Category: Spiritual Growth

Death to Self

by Innermost Being, posted in Spiritual Growth

A couple of months ago, my pastor asked a question. What is your spiritual need for this year? My response: dying to myself.

This may seem like a strange response. It was prompted by a year-long study of Dallas Willard’s book, Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23. A chapter called Trust Completed in Death to Self showed me I will never live a life without lack if I don’t let go of my desire for social approval.

Yes, I seek the approval of people. Or, to put it another way, I avoid their disapproval. It’s an ongoing battle. If I am still trying to please people or to win their approval, I can not be a whole-hearted, faithful servant of Christ.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

As I was nearing the end of Life Without Lack, I saw a book at church called Gazing at God by Sharon Hodde Miller. The subtitle is “A 40-day Journey to Greater Freedom from Self.” Instead of the phrase death to self, Miller uses the term self-forgetfulness. She defines self-forgetfulness as “freedom from being distracted by or preoccupied with the self, so that we are then free to love God and others.”

The term self refers to my identity as a person, encompassing my personality, my character, and my essential nature – my inner being. God wants me to realize my full potential – the person he intends me to be. I should not exchange the best version of myself for something less valuable.

The concept of dying to self does not mean killing off or erasing who you are. Willard described death to self as rising up to God. It is exchanging a self-centered life for a Christ-centered life. Dying to myself means living my life for Jesus. It means crucifying the wants and desires that conflict with God’s will.

Jesus said that if you want to be his disciple, you must deny yourself and take up your cross. I never really understood what Jesus meant by taking up your cross. Willard said the cross means “acceptance of limitation on desire.” It is surrendering your personal desires and comforts to follow Jesus, regardless of the cost. It is a sacrifice.

I have embarked on a spiritual journey – one without a time limit – to forget myself, to release the self-centered desires that hold me back from being an obedient disciple of Christ.

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Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NIV

Faith is Key to a Life Without Lack

by Innermost Being, posted in Spiritual Growth

In Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23, Dallas Willard said that before we can fully experience the sufficiency of God, three things must be at work in us: faith, death to self, and agape love. In the chapter titled Trust in God: The Key to Life, Willard wrote about faith.

What is faith? One of my favorite explanations is found in the book of Hebrews.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Hebrews 11:1-3 NIV

I don’t have to see God or hear him speak outloud to believe that he exists. I am assured of his existence from the visible things he created.

But faith is more than believing.

Willard noted that faith combines love with the desire for good. A desperate father came to Jesus and asked him to free his son from an impure spirit (Mark 9:14-29). His love for his son was combined with the desire for good.

Some people view faith as superstition. The truth is we all have faith in something. “Faith is simply reliance upon something in both attitude and action.”  You can’t get through life without faith or confidence “that things will be a certain way and what you desire will come to be.” Even non-believers have faith that they can rely on other people or on ordinary everyday things.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is credited with saying that faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase. Several years ago, I acted with faith to quit a miserable job when I didn’t have another job lined up. I had confidence that God would work things out for my good. He did.

Faith goes hand in hand with having a future. The psalmist looked to the future when he said, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all of my days, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Faith has two parts: vision and desire. We see reality as it is and picture what it could be in the future. We hope for what can be. 

Faith comes from hearing about God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.

Romans 10:17 NET

Faith is a gift that comes to those who seek. “You will seek Me and find Me , when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

When you have faith, it doesn’t mean you never have doubt. We can admit our doubts openly and honestly. Jesus said, “Everything is possible for one who believes,” to which the desperate father  replied, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” (Mark 9:23-24)

Faith is not stagnant. We can lose our faith when something bad happens. Pain and suffering can also deepen our faith. Willard used the story of Job to explain three different types of faith.

  • Faith of propriety
  • Faith of desperation
  • Faith of sufficiency

Faith of Propriety

Initially, Job trusted God to be good to him if he lived a proper, godly life. But he did not have peace in his faith. He feared that God would “take down the hedge of protection” that surrounded him. He trusted in his own propriety more than he trusted in God’s goodness.

People with this kind of faith believe you must perform in a certain way and always get things right to earn God’s favor. They believe that God is looking down on them to make sure they are behaving.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to do right! But things can go wrong for us even if we do everything right, even if we are perfectly righteous.

Faith of Desperation

When Job lost everything – his family, his possessions, and his health – his faith became a faith of desperation. His desperate situation led him to a place of need. God showed up in his misery. Job said, “I’ve heard about you, but now I’ve seen you.”

