Tag Archives: Commitment

Cultivating a relationship

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Sometimes we start off on a venture without knowing just what we’re getting into. It might be a friendship, a marriage, a new job, a ministry project, or our “happily ever after” life.  We had all sorts of expectations but then something happens and we discover it’s not all we expected.

 

And so it is with accepting the Holy Spirit. The agreement to surrender to his control didn’t come easy but we made the commitment knowing the end plan was worth the temporary sacrifice.  Then the struggles begin. We feel like we have one foot in this world and one foot in the next. Tozer puts it this way: “You are trying to take some of the world and get some of the world over yonder. You are not ready for this because you haven’t given up all so you might have the All. You want some (of the Holy Spirit) but you don’t want all.”

 

Don’t fret. This is actually a normal response. We have a bond with the things of this world and God needs to pry us loose so we can experience so much more. Trust me, I’m on the path with you. Truthfully, it’s a daily battle of who we let control our life and our destiny.

 

Commitment is the glue to every lasting relationship. It’s what keeps a marriage together when we aren’t so lovable. In marriage the “two who became one” form a new entity called “us.” Commitment is what keeps us cooperating with the Spirit too.

 

It’s easier to remain committed when we look through different eyes. The Holy Spirit awakens us to a new realm of spiritual reality. It’s not simply about doing good deeds, but about advancing God’s supernatural plan to redeem all who will come to him. The Spirit shows us how to let go of the things of the world. That next advancement, your retirement account, your treasured house and belongings, even your health and well being. . . everything takes on a different perspective when you ask God to see the world, and the people around you, through the eyes of  Jesus. 

 

We believe what we trust. Up until now we’ve trusted what we’ve been taught and conditioned to think. The media and entertainment industry have more influence on us than we’d like to admit.  But when we look to the scrIptures as our center of focus, the filter by which we see ourselves, others, and the schemes of the world, life changes. When we learn to listen to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit – who is God – we learn trust and cooperate with his plans. There are still struggles but the game has now changed – forever.

Tozer offers some pointers to help us grow this relationship:

1. Remember the Spirit is a living person, not some conjured ghost. Just as earthly friendships grow as we spend more time together and building trust so your relationship with the Spirit grows naturally also.

2. Focus on honoring the glorified Jesus in everything you do and say and think. I know it sounds impossible, but over time, your love for Jesus will compel you to draw closer.

3. Live like Jesus. The only one who was without sin and always righteous lives in you. His authority allows us to live like he did, putting off the desires and temptations of this world and putting on the attributes of Jesus. With the guidance of the Spirit you can live a life of love, peace, joy, faithfulness, goodness, and so much more. His authority becomes yours. Believe it.

4. Submit your thoughts to his authority. Our thoughts determines how we respond when it’s rainy, when disappointments and frustrations come our way, and life thows us the worst of circumstances. Choose which thoughts will prevail: the old ones of bitterness, anger, and resentment or the new ones formed by our growing relationship with the Spirit.

5. Get to know him by reading his Word. Grow your interest in knowing Jesus and let your interest in temporary things fade. And just don’t read it; meditate on it. Reflect on it through the day. Apply it to your daily activities.

6. Learn to recognize the presence of the Spirit. He is everywhere you go. Expect him to show up. He will show you how the most common experiences can reveal spiritual secrets. When you hear his voice, you will find that Jesus is all you have…and all you need.

 

 

 

The desires of your heart

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Do you find yourself pondering how “unfair” life is or growing tired of waiting for answers? Psalm 37 is a good read. It contrasts the ways of “evil” with those of “goodness.” And it speaks about the fulfillment of your greatest desires:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (V 4)

 

What is it you most want? What does your heart really long for? Can these really be yours to enjoy? What’s “the catch?”

 

God does indeed offer us the desires of our heart WHEN:
We delight in him.
We commit our way to him.
We trust in him.
We wait patiently for him.
We stop worrying and fretting.
(Psalm 37:1-8)

 

We know what it means to delight in things. There’s that sense of pride of ownership and accomplishment when we attain something we’ve longed for. There’s the joy of beholding and enjoying the fruits of our labors. There’s the sense of strength and satisfaction that all is well when we are safe, comfortable, and surrounded by friends.

