Last night we read deeper into the book of Phillipians as Paul described his walk with Jesus in words such as "striving, toiling and pressing hard." His verbage makes it very clear that the idea of 'comfort' that we most typically associate with a Christian lifestyle is just not Biblical.
Matt described a 'holy discontentment' in a way that propels us closer to and more deeply desiring more of Jesus. NOT a discontentment that paralyzes us with anxiety, guilt or shame...leaving us to our own efforts.
What are some areas of holy discontentment for you? 'How and where' can we apply good, true teaching to our lives...making a plan to incorporate it instead of leaving it stagnant in our minds?
Accountability. Do we shy away from it? Truly being vulnerable to someone or a group of someones, in an attempt to identify real areas of sin in our lives and gain help and support as we repent (or walk away from) that sin. So easy to talk about doing....not so easy to do. 'How and when' can we put this into action?
Feel like a spiritual giant? What are some areas of weakness in your own life, that could potentially be strengthened by spending time with someone who is stronger in it? It takes time, courage and humility....'how and when' can we make it happen?
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This was a tough message, for me at least. It's so much easier for me to listen and process something that doesn't give a direct assignment of incorporating it into my life. Introspection is hard for most of us. Sometimes I know that I'm feeling A LOT, but can't actually articulate what it is that I'm actually experiencing. It takes time, emotional energy and a level of honesty and vulnerability that can be terrifying.
Here's the Good News....Jesus :) He is good. He is for us. And His grace covers our weaknesses. He's not interested in our performance or attempts at earning His favor...He's relentlessly pursuing and transforming our hearts and minds.
Try bringing these questions to Him as you navigate them yourself. Let Him join the conversation :)
YEAH!!! You know I'm excited to have a blog!
ReplyDeleteWhat do I struggle with? Bringing it home to my kids. We're not a praying family...we all pray I'm sure but not openly and together. How do others make that part of your daily routines? I try to incorporate into times when we stumble but unless my kids see me praying will they ever really learn 'how' to pray?
I am SO with you on this one Cal! It's tough! We pray at mealtimes and bedtimes everyday(ish). At bedtime we ask the kids what they want to thank God for and who they'd like to thank Him for that day...they pray for those 2 things and then Chad or I finish the prayer. The other most common times we'll pray together is when one or ALL (most often) of us are having a really rough(aka GRUMPY) day and we need to start over! We'll sit together and ask God to help us make better choices and be able to be kind and loving to each other. Does it always work? Nope...but my hope is that by just stopping and acknowledging that HE can and wants to help us...and that we have so much to be thankful for...will set a tone for our family.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think there's a right or wrong way to do this one. I can say from experience that when my own prayer-life is something I'm being intentional about, it occurs to me to pray more with the kids. I really don't want to teach them so much 'how' to pray as much as I hope to show them how much I/we need it...and hope that they will find their own unique way to communicate with Him.
We aren't the best "prayers" either...our kids are probably better at it than we are! Bless their hearts. I took this message on a broader scale. For me it's not only true about my spirituality, but also about everything else in life as well. It's so easy to maintain what we do on a daily basis...it's repetitious, it's easy, it's comfortable. It's much harder to get away from that and do something different...something that challenges you. Something unfamiliar. To some degree I loathe the fact that we're roped into that. I'm a dreamer, so I often sit and think about what it is that I can do to be a better: follower of Christ, husband, father, employee, citizen. 9 times out of 10 I can think of a thousand things that I'd LOVE to do, and another thousand things that I'd LOVE to do to help others. The problem is...it's work, and work isn't meant to be easy...plus it takes time to do these things, and we all know how precious time is. Reality = I have to MAKE time to be the change that I want to see...one step at a time. I think we're all awesome people...but I want to be better in all facets of life. Gotta start somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI get where you're coming from when you say you can think of a thousand different things you want to do to help others, but yet so hard to take the steps to make it happen. I do the exact same thing. I get ideas in my head, but it's so hard to step out of that comfort bubble and take the first step. I'm also one of those people who tries to do everything all myself, which just sets me up for failure a lot of the time. One of the areas I need to work on is laying all my trust in God and knowing He will pull through for me and not being so afraid of asking a friend for help when I need it. I really admire people who aren't afraid of asking questions or asking for help.
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