Description
In our previous episodes we have discussed the importance of re-digging our “wells of Salvation.” We discovered that there is a danger in assuming all our ministry activity means that we have a close relationship with God. In this episode we will dig a bit deeper, to discover in what areas we need to refocus in order to regain and renew our own spiritual life. While we may have walked with the Lord for many decades he is always beckoning us to a deeper walk with him. In order to finish the race he has called us to, it will be crucial that we respond to his invitation to know him better.
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Video Script
Episode 11 Intro: Rediscovering our First Love
In our previous episodes we have discussed the importance of re-digging our “wells of Salvation.” We discovered that there is a danger in assuming all our ministry activity means that we have a close relationship with God. In this episode we will dig a bit deeper, to discover in what areas we need to refocus in order to regain and renew our own spiritual life. While we may have walked with the Lord for many decades he is always beckoning us to a deeper walk with him. In order to finish the race he has called us to, it will be crucial that we respond to his invitation to know him better.
Seeing Jesus
This morning I was reading from Oswald Chamber’s classic devotional, based on his book of over 100 years ago, “My Utmost for his Highest.” As is typical, he made a statement that was a bit shocking and as usual thought provoking. He writes, “Being saved and seeing Jesus are not the same thing…once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same, other things do not appeal as they used to do.”
Which got me thinking, what appeals to me? What appeals to you? Is it doing great things for God, reaching the world, making disciples of all nations….you know all the things most of us have been doing our whole life? I would suggest that at this stage of our life it is important to re-evaluate the status of our relationship with God. I know we are saved and on our way to heaven, but what really appeals to us? Is it to spend time with him? To get to know him on a deeper level and just commune with him? If this is not the case, I wonder why?
At this stage of life it is easy to live off of our past successes, our knowledge and our previous experiences. Over a lifetime we have spent countless hours in the Word developing sermons and teachings and this can lead us to assume that we must be close to God. One of the biggest challenges of serving the Word of God to others is that in all that activity we can forget to feed on the same manna that we are serving to others. We may no longer be applying the truth of God’s Word in our own lives. Of course this is subtle and does not happen overnight, yet over time our first love can slowly slip away (Rev. 2:1-7).
Begins with Humility
It is not about just legalistically going through the rituals of the spiritual disciplines, but rather pursuing him with affection. Of course this begins with spending time in the Word, but we also need to spend time in quiet contemplation and private worship. As stresses and traumas occur as we age, we may discover that we no longer have the daily dependence upon God that we once had early in our lives and ministry. It may be humbling to discover that we do not have the strength in our lives that we thought we had. The pressures of ministry and even the busyness of success can crowd out the very One which we were trying to serve. (1 Jn. 4:9-12)
The first step in re-digging the well of our relationship with God is humility. It begins with repentance for allowing working for God to crowd out relating with God. Depending upon how dry our well is, it may take some time to drink of the fresh water of his Spirit again. Can we say with David, “Lord I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.” (Psa. 26:8) Do I really seek to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Psa. 27:4) Is one day in his courts better than a thousand elsewhere; Would I really rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than living large in the tents of the wicked? (Psa. 84:10).
Might be good to pause right here and, Prayerfully consider any areas in which our spiritual life has become dry and we have lost that “first love” relationship with Jesus. Let’s together commit to changing our priorities so that we can re-dig the wells that we need to in our spiritual life.
Seeking Relevance
Like the disciples in the boat with Jesus, the storms of life have a way of exposing what is happening inside of us. If we have been regularly cultivating a relationship with the Lord, our faith in him will overcome our fear of the storms. Usually during this last third of life, it becomes evident if we really know Jesus, as Oswald Chambers wrote, or if we have subtly been substituting good works or ministerial activities for true spirituality. If we have been focussing on ministry to fill us up on the inside, we will eventually find ourselves empty and worn out. Of course the danger of this is that it makes us vulnerable to temptation. (1 Cor. 10:12)
Constantly giving out to others by relying on our past experiences with God and even our knowledge of his Word, rather than the freshness of his Spirit, can also lead us to becoming dry. While we all need the encouragement of others, another danger is to believe that our gifts or calling, rather than God’s power, is what changes lives. Again, re-digging the wells of humility and servant leadership is required to make sure this does not happen. So as we enter this last third of life and some of the busyness of life fades a bit, we will discover what has really been driving us and what has been the foundation of our life and ministry.
If we are not secure in our relationship with the Lord, we may be tempted to try to prove our continued relevance by exercising our position or spiritual authority – to do whatever we need to do for others to continue to listen to us. This can create enormous pressure as we try to reconcile our outward reality with what we know is our real inward spiritual condition. Unfortunately, this disconnect often is manifested in temptations such as immorality, pride, abuse of power, and even a lack of sensitively to the truth. (Heb. 2:18)
As we come to this stage of life we need to re-dig our wells of spirituality. This is a private personal matter between us and God. But I would suggest that without the discipline of engaging in this process it will be impossible for us to fulfill our calling or to finish our race. The good news is that God’s promise is that if we are humble and admit our weakness he has promised to meet us and give us his grace and strength.
Perhaps it might be helpful at this point to consider:
How are you responding to the feeling of losing relevance and significance in ministry or generally in life? How about recommitting to an attitude of humility, not relying on power and position to maintain your place in the Body.
