Beyond Feelings and Intentions

In his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard wrote:

One of the greatest deceptions in the practice of the Christian religion is the idea that all that really matters is our internal feelings, ideas, beliefs, and intentions. It is this mistake about the psychology of the human being that more than anything else divorces salvation from life, leaving us a headful of vital truths about God and a body unable to fend off sin. (p. 152)

This quote highlights a common mistake among Christians: the belief that our internal feelings, ideas, beliefs, and intentions are all that matter in our relationship with God. This idea leads to a twisted view of salvation, one that emphasizes knowledge and feeling over action and change, which leaves us stunted in our spiritual formation.

To truly live as disciples of Jesus, we need a discipleship that integrates our thoughts, emotions, and actions. The spiritual formation that is to happen in our minds and hearts must be reflected in the way we live and interact with the world around us.

I think it is crucial to remember that ongoing spiritual formation requires both a change of mind and a change of behavior. Repentance leads to a change of mind which motivates a change of behavior which leads to a renewed repentance that flows into a changed mind which results in a change of behavior. And this cycle keeps us moving forward in our spiritual formation.

One crucial part in this process is the practice of spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines are intentional habits and practices that help us align our minds and hearts with God's will. Disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, fasting, and solitude, allow us to train our minds to focus on God's truth and our hearts to respond in obedience.

However, spiritual disciplines alone are not enough. We also need to cultivate a lifestyle of service and selflessness. As Jesus himself said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24; NLT)

To deny ourselves means that we put aside our own desires and preferences so we can love God and love our neighbor. We know that we maturing in our discipleship as it becomes second nature for us to love.

Ultimately, our salvation is not just a matter of intellectual understanding or emotional experience; it is a transformation of our whole being. As Willard writes, "Salvation is not just a matter of being saved from our sins; it is a matter of being saved to be the kind of person who naturally does the good and right thing" (p. 153).

We need to reject the belief that our feelings and intentions are all that matter in our spiritual formation. Instead, let us embrace a discipleship that integrates our thoughts, emotions, and actions in pursuit of God's will. This is how we become the people God created us to be.

Sunday Prayer: Thank You For Life

Heavenly Father,

I approach You with a heart full of gratitude for the gift of life that You have given me. I thank You for sustaining me, protecting me, and guiding me in all my ways.

Lord, You have entrusted me with the responsibility of caring for my life, and I recognize that it is only through You that I can make wise choices that lead to life. Grant me Your wisdom and discernment, that I may choose the path of life that leads to You.

Help me to stay connected to You, the source of all life, through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Strengthen me to follow Him, even when it is difficult, so that I may experience the abundant life that He offers.

I declare today that I choose life, and I ask for Your guidance and protection as I walk in this path. May my life bring glory to You and be a testimony of Your goodness and grace.

In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.

Questions to Answer

 

Every so often I ponder two questions from Jesus found in the Gospels. When these questions come to mind I often reflect on how I would respond to them. To be honest, at different times in my life, I find myself with different answers.

The first question is the same one that Jesus posed to Peter after His resurrection. As you may recall, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before the crucifixion, and after the resurrection, Jesus approached Peter to restore him. The restoration process involved asking Peter the same question three times: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15; ESV).

It's easy to say that we love Jesus more than anything else, but our actions often betray our words. We may love our families, recognition, jobs, alcohol, or hobbies more than Jesus. Personally, I know that I often place Jesus in the backseat, even when it comes to ministry.

Since we tend to relegate Jesus to the back corners of our lives, it's crucial for us to answer this important question. Every day, we must affirm our love for Jesus through prayer and commitment. It's essential that we take the time to hear Jesus' question and respond to it. We must tell Jesus that we love Him and demonstrate that love through the way we live our lives.

The second question is the one that Jesus asked of blind Bartimaeus. As Jesus was passing through Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was walking by where he was begging. Bartimaeus cried out to get Jesus' attention: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47; ESV). Despite everyone else telling him to be quiet, Bartimaeus continued to yell, and eventually, Jesus called for him to come. When Bartimaeus reached Jesus, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" (Mark 10:51; ESV).

What do I want Jesus to do for me? 

I believe that we often expect too little from Jesus. We come to Jesus and ask Him to forgive our sins, bless us with good health, or take care of our families. Don't misunderstand me; these are good things, and in some ways, they are essential things. However, I believe that these requests are similar to Bartimaeus asking for an endless supply of money so he could stop begging. It would be wonderful for Bartimaeus to quit begging, but it misses the point. He got it right when he said, "I want to see."

What do I want from Jesus? I want life. I want to be free from fear and sin. I want to obey God and follow Jesus with my whole heart. I want to make a difference in this world for the Kingdom. I don't want to settle for a life of my own making; I want to live the life God created me to live. The only way I know this can happen is by asking Jesus to give it to me.

Certain questions require us to take the time to reflect and respond because our answers will determine the direction of our lives. This is especially true when Jesus poses the questions. So, what is Jesus asking you?

Prioritize Love

 

As Christians, we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. This commandment is central to what it means to demonstrate God character in this world and it requires us to show compassion and kindness to everyone, even those difficult people in our lives. 

We know that loving our neighbor is not always easy. It can be challenging to find time in our busy schedules to reach out and care for others. But for us to truly bear God’s image in this world, we must be prioritize loving our neighbor over our own agendas.

The fact that God commands His people to love means that love is more than a feeling. Love, the type of love God wants His people to have, is an intentional choice. In other words, love is an action that we choose to do. 

In 1 John 3:18, we are taught that Christian love is "not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." If our love is not expressed by the things we do, then we are not obeying the command to love our neighbor.

While it might be convenient to add times service to our to do lists, loving our neighbors can't simply be blocked off on our schedules. The reality is that opportunities to love people often appear in our lives during inconvenient times. This forces us to choose between our agendas and God's command. 

For example, we may be rushing to get to work when a friend calls asking for help. Or we may have plans to spend time with friends when a neighbor knocks on our door asking for assistance. In these moments, we must choose to prioritize loving people over the plans we made. The only way we will consistently choose to help and serve is  when we have chosen to make love a primary value of our lives.

Jesus demonstrated this kind of sacrificial love throughout his ministry. 

In the Gospels we see how Jesus stopped and helped people in need, even when it meant interrupting his own plans. One of these occasions is found in Mark 6:30-44. In this passage, Jesus wanted to take his disciples to a remote area for some rest, but the crowds followed them. In verse 34 Mark wrote that Jesus “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

In Luke 10:25-37, when Jesus was asked “who is my neighbor,” he told the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable the Samaritan stopped to help a man who had been beaten and left for dead. The Samaritan was inconvenienced by this act of love, but he chose to prioritize caring for the injured man over his own schedule.

For us who follow Jesus, we are called to prioritize loving our neighbor over our own agendas, just like Jesus did. This requires us to be flexible and willing to put aside our own plans when someone is in need. It also requires us to be intentional about looking for opportunities to love by helping and serving those around us. Prioritizing love will also require that we step out of our comfort zones and be open to the different ways God is calling us to love people.

Loving our neighbor is one half of the central commandment of the Christianity. To obey God’s command for us to love requires us to have compassion and kindness for those around us, even when it is inconvenient. As we follow Jesus' example, we must prioritize loving our neighbor over other things in our lives.