Devotional Spirituality: part 5

The Practice of Sacred Reading.  This is sometimes called “Lectio Divina” and seems to be controversial in some parts of the body of Christ, though I can’t figure out why?  It is simply reading the Word, praying as you read and asking the Holy Spirit to teach.  Is that not what is suppose to happen when we read God’s Word?

Reading (Lectio)

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scripture! to be written for our learning: Grant that we ma) in such wise hear them, read, marke, learne, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 1928 Book of Common Prayer, The second Sunday in Advent

For reading the Word, here’s a couple of good ideas that will aid you as you read.

Choose a regular/ special place

Choose a regular/ special time
Be consistent
Body posture can be important
Be systematic (read the whole Bible in some order)
Avoid distractions
Keep the passage brief
Begin with prayer
Slowly read the text again and again
Meditate on the text
Listen to God with humility
Ask God to shape you with His Word
Maybe use a note-free Bible

Meditation (Meditatio)

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2

Here’s a couple ideas as you learn and practice meditating on God’s Word.

God’s love teaches us to love Him
Acknowledge the holiness of God
Meditation is a process that builds

"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16

Allow enough time
Meditation is chewing on God’s Word (ruminating)
Don’t force it and be patient
When God speaks, reflect, perhaps write it down
Personalize the text in your prayer
Ask God for a sanctified imagination (we have been damaged by the many ideas and images of the world)
“Pray as you can, not as you can’t”
Meditation on the Psalms (regular diet)
Meditation should address the mind, the emotions and the will
Distractions will come, learn to take ALL captive to Christ

and Prayer (Oratio), some final thoughts as you Read, Meditate and Pray God’s Word.

Allow enough time to Pray

Avoid “rut” routines
Pray the Scriptures
Prayer is the time for the heart to respond
Prayer can take numerous forms (confession, adoration, worship, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation and thanksgiving)
When God speaks to you take time to pray and obey (if necessary)
See this time as moving away from the flesh to Christ
Prayer leads to contemplation

Devotional Spirituality: part 4

The Contemplative Way in pursuing Christ also includes the following.

Detachment and Desire

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. Psalm 42:1
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies-- make straight your way before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. Psalm 5:2-9
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; Philippians 1:23
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 3:20
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." Exodus 33:18

Seasons of Dryness and Darkness.  One of the best known writings on this comes from Saint John of the Cross and his book “The Dark Night of the Soul.  The importance is to learn to embrace the cross.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36

And lastly, before going on to the practice of sacred reading, let me mention the limits of human reason.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

A. W. Tozer and a Question

Here's an excerpt from an A.W. Tozer devotional book called Mornings with Tozer. This is the August 13 entry:

I know whom I have believed. 2 Timothy 1:12

“I must ask this question in the context of today's modern Christianity: "Is it not true that for most of us who call ourselves Christians there is no real experience?"
We have substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of
religious notions, but our great weakness is that for our hearts there is no one
there!
Whatever else it embraces, true Christian experience must always include a genuine encounter with God. Without this, religion is but a shadow, a reflection of reality, a cheap copy of an original once enjoyed by someone else of whom we have heard.
It cannot but be a major tragedy in the life of any man or woman to live in a
church from childhood to old age and know nothing more real than some synthetic
god compounded of theology and logic, but having no eyes to see, no ears to hear-- and no heart to love!”

How’s it with you… in your Pursuit of God?

Devotional Spirituality: part 3

Devotional Spirituality: The Contemplative Way

Contemplation and Meditation is not the beginning point for the new believer it takes some time, but well worth it.

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Hebrews 5:12

Contemplation and Meditation must ALWAYS be tethered to God’s Word and  is not limited to certain personalities, temperaments and abilities.

Contemplation and Meditation is holy simplicity and involves: broken heartedness, worship attention to fix our gaze on Jesus

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. Isaiah 30:15

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:1-2

I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the and of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy. Psalm 123:1-2

On November 23, 1654, Blaise Pascal was reading the 17th Chapter of John when he had a life-changing encounter with God. He wrote the following:

From about half past ten at night to about half an hour after midnight,
FIRE! "God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob," not of philosophers and scholars Certitude, heartfelt joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. God of Jesus Christ. The world forgotten, everything except God. "O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You" (John 17:25). Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.” After Pascal died, it was discovered that this was sewn into his clothing.

Devotional Spirituality:part 2

So we can love God by loving His World, His Word, we can also love Him by loving His Works & His Ways. 

Loving God through His Works

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. Psalm 66:3

Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf! Psalm 66:5

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Psalm 77:11-12

You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah Psalm 77:14-15

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Revelation 4:11

And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." Revelation 5:9-10

Loving God through His Ways

He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: Psalm 103:7

Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. Psalm 66:16

3 Psalms on the Beautiful Attributes of God are Psalm 139, Psalm 145 & Psalm 117.  Take some time this week to consider them.  William Temple wrote many years ago.

“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”

Next time we’ll think about, which is often forgotten in today’s busy world, The Contemplative Way.