Dennis Kinlaw, former president of Asbury College, and now retired, has written extensively about holiness and the deeper Christian life. His writings are rich in practical applications in living out that deeper, passionate, all-surpassing love to which Christ calls us.
He recounts the story in one of his writings of a man who was saved and then filled with God's perfect love. Some time later his church received a new pastor. For the new pastor's first service, the man selected his very best ham from his storage room so he could present it to the new pastor as a love gift. During the service there was a testimony time and the man told how he was converted and then how the Spirit of God came and cleansed him from self-interest. In the middle of his testimony, the preacher stood up and said, "Sit down, Mr. 'Blank'. That is fanaticism, and as long as I am pastor, we will not have any talk of that kind."
After the service, Mr. 'Blank' surprised his family by going to his vehicle, retrieving the ham, taking it to the pastor, and saying "Pastor, we are so glad you are here. ... We love you, and if we can help you, let us know."
The next morning an unfamiliar vehicle pulled into Mr. 'Blank's' drive and it was the new pastor. He said "I have come to apologize. If there is anything you want to witness to in one of my prayer meetings, go right ahead, because it is obvious that you have found something that I know nothing about. Blessings on you."
Dr. Kinlaw concludes with the observation that "there is a power that comes when we are free from ourselves and free to love."
What a challenge!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Square Gears
Have you ever seen square gears? I have a small set of three square gears on my desk and they actually mesh and work! You see, when the gears go around, the corners are actually going in a circle. If the gears are properly positioned in relation to each other the corners will intersect at their neighbor’s flat sides and they will mesh and work fine.
Have you ever wondered if you were a square gear in a round gear world? Or looked at others and figured them to be in that category? Who is the final arbiter of whether round or square gears are normal? As a Christian, have you ever felt outnumbered or had difficulty meshing in secular society or business?
As Americans, we are schooled in the principles of a democratic republic and taught early-on that the majority rules. And that’s well and good in our political system. But we are then prone to extrapolate that principle into our culture and allow the culture to decide too many other questions of life. Culture seems to decide there should be ever-decreasing standards of decency, language and education with the foolish notion that this will produce ever-increasing standards of living. Our politicians have taught us that “to get along we must go along”; that for our system to work we must learn “the art of compromise”. In our headlong rush to achieve social inclusion of every person or idea or religion, what we are actually achieving is not a seamless society but the balkanization of society. More and more laws are passed to erase the seams but all they do is create more seams.
This is nothing new. The Bible is replete with account after account of God’s chosen people being seduced into thinking that their neighbors’ culture or religion was the true normal or “round gear” system, losing sight of God’s values just because from the world’s view they appeared to be “square gears”. And isn’t that what the world thinks – that the Christian way is all “square gears” and will never work? But Christians have learned the secret that when we get in line with God (mesh correctly with Him), suddenly everything works like God designed for it to and what once appeared unworkable now works marvelously. Have we checked how we’re meshing lately?
My prayer is that we will all be encouraged to be so immersed in God’s values and system that we will see them as the norm, and not what the world would try to make us believe is the norm. This will happen as we spend more and more time in prayer and God’s word and other Christian resources. Will we do it?
TODAY'S PERSONAL PARAPHRASE
Psalm 23:4
Even though my "to do" list has been taken over by events, I will stick with you, Lord, for you are with me. Your discipline and your promises are a great strength to me.
Have you ever wondered if you were a square gear in a round gear world? Or looked at others and figured them to be in that category? Who is the final arbiter of whether round or square gears are normal? As a Christian, have you ever felt outnumbered or had difficulty meshing in secular society or business?
As Americans, we are schooled in the principles of a democratic republic and taught early-on that the majority rules. And that’s well and good in our political system. But we are then prone to extrapolate that principle into our culture and allow the culture to decide too many other questions of life. Culture seems to decide there should be ever-decreasing standards of decency, language and education with the foolish notion that this will produce ever-increasing standards of living. Our politicians have taught us that “to get along we must go along”; that for our system to work we must learn “the art of compromise”. In our headlong rush to achieve social inclusion of every person or idea or religion, what we are actually achieving is not a seamless society but the balkanization of society. More and more laws are passed to erase the seams but all they do is create more seams.
