gospels that after His resurrection Jesus still bore the scars of the crucifixion in His body. They were not removed. They did not magically disappear. In fact, they are a permanent reminder of God’s love and grace, which extended far enough to cover our sin. A human being scarred those birch trees. And human beings (including us all) were responsible for the scars on Christ’s body. Many people love Christmas, and rightly so: the birth of Jesus, angels singing, obedient Joseph and Mary, shepherds hearing and seeing. On the surface this is a picture of a “nice” baby Jesus and a “pure and innocent” group of people. The story has had staying power for twenty centuries. Those who like to think of a “nice” baby Jesus growing up to be a “nice” man who did “nice” things for a lot of people,… but then aren’t willing to go any further with Jesus are merely pretending not to see the scars, or are unwilling to look at them. The Incarnation of Jesus only begins with the Nativity scene. Christ came with purpose and intent… with a plan to go to the cross. You cannot get Good Friday out of the same picture in which you find the Nativity, just like you cannot get the whole picture without the empty tomb. Photo shopping is the digital alteration of photos with image-editing software. It’s amazing how easy it is to tell a lie with a photo if you can edit it. I could make myself look thin. I could remove my wrinkles, bumps, moles, blemishes, crooked smile, hairlessness… anything I want. But when this is done, the image no longer depicts reality. It has been altered artificially. It is important spiritually to avoid at all costs a “photo shopped” view of Jesus.

            In the upper room Jesus held out His hands to Thomas with an invitation to touch the scars. This was after His resurrection. You cannot get those scars out of the picture. The image of a birch tree with a permanent scar is a sad one. But the image of the Savior – Jesus the Christ – with a permanent scar is actually glad one – for us. Don’t try to photo shop it or “airbrush” it out of the picture… out of the whole story of Jesus. Rather, rejoice, for those scars are the most beautiful thing you will ever look upon. The manger is empty. Jesus fully experienced humanness. The cross is empty. Christ is no longer on it. And just as important, the tomb is empty. Christ is no longer in it. Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.

John 20:24-29 (NIV) ²⁴  Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵  So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." ²⁶  A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁷  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." ²⁸  Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" ²⁹  Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

PRAYER:  Lord God, thank you for the beauty of Christ’s scars, and for the greatness of the love they remind me of. All glory, honor, and praise to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!   

Scott

High Octane Grace

2 Corinthians 4:15 (NIV)  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

            Before Thanksgiving I heard a preacher use an illustration about fuel for a sermon he was preaching about generosity. I liked the illustration so much that I used it this past Sunday, albeit in a different way. In his message his point was that just like a large plane needs the right fuel in sufficient quantities, generosity needs the right fuel. Batteries will not power jet engines. They require the necessary fuel: jet fuel. When we depend upon guilt or a desire to make an impression or an immediate reward from God to motivate us to be generous, we will always end up disappointed. These are not good fuel for generosity: none will “get us off the ground” when it comes to God’s purposes and plan, and our joy. Using 2 Corinthians 8:7 – “But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” – he showed how the only fuel for generosity that worked in a godly way was grace.

            In my message Sunday I suggested the grace is a powerful fuel for gratitude. We saw in 1 Corinthians 4:7 that all that we possess and all that we are… are things that that we have only received. God’s grace – in giving us all things – when we understand it, becomes fuel – powerful fuel – for giving thanks.

            The more I think about this the more I realize that grace is the fuel for many – if not all – things spiritual,  and all things that make us like Christ. The deeper, higher, and wider our personal experience of grace is… then the greater our capacity for forgiveness, for love, for praise, for worship, for endurance of suffering and hardship, for example. We are called upon to do many acts of service – to care for our neighbors and to minister to those in need – and there are many. You’ll see some referenced in this check-in. Grace is the best fuel for serving others. We can easily be overwhelmed if we depend on our own strength, wisdom, and resources to motivate us. How many of us have felt the difficulty of forgiving another? How many of us have struggled with pain or suffering? How often do we act with impatience and a lack of mercy? How can we cope? How can we do more than cope… how can we thrive in Christ? By “filling up” on the right fuel – the fuel of God’s grace. Just like AA batteries will never get a 747 off the ground, any other source of spiritual fuel we look to will fail us. Duty, tradition, fear, feeling guilty, working hard (personal achievement or attainment), keeping a spouse off my back, wanting people to like me… all such motivations are mere batteries. True power for the things of God comes from the right fuel source; the fuel of grace.

            And the reservoir of God’s grace is vast. It is great enough to equip us for the hardest of things and the longest of time frames. It will transform our motivations, the depth of our sincerity, and form us in Christ’s likeness. God’s grace is the source of our power, and it never dries up. Unlike all the fuel resources of our planet (which are finite), God’s grace is available in infinite supply. His grace cannot be emptied or exhausted. There is never a shortage. Whenever and wherever the need, go to God’s grace. It will always be (more than) sufficient for whatever God calls you to or expects from you.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Ephesians 3:7 (NIV)  I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.