 

Can your delight in the Lord compete with all this? Could, would, and do you delight in the Lord in the absence of all this? When the total of all you’ve lost seems to outweigh all that remains, does your delight in the Lord shift the balance to the delight in his goodness?

 

Delighting in the Lord comes from knowing for sure in whom we have believed and being fully persuaded that he will keep that which we’ve committed to him until the last day (2 Timothy 2:12). We always obey what we’re fully persuaded to believe. If we don’t follow the Lord, it’s because we aren’t fully persuaded it’s worth the cost or the effort. If we do follow him, it’s because we know that all the suffering, loss, sorrow, and hardship is worth it in the end; that his promises are both true and fulfilling. Who can’t commit to such a promise?

 

Delighting in the Lord comes from trusting in him, confident he will accomplish what he desires in us, that he will complete what he has begun. Maybe it’s hard for you to trust God when there are so many unanswered prayers. But trusting comes from being still before our great God and waiting patiently for him to reveal his plan and his blessings. We can’t delight in the Lord when we worry and fret about our circumstances because worry is the opposite of trust. Worry leads to regret and regret feeds bitterness; bitterness leads to anger and anger to wrath and all kinds of evil. And none of this leads to peace.

 

Isn’t peace the greatest desire of your heart? Peace with yourself. Peace with others. Peace from your struggle to be well. Peace to enjoy life. Peace to understand and fulfill your purpose in life. Peace with God, the fulfillment of our deepest desire, to know him more and to fully enjoy his presence.

 

Delight today in God’s generous love, his amazing grace, his tender mercy, his awesome power, his faithful promise, his perfect plan, his patience in long suffering, his lasting goodness, his endless joy, his offer to bring you into his family, and his eternal inheritance. Grow your delight in the Lord by committing, by trusting, by being quiet before him, by waiting patiently, by giving thanks often, and by resting in his presence.

 

And in your moments of meekness and delight, enjoy great peace from all your struggles!

 

“I Still Do!”

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Valentine’s Day 2015

Forty two years, seven months, and 21 days ago, I spoke two words to a beautiful woman. Thankfully, she repeated them back to me. Though not an eloquent speech, these two simple words would shape the rest of our life together:

 

“I do.”

 

It was a great day. We both remember our faces hurting later from smiling so much. Within hours we were whisked away to a paradise flight that started our journey together. We had no idea where such journeys would take us through life: magnificent islands, stunning fjords, majestic mountains, amazing beaches, the rugged outback, active volcanoes, countless forests and meadows, and also the poorest of neighborhoods in devastated cities.

 

When we said “I do” to each other, we were also pronouncing these words to our future children and grandchildren. It remains a promise that love and faithfulness are for real. While we’ve desired to give ‘more’ to our children, the promise of “I do” was the gift that mom and dad were committed to each other and to them, always.

 

“I do” is as much a promise of commitment as it is a profession of love. The harsh reality is that we don’t always feel like loving and we aren’t always so lovable. Feelings wax and wane more than the moon. “I do” is not lived out perfectly in our marriage, our friendships, or our relationship with God. But faithfulness perseveres. In good times and troubled ones, faithfulness consistently speaks three words:

 

“I still do!”

 

“I do” signs the mortgage. “I still do” writes the checks.

“I still do” gets up when “I do” falls down.

“I do” gets tired. “I still do” presses on.

“I still do” speaks determination when “I do” doubts.

“I do” looks for good. “I still do” seeks the best.

“I still do” is a legacy commitment that looks beyond today.

“I still do” lights a candle wherever darkness falls.

 

“I still do” is the bedrock of God’s design for marriage. It brings us through the terrible twos and the troubled teens. It conquers where cancer corrupts. “I still do” fulfills when “I do falters.” God’s story consistently speaks, “I still do” to His people even when they are unfaithful. He’s saying it to you and me right now. He presents Jesus as our bridegroom and the church of true believers as the bride. When we say, “I believe” to God, we are really saying, “I will keep on believing” – “I still do”.

 

“I still do” is the daily payment on the promise note of “I do.” It is the test of truthfulness of the heart. “I still do” takes us from fairy tales to ‘for real’ ones. When “I do” fails, “I still do” becomes the promise of repentance, renewal, and restoration.

 

On this Valentine’s Day and always I’m saying, “I still do” to my bride. Let’s each of us as the bride of Christ say the same: “I still do.”

And then watch the love grow!