This is nothing new. The Bible is replete with account after account of God’s chosen people being seduced into thinking that their neighbors’ culture or religion was the true normal or “round gear” system, losing sight of God’s values just because from the world’s view they appeared to be “square gears”. And isn’t that what the world thinks – that the Christian way is all “square gears” and will never work? But Christians have learned the secret that when we get in line with God (mesh correctly with Him), suddenly everything works like God designed for it to and what once appeared unworkable now works marvelously. Have we checked how we’re meshing lately?
My prayer is that we will all be encouraged to be so immersed in God’s values and system that we will see them as the norm, and not what the world would try to make us believe is the norm. This will happen as we spend more and more time in prayer and God’s word and other Christian resources. Will we do it?
TODAY'S PERSONAL PARAPHRASE
Psalm 23:4
Even though my "to do" list has been taken over by events, I will stick with you, Lord, for you are with me. Your discipline and your promises are a great strength to me.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
PREAMBLE TO RE-LAUNCH
For the past couple of years I have been privileged to facilitate a class at our church examining the personal disciplines that would be helpful to Christians as they grow deeper in their Christian life.
As a part of the class, we began a blog designed to provide a ready reference for the ideas discussed in class. Our primary text book (other than the Bible, of course) was originally designed as a devotional book containing 52 chapters to be covered in a one year period. (Disciplines For The Inner Life by Bob Benson, Sr. and Michael W. Benson) Our class decided to not be bound by the one year constraint. The result was an unhurried study where we dove deeply into about 80% of the chapters over the two year period.
Various events and circumstances then interrupted our ability to meet regularly. People’s desire to deepen their spiritual lives continues, however, prompting the reorganization and re-launch of the blog mentioned above. This new version of the blog, now named Deeper Life Encouragement, will cast an even broader net in finding resources to help us all deepen our spiritual lives.
We will not post on a hard and fast schedule, but more on a “what is worthwhile” schedule – i.e. intermittent. There is a place on the blog to subscribe, so that you can receive automatic notification when a new posting occurs. I would encourage you to subscribe. You can always unsubscribe if you so desire.
So here we go! Your feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome. And I sincerely hope and trust it provides some spiritual food for all of us!
KEEP ON WALKING!
Today the Lord seems to be telling me to “keep on walking”. Do I need the exercise? Yes, but He’s talking about walking in trust with Him when it seems like things aren’t happening according to the schedule I expected when I started out on the latest assignment He’s given me.
The Lord showed me that most of His followers in the Bible had to walk by faith daily (and sometimes for years!) without knowing His schedule, so why should I be any different?! I haven’t been exactly sitting around, but in spite of some very legitimate activities I feel like in some respects I’ve just been treading water. The Lord helping me, I’m going to refocus on what I need to do to be more obedient to His assignment.
It’s time to Keep On Walking!
ENCOURAGEMENT EQUALS HOPE; HOPE EQUALS ENCOURAGEMENT
Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe, in his book Pause For Power (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1998, p. 361), suggests that from his study of First Peter there are three themes - suffering, grace, and glory - which unite to form an encouraging message for believers who are experiencing times of trial and perhaps even persecution. He goes on to quote H. L. Mencken, whom he describes as a “cynical editor and writer”, defining hope as “a pathological belief in the occurrence of the impossible.”
Dr. Wiersbe then comments:
“But that definition does not agree with the New Testament meaning of the word. True Christian hope is more than ‘hope so.’ It is confident assurance of future glory and blessing.
“This confident hope gives us the encouragement and enablement we need for daily living. It does not put us in a rocking chair where we complacently await the return of Jesus Christ. Instead, it puts us in the marketplace, on the battlefield, where we keep on going when the burdens are heavy and the battles are hard. Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenalin, a blood transfusion. Like an anchor, our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life (Heb. 6:18-19), but unlike an anchor, our hope moves us forward, it does not hold us back.”
