If we can see what God sees, we’ll do what God says
A couple of weeks ago I talked to you about Laying the Foundation for the new year -
we looked at 8 characteristics of Neh. that are essential for us in life
So today I’m going to get painfully practical - How do we instill those character traits in our own lives?
We have 2 selves: An external, task-oriented self that is used to getting jobs done, & we have an internal, more reflective self that is very thoughtful. Which of our 2 selves wakes up quicker in the morning? It’s our external, task-or. self.
What happens in the morning? The alarm goes off! which immediately ignites our task-or. self, & we jump out of bed.
We head to the bathroom, take care of business, begin getting ready for the work or school day - brush teeth (i hope), do our hair, make-up, clothes, get kids ready (if that applies), try to get some breakfast - race to the car b/c we’re running late - screaming for everyone to get in the car.
Move thru our w/s day - head home thinking of what needs to be done at home, get dinner ready, do homework w/kids, maybe talk on the phone a bit or watch some TV then fall into bed exhausted and the alarm goes off the next day!
Comedian Lily Tomlin once said, “The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.”
To avoid being consumed by the rat race & the pressures of life, all of us need to develop strategies and spiritual habits that will help us stay on track w/ what’s really important.
So if we back up a couple of weeks to the 8 chara. of Neh.
How do we instill those character traits in our own lives?
(look at N.T. today and the life of Jesus Christ)
Our Character is essentially the sum of our habits
We get off track easily, we get distracted easily, even w/ the good. If we look at the life of Christ, we see Jesus never got off track - He stayed focused all of the time. What was it that kept Him on track and focused?
I believe it was His habits.
If we want to develop these char. traits then I think we need to look at the life of Christ, our perfect role model and carefully
observe His habits.
To ask, “WWJD” the answer can be found in His habits.
The Habit of Solitude
Of the 5 habits were going to discuss, solitude is by far the most elusive in our modern world of busyness and 24-7 communications. Solitude is a countercultural and challenging behavior.
It draws us into the very place from that we try so hard to avoid - being truly alone w/ God w/out an agenda.
It is a rare & often unsettling feeling to stop doing and just be.
Yet as strange as it feels to actively ‘cease moving forward’ or ‘doing’, the result can be life changing.
Solitude is being completely alone w/ God away from all human contact for extended periods of time. It is like stepping out out the back door of your noisy life of to-do lists and demanding
relationships to breathe in some fresh air.
It is being refreshed and restored in life by being alone w/ God and has nothing to do with the impact of our attempts to do something or from any other person. It is taking time to listen to that still small voice in which God speaks to your soul and tells you that you are His beloved.
Jesus modeled solitude as an integral component of His life and ministry:
-When preparing for for the tests of leadership & public min., Jesus spent 40 days alone in the desert
-Before Jesus chose His 12 Dis. from among His followers, He spent the entire night alone in the desert hills.
-When Jesus received the news of the death of John Bap, He withdrew in a boat to a lonely place
-After the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Jesus went up in the hills by Himself
It was in these times of preparing to lead, making important decisions, handling bad news, & dealing w/ praise and recognition that Jesus modeled the value of spending time alone to settle in and find that ‘true north’ of our God compass.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place,
where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
These words stand between Jesus and the temptation to spend His precious time doing the popular thing instead of doing the primary work He came to do.
The reality is most of us spend little time, if any time in solitude. Yet if we don’t, how can God have a chance to talk w/ us?
The Habit of Prayer
Prayer is an essential act of the will that demonstrates whether we are really serious about living like Jesus.
W/out it, we will never be able to open the way for connecting our plans and efforts w/ God’s plan for His kingdom or engaging the spiritual resources that Jesus promised to us all - that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Seeking God’s will thru prayer, waiting in faith for an answer, & being at peace w/ the outcome call for a level of spiritual maturity that will keep anyone seeking to be just like Jesus in the posture of a lifelong learner.
Jesus’ Prayer in Gethsemane
Nowhere in the bible is a model of praying like Jesus more powerfully provided for us than in the dark hours of the night before He was betrayed. This was a time when the temptation to abandon His mission was at an almost unbearable moment:
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 26:36-39
1. Where did Jesus pray and why?
He went off by Himself for prayer. A troubled soul finds the most ease when it is alone w/ God, who understands the broken language of sighs and groans. While alone w/ the Father, Jesus could freely pour out His heart w/out restraint.
