Henri Nouwen was one of the great spiritual leaders of the 1900's. He left behind the best of his thinking on a variety of topics, through his books. In a compilation of his on prayer, he writes:
...Jesus desires to meet us..., to make his love known to us, to free us from our fears, and make our own deepest self known to us. In the privacy of our own heart, therefore, we can learn not only to know Jesus, but through Jesus to know ourselves as well. If you reflect on this a bit more you will see an interaction between God's love revealing itself to you and a constant growth in self-knowledge. Each time you let the love of God penetrate deeper into your heart, you lose a bit of your anxiety; and every time you shed a bit of your anxiety, you learn to know yourself better and long all the more to be known by your loving God.
Thus the more you learn to love God the more you learn to know and to cherish yourself. Self-knowledge and self-love are the fruit of knowing and loving God. You can see better now what is inteded by the great commandment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself." Laying our hearts totally open to God leads to a love of ourselves that enables us to give whole-hearted love to our fellow human beings. In the seclusion of our hearts we learn to know the hidden presence of God; and with that spiritual knowledge we can lead a loving life.
O to know the height, breadth and depth of His indescribable love for us! What would happen if...? Let your thoughts complete that statement and explore the possiblities and potential of a life fully cognizant of the love of God toward all who believe.
Deeply Indebted,
Mitch
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A Prayer For Understanding...
I found this in some of my reading this week and thought it worthy of passing along to you...great stuff to "soak" in...things we know but so easily forget. Well, you probably don't, but I sure do. I have a great memory, it's just short, and I need constant reminders that keep me centered, focused and at peace, God's intended lifestyle for all of us. Be blessed....
Help me, God,
To realize it is in being crippled that I learn to cling and in limping that I learn to lean,
That victory comes not in how courageously I struggle
but in how completely I surrender,
And that this is how I am to grow,
by being defeated,
decisively,
by constantly greater things.
Help me to understand that Your power is perfected in weakness,
so that when I am rendered weak,
You are given the opportunity to be shown strong.
Help me to understand, too,
that "more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,
for so the whole round earth is every way
bound in gold chains about the feet of God...."
From "Windows of the Soul" by Ken Gire
Headed "North",
Mitch
Help me, God,
To realize it is in being crippled that I learn to cling and in limping that I learn to lean,
That victory comes not in how courageously I struggle
but in how completely I surrender,
And that this is how I am to grow,
by being defeated,
decisively,
by constantly greater things.
Help me to understand that Your power is perfected in weakness,
so that when I am rendered weak,
You are given the opportunity to be shown strong.
Help me to understand, too,
that "more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,
for so the whole round earth is every way
bound in gold chains about the feet of God...."
From "Windows of the Soul" by Ken Gire
Headed "North",
Mitch
Monday, June 16, 2008
Prayer
There is much to be learned about this tremendous privilege. It is without dispute, the most important thing we give ourselves to. So much of the time it is hard to "get there" and when we do, the conflict begins. Read Oswald Chambers thoughts on this. They are so helpful.
"When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and...pray to thy Father which is in secret." Matthew 6:6
Jesus did not say-Dream about thy Father in secret, but pray to thy Father in secret. Prayer is an effort of will. After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is the overcoming of mental wool-gathering. We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful prayer.
We must have a selected place for prayer and when we get there the plague of flies begins - This needs to be done, and I have to do that today. Jesus says to "Shut thy door." A secret silence means to shut the door deliberately on emotions and remember God! God is in secret, and He sees us from the secret place. He does not see us as others see us or as we see ourselves. When we live in the secret place, it becomes impossible for us to doubt God, and we become more sure of Him than anyone or anything else. Your Father, Jesus says, is in secret and nowhere else. Enter the secret place, and you will find God was there in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day! (...think about this in light of the daunting responsibilities, tasks and leadership posts this life brings us at home, work and church). But swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the lasting imprint of the presence of God!
