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Guest Minister, Nate Parks, brought our message today. He began by asking some "semi-vintage" good questions to see how good our TV memories were -- Honestly, he stumped us on the third one... LOL How many can you get?? (answers will be in the footnotes)
Three old ladies ordering at a fast food place??
Man dies, goes to heaven, eats chocolate chip cookies, opens "refrigerator of disappointment."??
Boxer, close to blacking out, trainer mentions the opponent stealing his fries. Scene ends in a K.O.??
Man walking around with a cell phone??
So now that your brains are somewhere completely separate, let's get into the real question of the week -- How Do I live with Jesus Daily?? The answer takes us back toward the beginning of the Bible. Turn with me to Genesis 3, verse 8a (just the first part) -- "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day... " God has always sought connection with His creation. It's literally the entire point of why He made us. He wants those of us who choose to be His Children* to be close with Him and enjoy His company.
The concept of spending time with Jesus daily is simple; but the practice is insidiously difficult. Daily connection is a very challenging thing for us, not only physically due to our busy lives or skewed priorities for those of us who don't work outside the home (I live alone currently); but it's also challenging spiritually. Looking at Genesis 3:8b will show us why -- "...and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." Remember, they had recently eaten from the wrong tree, and so now there was sin in the world. Adam and Eve disconnected themselves from God due to their sin and shame. We have all been born disconnected ever since. This is why Salvation is even necessary.* The solution to this (for believers) is found in John 15:1-5 -- This passage (and following to vs. 17) speaks of the Vine and Branches. Jesus is the True Vine*, we are the branches, and God the Father is the vinedresser. Not really much for vineyards here in N.H., but we do have Concord Grapes 'round about... But Jesus' point lies in connection. You cut a branch off from any plant, it will die sooner or later. The basic fact is this -- connection = life.
Simple, yet profound concept. Sadly, many of us live "in the woods", like Adam and Eve. Hiding from God in our sin and shame, when we are blind to the fact that God wants connection with us in spite of them. It's basic human nature to push others away when we feel guilty towards them or to distance ourselves when others have offended us in some way. God doesn't do that. He desires a guilt-free connection with us, because, after all, Jesus already covered our guilt and shame on the Cross. We literally have no business carrying them around!!* If we do, it's akin to crucifying Him over and over again, saying in essence that His sacrifice wasn't good enough for us. The following link is an excellent source expanding on this -- https://honorshame.com/atonement-honor-shame-cultures/
So what can we do to establish a habit of daily connection with Jesus?? Some of you may have heard this in Sunday School -- "Read your Bible and pray every day and everything will be okay." (not me, but others probably did) Nate suggested the additional thought of connecting with other believers to complete the idea. We've all seen over the past year and a half how important face-to-face connection can be. The disconnection during this mess has literally killed some people through depression. God's very heart lies in community, both with Himself and others. Remember Paul's words in Hebrews 10:22 of not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together. We need each other's encouragement to stay strong in the Lord.
Spiritual disciplines are pathways to connection. That's important to remember, they are not the ends of connection, only the means. They are the paths that lead out of the woods and back to God's presence. Human connection happens naturally, we pass by each other in the stores or on the sidewalks; we may smile, nod, or even say "hello, nice day" or "nice dress". Conversely, divine connection can only happen intentionally. Some methods of following these "pathways" may appeal better to different people --
Bible reading programs -- Daily Bread, Upper Room, Bible-in-a-year setups, Bible Study books, etc...
Prayer -- intercessory, Examen, journaling, Scripture, etc...
Connection -- small groups, Church, Prayer Partners, etc...
The "hiking boots", "knives", "food", and "tents" are all available to aid in your journey out of the woods, just choose your styles and utilize them. Just remember that there are no shortcuts or "silver bullets" to be found. This is a spiritual journey, not a sprint or competition.
Nate did speak of a "secret sauce" he has found valuable to his journey however, and it is this -- always have something in your life that only God can do. As the saying goes, "there are no Atheists in foxholes." Whether you need strength to pass a test, get a job or promotion, pay a bill, mend a relationship, get a house or apartment; God can do anything we need. We don't need to have all the answers, we just need to live in the space God provides and trust His timing, ways, and provision. Again with the full transparency here, I'm not good about any of this either. My prayer life is improved somewhat, and obviously the connection is good or I wouldn't be typing these messages every week, but the daily focus is still a challenge. And as for not needing all the answers, I have learned to trust God in the end; but before that, I still obsess a while. And that reminds me of another old saying from my own childhood, "Pobody's Nerfect". But as we know, the point lies in the journey. -- God Bless!!
Footnotes --
Those TV commercials -- Where's the beef?? (Wendy's) - Got Milk?? - Did somebody say McDonald's?? - Can you hear me now?? (Verizon)
a) As much as I love Hunchback of Notre Dame (I was even in a local production a few years back, just in the Choir ), and the song; Esmeralda's song about all of us being God's children simply isn't accurate. It's not that He doesn't care about everyone, it's that we don't all care about Him. Romans 8:9-17 tells us that only believers qualify for "sonship" in His Kingdom." b) This issue speaks to the question of Free Will vs Predestination. A couple of years ago, give or take, I saw a great explanation of this in a link online. The gist of it was that true love cannot exist without a choice. Otherwise it's just coercion. He loves all of us, but since He's omniscient and sees the end from the beginning (think of the Goodyear Blimp over a parade), He simply knows who will accept Him and who won't. John 6:22 tells us that no one comes to the Father lest He draw them to Himself. God is a gentleman and doesn't bother those who will not respond.
Conversely, no Church or denomination should be putting guilt or shame on anyone. They exist to provide guidance, not judgement. (unless a member specifically requires a word in private) And even that needs to be approached with wisdom to be sure it's God's Word being properly interpreted and not just the opinions of men. In school, we always heard about daily devotions and no unsaved friends, and how we should be in Church every time the doors are open... No suggestions on how to accomplish it, only shame if you didn't. Completely unrealistic and Legalistic. Christianity is supposed to be about relationship, not rules.
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