Month: June 2010 (Page 3 of 4)

Devotions from Scott McNight’s book, Embracing Grace
The gospel tells  the story of “God who embraces us in spite of who we are and what we have done; it tells us that God’s embrace enables us to embrace God back and to embrace others, and that this double embrace is intended for the good of others in the world.”  The gospel is designed to create this cycle of grace!  How beautiful!

How we live shows how we believe. By our fruit we will be known.

This generation wants an authentic gospel that creates a “come as you are” and drop the pretense type church.  This is exemplified in a safe place where honesty is found but where people can tell their story and are received with love. This generation wants something that speaks to their condition and can set them free from the chaos this world confronts them with. They want something that will draw them closer to God and to others and lead them to a life that is good for the world. In other words they want to both to hear it and see it!

Devotions from James Smith book, Embracing the Love of God

God provides us with an example of how to care for one another. Our motive for caring comes from the care God has shown us. “God cares for our spiritual life, God cares for the health of our soul, and God provides for our physical needs. God is available, God listens, and God never abandons us. This is how we are to care for one another.” We are called to be His hands and feet and mouth as He brings people into our lives. We are vessels that carry a great treasure within us and it is His power that heals and blesses others.

It is so important to listen to others and when we listen without judgment it is a wonderful gift we give to one another.  Have you ever noticed how your soul is set free when you know you’ve been heard?
And when we receive encouraging words it breathes life into us and energizes us.  Max Lacado wrote, “Plant a word of love heart-deep in a person’s life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens.” What usually happens is that the person is enabled to walk away refreshed and full of energy. Sometimes we can make a difference just by writing a letter of encouragement, or speaking into their life. Maybe our random act of kindness seems small but each thing we do for another has great significance.  “When we care for others, our capacity to care is increased.”   We benefit as well.

Devotions from James Smith’s book, Embracing the Love of God

God has made us interdependent, and from the moment of our creation He felt it was important for us to live in community. At the core of our being is the need to love and be loved by others.  By living in community we can find the fulfillment for which we hunger. God could have made us so we didn’t need one another but instead he gives us all of the resources we need to care for one another.  We all have gifts He has given us and we are to pass on these gifts to those that need them. Our lives have an impact on those around us far greater than we can see.  Each moment, each decision, each act of kindness, will have a ripple effect.  What we do today-or don’t do today-will have an impact on someone.  We may never know what even one word of encouragement can mean to another. 
God’s love for us becomes the source of our desire to love on another. ( I John 4:19) If we fail to care for others, we have most likely failed to know that God cares for us.  When we grasp how much God loves us, we will feel His love flowing out of us into the lives of others.

Devotions on forgiveness from Gary Thomas’ book Embracing the Love of God

Peter van Breeman said, “When we really accept God’s acceptance and believe that it is without limits, then we can express our guilt.”

When we really know we are loved unconditionally by God then we have the freedom to explore our dark side. Otherwise we are paralyzed by the fear of rejection and keep our sins hidden. When we are able by God’ grace to bring our sins to the light, we see that they lose their power. That’s why the enemy wants us to keep from confessing and sharing our struggles with God or with one another.  The enemy tells us we are the only one who struggles or that we shouldn’t fall to temptation since we are Christians. But knowing and loving the Lord does not make us immune, for we all struggle with the conflict between the spirit and the flesh. It is good to know we are not alone in our struggles or we will end up hiding from the One who wants to heal and forgive us.  God is a forgiving God and at the heart of God is the desire to give and forgive.  NO matter what we do wrong, He is always there to welcome us back, forgive us and desire nothing other than our presence. His sacrifice on the cross frees us, and we need only to accept that forgiveness that cannot be earned.  He forgives us even when we don’t forgive ourselves or before we even ask.  Let us invite Him to begin working on what has been tripping us up so that we can live in closer union with Him.

Devotions from James Smith book, Embracing the Love of God

What does a Normal day look like when we are caring for our body, soul and spirit?

When we wake up we can turn our thoughts to the Lord first and thank Him for his grace, love, forgiveness, and care for us. This helps us get a view of the day from his perspective.
Secondly, we can ask him to direct our whole day- all our thoughts, words, and actions. This reminds us that we are not in control of our lives and enables God to nourish and shape us.

Thirdly, we can eat meals that are both nourishing and enjoyable, and allow time to exercise and play.
Fourthly, we can take time to be quiet and alone as well as to enjoy the company of others. Fifteen minutes of solitude and an evening of conversation with close friends will strengthen our spirits.

Fifthly, we will make a conscious effort to be aware of the Lord’s presence every few hours or so. Our day will include time set aside for prayer and lifting up needs.

Sixthly, we will exercise our minds by reading or studying something that stimulates and moves us. It might be a passage of scripture or even a movie that causes us to think on Him

Lastly, we try to get enough sleep as God does not intend for us to get exhausted. As we fall asleep we can pray, using the Lord’s Prayer or 23^rd Psalm as our guide. Then tell God we are grateful for the day and look forward to the next.