2. What was Jesus’ posture in prayer?
He fell on His face before His Father, indicating His agony, extreme sorrow, and humility in prayer. At other times Jesus prayed looking up to heaven, w/ His eyes open, or kneeling.
The posture of the heart is more important than the posture of the body, but physically kneeling or laying
before God helps our heart posture.
3. What did Jesus ask?
He asked, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.
He was asking if He could avoid suffering on the cross. But notice the way He phrased His request: if it is possible
He left the answer to the Father when He said, Yet not as I will, but as you will. He based His own willingness upon the Father’s will.
4. What was the answer to Jesus’ prayer?
His answer was that the will of the Father be done. He got His answer, and was strengthened for the mission He was to fulfill.
Sometimes that’s not so easy for us, our human tendency is to avoid the pain or difficulty - but we must trust in the fact that Father knows best. He has our best interests - He knows what lies ahead and we are trust and believe in faith.
Some people ask, ‘how do you pray’? 1st of all, prayer is not a technique; it’s a conversation w/ God. We all need to develop our own style of conversing w/ the Father - He wants you to be you - to talk to Him as any other conver. - not imitating a prayer or someone who we may think really prays great prayers - just be yourself. With that said, sometimes a little framework is helpful to get started or to lead our prayers.
the ACTS acronym is very helpful for that.
Adoration - All prayer should begin here.
“Enter His courts w/ praise.” Tell God how amazing He is... to you... in your life... in the world
Confession - Immediately when we come into the presence of a holy God, we sense our inadequacies and realize that we fall short of His glory - So our 1st step in meeting and adoring is confession. We may even want to confess our sins before we express our adoration and love.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Thanksgiving - This is a heartfelt expression of gratitude for all He has done in creation, in redemption (saving us), & in our lives. During this time of prayer thank God specifically for all that He has done since the last time you talked.
“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20
Supplication - Finally, we get to the part where most of us start - asking. Supplication is just a big word for asking for what you need. Start by praying about others’ needs & then ask for your own needs to be met. It’s OK to have a big “wish list” - according to God’s Word, we can ask in confidence.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
God wants to know the details of your life - the big and the small so spill your guts.
The Habit of Intimate Community
The time Jesus spent in fellowship, hanging out w/ His disciples seems to have been for their benefit and His.
Among the 12 that He called out to be His apostles, Jesus had a small group of 3, Pete, Jim, & John - w/ whom He seemed to have a closer relationship with.
He took those 3 w/ Him to special places and events - the Mount of Transfiguration, the 3 were w/ Him when He raised the daughter of the synagogue leader from the dead, and this inner circle was w/ Him on the night He would be betrayed and arrested on His final journey to the cross.
We need others in our lives - we were created for community.
When we rely on our own perspective of how we are doing, we are bound to slip into convenient thinking to go easy on ourselves, to compromise our integrity of these characteristics we are trying to establish in our lives.
We need trusted truth-tellers.
Preferably those not directly impacted by what we do, who can help us stay on course.
If you can’t name any truth-tellers in your life, or if you have avoided or undervalued the ones you have, it’s time to change.
Having truth-tellers is probably the greatest resource for growth that we can have.
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted.” Proverbs 27:6
Bring truth-tellers into your life - it allows accountability - and enables us to open up - to share and listen, to be vulnerable.
Being vulnerable is one of the most powerful things we can do in building relationships w/ others.
They know you’re not perfect, so don’t act like you are.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,12
We also need encouragers
When things aren’t going so smooth, when life is beating you up, when you want to pinch the heads off your kids, when you work for that pushy, arrogant boss - we need others to lift us up out of the doldrums - we need encouragement
We need someone to tell us everything is going to be OK
Sometimes life just rips out the capacity to believe in what you are capable of doing - sometimes we have waited for something to happen for long we don’t ever think it’s going to happen. Sometimes it’s attempts that failed, “I gave it my best shot, it didn’t happen”
So when times get tough we just lower our stand/expect.
We need others to put the ‘courage’ back in our lives.
We need others helping us to believe that we can do all and everything God has called us to do - to say, YES U CAN!
“let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together... but let us encourage one another.” Hebrews 10:24-25
This habit, Intimate Community, along w/ Solitude and Prayer
will keep us focused - to develop these habits in life will equate to the character traits we all long for.
To try our best to be just like Jesus.
Our Character is essentially the sum of our habits
If we can see what God sees, we’ll do what God says
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