2 Timothy 2:1 (NIV)  You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

John 1:14 (NIV)  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

PRAYER:  Lord God, let your grace be upon me, and let it fuel my love for you and for others. May it truly transform my heart, my motives, my attitude, and my desires. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Stop, Look, and Listen

Matthew 6:29 (NIV)  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Shimmering ocean blue

Cloudless sky

Haze on the horizon

Gulls gliding

Leaves rustling in the breeze

Mountains in the distance

Sound of wind

Pine branches shining in the sun

Leaves turning gold

Barren, dead pine branches

Spruce needles turning yellow

White birch bark

Brown pine needles on the ground

Lichen-covered rocks

Dead ferns

Lots of dryness

Ground plants turning red

Thick balsam fir branches

Dry leaves on the ground

Acorns plopping to the ground

Fallen spruce and pine cones

Tough, gray, rough bark

Bright red, orange, and mixed maple leaves

Brown, shiny oak leaves

Pond water glittering in the sun

Very low pond water

Dead trees filling a swamp

Red and blue damselflies

Bird song in the trees

Beaver house

Insects illuminated in the sunlight

Lily pads floating

Mud and muck

Shriveled goldenrod

Red squirrel scurrying

Red bushes reflecting on the water

Thin white clouds

Stridulating crickets

Sunlight and shadows filtering through the woods

Gray squirrel foraging

Smell of vegetation dying

Wind moving over the surface of the water

No poetry here - just a list. I took twenty minutes or so one day just observing the obvious. Many of these things are missed by too quick a ride – or even a walk in the Park. But set aside a few meager minutes to pay a little closer attention… and the glory of God comes into sharper focus. Yet even still so many details go unnoticed. For those you must look closer… and closer… and closer still. And in the end what you behold is just the mere reflection of God’s glory. But it’s good. Real good… at least until we get to see Jesus Himself someday. To experience this goodness of what God has made I must choose to simply stop… look… listen... to make the effort to do nothing (there’s a paradox). Then God can show me. Then I can see. Then I can hear. Then I can experience His wonders… all around me. Then worship is inevitable.

Isaiah 35:1-2 (NIV) ¹  The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; ²  it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV)  As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Job 38:4 (NIV)  "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.

Genesis 1:2 (NIV)  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:11-12 (NIV) ¹¹  Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. ¹²  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:20-21 (NIV) ²⁰  And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." ²¹  So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24-25 (NIV) ²⁴  And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. ²⁵  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

PRAYER:  Wow, Lord. Give me grace to see, hear, smell, and touch your wonders… all around me… and then to worship you aright. Let me take nothing for granted, for it all points to your majesty and glory. In the name of Jesus, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Grow

Luke 2:52 (NIV)  And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Spiritual growth (being formed into the likeness of Jesus) is not automatic. Nor is it “simple”. Jeffrey Zacks, professor of psychology and radiology at Washington University in St Louis, laments what he calls a "global trend" of looking for short cuts to solve our problems.

“Is it just me, or is everybody out there looking for a quick fix? There is something highly compelling about the idea that there is a secret switch we can flip to become suddenly smarter, to reveal cognitive abilities hidden inside each of us. It is a notion that certainly has commercial appeal. Over just seven years, the games-maker Lumosity rocketed from zero to 50 million users, promising rapid improvements in general intelligence by playing brain-training video games for just a few weeks. (Lumosity recently settled with the United States Federal Trade Commission for making unsupported claims that its product was scientifically validated.) "Memory health" nutritional supplements have sales of more than $1.5 billion, and "smart drugs"—pills to enhance cognitive performance—have become prevalent on college campuses. Purveyors of products based on subliminal messages promise to teach us foreign languages and cure our addictions while we sleep. And makers of headgear that attaches electrodes to our scalps promise to rev up our brains to improve gaming performance and other cognitive activities.”

            Sanctification, the goal of the Christian, is a process. There are no shortcuts. The Holy Spirit is given to us at conversion and one of the things He does for us is continually point us to Jesus, that we might glorify Him in thought, word, attitude, and action… that all of life would come under His lordship and oversight. Disciples of Jesus are simply apprentices in what it means to be completely and continually surrendered to Jesus in all things. There are no shortcuts in this process of becoming holy. Our enemy, the devil, seeks to get and keep us off track. He is behind the temptation we experience, and together with our own desires and proneness to self-oriented living, we experience an ongoing struggle/battle with sin and self. Our flesh (our sinful human nature) wars against the development of spiritual maturity. But we have received the resources we need for this struggle. We have the Word of God. We have the Spirit of God. We have the Body of Christ (the Church). We have close brothers and sisters in Christ. We have received much. And we need much in this battle. We also have the example of Christians who have gone on before us in the practice of spiritual disciplines, or “soul-training exercises” as author James Bryan Smith describes them. These practices impact and provide a framework for growth in Christ. His list includes things like sleep, silence in the presence of God, (intentionally and carefully) counting your blessings, praying Scripture, reading Scripture in listening mode, creating margin, solitude (intentional time alone with God), slowing down, writing to God, practicing hospitality, keeping the Sabbath, fasting from media, learning to pray for things we don’t want, serving in secret, practicing de-accumulation, stretching our time without gossip (and other specific sins), sharing our faith, focusing on treasuring the right things, loving those we disagree with, experiencing reconciliation, practicing accountability, learning to be stewards, and worship.

