Walk With Me Lord (Part III)
"...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
—Hebrews 12:1, 2
Look before you leap! Great words of advice for those who may have a tendency to be impulsive. However, it is often used as an excuse for those who are overly analytical.
Last week we spoke about those whom we consider to be people who "know God." One of the qualities they share is that they do not talk themselves out of following the nudges of the Holy Spirit. It may appear to the casual observer that these people make decisions on a whim, but these that know God are truly looking before they leap.
What sets them apart from most of us, is the thing at which they look before leaping. We feel a nudge or a hint, a whisper of the Holy Spirit to our spirit; we hear one little phrase, and we try to fill in all the details. We can so quickly list all the reasons that thought or nudge is impractical. We feel the nudge to leap, but we quickly look at the surrounding circumstances and decide that leaping is a horrible idea. Perhaps tiptoeing would be better.
Those who know God, hear the nudge to leap, and they look to Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith; they look to the one who called them to leap, and it gives them confidence that what seems absurd is actually the safest thing to do. They know that the one who called them is able to keep them from falling.
This week’s homework has nothing to do with leaping. For some it may truly be too early to leap. The other thing that sets our heroes of the faith apart from many of us is that they have learned the difference between their whims and the Holy Spirit’s nudges.
It is only through spending time in intentional prayer and the reading of God’s word that we begin to recognize the difference between whims and the Spirit. Brother Lawrence, a 17th century monk, spoke of the practice of the presence of God. He found that even in his daily tasks of working in the kitchen, he could maintain an awareness of God’s presence. It is through recognizing God in every aspect of our lives, that we begin to recognize and trust the nudges of His Spirit. This is the first step in knowing God in the same manner as the heroes of our faith.
Homework this week is a little more challenging that most weeks. Find and read the book "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. There are several for under $10 on Amazon.com. It’s short, only 72 small pages. Once you read it, begin to practice being in God’s presence. As you begin to learn how to "look" for God, then leaping will become so much easier.
—Hebrews 12:1, 2
Look before you leap! Great words of advice for those who may have a tendency to be impulsive. However, it is often used as an excuse for those who are overly analytical.
Last week we spoke about those whom we consider to be people who "know God." One of the qualities they share is that they do not talk themselves out of following the nudges of the Holy Spirit. It may appear to the casual observer that these people make decisions on a whim, but these that know God are truly looking before they leap.
What sets them apart from most of us, is the thing at which they look before leaping. We feel a nudge or a hint, a whisper of the Holy Spirit to our spirit; we hear one little phrase, and we try to fill in all the details. We can so quickly list all the reasons that thought or nudge is impractical. We feel the nudge to leap, but we quickly look at the surrounding circumstances and decide that leaping is a horrible idea. Perhaps tiptoeing would be better.
Those who know God, hear the nudge to leap, and they look to Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith; they look to the one who called them to leap, and it gives them confidence that what seems absurd is actually the safest thing to do. They know that the one who called them is able to keep them from falling.
This week’s homework has nothing to do with leaping. For some it may truly be too early to leap. The other thing that sets our heroes of the faith apart from many of us is that they have learned the difference between their whims and the Holy Spirit’s nudges.
It is only through spending time in intentional prayer and the reading of God’s word that we begin to recognize the difference between whims and the Spirit. Brother Lawrence, a 17th century monk, spoke of the practice of the presence of God. He found that even in his daily tasks of working in the kitchen, he could maintain an awareness of God’s presence. It is through recognizing God in every aspect of our lives, that we begin to recognize and trust the nudges of His Spirit. This is the first step in knowing God in the same manner as the heroes of our faith.
Homework this week is a little more challenging that most weeks. Find and read the book "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. There are several for under $10 on Amazon.com. It’s short, only 72 small pages. Once you read it, begin to practice being in God’s presence. As you begin to learn how to "look" for God, then leaping will become so much easier.