-----
We are so excited about kicking off this new fall session for PWOC. I think we got things off to a great start at Thursday’s Fall Kick-Off event. We had a large group of ladies there, and had fun getting to know each other, eating delicious fall desserts, listening to a great devo and starting to think over which Bible studies to choose. I know some of you may still be in the process of making that decision, and that’s ok! I’ve often put that decision off until the president dismisses us to our classrooms and I have to choose which door to walk through!
I think one of the most significant things that happened on Thursday night was that the Holy Spirit helped our leaders communicate the vision God has given us for this year. I posted the full document describing that on our facebook group. If you haven’t checked that out yet, please do!
But a quick summary, is that we want to help you all surpass the common mentality here of just surviving in Korea, and really THRIVE while you’re here - both in your spiritual life and in your relationships. We believe that the key to thriving in faith and in life is having an authentic relationship with Christ. No matter where we’re at in our spiritual walk - whether we’ve been Christians our whole lives or are new to the faith - we can all benefit from returning to our roots and reminding ourselves of what we believe in and why.
This may be a simple question, but: Why are roots important? They keep us grounded, help us stand firm, and provide the nourishment we need to survive.
I think in our Western culture, we like instant gratification and tend to think from the top down, and not the other way around. We want the most abundant leaves, the sweetest fruit, the strongest branches, but ignore the trunk and the roots. We want to be good Christians, and so we do a lot of things that make us appear to be that way. We go to church, and we attend Bible studies, and we volunteer in the nursery, and tithe, and we follow the rules about what we should and shouldn’t do, but at the end of the day, we still don’t feel that joy and peace that surpasses all understanding the Bible talks about. We may think we’ve got it together, but then life throws us a big curve-ball and we revert back into old sinful selves and give in to fear and temptation and doubt. We wonder if all the effort we’re investing is worth while or if God is even real, if none of this seems to be making any difference.
Our problem is that we’re trying to hold up the weight of our branches and trying to produce fruit on our own, without being connected to the root - to our only source of life and nourishment. That root, of course, is God.
DUH. Well - how to we connect to that root? What is the basic step here that so many of us are missing? In order to have an authentic, life-giving relationship with God, we’ve got to communicate with Him. We have to get to know Him. Listen to Him. Learn from Him. A big part of that happens through prayer. But I know sometimes that seems a little nebulous. What happens if you talk to Him and you don’t hear anything back?
Well, our Creator knows us and our need for something tangible to make this spiritual relationship seem real. That’s why He gave us the Bible. It’s a reliable way for Him to speak directly into our lives. He reveals Himself to us in its pages, and clearly spells out all the guidance we need for how to live life to the full. As it says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correctingnand training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
I imagine some of you are inwardly rolling your eyes right now. “Yeah, yeah, we know the Bible’s important. Tell me something I don’t know…” This foundational principle that we’re supposed to be reading our Bible regularly and building on our knowledge of God may seem like a no-brainer. But I want you to ask yourself: do you do it? Do you read your Bible regularly? Daily? Have you read the Bible all the way through, cover-to-cover? Have you memorized any scripture? If a non-believing friend asked you a question about what it is that you believe, would you feel confident that you know the answer and could find it in your Bible without the help of a Google search?
I’m not saying I can answer ‘yes’ to all of these questions. Far from it. But I can say that, as I’ve gotten older, as my life has gotten more hectic and stressful, as I’ve taken on more responsibility, as I’ve endured some really hard times, and as I’m trying to not only be a good Christian for me but to live out my faith as a good example for my son, it’s becoming abundantly clear how vital it is to take time to study God’s Word, deepen my relationship with Him and allow Him to instruct me on how to live for Him today.
Any time I’m feeling burned out, or fearful, or beaten down by sin, I stop and take a minute to evaluate where I am at. And you know what, those low points always coincide with my failure to set aside time to read my Bible regularly and pray. If my head is not filled with God’s promises, it’s far too easy for me to listen to the enemy’s lies, and instead of growing and thriving and finding joy, I just keep running in circles and can’t figure out what’s wrong. I can do all the right things and have the best intentions in the world, but if I’m not connected to the root, I’m not gonna go anywhere.
I love what Richard Foster says about this in the intro to his chapter on Study in A Celebration of Discipline. I thought I’d read it for you real fast:
“Many Christians remain in bondage to fears and anxieties simply because they do not avail themselves of the Discipline of study. They may be faithful in church attendance and earnest in fulfilling their religious duties, and still they are not changed. I am not here speaking only of those who are going through mere religious forms, but of those who are genuinely seeking to worship and obey Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. They may sing with gusto, pray in the Spirit, live as obediently as they know, even receive divine visions and revelations, and yet the tenor of their lives remains unchanged. Why? because they have never taken up one of the central ways God uses to change us: study. Jesus made it unmistakably clear that the knowledge of the truth will set us free. “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Good feelings will not free us. Ecstatic experiences will not free us. Getting “high on Jesus” will not free us.
“This principle is true in every area of human endeavor. It is true in biology and mathematics. It is true in marriages and other human relationships. But it is especially true in reference to the spiritual life. Many are hampered and confused in the spiritual walk by a simple ignorance of the truth. Worse yet, many have been brought into the most cruel bondage by false teaching” (ch. 5, p.62-63).
So the key, here, is to be intentional about studying God’s Word regularly so that we may be blessed with a Thriving relationship with Jesus and, consequently, find growth and joy in every other aspect of our lives.
We don’t want you to just walk away thinking, “Huh. She’s right. That’s a good point.” And then stay in a rut all week. One of the great things about being in a Bible study is being able to encourage one another and hold each other accountable to growth! So this fall, after every devo, we’re going to give you a challenge. A tangible, measurable way to get back to your spiritual roots and, through obedience and self-discipline, start to grow and hopefully bear some fruit!
This week, I’m going to go big and challenge you all to read your Bible every day. That could be completing your Bible study homework. It could be continuing in your own Bible study reading plan. If you’d like some resources or ideas of where to start or what to read this week, please come talk to me, or Cortney or Esther, or any of our board members. We’d love to help! I’m also going to post our challenge on our fb group and ask you all to write in and share how things are going. What you’ve been reading and what the Lord has been teaching you. That way we can continue encouraging and holding each other accountable to this throughout the week!
No comments:
Post a Comment