Feel the Burn

At this point in our journey we have reason to celebrate, as we have completed the first study on Priorities.  I hope that this has given you some insight into your life and how some re-structuring may be in order.  The task of actually changing things around is the next move, although some of you have already done that.  And that is a great thing!

We also have reason to take a deep breath at this point, and prepare for more challenges ahead.  By now you have been pushed in regard to carving out times for reading, study and Scripture memory.  You have 7 weeks to solidify the 5 passages we have given you to memorize.  PLEASE take the time to consistently review.  It is essential that you review, review, review over the next 7 weeks, because after that we will begin to add more Scriptures to your memory banks.  Keep your cards close by and review every chance you get.  You will be amazed at how entrenched those words (and those truths) become.

Next week we meet at Ginnie’s at 6 p.m. and begin our new study in Times & Places.  This study will be a bit more challenging than the last one, mostly in terms of the time you’ll need.  I am trying to find some good helps to aid you.  If you have a good study Bible, you probably have some excellent maps in the back or throughout the text that are helpful.  I came across a great website that has some basic geographical information.  Click here and explore the various screens of information.  If you have the Macromedia Flash Player software on your computer, just click the LAUNCH IT button.  If you don’t, click the button to get the software (it is free).  On the top-right of the page are some links to a variety of maps and a gallery of pics for some of the regions.  In fact, this entire website is excellent, so spend some time in it and enjoy.

Next week’s verses are Proverbs 3:5-6.  If you need the introductory thoughts to the verse, click here.

Everything Is Spiritual

Through some of my reading, thinking, praying and Foundations Group discussions over the last few months, I have been impressed by this idea that “everything is spiritual.”  But I need to clarify what that doesn’t mean.  I am not suggesting some kind of pantheism that sees God in every rock and tree, nor am I suggesting that every act of human beings is spiritually positive (i.e. rape, murder, lying, greed, etc.).  That would be preposterous.

“Everything is spiritual” simply suggests that we don’t live dual lives.  We don’t live purely worldly, secular lives during our jobs, or when mowing the grass, or when cooking dinner; and then have another cubicle of our lives which is isolated on spiritual stuff (prayer times, Bible reading, church activities, etc.).

God made us as spiritual beings.  We possess a soul and we bear His image (see Genesis 1:26-27).  And though that image has become distorted by sin, we still operate within the realm of God’s authority.  Because of that, every thought, word, attitude and act of our lives has its base in our spirit/soul and has an impact on God too.  In that sense, even the bad things we do are spiritual, for they have spiritual ramifications – they alienate us from God and from other people.

“Everything in my life is spiritual” indicates the source of all I do, think and feel, as well as the purpose for which I live.  Jesus said “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” (Matthew 12:34b-35).  My life-actions emerge from my heart/soul/spirit.

And my life-actions also have an impact on God’s Kingdom.  This is why Paul urges the Jesus-followers in Colossae to “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. . . Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:17, 23-24)

Because everything about my life is spiritual, my priorities become realigned, not in an ordered list:

• Time with and for God
• Time with family
• Time for myself
• Time with my friends
• Time at my job

My priorities are better described as “God-saturated.”  Everything on my “list” now becomes directed toward the glory of God.  This means that my time alone with God in prayer, study, etc. is just as important as my time with my family, or at my job, or with friends, or by myself.  Every moment of every day is intended to honor Him and be used for His glory.

I would add some riders, however.

• This does not mean that many of those items on your list can be neglected or abandoned altogether, because “Everything is spiritual!”  Each has its intended purpose and must be given some time.  But now each has been re-focused toward God and His glory.
• We may be forced to evaluate certain activities of our lives, such as friendships, hobbies and even work.  Some jobs and hobbies cannot be God-honoring, no matter how much we desire it to be so.  I’m not sure you can be a hit-man or drug-dealer for Jesus.  And some of our friendships may need to be re-assessed.  We may not end connections with a person who is very entrenched in a sinful lifestyle, but our way of relating to them may have to be altered for us to honor God in that relationship.
• The need to pick and choose between some of those listed items at times is not eliminated.  We still have to make some tough decisions.  For instance, if everything is spiritual, how much Bible reading and prayer is enough, or too much?  How much family time is enough, or too much?  How much time on my job is enough, or too much?  If we begin by seeking God’s wisdom, He can help us sort out the options.

 I welcome your comments.  I’m still sorting out the practical implications of this. 

We meet next week at Bonnie R’s at 6 p.m.  Continue to review your memory verses (1 John 5:11-12; John 16:24; 1 Corinthians 10:13 & 1 John 1:9).  Click here for the comments on 1 John 1:9.  Also, prepare “Study #6.”

The “A” Word

In Craig Groeschel’s book Chazown, he tells the story of some of the first Christians in Africa who became so passionate about prayer that they built their own prayer huts.  Each hut was used by only the individual who built it, and the path leading to it was, therefore, used only by that same person.  When any of those Jesus-followers would grow cold in their discipline of prayer, guess what happened to the path leading to their hut?  Grass began to grow on it.  And suddenly the green blades became an announcement to the Christian community that this or that individual was neglecting prayer.

If you had seen the grass growing on the path of a brother or sister in Christ, would you have cared enough to say something?

We haven’t discussed the topic of accountability directly, but it is vital in maintaining growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  We have formed a community of followers who must be attentive to one another’s pathways.  If we see the grass growing on a pathway, will we care enough to say something?

Please remember that accountability must always be couched in love.  We are to hold one another to account because we desire to see each one progress in faith and service.  We are not driven by competition or judgmentalism, but love.  This means that our accountability must always be done:

• Undergirded with prayer.
• With a view to restoration and growth.
• In private settings.
• With encouraging words.
• Followed by active support.

We are not called as watchdogs, but as benevolent caretakers in community.  We share together in the tending of one another’s lives.