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.

Devotional Spirituality: part 1

I’d like to move to some thoughts on devotional spirituality by first considering our image of God.  He needs to be the object of our love and affection... above all else.  That’s why idolatry is such a BIG issue in the Bible.  Who is like God!!!

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6

that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:21

I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23

 
"When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved. Hosea 9:10

"The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love.” Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man

We can love God by loving His World, His Word, His Works & His Ways.

Loving God through His World

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

Loving God through His Word

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Psalm 119:18

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the ord, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:21-22

In Loving God through His Word let’s distinguish between the different types of Bible reading we do.  Here are just 2 types to consider, and we need both!

Informational Reading

Seeks to cover as much as possible
A linear process
Seeks to master the text
The text as an object to use
Analytical, critical and judgmental approach
Problem-solving mentality                         
Formational Reading
Focuses on small portions of Scripture
An In-Depth process
Allows the text to master us
Humble, submissive, willing, loving approach
The text aka subject that shapes us
Openness to mystery

Motivated Spirituality part 5

Just a few last thoughts on being motivated in following Jesus.

It’s who we are… it’s Our Identity in Christ

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 It’s our Purpose & Hope

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
John 17:4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 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.
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.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

2 Corinthians 5:9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Hebrews 6:19-20 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

 We should have a Longing for God, it is insatiable in this life and is found in another life.

 Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
Exodus 33:18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

1 Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

“At the same moment the Trinity filled me full of heartfelt joy, and I knew that all eternity was like this for those who attain heaven. For the Trinity is God, and God the Trinity; the Trinity is our Maker and keeper, our eternal lover, joy and bliss—all through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . We have got to realize the littleness of creation and to see it for the nothing that it is before we can love and possess God who is uncreated. This is the reason why we have no ease of heart or soul, for we are seeking our rest in trivial things which cannot satisfy, and not seeking to know God, almighty, all-wise, all-good. He is true rest. It is His will that we should know Him, and His pleasure that we should rest in Him. Nothing less will satisfy us. . . . We shall never cease wanting and longing until we possess Him in fulness and joy. Then we shall have no further wants. Meanwhile His will is that we go on knowing and loving until we are perfected in heaven. . . . The more clearly the soul sees the blessed face by grace and love, the more it longs to see it in its fullness.” Julian of Norwich, in her Revelations of Divine Love

 “The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret. And surely, from this point of view, the promise of glory, in the sense described, becomes highly relevant to our deep desire. For glory meant good report with god, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgment, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last. . . . Apparently, then, our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation. And to be at last summoned inside would be both glory and honour beyond all our merits and also the healing of that old ache” CS Lewis,  The Weight of Glory

 Looking at the list, you can see that these motivators relate to different stages and aspects of the spiritual journey, and that some may seem to be more accessible than others. For instance, we may be able to identify more with one over another. But remember that they are all facets of the same gem, since they are integrated in the character and promises of the living God. In a sense, they are components of a single passion—a concern for one thing above all else, the one thing most needed.

 Luke 10:41-42 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

 When we are not propelled and impelled by one ultimate attraction, we are pulled by multiple desires. The worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things (Mark 4:19) can choke the word in our lives and prevent us from bearing lasting fruit. When we turn from the lures of the world to the Person of Christ, we discover “the magnet that draws, the anchor that steadies, the fortress that defends, the light that illumines, the treasure that enriches, the law that commands and the power that enables” Alexander Maclaren