Trash starts to stink after a while. If left too long the smell can evade any space. When our trash gets too sour, we take it out.
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.[…] And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
1 John 2:15;17 (NLT)
If our heart’s desire is God, then our natural inclination will be to know him more and to do what pleases him. Friendships grow when we spend time getting to know their likes/dislikes, personalities, and life story. Loving God means cultivating a friendship (John 15) with him and the bonus is that the friendship is not a one-way street. He reciprocates by giving us a way to know him, to know his love for us, and to discern his will for our lives. He is not keeping these things in a locked box without the key. Furthermore, when it comes to receiving a call to serve, he’s not doling out jobs to a few “worthy” followers. Apostle Paul reminds us that none of us is worthy. It is by grace that God calls each of us to “come and follow me,” and the moment we say “yes” to Jesus is the moment we are called to service.
One String Attached
In exchange for a heart pursuant
I used to watch the TV show, Hoarders. If you haven’t watched it, I’m sure you’ve seen some variation on the Marie Kondo, American Pickers, or Storage Wars shows. They teach us the same lesson; we own, store, and keep too many things until it takes over our lives and we lose sight of what is most important and run out of space for growth.
You wouldn’t dare let the trash pile up in your house week after week, so why let it clutter up your heart, stink up your soul and make your life filthy. Pretend today is trash day for the soul, let’s declutter. Let’s hold the temporary things of earth loosely so we can get a better grip on what lasts. Let’s choose to make space for the One who sustains us. We don’t have to waiver in knowing what God wants of us or live with misconceptions concerning what type of service is worthy. If we don’t know, it’s because we haven’t made space to know God’s Word.
God’s an Open Book: Have you Read Him?
As we approach the season of Lent, I am reminded of Jesus’ words during his forty days in the desert while being tempted by the devil.
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:3-4
These words again remind us that whatever the world provides, it is still not enough for life, and can not help us understand the will or heart of God. We must centralize our heart around the Living Word of God (period).
Remember how I said I loved the story of King David because he pursued God’s heart? Well, there is another reason I value David’s story. David wrote many psalms reflecting his devotion and reliance on God for protection and life, but what moves me is that David’s love for God grew from his equal devotion to every Word of God. He clung to God’s words because his life depended on them.
It is not one hundred percent sure that David wrote Psalm 119, but there are many reasons to think he did. I am taking the liberty to suggest that he did or at least influenced its writing. If you read all of Psalm 119 the central theme is a love for God’s words–as if they are life itself. I encourage you to read the entire chapter, but here are some highlights:
vs. 2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
vs. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
vs. 20 My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
vs. 37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
vs. 47 for I delight in your commands because I love them.
vs. 57 You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words.
vs. 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
vs. 81 I have put my hope in your word.
vs. 89 Your word; O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
vs. 105 Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path.
vs. 127 I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold.
vs. 133 Direct my footsteps according to your word.
vs. 161 Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.
vs. 172 May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.
Can you Afford to L
God wants the devotion of our hearts so that our friendship can grow and he can give us what we need. We need to live on his Word as if it is the food we eat; sustaining our daily life. We don’t like missing meals for pangs of hunger, hence the new word ‘hangry’, so why do we let ourselves starve spiritually?
If you find yourself frustrated and thinking you aren’t doing anything “worthy” for God or that God couldn’t use you to be extraordinary for his Kingdom, ask yourself, when is the last time you ate? When is the last time you relished in the Word of God like you were ravished and couldn’t bear to stop eating because it was so delicious?
We can not know the will of God or serve him with wisdom and understanding if we do not know God. Jesus knew he’d never accomplish the ministry set before him if he didn’t feed on God’s word, allowing it to be his life-preserving nourishment. That food would sustain him through service and trials that we long to follow. If we want to follow in Jesus’ footsteps we need to draw near to the source that shows us the way, strengthens us, feeds us, connects us and reflects our heart’s desires.
If God’s Word is not the main thing driving your desires of service and ministry, and if it’s not the main thing shaping your idea of who God is and what he considers pleasing, then reconnecting with his Word is the next step in your pilgrimage.
Fasting for Nourishment: Lent
Lent begins today on Ash Wednesday. If you don’t know much about Lent, it is part of the Church’s liturgical calendar in preparation for Easter. (For a definition, I found this link helpful.) During Lent for forty days until Easter Sunday, one can fast (among other practices) in remembrance of Christ’s time in the desert. This is a perfect season to immerse yourself in God’s Word through fasting–removing something in order to make space for another. I encourage you to think of something you might sacrifice for forty days in order to open up space in your ordinary life for an extraordinary time with God in his Word. Here are some suggestions, but you make it your own: give up thirty minutes of social media or a tv program, refrain from a mealtime, choose to listen to the Bible rather than music on your commute…you decide.
Start your journey with others by subscribing to Along the Wandering Way at the bottom of the website.
I’d love to know if you decide to open up space through a Lenten practice. Please share with us.
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