Jason's Blog

We could hope forever that our lives would change, but everything will stay the same until our heart changes.  This is a core teaching of Jesus and the prophets of old–  “Return to me with all your heart. . . rend your heart and not your garments” (Joel 2:12-13).  “For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come” (Mark 7:21).

So how do we change this deep, inner part of us?
How can we renew this part of ourselves and live less confused and more centered?

The answer is that God alone can change our inner being and bring new life.  By sheer will power we cannot hope to change.  At best, our hearts condemn us and deceive us.

And yet, our will — our deepest intentions can be turned toward God.  We can begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).  We can in fact hear the words of Jesus and begin to put them into practice.  We can live as wise and sensible people rather than fools who build on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27).

The way forward is to set our minds on things above.  When we take this simple step, we create space for God’s spirit to convict, encourage, and guide our hearts.

Take a passage like Psalm 16:8 and make it your verse for the week.

“I have set the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.”  Repeat this simple sentence until it becomes a part of you.

Let it remind that the Lord is present.  That he is at your right hand.  That you don’t need to be rocked, agitated, upset, distressed, or disturbed.  Where are those emotions coming from and why?  The Lord is with you now; let him determine what your agenda will be, what your thoughts will be, what your emotions will be, what your relationships with others will be like.

If you find yourself restless, ask God to bring you peace.  Ask for his insight and wisdom.  You might even take up the rest of Psalm 16 as a way of instructing your heart.

Keep in mind that your heart will wander and vacillate until you take up a plan to grow spiritually from the inside out.  The next turmoil will cause you to flip flop just as the last one did.

“The secret of transformation into Christ-likeness is to realize that if you change the inside, the outside will follow.  You wash the cup on the inside, and usually the outside gets clean too.  But if you don’t wash the inside, the outside will be a problem still, no matter what you do.  Jesus comes to bring us the resources of genuine human fulfillment by the transformation of the inner life of the individual”  (Dallas Willard, “Introducing Spiritual Formation”)

humble gift by ~marielliott

Last Sunday we sang a beautiful song entitled “Mighty to Save.”  Oh, how we need this message today!

“A number of ancient and modern philosophers believe God is unemployed.  They think God doesn’t do anything.  They believe God is not an actor in the world, but only a factor.  God is distant, removed, turned in on himself, shut out of our world by the inexorable laws of nature.

The Bible makes straight such crooked lines of thought. . .”  Cornelius Platinga Jr. Beyond Doubt (Eerdmans, 2002): 39.

It is fairly easy to find individuals that will challenge God’s authority and might.  Just travel down to the kid’s section in the bookstore.  Two examples:

1.  In the His Dark Materials trilogy, readers will find in The Amber Spyglass that God is merely an old angel.  Eventually, the major characters euthanize him.

2.   More playfully, but still a little disconcerting is the view of God in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  Readers find the Greek gods of old are still in charge but only precariously.  The ancient Titans that they desposed still exist, still create havoc (and monsters) and everyone concedes that evil has always been and will always be.  The major characters stand as heroes and have to rally together against these oppressive, growing forces.  Repeatedly, readers are told that the “big G” God is only something that philosophers waste their time over.

Against such a dismal, hopeless outlook stands the clear message of Scripture summarized beautifully in the words of Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

He – the great, one and only, personal God

Is – In this moment (even today)

Mighty – the only adjective that fits

To Save – We won’t be able to come through.  Things fall apart on our watch.

This weekend take in the great truth that God is Mighty Save.

Here is a beautiful prayer on decision making–

Oh, God by whom we are guided in judgment,

and who raises for us light in darkness:

Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties,

the grace to ask what you would have us to do;

that your spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices,

and in your straight path we may not stumble;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

How do you go about making crucial decisions?  What process do you use?  Where (if anywhere) do you put God in the equation?

Does God automatically put a rubber stamp on our decisions?
Is He ambivalent about how we use our time and money? (as long as there’s no sin involved, he has no opinion?)
Does He give direct counsel on specific issues or does He only deal in generalities?

R. Barton puts really well, “Is there a trustworthy process for actively seeking God relative to decisions we are making?” (Strengthening the Soul of Leadership, 194).

I don’t pretend to have all the answers to questions like these.  On the one hand, I don’t think that God has a hidden set of Robert’s Rules of Order that He’s hoping that we will discover.  There is no hidden-here’s-how-to-make-every-decision-in-life formula.  But at the same time, I think God’s love for us compels Him to care and have concern about the matters that concern us.  I even think that God is saddened when we make too much of some matters that are highly trivial.

So where should we begin as we seek to make godly decisions?  Here are two pieces of sound advice (for more I might suggest reading chapter 12 of R. Barton’s Strengthening the Soul of Leadership).

1.  Ask yourself, “Who are my counselors?” – Have I talked with any godly people as I have sought to determine what is best?  Am I in this all alone?

2. Ask yourself, “Am I really indifferent about this important decision?”  Jesus tells us that to follow Him we must die to ourselves.  Have I really done that in this decision?  Do I stand to gain a lot from this decision?  Am I attached to the outcome of this decision?  Can I be honest about how I feel about this decision and my agenda? What is really driving me as I consider this situation?