Saved-by-Grace Thoughts
[Or, formerly known as "The Weekly Thing." I decided to change the e-mail title of these things that I send, now that they no longer occur on a regular, weekly basis. The title may yet change again but for now I suppose this will do.]
Hello friends-
How have you been? It’s been a little over a month since I sent one of these and as you could expect a lot has happened between now and then. I could write about Easter reflections, my trip to Nevada and California to visit my parents, or as things wrap up for a campus minister at the end of a school year. There’s one thing that’s prominent in my mind, however, and that would be struggling with “spiritual disciplines.”
To be transparent (to a largely anonymous audience?), I’ve been struggling on and off in my walk with God-specifically in the arena of reading Scripture and Prayer. I know that there are plenty of people who also struggle with this same exact thing but it’s easy to convince myself that I’m not being a “good Christian” when I don’t do these things… or not as good as I think I ought to be… and also to think that I’m one of few that either deals with it or even cares. Some people don’t see the importance of reading Scripture or praying except in church or maybe a Bible study. Yet it is something important to our knowing and communing with God, to grow and learn more about our relationship with Him, and how our relationship with others (and the self) ought to be. Just as listening and communication is important in a marriage or even a friendship, so it is even more so with God. Knowing these things tends to frustrate me more than get me into the practice of doing them-especially in knowing how my diligence was much better in the past. It’s only been since the end of 2001 that I became a Christian, and at that time God put in me such a fervor to know His word in and out and that lasted for quite some time and it probably helped me survive college. I suppose college was a great incubator to develop my understanding since I didn’t grow up going to church. Beyond college, I’ve found it difficult to keep it up! Wanting to read but not knowing what to read, putting time down to pray but finding it either pushed aside or falling asleep. Perhaps you can relate to these frustrations. While we don’t know what Paul dealt with specifically, what he said about struggling easily applies here, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do [or what I do not want to do].” (Romans 7:15)
Paul goes on to say “who can save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!” As my church is now going into a sermon series on prayer (perfect timing!), I’ve been reminded that Jesus is continually praying- right now, even as you are reading this, even when we are not praying. This would make sense, considering sin isn’t a habit we tend to escape completely. What I must also be reminded of is that God does not love me less or is disappointed in me when I don’t read Scripture. Additionally, it’s good to remember that struggling with these kinds of things probably falls under the category Paul speaks of when he says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV)
So what ought I / we pray for? Pray that God would teach us how to pray and that God would revive my heart to His word-and probably to pray for protection from spiritual laziness. There are more disciplines than just reading the Bible and praying… serving and loving others; exercising the gifts God has given me in a just and God-centered manner; speaking truth in love; speaking the Gospel to myself; regularly being in Christian community AND non-Christian community; and so many others. But in my opinion, Scripture and Prayer are at the roots of understanding everything else, with the help of the Holy Spirit to give us guidance and discernment (which we also ought to pray for!).
As one saved-by-grace sinner to others, in love through Christ,
Yvonne
Hello friends-
How have you been? It’s been a little over a month since I sent one of these and as you could expect a lot has happened between now and then. I could write about Easter reflections, my trip to Nevada and California to visit my parents, or as things wrap up for a campus minister at the end of a school year. There’s one thing that’s prominent in my mind, however, and that would be struggling with “spiritual disciplines.”
To be transparent (to a largely anonymous audience?), I’ve been struggling on and off in my walk with God-specifically in the arena of reading Scripture and Prayer. I know that there are plenty of people who also struggle with this same exact thing but it’s easy to convince myself that I’m not being a “good Christian” when I don’t do these things… or not as good as I think I ought to be… and also to think that I’m one of few that either deals with it or even cares. Some people don’t see the importance of reading Scripture or praying except in church or maybe a Bible study. Yet it is something important to our knowing and communing with God, to grow and learn more about our relationship with Him, and how our relationship with others (and the self) ought to be. Just as listening and communication is important in a marriage or even a friendship, so it is even more so with God. Knowing these things tends to frustrate me more than get me into the practice of doing them-especially in knowing how my diligence was much better in the past. It’s only been since the end of 2001 that I became a Christian, and at that time God put in me such a fervor to know His word in and out and that lasted for quite some time and it probably helped me survive college. I suppose college was a great incubator to develop my understanding since I didn’t grow up going to church. Beyond college, I’ve found it difficult to keep it up! Wanting to read but not knowing what to read, putting time down to pray but finding it either pushed aside or falling asleep. Perhaps you can relate to these frustrations. While we don’t know what Paul dealt with specifically, what he said about struggling easily applies here, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do [or what I do not want to do].” (Romans 7:15)
Paul goes on to say “who can save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!” As my church is now going into a sermon series on prayer (perfect timing!), I’ve been reminded that Jesus is continually praying- right now, even as you are reading this, even when we are not praying. This would make sense, considering sin isn’t a habit we tend to escape completely. What I must also be reminded of is that God does not love me less or is disappointed in me when I don’t read Scripture. Additionally, it’s good to remember that struggling with these kinds of things probably falls under the category Paul speaks of when he says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV)
So what ought I / we pray for? Pray that God would teach us how to pray and that God would revive my heart to His word-and probably to pray for protection from spiritual laziness. There are more disciplines than just reading the Bible and praying… serving and loving others; exercising the gifts God has given me in a just and God-centered manner; speaking truth in love; speaking the Gospel to myself; regularly being in Christian community AND non-Christian community; and so many others. But in my opinion, Scripture and Prayer are at the roots of understanding everything else, with the help of the Holy Spirit to give us guidance and discernment (which we also ought to pray for!).
As one saved-by-grace sinner to others, in love through Christ,
Yvonne