Breaking The Barrier
First things first: Thanks, Tim, for that amazing build-up! As Tim has been leading you in drawing closer to Christ, I am excited to share with you some of my journey past "The Barrier" and into communication with God.
I understand the struggle that many of us face: "How can I get 'into' God's Word and actually get something out of it?" For a lot of Christians and seekers, we don't realize that we're not supposed to "get" something from Him; we are to give Him our lives and let Him be glorified through our devotion to Him. But we still need to hear God's voice and understand His Presence. We are hindered by "The Barrier." Now, moving past it isn't difficult (and yes, I invite you to see if that is true!) In fact, it will seem like common sense, really. A few thoughts for you to consider...
Posture is important. No, I'm not an advocate for chiropractic care here; I simply want to draw you toward correct positioning in your attitude before we get wrapped up in the Bible itself.
One of my goals this year has been to begin my daily time with the Lord BEFORE I get to church. So, I asked Him to help me with this by waking me up early in the morning before the kids wake up. (This is where people I know start laughing at me, because mature Christians understand that if you ask, He will deliver!) And, as you can expect, God has been faithful. I wake up around 6AM everyday. Now, quite honestly, there have been times when I haven't wanted to get up - like you, I like my beauty rest, especially when you have kids with colds waking you up at ungodly hours to get a drink or blow their noses! Tuesday this week was like that - I was up with Cayden at 2:45. I was beat. I woke up with a start at precisely 5:21AM to the sound of my cell phone going off - it was an elder, who shall remain nameless - and I could hear him laughing and talking in the background. I'm yelling, "Hello...hello!" He hit redial on his phone by accident, apparently.
OK, Mike, what does this have to do with posturing? So, I sat there, awake. And I simply said, "Lord, today is your day." Immediately, I sensed His call to get up. I went into the kitchen, started the coffee and sat down with God's Word and my notebook. I adopted a posture of connection with Him. I responded to a call I sensed for His direction. And, I only could "hear" what He had to say when I changed my attitude of "have to meet with God" to "desire to meet with Him."
That's what posturing is... longing for what He wants to say to me through His love-letter to the world and being ready to apply His truth to my life. I ask Him first to open my heart, free me from my distractions, and then I am ready to write down my thoughts on what I read in His Word. I want to understand the facts of what He says, gain insights by what He says to me, respond by letting God know what I will do about what He says, and then evaluating if I did it or not (yes, this is the familiar FIRE study outline we've used for years on Sunday mornings.) Posture is important.
Quality vs. quantity. After I have the right attitude and simply desire to learn from Him , how much/little do I read? I am a big fan of quality time with God. My rule of thumb is to read just enough Scripture to gain one simple insight for my life (anywhere from just a few verses like in the rich sections of Paul's letters, or a few chapters like in the historical or narrative passages of the Old Testament). Often, I even understand several insights in a short passage - when God shouts out truths for me that day!
How much or how little isn't the factor. It rests on my desire to honor Him and be still before Him, resting in His love, being content with only Him. This isn't some ascetic practice; it is making Him a priority in my life (even before my wife, my kids, or my job).
Personal transformation. Let me be blunt - I get broadsided a lot in ministry by well-intentioned people who take out their aggression - negatively and with much criticism and complaining. So, even though I try not to take it personally, I still hurt. I feel for them because I love them, in all their humanity! I had been wrestling with a person I needed to confront, and I asked God several days before for an answer. Little did I know that the sum of my time with Him in the Bible would answer that prayer in a big way.
I've been reading through the book of Ezekiel for the past few months, and I learned some life-transforming truths in the past few chapters I read. As I read through chapter 33 early Sunday morning, I noticed (for the first time in a deep way) that God desires even the wicked people of this world to not perish, but live. Yes, I knew that, but the insight came as I read God's own voice say, "I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! ...Why should you die?" (vs. 11 NLT) God takes no pleasure in punishing us when we are wrong - He desires our closeness, our nearness to Him. That was my first lesson I needed to heed before I dealt with this person at church. I must deal with my own sinfulness of wanting to be right and insisting on it - I needed to run to Christ first. Then, I'll understand the value God places on others, and my heart will respond to them with God's perspective of redemption in mind rather than restitution. Oh, how I needed that from Him!
The next day, I continued on in that chapter and received one of the greatest insights I'd ever gotten from Him - an encouragement of monumental proportions for me as a pastor. Verse 30-33: "Son of man, your people are whispering behind your back. They talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors, saying, `Come on, let's have some fun! Let's go hear the prophet tell us what the LORD is saying!' 31 So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. 32 You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don't do it! 33 But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them."
It was as if Jesus were sitting next to me, consoling my broken heart with His choicest words. I heard Him say, in these words, that there will be those who will be entertained by my words, even convicted by what the Spirit is saying, but they won't obey God. I needed to hear Him say that to me. He designed this passage, at this point in time, to speak volumes of encouragement to me. I know that I simply speak the truth of God, and let Him do the convicting. I need to understand that their response to Him is up to them. Oh, how freeing that was to hear in my soul! The depth of ministry that He did that morning was rapturous, beyond compare. (And, I'm glad you know about His great love for us in this example, too!)