Well, I hope that encourages us all today. We find great encouragement not only in the Bible, but also in communicating with each other. I know enough about some of you to know that you actively seek daily opportunities to encourage others. Some of us may be a little more passive, waiting for those opportunities to present themselves even while we’re watching for them so we can then use them. This pattern is not absolute, as we probably all do both from time to time. But we have learned that encouraging others also encourages us.
I have also known people (though none of you, of course) who seem not to have a single bone of encouragement in their bodies. But those bones can be grown because they are mental, not physical! It all starts with attitude. And attitude may be the only thing in our lives over which we have absolute personal control. Let’s all encourage the growth of those bones in ourselves and in others! If encouragement equals hope and hope equals encouragement, then we can all take strength from Dr. Wiersbe’s statement that “Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenalin, a blood transfusion.”
“Keep On Walking!”
For the past couple of years I have been privileged to facilitate a class at our church examining the personal disciplines that would be helpful to Christians as they grow deeper in their Christian life.
As a part of the class, we began a blog designed to provide a ready reference for the ideas discussed in class. Our primary text book (other than the Bible, of course) was originally designed as a devotional book containing 52 chapters to be covered in a one year period. (Disciplines For The Inner Life by Bob Benson, Sr. and Michael W. Benson) Our class decided to not be bound by the one year constraint. The result was an unhurried study where we dove deeply into about 80% of the chapters over the two year period.
Various events and circumstances then interrupted our ability to meet regularly. People’s desire to deepen their spiritual lives continues, however, prompting the reorganization and re-launch of the blog mentioned above. This new version of the blog, now named Deeper Life Encouragement, will cast an even broader net in finding resources to help us all deepen our spiritual lives.
We will not post on a hard and fast schedule, but more on a “what is worthwhile” schedule – i.e. intermittent. There is a place on the blog to subscribe, so that you can receive automatic notification when a new posting occurs. I would encourage you to subscribe. You can always unsubscribe if you so desire.
So here we go! Your feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome. And I sincerely hope and trust it provides some spiritual food for all of us!
KEEP ON WALKING!
Today the Lord seems to be telling me to “keep on walking”. Do I need the exercise? Yes, but He’s talking about walking in trust with Him when it seems like things aren’t happening according to the schedule I expected when I started out on the latest assignment He’s given me.
The Lord showed me that most of His followers in the Bible had to walk by faith daily (and sometimes for years!) without knowing His schedule, so why should I be any different?! I haven’t been exactly sitting around, but in spite of some very legitimate activities I feel like in some respects I’ve just been treading water. The Lord helping me, I’m going to refocus on what I need to do to be more obedient to His assignment.
It’s time to Keep On Walking!
ENCOURAGEMENT EQUALS HOPE; HOPE EQUALS ENCOURAGEMENT
Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe, in his book Pause For Power (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1998, p. 361), suggests that from his study of First Peter there are three themes - suffering, grace, and glory - which unite to form an encouraging message for believers who are experiencing times of trial and perhaps even persecution. He goes on to quote H. L. Mencken, whom he describes as a “cynical editor and writer”, defining hope as “a pathological belief in the occurrence of the impossible.”
Dr. Wiersbe then comments:
“But that definition does not agree with the New Testament meaning of the word. True Christian hope is more than ‘hope so.’ It is confident assurance of future glory and blessing.
“This confident hope gives us the encouragement and enablement we need for daily living. It does not put us in a rocking chair where we complacently await the return of Jesus Christ. Instead, it puts us in the marketplace, on the battlefield, where we keep on going when the burdens are heavy and the battles are hard. Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenalin, a blood transfusion. Like an anchor, our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life (Heb. 6:18-19), but unlike an anchor, our hope moves us forward, it does not hold us back.”
