Hungry for God; Starving for Time
“She needs a transparent shower curtain,” my husband said.
“I agree.”
We were visiting friends out of state. The temperature hovered around 90, and the upstairs guest rooms were too hot to sleep in comfortably.
“If you don’t mind sleeping in the basement,” our hostess said, “it’s nice and cool down there. The pullout couch is comfortable, and there’s a bathroom with a shower.”
We slept well on her comfy pullout couch. It was the shower we had trouble with.
Added on after the house was built, the shower was tucked into an alcove in the bathroom. When I stepped in and pulled the opaque shower curtain closed behind me, very little light shone through. And while my shower routine is pretty predictable, it would have been easier to see what was dirty if I’d had more light.
My spiritual life is a lot like my physical life in this way. If I look at myself through the lens of this world, which is dim and cloudy, I look pretty good. If I compare myself with the light of God’s Word, however, I realize there is much about my character that still needs improvement.
The Psalmist acknowledged, “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it?”
Sometimes, without the light of God’s counsel, I deceive myself. I think I’m thoughtful and unselfish, until my husband points out how I’ve been neglecting him. I think I’m patient and kind, until I stand in a long line at the grocery store and mutter with the other disgruntled customers. I think I’m a servant, until someone leaves a mess behind and I grumble as I clean it up.
My pastor says regular examination and confession, both general (“I am a sinner,”) and specific (I have sinned by _______,”) is necessary to guard our hearts against sin, and it is true.
“If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” promises 1 John 1:9.
Instead of being discouraged, however, I should be encouraged by the lifelong process of sanctification—of becoming more like Christ, because God partners with me in the process.
Theologian E.M. Bounds writes: “God will not meet you where you pretend to be.”
If I examine my life through the lens of God’s Word and obey what he tells me to do, God conforms me to his likeness.
But he seldom elbows into my life; I have to invite him. If I hide in the shadows of my own self-assessment and self-righteousness, God will not meet me there. If I pull the curtain wide and allow the light of his Word to show me what’s dirty, I’ve made the first step toward him and the person he wants me to be. My friend’s shower curtain wasn’t transparent, but we certainly should be.
“Confession allows God room to work,” my pastor says.
Is there something you need to confess and surrender to God today? Will you join me in submitting it to God and watching him work?
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If I were to list my least favorite household chores, ironing would be pretty close to the top. Today I was ironing my husband's favorite pair or corduroy pants. Most people probably don't iron corduroy, but we don't use a dryer, so this pair came off the line really really wrinkled.
It took forever to iron them, but I finally got them somewhat presentable. I hoped the warp and woof of the fabric would hide the crinkles that still remained despite my concentrated efforts. I wasn't so sure after my husband held them up and said, "Wow, these look kinda wrinkled."
"Not as wrinkled as they were!" I exclaimed in frustration, grabbing the iron again.
Like my husband's favorite pair of corduroys, I began my spiritual life wrinkled. Creased by selfishness, worry, anger, and a lack of gentleness, there was a lot that needed to be ironed out in me.
When I read 1 Corinthians 5:17, which tells me that if any (wo)man is in Christ, (s)he is a new creation, I wondered when the wrinkles of my old creation would disappear. Some went away immediately upon my new birth. Others have needed years of ironing to straighten them out.
What brings me comfort is that as I fill myself up with God's word, quickly obey what he tells me to do, and earnestly seek to live a life that is pleasing to him, God does the rest. John 15 tells me that as I abide in him (draw spiritual nourishment and life from him), and allow his words to live in me, I will begin to bear spiritual fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Wow!
Best of all, I can rest in promise of Philippians 1:6 that tells me that he (God) who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it. It hasn't happened overnight, but it will happen.
If you are discouraged by besetting sins and character issues that keep manifesting themselves, take a few minutes to look back over the course of your Christian life. Especially note the ways God has changed you. Be encouraged when you see how God has already been at work, and trust him to continue the transformation he has begun. Join me as I say,
I may still be wrinkled, but I'm not as wrinkled as I was!
We are busier than ever. Finding time to read God's word and pray seems to be more and more challenging. Oftentimes, after we've checked Facebook, our email, and our smart phones in the morning, there just isn't time for devotions.
But like skipping breakfast in the morning leaves us hungry and unprepared for the physical demands of our day, heading out the door with no spiritual "food" in our souls leaves us empty, malnourished, and unprepared for the spiritual demands of our day.
I believe our generation struggles even more with having a consistent quiet time because there are so many distractions in our lives. Social media is a huge challenge. Many of us wouldn't think of walking out the door without checking email or Facebook, but don't think twice about heading out without checking in with God.
Each of us face different competing distractions. Pastor and speaker Chip Ingram gives a great example of making decisions in advance to help keep our priorities in order in his Bible study "Balancing Life's Demands." He shares how he set a goal to spend time in Bible reading and prayer every morning.
To help him be consistent, he decided in advance that because eating breakfast was very important to him, and he would never dream of leaving home in the morning without eating breakfast, that he would not allow himself to eat breakfast in the morning unless he had already read his Bible. His desire to eat breakfast helped motivate him to have his quiet time each day. It also put a priority on reading God's word. By putting time in the Word ahead of anything else, it set the tone for his whole day.
My temptation has often been good literature. I will find myself spending an hour or two reading a book, but will reach the end of my day without having spent any time reading the most important book of all, the Bible. To help myself be consistent in having a quiet time, I decided that I will not read any other reading material until I have first read my Bible. This decision helps me keep first things first.
What competes with your time with God?
Is it television? Facebook? Surfing the internet? Talking with friends? Even good things can squeeze out the best thing of all. I encourage you to identify what is squeezing out your time with God, then reorder your priorities in order to put God first.
I know God will richly bless you for it.
"But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
You many have seen the commercial. A little boy, no more than five or six years old, steps up to a piano taller than he is. It is the dreaded piano recital.
His hair is slicked down, unruly cowlicks temporarily tamed. The little fellow is wearing a dark suit purchased just for the occasion. A tiny red power tie completes the outfit. His parents watch nervously from the audience as he places trembling fingers on the keyboard.
Hesitantly, he plinks out the first notes of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," stumbling over the simple melody and pausing to remember what comes next. The audience collectively holds its breath as the little guy struggles on.
Suddenly, those who have lost interest and are reading their programs lift their eyes again to the stage. Instead of hearing the halting notes of a child's piano piece, they hear the swirling sounds of a complex composition. Grace notes and arpeggios flow around the single halting melody, transforming the simple song.
Those witnessing the transformation see the source of the magic. The teacher has quietly joined his protege' on stage. Slipping his arms around the child, he has added his skill and musical ability to the performance, and together they share the keyboard. What began as a simple attempt becomes a glorious masterpiece.
As I watched this inspiring commercial about the power of encouragement, I was struck by how closely this saga describes the Christian life.
Few of us are especially gifted or empowered, but when we step out in fledgling faith to obey Christ in our daily lives, God steps in, puts his arms next to ours, and transforms our pedantic attempts into beautiful symphonies. He adds His power to our weakness, His enabling to our obedience, and His Spirit to our witness.
When He does this, we experience results we could never have accomplished in our own strength. Paul testified to this in 1 Corinthians 3:6. "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."
If you are facing a task that seems too big for you, I challenge you to surrender it to God. Ask Him to equip and enable you, and to add His strength to yours. Invite Him to glorify Himself through you.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (1 Cor. 12:9).
I can't wait to hear the beautiful music!
