The way to liberation and rest lies through a decision and a practice.
The decision is to release the world and your fate, including your reputation and “success,” into the hands of God. This is not a decision to not act at all, though in some situations it may come to that. It is, rather, a decision concerning how you will act: you will act in dependence on God. You will not take charge of outcomes. You will do your part, of course, but your part will always be chastened by a sense of who God is–not you!
A decision to release the world and our fate to God runs contrary to everything within and around us. We have been had by a system of behavior that was here before we were and seeps into every pore of our being. “Sin,” Paul tells us, “was in the world,” even before the law came. It forms us internally and pressures us externally. Hence we must learn to choose things that meet with God’s actions of grace to break us out of the system. These things are the disciplines of life in the Spirit, well known from Christian history but much avoided and misunderstood. For those who do not understand our desperate situation, these disciplines look strange or even harmful. But they are absolutely necessary for those who would find rest for their soul in God and not live the distracted existence Pascal so accurately portrays.
-Dallas Willard
Monthly Archives: August 2014
August 6 / Proverbs 6 / Mark 9
Proverbs 6:25
Often,
what looks best
is most dangerous.
Be careful.
(The above picture came up when I googled “tempting but dangerous.” Cat Woman from the 1966 Batman series.)
Mark 9:19
Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this?
How often we fail to use the spiritual resources that have been graciously given to us, and that are right in front of us.
We have the power of faith to overcome the enemy. It is not a weapon of mere human design. It is supernatural power that must be cultivated accordingly. Not thru hard work and trying, but thru disciplined dependence.
Nothing great, real, or lasting is accomplished for God without prayer, for prayer taps in to the real, beyond-human power that is God’s limitless power. Whatever is done for God without the power of prayer, is done by our finite, much weaker human effort alone, and therefore, it is infinitely less effective.
The way to liberation and rest lies through a decision and a practice.
The decision is to release the world and your fate, including your reputation and “success,” into the hands of God. This is not a decision to not act at all, though in some situations it may come to that. It is, rather, a decision concerning how you will act: you will act in dependence on God. You will not take charge of outcomes. You will do your part, of course, but your part will always be chastened by a sense of who God is–not you!
A decision to release the world and our fate to God runs contrary to everything within and around us. We have been had by a system of behavior that was here before we were and seeps into every pore of our being. “Sin,” Paul tells us, “was in the world,” even before the law came. It forms us internally and pressures us externally. Hence we must learn to choose things that meet with God’s actions of grace to break us out of the system. These things are the disciplines of life in the Spirit, well known from Christian history but much avoided and misunderstood. For those who do not understand our desperate situation, these disciplines look strange or even harmful. But they are absolutely necessary for those who would find rest for their soul in God and not live the distracted existence Pascal so accurately portrays.
-Dallas Willard
The Sole End Of Prayer
But if God is so good as you represent Him, and if He knows all that we need, and better far than we do ourselves, why should it be necessary to ask Him for anything?
I answer, What if He knows Prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need–the need of Himself? Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer. So begins a communion, a talking with God, a coming-to-one with Him, which is the sole end of prayer.
-George MacDonald
August 5 / Proverbs 5 / Mark 8
Proverbs 5:12-13
You will say, “How I hated discipline!
If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
You don’t have to be that person who loses almost everything because you hated being told what to do.
You would not listen to correction.
You would not listen to your teachers or pay attention to your instructors.
God is teaching you thru so many means, so many people, perhaps ones you don’t even like. But listen anyway. Listen to and for God’s instruction thru them. If it helps, just listen to God and not them if they annoy you that much. It’s amazing how this changes your attitude toward someone! I believe Hannah [The Holy Spirit] is always speaking to us thru people and circumstances. Don’t miss great instruction just because you don’t care for someone. This is humbling, which is good, for God gives grace to the humble and draws close to them. He resists the proud.
Mark 8:33
“Get behind me, Accuser! You’re thinking human thoughts, not God’s thoughts.”
People are miserable when they’re focused on themselves and mere human thoughts.
People are joyful when they are focused on God, confident He knows what He is doing and is capable of carrying anything out He wants. And what He wants is always our good.
To think on God is to think the highest possible thoughts. Why think on anything less? Why aim lower?
I’ve always thought that if I decide to start using drugs, I’m just gonna start with shooting straight up heroin, you know? Go right to the hardcore, skip the amateur stuff. I mean, why waste time messing around with anything beneath the most powerful?
John 8:34-35
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, everyone who lives in sin is a slave to sin. A slave does not stay with a family forever, but a son belongs to the family forever.”
Living for God and people outside yourself is the only way to live a fulfilling life.
Trying to make everything happen the way you want so you can be happy has not ultimately worked out that I’ve ever heard of. By trying to satisfy yourself, you actually become more empty, due to our design by our Creator. Conversely, living to please God is always, continually fulfilling. Living for God’s purposes paradoxically satisfies the self by forgetting the self.
Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires.
or
Take your primary delight in people or things and you might get your heart’s desires some of the time and some of the time you get your heart broken and sometimes you end up angry, empty, bitter, let down, disgusted…
Delight yourself first and foremost in God Himself, not what He can do for you. How can one be disappointed when their source of their happiness is infinite love?
Seek God First
WHAT does it mean to seek God first?
- The Hebrew word “baqash” is used 225 times in the OT and means seek, or search (for), or search out. By implication, it means to strive after. It can also mean ask, beg, beseech, desire, enquire, get, make inquisition, procure, (make) request, require, seek (for).
- “Darash” is used 160 times in the OT meaning inquire or seek, also to tread or frequent, to follow (for pursuit or search). By implication, to seek or ask. To worship.
- The Greek word “zeteo” is used about 120 times in the NT meaning seek or search for in the great majority of these places, as in Matthew 6:33. It means specifically (by Hebraism) to worship (God). It can also mean be (go) about, desire, endeavor, enquire (for), require.
- To actively, diligently pursue getting to know God and having an intimate relationship with Him, and pursuing this more than anything else in our lives. There is nothing passive whatsoever about seeking.
- It is to pattern your life around the searching for/getting to know God, as opposed to just fitting it in whenever, and letting all other pursuits fall to second place and lower.
WHY do wee seek God first?
- God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). [The verb translated seek in this verse is “ekzeteo” and is translated seek after. It can also mean search out, i.e. figuratively investigate, crave, demand, by Hebrew worship. Also, enquire, require, seek after (carefully, diligently).
- Peace–we were designed by God for connection with Him. Seeking God fosters peace.
- Joy–This comes from Immanuel (God with us). Joy comes from being with someone who is glad to be with you. God is always glad to be with us. We are wired for joy from birth, but our joy gets lost or stolen over time. Seeking God returns our joy, rewiring our brain, as we spend time with the One who is ultimately glad to be with us. (John 15:1-11)
- If you draw near to God, He will draw near to you (James 4:8).
- To better know and apply Truth. “Truth is a gift God instilled into creation, so that we can properly engage reality.” -Willard & Black
How do we seek God first?
- By getting to know Him as He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15), Scripture, and creation.
- Thru spending time with God in two-way conversational prayer in which we listen as much or even more than we speak.
- Spending time with God via the study and meditation upon His Holy Scriptures. (Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119)
- In meeting regularly with others who are also seeking God first in order to share stories of the ways God is active in our lives now, proclaim His greatness and promises, and seek God together. (Hebrews 3:13, 10:25)
August 4 / Proverbs 4 / Mark 7
Proverbs 4:7, 13, 21-22
August 3 / Proverbs 3 / Mark 6
Proverbs 3:17-18
August 2 / Proverbs 2 / Mark 5
Proverbs 2:2-4,9-11
Mark 5:9,15
Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.
Mark 5:36
“Don’t be afraid! Just believe!” -Jesus of Nazareth
August 1 / Proverbs 1 / Mark 4
Proverbs 1:23
If only you had ·listened [responded] when I corrected you,
I would have ·told you what’s in my heart [poured forth my spirit to you];
I would have ·told you what I am thinking [revealed my words to you]. [EXB]
Here is wisdom speaking.
If only you would listen.
There’s so much God will reveal to you.
If only you would listen.
I believe every single “problem” or stressor in our day is an opportunity for growth.
If only we would listen.
Behind every upsetting circumstance could be the loving correction of YHWH.
If only we would listen.
If we would train ourselves to listen for it.
Growth or stagnation depends in very large part on our decision to listen in the present moment.
Mark 4:39
He got up, scolded the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Shut up!” The wind died, and there was a flat calm. [KNT]
The wind and the sea here made me think of the noise and chaos of life. Most, if not all, of the noise and chaos in our lives is self-inflicted or unnecessary.
We do have the ability to silence the storm and be quiet with God. It just depends on how much we want Him and what we are willing to give up for Him. We hear clearly in the calm and the quiet of life, listening only to Him. None of us are too busy to take some time to sit quietly and listen to God. It may be more challenging for some than others, but not impossible.
Example for me personally, I recently decided to be on the computer only once a day for an hour max (most of which is these Daily Meds). Oh the peace of staying away from the polyphonic madness of computer land! And I have what I call my “Amish phone,” which has no internet connectivity whatsoever. I love this phone. It doesn’t even recognize “emojis” I think they’re called? Some of you still send them to me–they look like empty squares on my phone FYI. I just always assume they’re smiley faces or hearts.
Take control of what you can take control of and say, “Silence! Shut up!” Then you will hear the soothing voice of God.