What steps do you need to take in order to stay humble and keep your spiritual life fresh. Do a study of relevant Scriptures that God makes real to you.
Rediscovering Spiritual Disciplines
Now at this point there is a danger that I will lose you as I bring up the “D” word again. Of course I am referring to spiritual disciplines. I wish I could report that developing a love relationship with God is sunshine and roses and a skip through the park. But as we all know, the push back from our basic fallen nature and the daily challenge of allowing Christ to be formed in us does not happen without effort. Now this does not mean that we can become like Jesus in our own strength, we know that it is only by his spirit working in us that this is possible.
But to say that we have no part in it, would also not be totally accurate. Our salvation is completely by his grace, it is a work of God towards us. However, it requires us putting on this new man as Paul taught in Colossians. We are partners with God in this sanctification process. We don’t have the time here to do a deep study on this, but if you would like to do a deeper dive you could look at the appropriate chapters in our “Intentional Relationships” series, either the Discipling thru Intentional Relationships Guide or the Mentoring thru Intentional Relationships Guide.
No matter how long we have walked with the Lord or how long we have been in ministry we are not immune to spiritual battles. What nobody seems to tell you, is that at this latter stage of life these battles can be even more intense than when we were younger. Which is why it is so important to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground….standing firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Eph 6:10-20.
In some ways, we are more vulnerable and susceptible to battles than we were in our younger years. This is why it is critical to maintain our spiritual health. To finish our race we have to strengthen our spiritual disciplines during the last stage of our lives. This brings us back to the “D” word. I guess it should be no surprise that a love relationship with Jesus takes discipline and effort, for we see the same in our human relationships don’t we?
My wife and I were married in 1982, so I’ll let you do the math on that…..but we have discovered that it takes many non-romantic practical disciplines to have a loving romantic relationship that will last over the long haul. We have to do the very practical activities of continuing to make time for each other and choosing to align our interests and common direction in life. Of course this includes flowers, chocolates and romantic times, but that isn’t the foundation of the relationship. If you have been married for any length of time or even if you have a close friend, I am sure you can identify that a good relationship is based on daily decisions to prioritize the relationship, not just good feelings.
In my experience, my relationship with Jesus is not much different. In our relationship with him, spiritual disciplines are the equivalent of walking along the beach, talking out issues, serving the other person’s needs. If you have been a believer for any length of time, these activities will not be a surprise. It requires prioritizing spending time in the Word, talking with God in prayer and worshiping him. As in our human relationships, these practical things can seem boring in themselves, but they are the very activities that foster the relationship and create the conditions for it to grow. Being prepared to “fight the good fight” as we finish our race requires making these disciplines a part of our life. Let me just make a few comments on a few of these.
Word
It is essential that we not only study the Word for others or even for personal knowledge, but rather to meditate on it to receive a greater revelation of Jesus. (Psa. 19:7-11). As in all relationships, creativity is important, that is why I include reading other devotional books or reading various translations. Rather than focusing on quantity, it is helpful to take time to write out the scripture, meditate on smaller passages, memorize Scripture and so on.
Prayer
Over the years I have noticed that I do much less talking and more listening when it comes to prayer. The problem with this is that it takes extended time and cannot be rushed. (Rom. 8:26-27) Much of this is due to me needing to get on God’s wavelength and that takes time. God reveals himself to those who seek him, not those who just casually check in with him. (Eph. 6:18) Creatively is also helpful in our communication with God. It does not always have to happen at that one set time every day in one place, but I find myself having short conversations with the Lord throughout the day. Maybe on a walk, on a hike or kayaking. Bringing him into my daily life. (1 Thess. 5:17)
Worship
While most of us engage in praise and worship in a weekly church service, this is something we often neglect in private. Again, my experiences is that a commitment to personal, private worship is essential in maintaining a personal vibrant relationship with God. Again, creativity will keep this discipline fresh. You may not be a singer, but finding the type of music that connects us with God and then being in a constant state of worship throughout the day will help us with our attitudes, outlook on life, and spiritual growth.
Relationships
There are many disciplines we could discuss, but as we wrap us this episode, I would also like to suggest one more discipline. In order to finish our race I think it is essential that we seek out and cultivate personal accountable relationships with a few other trusted individuals. Being vulnerable and honest with a few others is a necessary step to grow with God. The danger for some, at this stage of life, is to become more and more isolated. This does not mean we have to become a social butterfly – unless of course that is our thing – but to finish this race well and not stumble into the ditch along the way, we need to have like minded people running the race with us.
Well this has been a bit of a heavy and personal episode hasn’t it? As the quote from Oswald Chambers at the beginning of the episode, do we really “see” Jesus or are we content with just making it to heaven. But really seeing him and knowing him changes us and we are never the same. As we journey through this last stage of life we’ll discover that temporal things hold less appeal to us as they once did. As the hymn says, “The things of earth do grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” This is not escapism or some form of being “so heavenly minded that we are of no earthy good,” but it does mean it’s probably not a bad idea to begin to prepare ourselves for where we will be spending a lot of time in the future – like forever – spending time with Jesus, the one we not only served in this life, but also developed a close personal relationship with.
I hope this is your experience. Wherever you are at, I hope this series will help you deepen your walk with him so that you may finish the calling God has on your life. Join me next time as we discuss the need to renew our priorities in order to achieve this goal.