Soak in these great thoughts...sup with Him. He wants it...and we need it.
Blessed,
Mitch
"When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and...pray to thy Father which is in secret." Matthew 6:6
Jesus did not say-Dream about thy Father in secret, but pray to thy Father in secret. Prayer is an effort of will. After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is the overcoming of mental wool-gathering. We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful prayer.
We must have a selected place for prayer and when we get there the plague of flies begins - This needs to be done, and I have to do that today. Jesus says to "Shut thy door." A secret silence means to shut the door deliberately on emotions and remember God! God is in secret, and He sees us from the secret place. He does not see us as others see us or as we see ourselves. When we live in the secret place, it becomes impossible for us to doubt God, and we become more sure of Him than anyone or anything else. Your Father, Jesus says, is in secret and nowhere else. Enter the secret place, and you will find God was there in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day! (...think about this in light of the daunting responsibilities, tasks and leadership posts this life brings us at home, work and church). But swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the lasting imprint of the presence of God!
Soak in these great thoughts...sup with Him. He wants it...and we need it.
Blessed,
Mitch
Monday, June 09, 2008
Seeing It for What It Is
Those of us who have a bit of a nostalgic bent realize as we look back to the past relationships, times, events and places, that we didn't fully appreciate what we had. Somehow we didn't recognize what was before us. Some would say that this is a function of selective memory and our tendency to remember the "good old days", positive things of the past over the negatives. This is certainly true, but we all would admit there is much in the past that we didn't value and seize for all its benefits to us and others.
How many times have we looked back and regret ending a relationship, changing jobs or careers, not taking an opportunity to travel that came, having been discontent with material things we had, quitting piano lessons, giving up on school when it would have been much simpler then to have endured and graduated. The list could go on and on.
We've all got some of these in our lives. But there is one thing that I hope we will not find ourselves looking back and regretting; that we failed to make the most of our relationship with God. We live in a time when the grace and riches of God are abundantly supplied to all who will ask and receive. And Paul the Apostle admonishes the church at Corinth [and us]: "...We urge this appeal on you; you have received the Grace of God. Do not let it go for nothing." The NASB says we urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain [to no effect]. In Colossians 1:5-7 Paul is so pleased that this grace, the True Gospel in them, has produced much fruit...since they recognized it for what in truth it is [The New English Bible - Oxford].
We all know in our nostalgic moments, that our lives could be different had we recognized what we had then. What would happen if we were to seize now [recognize it for what, in truth it is], as the Colossian Church did, the full height, breadth and depth of the glorious gospel for us who believe? Contemplate the possibilities, the potential that God sees!
Read His Word...study it! Dedicate yourselves to prayer. Begin to practice what you know and ask for more. Be a seeker of the "much more". Hey, no telling where you'll end up or what you might be doing. You might find your self living out the "spiritual bucket list [things to do before you kick the bucket]" that God sees...and you've dreamed of. It'll blow your mind and...the world will be a better place because of it.
Amazed,
Mitch
How many times have we looked back and regret ending a relationship, changing jobs or careers, not taking an opportunity to travel that came, having been discontent with material things we had, quitting piano lessons, giving up on school when it would have been much simpler then to have endured and graduated. The list could go on and on.
We've all got some of these in our lives. But there is one thing that I hope we will not find ourselves looking back and regretting; that we failed to make the most of our relationship with God. We live in a time when the grace and riches of God are abundantly supplied to all who will ask and receive. And Paul the Apostle admonishes the church at Corinth [and us]: "...We urge this appeal on you; you have received the Grace of God. Do not let it go for nothing." The NASB says we urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain [to no effect]. In Colossians 1:5-7 Paul is so pleased that this grace, the True Gospel in them, has produced much fruit...since they recognized it for what in truth it is [The New English Bible - Oxford].
