In my previous blog post I shared some of the big lessons I received from my time of rest on Sabbatical. I would like to take this opportunity to expand on one of those lessons. The principles of being Jesus disciple. While there is much to do as a disciple of Jesus often we trade the doing for the being or consider that if we are doing our being is just fine. This is not the case. We have an example of this in the Mary and Martha narrative found in the Gospel of Luke.
Martha finds her being by doing, while Mary finds her being in sitting at Jesus feet listening to His teachings. And therein lies the temptation, to trust in the tasks we are performing as a replacement for the simplicity of just being with Jesus. So how do we practice this being? in simple terms it is returning to the spiritual disciplines. I will highlight three areas essential to every disciple wishing to “sit” at Jesus’ feet over my next few blogs. Up first:
1. Listening for His Voice - Time spent with the Word of God
This feels like a no brainer, but if we were all honest it perhaps the easiest to dismiss in our lives. We get stuck on busy or in distraction and usually find more time for “binge watching” the latest AMC show (guilty), than for the life giving words of Jesus found in the scriptures. Am I simply telling you to read your bible? Yes! Because we honestly don’t! Despite the bible’s own command to its study and devotion. The danger of this to our being is incredible.
Consider this illustration: I know my wife’s voice. I can pick it out on Sunday Mornings when she sings with the worship team, I can tell from her tone what emotion she is experiencing, I take delight in her greeting first thing in the morning and comfort in her last whisper at night. How am I able to experience these things? Because I have taken the time to listen to her. Time spent quietly in her presence soaking in her voice.
Now imagine the benefit this has on our relationship and the consequences to it if I could not recognize her voice. What if I couldn’t distinguish her voice from others? If she had need of me, could offer aide to me, desired to share things with me? This, my friend, is the same peril we place ourselves in when we neglect to know the voice of Jesus from the scriptures.
A simple coaching thought when it comes to opening the bible is to consider this method, “Read for Breadth and Study for Depth”.
Another illustration perhaps might help us here. I often will share with the congregation that some of my sermons are like water hoses and others are like well buckets. A water hose is meant to spread a lot of water over a large area, a well bucket is meant to draw water out of the depths of the earth. Our time with the bible needs to use both of these approaches. There are times when we will simply open the scripture and read, just soaking it in, there will be other times where spend more time delving deeply into one place of the scripture seeking to draw out the deep truths Jesus has for us. I find the water hose approach works well for a daily habit and the well bucket approach provides a weekly opportunity to reflect deeper on the truth I’m reading and put it into practice.
Feeling caught in the trap of doing? Slow down and begin with just you and your bible, I and Jesus promise it will be worth it.
Held in His Grace and Grip,
Pastor Vinnie
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