Well, I hope that encourages us all today. We find great encouragement not only in the Bible, but also in communicating with each other. I know enough about some of you to know that you actively seek daily opportunities to encourage others. Some of us may be a little more passive, waiting for those opportunities to present themselves even while we’re watching for them so we can then use them. This pattern is not absolute, as we probably all do both from time to time. But we have learned that encouraging others also encourages us.
I have also known people (though none of you, of course) who seem not to have a single bone of encouragement in their bodies. But those bones can be grown because they are mental, not physical! It all starts with attitude. And attitude may be the only thing in our lives over which we have absolute personal control. Let’s all encourage the growth of those bones in ourselves and in others! If encouragement equals hope and hope equals encouragement, then we can all take strength from Dr. Wiersbe’s statement that “Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenalin, a blood transfusion.”
“Keep On Walking!”
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Chapter 38 - The Mind of Christ
Chapter 38 amplified our understanding on The Mind of Christ using 7 Bible passages, as follows:
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Philippians 2:1-11
Hebrews 5:11-6:3
Isaiah 11:1-5
1 Peter 4:1-6
Romans 8:5-11
Matthew 13:10-17
(Note: If you would like to look up these passages online, there are many online Bibles you could use. Here is one link: http://www.studylight.org/.)
Invocation:
“You, O Christ, who were tempted in all points like as I am, yet without sin, make me strong to overcome the desire to be wise and to be reputed wise by others as ignorant as myself. I turn from my wisdom as well as from my folly and flee to You, the wisdom of God and the power of God. Amen.” (A. W. Tozer in The Knowledge of the Holy)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 38 was “I Want to Be Like Jesus” by Thomas Chisholm. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“O Christ, I want the Spirit within me to duplicate nothing – nothing except You. For I want no manifestation that doesn’t manifest You – manifest You in Your sanctity and Your sanity. For You are life. Amen.” (E. Stanley Jones in The Way to Power and Poise)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Oswald Chambers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Charles R. Erdman, William F. Orr and James Arthur Walther, H. Orton Wiley, W. Paul Jones, Karl Rahner, Gayle D. Erwin, and Alec Motyer. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “By sanctification the Son of God is formed in me, then I have to transform my natural life into a spiritual life by obedience to Him. …When He begins to check, do not confer with flesh and blood, cleanse yourself at once. Keep yourself cleansed in your daily walk. I have to cleanse myself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit… Is the mind of my spirit in perfect agreement with the life of the Son of God…? Am I forming the mind of Christ? …by degrees Jesus lifts me up to where He lived – in perfect consecration to His Father’s will.”
· “We have to learn to maintain an unimpaired state of character up to the last notch revealed in the vision of Jesus Christ. …To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you.”
· “God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.”
· “The gift which the Holy Spirit creates in us is not uncertainty, but assurance and discernment. Thus we are enabled to walk in the Spirit and to walk in assurance.”
· Facilitator’s question: Is the mind of Christ the metric we should use for every spiritual issue?
· “Paul proposed that there should be no censorship nor obstruction to the systematic search for truth. This implies that the spiritual man is capable of evaluating properly the good and evil he confronts…”
· “Christ Jesus … made himself nothing. He made himself nothing, emptied himself – the great kenosis. He made himself no reputation, no image. …Reputation is so important to me. …But Jesus made himself of no reputation.”
· “If a friend does something which puzzles us, we might ask what it was that he ‘had in mind’ in doing it. …There is great stress (in Philippians 2) that the great change (from God to man) came about by voluntary decision. Verse 7 says he emptied himself, and verse 8, he humbled himself. In each case the reflexive expression points to personal decision and action.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 38 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Philippians 2:1-11
Hebrews 5:11-6:3
Isaiah 11:1-5
1 Peter 4:1-6
Romans 8:5-11
Matthew 13:10-17
(Note: If you would like to look up these passages online, there are many online Bibles you could use. Here is one link: http://www.studylight.org/.)