We all know in our nostalgic moments, that our lives could be different had we recognized what we had then. What would happen if we were to seize now [recognize it for what, in truth it is], as the Colossian Church did, the full height, breadth and depth of the glorious gospel for us who believe? Contemplate the possibilities, the potential that God sees!
Read His Word...study it! Dedicate yourselves to prayer. Begin to practice what you know and ask for more. Be a seeker of the "much more". Hey, no telling where you'll end up or what you might be doing. You might find your self living out the "spiritual bucket list [things to do before you kick the bucket]" that God sees...and you've dreamed of. It'll blow your mind and...the world will be a better place because of it.
Amazed,
Mitch
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
We Are What We Do
I'm reading a secular book that's full of pungent and pithy comments that have much to say to us Christians. One of the chapters is titled: "We are what we do." One of my favorite preachers says "we practice daily what we believe...all the rest is just religious talk." ...The more you think about these sayings, the more uncomfortable it will make you.
The book goes on to say: "...When observing other people, we need to pay attention not to what they promise but how they behave." I agree! I've discovered that it's much more revealing to pay attention to the subtle, than the obvious; observing not so much what people want us to see but rather what is "leaking out" in other places. He says we are drowning in words, many of which turn out to not be true...lies we tell ourselves, and others.
As I've thought about these things, I realize we Christians profess much more than we do. We say we believe much more than we live out. Those who contemplate "joining us" are not fooled by our rhetoric.
More specifically... we believe in prayer but do we pray? How often? We believe it is noble to sacrifice but do we give ourselves gratituitously? We say we believe the Bible, but do we even read it [and if we do, how often]? We say we believe in biblical fellowship [our church name], communing and sharing in common with those of the faith, but in actuality, what boundaries have we drawn that compromise that essential church-life component? I could go on for quite a while but the pain on me alone is a bit more than I want to prolong. Lord, HELP us [me] to BE!
St. Francis of Assisi exhorted: "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words!
Just a few weeks ago I had to go to my neighbor and ask her to forgive me for saying I'd do something that I DIDN'T do. She knows who I am...where I work. I felt it imperative to go to her and acknowledge my failure. She was gracious but, I still walked away feeling I had compromised the Kingdom...it was painful.
Father God, cause our lives to agree with our words. Make us true on the outside to what we say is on the inside. That is what You are like, for your Word says you are faithful [or true] - How you act is exactly who You are and NOTHING will ever change about that. Father, make us like You.
In Jesus Name, Amen
The book goes on to say: "...When observing other people, we need to pay attention not to what they promise but how they behave." I agree! I've discovered that it's much more revealing to pay attention to the subtle, than the obvious; observing not so much what people want us to see but rather what is "leaking out" in other places. He says we are drowning in words, many of which turn out to not be true...lies we tell ourselves, and others.
As I've thought about these things, I realize we Christians profess much more than we do. We say we believe much more than we live out. Those who contemplate "joining us" are not fooled by our rhetoric.
More specifically... we believe in prayer but do we pray? How often? We believe it is noble to sacrifice but do we give ourselves gratituitously? We say we believe the Bible, but do we even read it [and if we do, how often]? We say we believe in biblical fellowship [our church name], communing and sharing in common with those of the faith, but in actuality, what boundaries have we drawn that compromise that essential church-life component? I could go on for quite a while but the pain on me alone is a bit more than I want to prolong. Lord, HELP us [me] to BE!
St. Francis of Assisi exhorted: "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words!
Just a few weeks ago I had to go to my neighbor and ask her to forgive me for saying I'd do something that I DIDN'T do. She knows who I am...where I work. I felt it imperative to go to her and acknowledge my failure. She was gracious but, I still walked away feeling I had compromised the Kingdom...it was painful.
Father God, cause our lives to agree with our words. Make us true on the outside to what we say is on the inside. That is what You are like, for your Word says you are faithful [or true] - How you act is exactly who You are and NOTHING will ever change about that. Father, make us like You.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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