Finally, on Tuesday, I read in chapter 34 about the Good Shepherd (vs. 11-16) - looking for the lost sheep of His scattered flock. I was encouraged to go and gather this lost person and love them, encourage and exhort them to follow Jesus. Again, a confirmation of what I needed to do in my life.
My desire for you is simply this: understand that God has designed His Word to give you life - abundantly - and that "The Barrier" isn't really one at all. Will you meet with Him and "hear" His words to you, rather than try on your own efforts to "get" something from the Bible? Will you adopt a posture of desire for Him? Will you not focus on how much or little, but a depth with God? And finally, are you willing to be personally transformed?
I would love to spend time sharing with you more personally anytime. I pray God will bless your devotion to Him, and that your time in His Presence will be truly transformational!
Compelled by His love,
Mike
First things first: Thanks, Tim, for that amazing build-up! As Tim has been leading you in drawing closer to Christ, I am excited to share with you some of my journey past "The Barrier" and into communication with God.
I understand the struggle that many of us face: "How can I get 'into' God's Word and actually get something out of it?" For a lot of Christians and seekers, we don't realize that we're not supposed to "get" something from Him; we are to give Him our lives and let Him be glorified through our devotion to Him. But we still need to hear God's voice and understand His Presence. We are hindered by "The Barrier." Now, moving past it isn't difficult (and yes, I invite you to see if that is true!) In fact, it will seem like common sense, really. A few thoughts for you to consider...
Posture is important. No, I'm not an advocate for chiropractic care here; I simply want to draw you toward correct positioning in your attitude before we get wrapped up in the Bible itself.
One of my goals this year has been to begin my daily time with the Lord BEFORE I get to church. So, I asked Him to help me with this by waking me up early in the morning before the kids wake up. (This is where people I know start laughing at me, because mature Christians understand that if you ask, He will deliver!) And, as you can expect, God has been faithful. I wake up around 6AM everyday. Now, quite honestly, there have been times when I haven't wanted to get up - like you, I like my beauty rest, especially when you have kids with colds waking you up at ungodly hours to get a drink or blow their noses! Tuesday this week was like that - I was up with Cayden at 2:45. I was beat. I woke up with a start at precisely 5:21AM to the sound of my cell phone going off - it was an elder, who shall remain nameless - and I could hear him laughing and talking in the background. I'm yelling, "Hello...hello!" He hit redial on his phone by accident, apparently.
OK, Mike, what does this have to do with posturing? So, I sat there, awake. And I simply said, "Lord, today is your day." Immediately, I sensed His call to get up. I went into the kitchen, started the coffee and sat down with God's Word and my notebook. I adopted a posture of connection with Him. I responded to a call I sensed for His direction. And, I only could "hear" what He had to say when I changed my attitude of "have to meet with God" to "desire to meet with Him."
That's what posturing is... longing for what He wants to say to me through His love-letter to the world and being ready to apply His truth to my life. I ask Him first to open my heart, free me from my distractions, and then I am ready to write down my thoughts on what I read in His Word. I want to understand the facts of what He says, gain insights by what He says to me, respond by letting God know what I will do about what He says, and then evaluating if I did it or not (yes, this is the familiar FIRE study outline we've used for years on Sunday mornings.) Posture is important.
Quality vs. quantity. After I have the right attitude and simply desire to learn from Him , how much/little do I read? I am a big fan of quality time with God. My rule of thumb is to read just enough Scripture to gain one simple insight for my life (anywhere from just a few verses like in the rich sections of Paul's letters, or a few chapters like in the historical or narrative passages of the Old Testament). Often, I even understand several insights in a short passage - when God shouts out truths for me that day!
How much or how little isn't the factor. It rests on my desire to honor Him and be still before Him, resting in His love, being content with only Him. This isn't some ascetic practice; it is making Him a priority in my life (even before my wife, my kids, or my job).
Personal transformation. Let me be blunt - I get broadsided a lot in ministry by well-intentioned people who take out their aggression - negatively and with much criticism and complaining. So, even though I try not to take it personally, I still hurt. I feel for them because I love them, in all their humanity! I had been wrestling with a person I needed to confront, and I asked God several days before for an answer. Little did I know that the sum of my time with Him in the Bible would answer that prayer in a big way.
I've been reading through the book of Ezekiel for the past few months, and I learned some life-transforming truths in the past few chapters I read. As I read through chapter 33 early Sunday morning, I noticed (for the first time in a deep way) that God desires even the wicked people of this world to not perish, but live. Yes, I knew that, but the insight came as I read God's own voice say, "I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! ...Why should you die?" (vs. 11 NLT) God takes no pleasure in punishing us when we are wrong - He desires our closeness, our nearness to Him. That was my first lesson I needed to heed before I dealt with this person at church. I must deal with my own sinfulness of wanting to be right and insisting on it - I needed to run to Christ first. Then, I'll understand the value God places on others, and my heart will respond to them with God's perspective of redemption in mind rather than restitution. Oh, how I needed that from Him!