Faith of desperation is trusting in God when things are shaky. It is crying out to him when you have nowhere else to turn. It is trusting in God in your moment of need. It is saying, “Whatever happens, I will trust You.”

I’ve been there – in a place of desperation, where God was my only hope. I cast my cares on him and drew strength from him. Faith puts you into contact with God so you can draw on his resources.

Faith of Sufficiency

Job struggled to make sense out of his suffering and loss. He eventually stopped trying to get God to make everything right. He saw the glory, the greatness, and the sufficiency of God.

The 23rd Psalm is a testament to faith. David, the psalmist, believed that God would provide everything he needed, physically and spiritually. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing…. He restores my soul… He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

An Unexpected Sermon on Peacemaking

by Innermost Being, posted in Spiritual Growth

My church is going through a sermon series on The Sermon on the Mount. The scripture for this week’s sermon was from The Beatitudes.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

My pastor noted that Jesus did not say, blessed are peace lovers or blessed are peace demonstrators. He said blessed are the peacemakers.

Peacemakers are peace doers. Jesus practiced peacemaking when he healed lepers so they were no longer social outcasts. He made peace when he freed people who were possessed by demons.

Today, Christians spread messages of peace throughout the Christmas season. Peace on earth! Goodwill towards men!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

We don’t say much about peace the rest of the year.

My pastor asked, “Do you know peace today?” My answer to that question is yes and no. God brings me peace, and I am at peace with God. I am at peace with myself. I live in peace with almost everyone because I do absolutely do not like conflict. But I am not at peace with what is going on in the world today. Corruption, deception, and injustice bring distress and unrest to my life, not peace.

My pastor then made an unexpected detour from the Beatitudes to Matthew 10:34-36, where Jesus says that he did not come to bring peace to earth.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a mother against her daughter, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law–a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

Matthew 10:34-36

I am very familiar with Matthew 10:34-36. I have reflected on it many times. The sword is the truth of the gospel, and it divides those who believe from those who don’t. When you choose to follow Jesus, you may not be at peace with people who are not following Jesus.  The sword of truth divides the faithful from the unfaithful.

Why this unexpected dissonance? Is Jesus for peace or not? Pastor Bob explained that while God is committed to peace, he is not committed to false peace.

So then, what is false peace? The Munich Agreement of 1938 is an example of false peace. The agreement allowed Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia. Neville Chamberlain thought that appeasing Hitler would bring peace. It did not bring peace. It emboldened Hitler.

Appeasement is false peace. Avoiding conflict is false peace. Being afraid to speak up and tell the truth is false peace.

False peace asks very little of us. It doesn’t require bravery. We risk nothing.

Is there false peace in your life? If so, ask God to help you.

Guard my heart and mind

by Innermost Being, posted in Spiritual Growth

Today, I began my day as I often do by reading news. This is not good for my mind and heart. I read about acts of injustice. I read about acts of revenge and cruelty. My heart became troubled and angry. My mind became anxious.

When I opened up my Bible app and began a guided prayer, I read a favorite verse in Philippians:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

The fourth chapter of Philippians is full of encouragement for believers. Paul continued,

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Lord, fill me with your peace. Guard my heart and mind. Remind me to start my day with you, my Savior. Focus my thoughts on good things – on truth and on love and on the beauty of your creation! I praise your holy name. Amen.

Blessed

by Innermost Being, posted in Spiritual Growth

What does it mean when someone says, ‘I am blessed?’ It may be an expression of gratitude for the good things in life, e.g. for a home, family, and friends. It may also be a way of boasting about what you have while pretending to be humble.

The Greek word for ‘blessed’ is makarios, which also means happy, fortunate, or privileged. Biblically speaking, to be blessed is to be the privileged recipient of God’s favor. It is to be spiritually prosperous.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turned the world’s meaning of ‘blessed’ upside down. Being blessed isn’t about what you have or what you’ve accomplished. To be blessed is to have the character of a righteous person, a person who is right with God.

The Beatitudes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

I found additional scripture references to makarios on an Ezra Project post:

  • “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Matthew 13:16
  • He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:28
  • Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29
  • “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Revelation 16:15
  • “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35.

If I am to boast, may I boast only about the Lord.

Thank you, Jesus, for showing me what it means to be blessed. I hunger and thirst for your righteousness.