All these things add life to our years on this earth. Life is too short to work in a job we hate, to miss the spring blossoms, to neglect to tell our loved ones how important they are to us etc.  We will never have time to do all the things we want to do in this life so let us spend our time well.

Devotions from James Smith’s book Embracing the Love of God

Our body was designed to interact with the spiritual realm. When we do certain spiritual exercise (all of which involve our bodies) we nurture and develop our souls and spirits. This is called spiritual formation.  Spiritual formation is happening all the time, even when we are not aware of it. Each day our spirits are being formed. As we turn ourselves to God, engaging in activities and spiritual exercise, we will begin to reflect God in our everyday lives.
Six exercises that have a great effect on our lives are:

1. Keeping the Sabbath. This is when we take a day of the week, or an afternoon or two, when we schedule a time to do nothing.  It’s a time of abstaining from work which teaches us to live in trust and let God take care of us.
2. Solitude.  This is a time to withdraw from other people for the purpose of becoming more attuned to our inner heart. It makes us more sensitive to the world around us and creates a space for us to be still.
3. Silence.  This is a means of centering our spirit and quieting our souls.  By keeping a period of silence we become more focused on the things that we say without words.
4. Prayer.   Prayer is the most transforming activity we can engage in. God has given us this gift so we can commune with Him. We can take all our needs and concerns and questions and doubts to Him who welcomes them
5. Study.  Through study we focus our minds on Him and what is true, honorable, just, and pure. ( Phil. 4:8)  It is good to take a passage of scripture and memorize it and let it speak to our hearts.
6. Practicing the Presence.  This is an exercise that involves becoming consciously aware of God’s presence daily. We are often focused on many other things that God is far from our minds.  So when we take time every few hours to consider His presence, we open the window for God to be more a part of our lives.

Tomorrow I will share what a typical day looks like when we care for ourselves.

Devotions based on James Smith book Embracing the Love of God

Caring for ourselves involves nurturing our spirit, soul and body. The new self, the true self that we are in Christ, requires ongoing spiritual sustenance.  God has left us exercises and activities that allow spiritual life and power to flow through us.  Prayer, for example is a channel through which we receive this power and life, along with meditating on scripture, memorizing it, taking sacraments, fasting etc.  We also need to care for our soul which is the part of us that feels, enjoys, yearns, weeps, desires and wills. We must not neglect our emotions but rather pay attention to our feelings and passions and be sensitive to this part of our lives.  This requires that we give space for reflection and time for relaxation and enjoyment.  We need to live close to our hearts and pay attention to what we feel. When we enjoy the world around us and experience healthy pleasures we are caring for our souls. Since our souls and spirits are housed in our bodies we need to love and nurture them as well. That means eating healthy food, exercising, getting plenty of rest etc. If we take care of them they will reward us with the energy and vitality that allow us to experience more of life and extend the power of God to others.  Our bodies are the primary receptacles for the life of God.  I Cor. 6:19.   Because our souls are affected by what w do with our bodies, it is important that we care for them.

Tomorrow will share things we can to do that we might reflect His glory through our lives.

Devotions from James Smith book Embracing the Love of God

God cares for how we care for ourselves and this care for ourselves is not something selfish.  As we care for ourselves we are really allowing God to care for us. The very fact that he gave us a Sabbath day shows that He cares for us by insisting we rest our bodies and give space to our souls one day a week.

“God invites us to integrate His presence, His resources, His wisdom, and His power into our lives.”   He wants us to ask for His help in every aspect of our lives, especially when things are difficult.  He suffers when He sees us trying to work through painful times on our own. Caring for ourselves means allowing God to be part of our lives, and our part is to believe and to seek Him.  God created us out of love and He wants us to experience that love and stand before Him as a trophy of His goodness, grace and mercy.
Each of us came into this world for a single purpose: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Who are we that He should love us so much?  We are magnificent creatures, fearfully and wonderfully made. We are spiritual beings with souls and bodies and tomorrow I will share more on how to care for each aspect of these parts of our lives.

Devotions from James Smith’s book, Embracing the Love of God

How did we get the notion that if we believe in God  we will experience perfect peace and prosperity and avoid pain?  Life can be difficult no matter how much faith we have, but in the midst of our trials He is very present. When we are still we can hear His gentle voice reassuring us that we are not alone and He is there, caring for us.  Even when something terrible occurs, God is able to accomplish His purposes.  When we learn to really trust Him, we are at peace.  We are told to ask, seek, and knock. Sometimes we may feel He didn’t respond to our prayers in the way we have asked.” Martin Luther said we should never prescribe measure, manner, time, or place in our prayers because he believed that we should trust in God’s wisdom, which is higher than ours.”  God looks in our hearts to see what we really need. The answer may not come as we anticipate, but it will come and His answers are always better.  When we have to wait for His answers it is not because He is cruel but He wants us to grow. Waiting takes a great deal of faith, patience, and trust, and our soul is being shaped all the while.
God’s presence is with us and He is all we need in life. Heb. 13:6 “ The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”  We will never face a situation without the presence and care of God. He grieves with us and rejoices with us.  He will never leave us!