FirstNLR Live Dead Prayer Emphasis
Saturday, April 7, 2012
DAY 3 - SIMPLICITY
He is Risen! Happy Easter!
As modern Christians we live as if a tightrope were strung between "the land flowing with milk and honey" and "sell everything you have and give to the poor." We are greedy for more but need to assuage our guilt over what we have. We try to maintain a balance and call it simplicity. We risk falling into the net of idolatry either by embracing materialism and serving possessions, or by renouncing possessions and embracing legalism and asceticism. But true simplicity emanates from meditating on the words of Jesus and then following His commandments and His example. Jesus says, "Fall into freedom; trust me, and stop worrying about what you have or don't have!"
What are you doing to make sure you seek his kingdom first?
It says to trust Jesus and stop worrying. Why do you think sometimes that is so hard?
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What are you doing to make sure you seek his kingdom first? According to the journal, Kiergaard struggled with what seeking the Kingdom of God involved doing. The question posed is a little different. Perhaps the act of "putting first" in all aspects is in itself seeking the kingdom. So I guess what I am doing is actively learning to put the cares of God first before my cares.
It says to trust Jesus and stop worrying. Why do you think sometimes that is so hard?
I know this is a terrible answer, but it just is.
Holy,Holy,Holy is the Lord God Almight who was and is and forever more shall be! Let me meditate on His word day and night so that I can seek his kingdom first. To be continually in His presence to have a heart broken for the things that breaks His. To Love others more, to be a light in a dark world. So the will of the Father be done on earth as it is in heaven! Use us Lord to spread your word!
Its hard not to try to "control" things - my plans, my needs, my goals. Seeking His kingdom is to me a certain determination to give up control. It is a determination to think about the things of God before I think of anything self-related. This is a battle. This is a struggle. And it is a battle that I am determined to lose. Because when I lose - He wins!
We talked about Philippians 4:6 last week at girls' Bible study. It says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."
I just love this picture of praying about everything...on our hands and knees telling God everything we need like his children. I love that God wants us to do that INSTEAD of worry. And then in the next verse: "then you will experience God's peace..."
What a kind and good God you are. You replace our worry with peace. You just want us to bring them to you.
Honestly it is hard to let go of "material" things. It's hard for me to put my trust in him. But ultimately I know he has made a plan for my life and I long for the day to see it fulfilled. This isn't an easy journey and I know it wasn't to begin with.
I place everything against my earthly desires to remain dead to myself.
As I read the story of the missionaries packing up their suitcases preparing to leave the US, and scaling down all of their existence into four suitcases and then later two only to find a man that has realized all he needs is his Bible and a clean shirt, I contemplated the simplified life. As it is found in the Scripture, we are to ask Him and He will provide us with what is needed. However, when our wants get in the way and morphs into our needs, then we become trapped in the mindset of "stuff". This really spoke to me as I pack up the endless boxes of "stuff"..."stuff" that I feel I must have to work, to live, to exist. But it is amid these boxes that I begin to understand the trappings of this world...the baggage of my accumulated life. Another thought comes to mind: much of what I thought I had to have to really live is now in the pile that can be tossed out or sold at a garage sale for a fraction of its original cost. Please, Lord, help me remember that "stuff" is just that and my focus, my efforts must be on You and Your Kingdom. Rather than building up mine, I choose today to build up Your's. Help me to live a simpliflied life with my eyes consistently placed only on You.
This morning while I was reading the Bible I happened to come across John 4:30-41.
Here Jesus is practicing what he preached. He was fully human, so he had to be hungry. Everybody was wanting him to take a break and get something to eat-- but he was pretty occupied preaching to the Samaritans. Many Samaratians were believing.
Obviouly Jesus ate again, but he did without when necessary. Maybe he really did not have time, or maybe also he was teaching us a lesson.
My Easter time with him came late at night on an airplane. It was so good to finally tune out the busyness of an overwhelming schedule and tune in to Him.
I am so guilty of concentrating on "things" sometimes. I even have a weekly budget meant to be a tool of efficiency that I obsess over some times. Those are the times when I am spending the least time concentrating on God. Those are also the times when I am the most tense with my husband and daughter. The word simplicity stands out to me so vividly in this reading and I hear God speaking that word to me through this text. I know that He did not mean for me to have such a complex and worrisome life as I make it sometimes. His Word to me in this lesson is simple- concentrate on me and I will do the rest. How amazing God is!!!! I make things so much harder than they have to be. As I read of the struggles of these people and how hard life is on top of the fact that they don't know Jesus as I do; it makes me tell myself, "Get it together!! You have it so good and you don't even appreciate it!"
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