Is your life "open" or "closed" to God?
The sermon on Sunday will help us identify ways we are like Jonah who
was living a closed life to God. You are welcome to discuss the following
application questions in the coming week -
1) Do you live an open life toward God? If yes, what can I do to help
you take that next step of faith toward Ninevah or wherever God is leading YOU?
2) If your life is NOT begin lived as an open life toward God -
what is holding you back? How can I help you overcome the obstacle
so you don't end up in the deep sea?
3) Jesus fought against being closed to His Father's will.
Read through the
encouragement for your life. Maybe the pathway to openness
for you is to pray with another person about your struggles.
There is no sweeter place to be in life than it open to God....I've felt the joy that comes when I know I've obeyed. But my humanness too often rares its ugly head and I find myself doubting, fearing and wanting things my way.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest obstacle for as long as I can remember is fearing I will interpret my will as being God's and acting outside His will. Especially on the big stuff of life, not so much the day to day things...I've become pretty good at discerning the Spirit day to day. Once again, my humanness wants to know for SURE every step is of God:)
Also have to be mindful that I have family members who do not understand the ways of God. I have to walk a fine line of obedience to God and submission. The two collide quite often.
Good thinking Kathy -it is evident that God is at work in your life. Keep walking toward God which may mean walking on the water or dry ground. When the collision occurs just remember God was ALREADY present and wasn't surprised.
ReplyDeletePastor! Hey. You hit on honesty quite a bit today. As arbitrarily as people know of its value, you might have struck a chord with some people, finally. It seems self-awareness to the extent of one's social status ( ie category: openly religious; christian) is enabling them to apologize for themselves when they in some way sense something not right in their life. It really presents a major discouragement to further movement forward, as acknowledging their social category might seem pleasant enough to not have to dive into meaningful introspection. Thankfully, you've hit a lot on the religion aspect of the church a lot--and I wouldn't have anything more to add. And although you've probably got a long view of projects already forming, I think hitting on the influence of one's social status might be the key to unlocking this particular room of the mind. Adios.
ReplyDeleteWe are all Jonahs!
ReplyDeleteYour first statement though meant to highlight Pastors, shines the light on us all. For those of us who have stood before boards and been asked the question, "Do you attest that to the best of your knowledge of your own heart that you are drawn by God to bring Glory to Him alone and the Good News of Salvation to the Nations?" the struggle to answer is the one of the most difficult to answer. Shall we follow the ritual path and say "I Do", or shall we answer knowing that in our hearts we are sinners and though we desire to do God's Will, we struggle within ourselves with the desire to do our own will, knowing that our life long career is at stake. We so easily lose sight of the ultimate goal of doing God's work for us rather than a life doing what we "think" will please Him, looking for praise for our own efforts and not praising God for His. This inner struggle determines whom we shall follow, ourselves, or God.
Jonah eventually did what God asked him to do, but only after much physical, mental, and spiritual anguish in the belly of the fish, but he did so not from desire to pleas God and give Hom the Glory, but seemingly out of compulsion as evidenced by his later anger that the Ninevites were saved from God's wrath. God, in his mercy proceded to illustrate both his love and mercy in illustrating by a simple lesson with the plant and worm the pointles nature of anger and at the same time the provision and love of god. We never find out, though if Jonah learned that lesson.
We are called to be the messangers of the Gospel in our everyday lives. Do we follow immediatly, do we grudgingly comply, or do we run away and need to be brought back to the mission at hand? I'm afraid that more often than not we find the pull of our own will stronger than that of God's. We need to pray unceasingly that we become daily more atune to the Will of God, and that should we run away or grudgingly with an untrue heart comply, that we accept in humility God's redirection and instruction so that our lives may be more and more continually in sync with God as did our Lord Jesus.
I very much appreciate the conversation. John you are absolutely correct - we do find the pull of our will stronger than that of God's. Prayer is the answer as you stated.
ReplyDeleteMy hope as I experience the transformation of the gospel is to have my will aligned with His divine purposes more consistently and to a much greater degree - more joyfully.
Ben - you are right about the christian religion as social status. It gave us things like the Crusades and self-justified slavery in the South. Part of the work of the Spirit, I believe, is to reduce us to humility so that we embrace everyone regardless of status. To embrace doesn't mean we stop speaking truth- but truth without this element of loving your neighbor is dead.
I struggle with the questions about "open life". I want that so badly, but I am not sure if what I am doing is God's pleasure or my own. I pray daily "what would You have me do?" but seemingly don't get any indication other than doing what I am doing. I guess I struggle with wondering if I am in the right place, doing what glorifies God always. Question this daily. I want His will, not mine...I know His will is to glorify Him...but how do you know you are in the right place, job, mission?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was an older teen out of high school but still under my parents, our church had a missions conference. I was so drawn to mission work and was interested in going to Ghana to work in the mission office there. I remember the joy of that prospect. The missionary came to my house to do a more formal interview etc and my mother said NO WAY - you are not doing this right in front of him. So I didn't...I always regretted that and wondered if I took the wrong path.
Thanks Nancy for sharing. I guess the obvious answer is that you are living an open life by your honest reflections and searching. To me the open life must include honesty and the integrity of admission where we are not open. I would encourage you to process the present struggle in the way Jesus processed His life - Psalm 40:8: "I delight to Your will, O My God; Your Law is within my heart." As we seek Him the promise is that we will receive the desires of our heart. I believe the key to the open life is 1) to admit that a movement must take place - my desires are not His desires and without the costly grace of Jesus they never will be; 2) When grace is poured out our desires will be changed in time to match His desires - thus our joy will be induced by the gospel and our pleasures will be Hi. Peace my friend.
ReplyDelete