The next day, I continued on in that chapter and received one of the greatest insights I'd ever gotten from Him - an encouragement of monumental proportions for me as a pastor. Verse 30-33: "Son of man, your people are whispering behind your back. They talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors, saying, `Come on, let's have some fun! Let's go hear the prophet tell us what the LORD is saying!' 31 So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. 32 You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don't do it! 33 But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them."
It was as if Jesus were sitting next to me, consoling my broken heart with His choicest words. I heard Him say, in these words, that there will be those who will be entertained by my words, even convicted by what the Spirit is saying, but they won't obey God. I needed to hear Him say that to me. He designed this passage, at this point in time, to speak volumes of encouragement to me. I know that I simply speak the truth of God, and let Him do the convicting. I need to understand that their response to Him is up to them. Oh, how freeing that was to hear in my soul! The depth of ministry that He did that morning was rapturous, beyond compare. (And, I'm glad you know about His great love for us in this example, too!)
Finally, on Tuesday, I read in chapter 34 about the Good Shepherd (vs. 11-16) - looking for the lost sheep of His scattered flock. I was encouraged to go and gather this lost person and love them, encourage and exhort them to follow Jesus. Again, a confirmation of what I needed to do in my life.
My desire for you is simply this: understand that God has designed His Word to give you life - abundantly - and that "The Barrier" isn't really one at all. Will you meet with Him and "hear" His words to you, rather than try on your own efforts to "get" something from the Bible? Will you adopt a posture of desire for Him? Will you not focus on how much or little, but a depth with God? And finally, are you willing to be personally transformed?
I would love to spend time sharing with you more personally anytime. I pray God will bless your devotion to Him, and that your time in His Presence will be truly transformational!
Compelled by His love,
Mike
posted by Mike Spradlin at 9:37 AM
5 Comments:
“For a lot of Christians and seekers, we don't realize that we're not supposed to ‘get’ something from Him; we are to give Him our lives and let Him be glorified through our devotion to Him.”
Wow, I think you hit the nail right on the head! I know for me personally, when I try to *get* something from God (peace, fulfillment, etc.) I usually just end up frustrated when He doesn’t give me what I want. I’m reminded of Romans 12 which tells us to live our lives as a sacrifice to God. Our purpose isn’t to GET from God, our purpose is to GIVE ourselves to God and *through* this giving of ourselves we receive an abundance of blessings.
Great point Mike, thanks. I needed to be reminded of that.
Mike, I don't think I've ever actually sat through a sermon of yours, but I feel like I just did. I saw the blog and thought "oh, man, its sooo long", but then I started reading and couldn't stop! It was really something I needed to hear. I am at a point in my life where I am trying to realize that all the trials I go through are an education for me; a way to learn about God's character, so I am trying to read his word in such a way too; reading it to learn about him. I noticed that when I do this, I really "get" more out of it anyway, because I actually learn about myself by learning about him. It is so important to remember what my life is- a living sacrifice- and what it is not- all up to me. This was really encouraging and I can't wait to read the next one!
-Ambria
"I'm reminded of Romans 12."
Nice tie-in for the college purposes Tim; slick.
"I am at a point in my life where I am trying to realize that all the trials I go through are an education for me."
I notice you have a sacrificial mindset too Ambria, and your desire for God reminds me of the hunger and thirst for justice found in the beattiudes. It's interesting how all you have to do is sit through a conversation with mike to hear, see, experience a sermon.
This calls to mind three different conversations with Mike about the "OK, but why?" of ethics, rational-relational faith, and Christ-Esteem. Mike is a pastor who preaches what he practices.
Ambria, that's a great perpespetive on life; one we can all learn from. There are many Christains twice your age who don't realize what you've come to know! That is definitely a gift from God.
...and Aaron, my middle name is "slick." Didn't you know? ;-)
Congrats man!
I am humbled by your comments in a big way!
Tim, you began this exercise with everyone in Axis with this statement: "True knowledge of ourselves begins with true knowledge of God." I am thrilled how, in this discussion, we focus where we need to be - on Him first rather than ourselves.
Having said that, I want you to know, I struggle, too. This Sunday's message will certainly reflect that. As a note of confession, I am writing it now and just came back to the blog to re-read this journey I've been on. I needed to hear my own words yet again. I needed to see that in this week, God's Truth remains God's truth, and His character is consistent. We'll be sharing about the fact that the face of a true disciple of Jesus reveals God's supremacy over all things. (OK, enough plugs for Sunday!)
Ambria, I am so encouraged by your walk! I don't think we ever get it figured out - that's why we need a Savior! But you ARE learning truth about God - you see that your life means more eternally when it is yielded to His will and sovereignty rather than to your own desires. Yee-haw! (Sorry, I live in cowboy country, and that just came out!) Press on, sis...continue in His grace and not your ability. Let your life shine so others can see the light in you, because, remember, where light is, darkness ISN'T!
Aaron, you bless me. And, after our meeting this week, I should be saying the same about you - I remember key ingredients of our meetings, too. I cannot wait to see what God does through your new ministry as you call college students into relationship and out of all the things they think they need to be "into" - namely, the churchy activities!
And, since you are engaged, YOUR middle name is "stud" - oh, baby! :-)
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