Invocation:
“You, O Christ, who were tempted in all points like as I am, yet without sin, make me strong to overcome the desire to be wise and to be reputed wise by others as ignorant as myself. I turn from my wisdom as well as from my folly and flee to You, the wisdom of God and the power of God. Amen.” (A. W. Tozer in The Knowledge of the Holy)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 38 was “I Want to Be Like Jesus” by Thomas Chisholm. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“O Christ, I want the Spirit within me to duplicate nothing – nothing except You. For I want no manifestation that doesn’t manifest You – manifest You in Your sanctity and Your sanity. For You are life. Amen.” (E. Stanley Jones in The Way to Power and Poise)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Oswald Chambers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Charles R. Erdman, William F. Orr and James Arthur Walther, H. Orton Wiley, W. Paul Jones, Karl Rahner, Gayle D. Erwin, and Alec Motyer. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “By sanctification the Son of God is formed in me, then I have to transform my natural life into a spiritual life by obedience to Him. …When He begins to check, do not confer with flesh and blood, cleanse yourself at once. Keep yourself cleansed in your daily walk. I have to cleanse myself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit… Is the mind of my spirit in perfect agreement with the life of the Son of God…? Am I forming the mind of Christ? …by degrees Jesus lifts me up to where He lived – in perfect consecration to His Father’s will.”
· “We have to learn to maintain an unimpaired state of character up to the last notch revealed in the vision of Jesus Christ. …To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you.”
· “God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.”
· “The gift which the Holy Spirit creates in us is not uncertainty, but assurance and discernment. Thus we are enabled to walk in the Spirit and to walk in assurance.”
· Facilitator’s question: Is the mind of Christ the metric we should use for every spiritual issue?
· “Paul proposed that there should be no censorship nor obstruction to the systematic search for truth. This implies that the spiritual man is capable of evaluating properly the good and evil he confronts…”
· “Christ Jesus … made himself nothing. He made himself nothing, emptied himself – the great kenosis. He made himself no reputation, no image. …Reputation is so important to me. …But Jesus made himself of no reputation.”
· “If a friend does something which puzzles us, we might ask what it was that he ‘had in mind’ in doing it. …There is great stress (in Philippians 2) that the great change (from God to man) came about by voluntary decision. Verse 7 says he emptied himself, and verse 8, he humbled himself. In each case the reflexive expression points to personal decision and action.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 38 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Monday, September 28, 2009
Chapter 37 - Simplicity
Chapter 37 simplified our view on Simplicity using 7 Bible passages, as follows:
Luke 18:18-25
Matthew 6:25-34
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Luke 9:18-27
3 John
Matthew 18:1-4
Luke 12:22-34
(Note: If you would like to look up these passages online, there are many online Bibles you could use. Here is one link: http://www.studylight.org/.)
Invocation:
“Strengthen me, O God, by the grace of your Holy Spirit; grant me to be strengthened with might in the inner man, and to put away from my heart all useless anxiety and distress, and let me never be drawn aside by various longings after anything whatever, whether it be worthless or precious; but may I regard all things as passing away, and myself as passing away with them. Amen.” (Thomas à Kempis in Little Book of Prayers)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 37 was “Close to Thee” by Fanny J. Crosby. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, to love what I ought to love, to praise what delights You most, to value what is precious in Your sight, to hate what is offensive to You. Amen.” (Thomas à Kempis in Little Book of Prayers)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Gontran de Poncins, Evelyn Underhill, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Albert E. Day, E. B. White, A. W. Tozer and Jean-Pierre de Caussade. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “… He lived, he sustained himself, by prayer. Had he been dependent only upon human strength he would have lived in despair, been driven mad. But he called upon other forces, and they preserved him.”
· “Consider that wonderful world of life in which you are placed, and observe that its great rhythms of birth, growth and death – all the things that really matter – are not in your control. That unhurried process will go forward in its stately beauty, little affected by your anxious fuss. … Discern substance from accident. Don’t confuse your meals with your life, and your clothes with your body. Don’t lose your head over what perishes. … The simpler your house, the easier it will be run.”