            We can practice any and all of these, and out of that practice comes a deepening experience of the likeness of Jesus and of His abiding presence. Sanctification is a process. There are no shortcuts. Anything that grows (into anything good) takes time, and the bringing together of right circumstances and the resources necessary for health and wholeness. Whether it is fruit, vegetable, animal, or human, growth requires nurturing and care. Believers in Jesus are born (again), not made. Spiritually mature believers are not born that way. We grow… over time… through good times and bad… with the steady application of practices and relationships that train our souls.

            Please pray for our deacons as they undergo a long-term study of these things, in anticipation of sharing them with others in our church. Pray for their growth in Christlikeness and holiness.

Psalm 92:12-14 (NIV) ¹²  The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; ¹³  planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴  They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV) ⁵  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ⁹  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

Ephesians 4:14-16 (NIV) ¹⁴  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

PRAYER:  Lord, please provide everything I need to grow in holiness, including my desire and my willingness to engage in practices that create in me a place for growth. Fill me with Your Spirit, and may my likeness to Jesus be ever increasing… by your grace and for your glory. Thank you. In the name of Jesus, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Broken In

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷  so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I started wearing a new pair of shoes this week. Actually, I bought them a couple of years ago because of a great sale price. But I haven’t needed them until now. They are identical to a pair of shoes I bought seven years ago in preparation for the travels Joanne and I were going to do as part of my sabbatical. I came to love those shoes. For seven years they have been the most comfortable footwear I own, and they have lasted all this time. A good pair of shoes is like a good friend. The fit is great and they’re always there for you. But with shoes, sooner or later they wear out. I’ve known people who would get certain sneakers/athletic shoes in their life re-soled so that they could keep and use them longer. That’s how much they loved them. Instead of buying new ones, they could or would not part with the old ones. Do you have any shabby looking sneakers or shoes somewhere in a closet that you have been unwilling to part with – because you’re so used to them and they’re just too comfortable to give or throw away?

My new shoes, as I said, are identical (size, model, etc.) to the old ones. But guess what? They’re not very comfortable. At least, not yet. They feel stiff, tight, and inflexible on my feet. I want them to “feel one” with my feet. But they are not there yet. They need to be broken in. They need to be worn regularly and steadily – through the stiffness until the leather stretches and loosens up and becomes more conforming with my foot. In the past I have foolishly hiked with boots that were not broken in. My feet paid the price. When I played baseball in college I couldn’t just buy a new glove and start using it immediately and have it work well and feel comfortable. It had to be broken in.

This all makes for a great illustration of how Christian discipleship works in our lives. Christ is formed in us through a number of disciplines that can be learned and practiced by a Christian. Guess what? Many of those practices (the “disciplines”) feel like a pair of new shoes. We are not “used to them” at first. They feel stiff and even uncomfortable. But, like shoes, if we hang in there - if we break them in – we become comfortable with practices that Jesus’ close followers do. They become a very natural part of our lives. They become things that we incorporate into our experience. What are some examples of things in life that we did not do, then learned to do, then just became “normal”?... brushing teeth, taking showers, getting dressed, driving a car safely, using a computer, playing an instrument, reading… the list is huge. The point is that without the determination to work through unfamiliarity, unwillingness, and even discomfort, we would never have experienced the benefits and joys of those things. The spiritual disciplines – the things we can do to strengthen our walk with God – are no different. For an apprentice everything is new at one point. For the practices of our walk with God to become “common” or “comfortable”, we need the same determination, openness, and willingness to do what a learner (an apprentice, a newcomer, a disciple) must do to become like Jesus.

Your deacons have begun a small group study designed to engage in a process of spiritual formation that includes specific activities aimed at emulating Jesus Himself. A discipleship study like this involves learning and trying new things… in some cases things they have not done before or paid as much attention to before. The goal is to grow in the knowledge of God and in the experience of His goodness and in their closeness to Him. After they have done these studies, their goal is to “pass it on” to others in the church and invite others into the same apprenticeship process. So pray for them… that anything that feels like “new shoes” won’t discourage them… that they will persevere through the “breaking in” period and find the joys of this deeper walk. And pray that when opportunities come your way for something new in the Lord or for the Lord,… or some aspect of discipleship you have never tried, comes your way,… that your heart, mind and spirit will be open and ready, and seeking for what God wants to do in you. And, like a person with a comfortable pair of shoes, you will be happy you did.

1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NIV) ²⁴  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

PRAYER:  Lord, may your blessing be on our deacons as they pursue a deeper walk with you. Grow their faith and love. Fan into flame their passion for your will and purposes in their lives. And may that extend onward into the lives of all who fellowship in our church. Thank you. In the name of Jesus, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott