One thing that really resonated with me in the last video was the notion of "dying every day" instead of "trying every day." Trying puts the control in my hands and enables me to say, "well, I tried" at the end of the day. It releases me of responsibility if I fail, but gives me all the credit if I succeed.
On the contrary, dying daily places all responsibility on me when I fail and releases me from credit when I am successful because dying daily requires me to hand everything over to God. If the day does not go how it should, chances are I got in the way. I probably tried to do it on my own, my way, without prayer and petition.
So, every day since last Sunday (with a couple exceptions) I have started the day with a simple prayer. "Lord, I surrender to you today. I die to my ambitions. I die to my desires. I die to my will, to my temper, to my words, to my work, to my relationships, to everything. Lord, kill the me residing within this body and live here instead. 'For it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.' Please be seen and heard through me today."
I am trying to do my job in 45 hours a week. For Lent, I gave up about 10 hours of work a week. I haven't made it yet, but have come very close. This act of leaning on him, coupled with my daily prayer, asking God to kill my selfish ambition and vein conceit, I have found more patience, more time for my family, more rest. I am enjoying my work more than I have in years and I am gaining clarity regarding how to pray for God's will in my life.
The convergence of my Lay Ministry Life Team, devotion, reading, and our Life Team is honestly changing me.
How are you all feeling right now? How is God working in your life? Where is life finding you?
This blog started strong and has been quiet for a while...let's light it up right now. I'm praying for you and would love to hear from you.
Mr. James,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post! It seems to me as though a lot in your life is really starting to make sense for you. I don't know why I just thought that. I think sometimes it can be nearly impossible for our lives to really make sense.
We really work hard on a daily basis for a clear purpose to life. It becomes very mundane and almost unfulfilling I think for a lot of people to strive for a life that makes sense on an earthly level. I have been soooooooo........... guilty of that really, throughout my entire life as well.
I have clearly seen that transition in your life. It almost is something that goes beyond seeing in you but understanding as well. You have always been someone in my life that I have looked to for insight in discipline, faith, and knowledge. I have always appreciated your honesty and integrity that you have consistently shown through your leadership of our group.
Sometimes unfortunately, even when YOU do all the right things and YOU say all the right things, James your exactly right, YOU can still get in Gods way. We all get in the way for God to really move in our lives. It really isn't until we actually step back out of the way do we realize how much more sense our lives make when it isn't ourselves that need to be purposeful but rather allowing God to be purposeful through us.
( to clarify- "YOU" didn't mean you specifically in that last section, more of a generalization)
So James, it is really exciting for me, as I'm sure for all of us, to see your obediance to Gods Spirit. The relinquishing of command to Him and His path for you. I am certain that as you continue dying to yourself your life will continue to be more defined and purposeful. Who knows where that path will lead right? You seem absolutely content with that lack of knowledge now. It's a beautiful thing!
PEACE!