· “The life of discipleship can only be maintained as long as nothing is allowed to come between Christ and ourselves – neither the law, nor personal piety, nor even the world.”
· “Simplicity means ‘absence of artificial ornamentation, pretentious styles, or luxury.’ It is ‘artlessness, lack of cunning or duplicity.’ … Simplicity does not mean ‘easy to understand.’ … Paul was not always easy to understand. Nor was Jesus. … Their intention was not to confuse or deceive but to clarify and illumine.”
· “Acquisition goes on day and night – smoothly, subtly, imperceptibly. I have no sharp taste for acquiring things, but it is not necessary to desire things in order to acquire them. Goods and chattels seek a man out; they find him even though his guard is up. … Under ordinary circumstances, the only stuff that leaves a home is paper trash and garbage; everything else stays on and digs in.”
· “Our Lord referred to this tyranny of things when he said to his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ … Jesus called it ‘life’ and ‘self’, or as we would say, the self-life. Its chief characteristic is its possessiveness…”
· “There is nothing more certain to resist the wiles of the flesh than simplicity…”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 37 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Luke 18:18-25
Matthew 6:25-34
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Luke 9:18-27
3 John
Matthew 18:1-4
Luke 12:22-34
(Note: If you would like to look up these passages online, there are many online Bibles you could use. Here is one link: http://www.studylight.org/.)
Invocation:
“Strengthen me, O God, by the grace of your Holy Spirit; grant me to be strengthened with might in the inner man, and to put away from my heart all useless anxiety and distress, and let me never be drawn aside by various longings after anything whatever, whether it be worthless or precious; but may I regard all things as passing away, and myself as passing away with them. Amen.” (Thomas à Kempis in Little Book of Prayers)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 37 was “Close to Thee” by Fanny J. Crosby. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, to love what I ought to love, to praise what delights You most, to value what is precious in Your sight, to hate what is offensive to You. Amen.” (Thomas à Kempis in Little Book of Prayers)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Gontran de Poncins, Evelyn Underhill, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Albert E. Day, E. B. White, A. W. Tozer and Jean-Pierre de Caussade. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “… He lived, he sustained himself, by prayer. Had he been dependent only upon human strength he would have lived in despair, been driven mad. But he called upon other forces, and they preserved him.”
· “Consider that wonderful world of life in which you are placed, and observe that its great rhythms of birth, growth and death – all the things that really matter – are not in your control. That unhurried process will go forward in its stately beauty, little affected by your anxious fuss. … Discern substance from accident. Don’t confuse your meals with your life, and your clothes with your body. Don’t lose your head over what perishes. … The simpler your house, the easier it will be run.”
· “The life of discipleship can only be maintained as long as nothing is allowed to come between Christ and ourselves – neither the law, nor personal piety, nor even the world.”
· “Simplicity means ‘absence of artificial ornamentation, pretentious styles, or luxury.’ It is ‘artlessness, lack of cunning or duplicity.’ … Simplicity does not mean ‘easy to understand.’ … Paul was not always easy to understand. Nor was Jesus. … Their intention was not to confuse or deceive but to clarify and illumine.”
· “Acquisition goes on day and night – smoothly, subtly, imperceptibly. I have no sharp taste for acquiring things, but it is not necessary to desire things in order to acquire them. Goods and chattels seek a man out; they find him even though his guard is up. … Under ordinary circumstances, the only stuff that leaves a home is paper trash and garbage; everything else stays on and digs in.”
· “Our Lord referred to this tyranny of things when he said to his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ … Jesus called it ‘life’ and ‘self’, or as we would say, the self-life. Its chief characteristic is its possessiveness…”
· “There is nothing more certain to resist the wiles of the flesh than simplicity…”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 37 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Monday, September 14, 2009
Chapter 36 - Obedience
Chapter 36 focused our attention on Obedience in 7 Bible passages, as follows:
Matthew 8:18-22
Luke 1:26-28
Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Matthew 10:32-42
1 Samuel 15:12-15
Matthew 19:16-30
Acts 15:17-29
Invocation:
“…Grant that I may direct all my knowledge, my whole capacity, all my happiness, and all my exertions, to please you, to love you, and to obtain your love for time and eternity. Amen.” (Thomas à Kempis in The Imitation of Christ)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 36 was “Trust and Obey” by John Sammis. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Grant me ears to hear, eyes to see, a will to obey, a heart to love; then declare what you will, reveal what you will, command what you will, demand what you will. Amen.” (Christina Rosetti in Little Book of Prayers)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Phillips Brooks, Emilie Griffin, Stephen F. Winward, Georgia Harkness, Tilden H. Edwards, Thomas R. Kelly, C. S. Lewis, Oswald Chambers and Thomas à Kempis. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
• “The great danger facing all of us … is that we may fail to perceive life’s greatest meaning, fall short of its highest good, miss its deepest and most abiding happiness, be unable to render the most needed service, be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of the Presence of God – and be content to have it so.”
• “Prayer is, after all, a very dangerous business. For all the benefits it offers of growing closer to God, it carries with it one great element of risk: the possibility of change.”
• “… to define prayer is no simple matter. … Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will.”
• “Come and taste the fruit of obedience.”
• “Begin where you are. Obey now.”
• “Do at once what you must do one day. … Duty is imperative; it must be done. … (Do not) compel God to compel you.”
• “The golden rule of understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. … spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey.”
• “ ‘Ye call me Master and Lord’ – but is He?”
• “Independence belongs to God, who has made man dependent on others that his subordination may be to him the means of his sanctification. I will therefore form myself upon the model of my submissive, dependent, and obedient Saviour, and dispose of nothing in myself, not even of my own will.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 36 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Matthew 8:18-22
Luke 1:26-28
Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Matthew 10:32-42
1 Samuel 15:12-15
Matthew 19:16-30
Acts 15:17-29
Invocation:
“…Grant that I may direct all my knowledge, my whole capacity, all my happiness, and all my exertions, to please you, to love you, and to obtain your love for time and eternity. Amen.” (Thomas à Kempis in The Imitation of Christ)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 36 was “Trust and Obey” by John Sammis. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. Grant me ears to hear, eyes to see, a will to obey, a heart to love; then declare what you will, reveal what you will, command what you will, demand what you will. Amen.” (Christina Rosetti in Little Book of Prayers)
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Phillips Brooks, Emilie Griffin, Stephen F. Winward, Georgia Harkness, Tilden H. Edwards, Thomas R. Kelly, C. S. Lewis, Oswald Chambers and Thomas à Kempis. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
• “The great danger facing all of us … is that we may fail to perceive life’s greatest meaning, fall short of its highest good, miss its deepest and most abiding happiness, be unable to render the most needed service, be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of the Presence of God – and be content to have it so.”
• “Prayer is, after all, a very dangerous business. For all the benefits it offers of growing closer to God, it carries with it one great element of risk: the possibility of change.”
• “… to define prayer is no simple matter. … Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will.”
• “Come and taste the fruit of obedience.”
• “Begin where you are. Obey now.”
• “Do at once what you must do one day. … Duty is imperative; it must be done. … (Do not) compel God to compel you.”
• “The golden rule of understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. … spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey.”
• “ ‘Ye call me Master and Lord’ – but is He?”
• “Independence belongs to God, who has made man dependent on others that his subordination may be to him the means of his sanctification. I will therefore form myself upon the model of my submissive, dependent, and obedient Saviour, and dispose of nothing in myself, not even of my own will.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 36 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Chapter 35 - Humility
Chapter 35 referenced 7 Bible passages to focus our attention on Humility, as follows:
Jeremiah 10:23-25
Romans 1:1-17
Isaiah 6:1-8
Matthew 23:1-12
Acts 10:1-48
Matthew 3:1-17
Galatians 6:11-18
Invocation:
“O Christ, your blessed faith in me sends me to my knees. I am humbled at your confidence in me. Now help me to be in some measure worthy of your faith. Amen.” (E. Stanley Jones in Mastery)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 35 was “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go” by George Matheson. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“O Father, I thank you that I can stand before you neither above or below any person. Help me to take that privilege and give it to every other person. Amen.”
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Susan Annette Muto, Thomas Merton, an anonymous Mother Superior, William Barclay, Albert E. Day and Madeleine L’Engle. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “Humility opens our inner ears. …Humility withstands any arrogant tendency to reduce the word to our purposes.”
· “Humility is a virtue, not a neurosis. …A humility that freezes our being and frustrates all healthy activity is not humility at all, but a disguised form of pride.”
· The quote from the anonymous Mother Superior should be read in its entirety, so I will not excerpt any of it here.
· “The first barrier to meekness arises whenever we claim as our own what is really a gift of God. …The second is the tendency to dominate others. …The third is the tendency to see only what is wrong in a situation and never to affirm the good.”
· “The way to knowledge begins with the admission of ignorance. The one man who can never learn is the man who thinks that he knows everything already.”
· “So humility is not weakness but strength, for it receives the strength of God. It is not folly, but wisdom, for it is open to the ever available wisdom of God. It is not nothingness but fullness, for into the vacuum created by the demolition of human pride and self-sufficiency, pours the fullness of God.”
· “Right prayer is a time of great, genuine humility.”
· “Humility is throwing oneself away in complete concentration on something or someone else.”
As an extra feature in the study of this chapter on humility, Elaine Roberts synopsized the Humility Chapter from Bruce Marchiano’s book The Character of a Man. The synopsis is too lengthy to quote here, but I recommend you get a copy of the book and read the chapter if you wish to further expand your understanding of humility.
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 35 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Jeremiah 10:23-25
Romans 1:1-17
Isaiah 6:1-8
Matthew 23:1-12
Acts 10:1-48
Matthew 3:1-17
Galatians 6:11-18
Invocation:
“O Christ, your blessed faith in me sends me to my knees. I am humbled at your confidence in me. Now help me to be in some measure worthy of your faith. Amen.” (E. Stanley Jones in Mastery)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 35 was “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go” by George Matheson. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“O Father, I thank you that I can stand before you neither above or below any person. Help me to take that privilege and give it to every other person. Amen.”
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Susan Annette Muto, Thomas Merton, an anonymous Mother Superior, William Barclay, Albert E. Day and Madeleine L’Engle. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
· “Humility opens our inner ears. …Humility withstands any arrogant tendency to reduce the word to our purposes.”
· “Humility is a virtue, not a neurosis. …A humility that freezes our being and frustrates all healthy activity is not humility at all, but a disguised form of pride.”
· The quote from the anonymous Mother Superior should be read in its entirety, so I will not excerpt any of it here.
· “The first barrier to meekness arises whenever we claim as our own what is really a gift of God. …The second is the tendency to dominate others. …The third is the tendency to see only what is wrong in a situation and never to affirm the good.”
· “The way to knowledge begins with the admission of ignorance. The one man who can never learn is the man who thinks that he knows everything already.”
· “So humility is not weakness but strength, for it receives the strength of God. It is not folly, but wisdom, for it is open to the ever available wisdom of God. It is not nothingness but fullness, for into the vacuum created by the demolition of human pride and self-sufficiency, pours the fullness of God.”
· “Right prayer is a time of great, genuine humility.”
· “Humility is throwing oneself away in complete concentration on something or someone else.”
As an extra feature in the study of this chapter on humility, Elaine Roberts synopsized the Humility Chapter from Bruce Marchiano’s book The Character of a Man. The synopsis is too lengthy to quote here, but I recommend you get a copy of the book and read the chapter if you wish to further expand your understanding of humility.
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 35 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
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