Category: intimacy

When You Lose [Faith]

…”calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Luke 7:19

 

Here we have John the Baptist locked away in Herod’s prison.  We read of his wavering, but that shouldn’t alarm us.  There has always been difficulties for those who follow without diluting their love for Jesus.  It’s very likely that John had preconceptions about Jesus’ ministry.  But that certainly doesn’t mean he was apostate or backslidden.  He still believed, as he looked out through the bars.

We walk in a greater light and have surer promises that John did.  And in that light we still have our difficult moments.  We can falter and shake and doubt.  And John only had a 100th of understanding that we have.  Often we are amazed by another’s confusion and struggles, it is so clear to us that they are falling short.  It is frustrating.  Moses once went ballistic, beat his rod on a rock and had some choice words.  His anger spilled all over him and made a mess.  We read of his provocation, and miss our own faults, sins and weaknesses. 

We need to understand the depth of our own depravity.  There are those who have proceeded us, who have had their moments of despondency and doubt.  We see them, as it were, from a distance and criticize and challenge what we see.  Noah’s drunkenness and Lot’s vacillation.  The flakiness of Samson, Peter’s denial and Mark’s timidity, and much more.

Today, let us resolve to be gentle with each other. “For we all stumble in many ways”, James 3:2.

A Serious Case of JDD

I have a syndrome called JDD.  It afflicts me in several different ways.  My psychiatrist can give me no meds that would help me.  It weakens me and makes me vulnerable to a host of enemies.  I have Jesus Deficit Disorder.

I wonder about this thing called “Christianity”.  After over 2000 years, have we veered off course?  Is the Church of Jesus founded even resemble the one we have in the US? As I ponder about these questions, I honestly am not sure anymore.

Being a Christian without the presence of Jesus is a frightening possibility.  We don’t realize that we have shifted to another track, things seem so ordinary and smooth.  It is spiritually disturbing that we are diverted so easily.  We end up with the Christian religion, but without Christ.  How did this happen?

When you have Jesus Deficit Disorder (JDD) you end up with a Christianity without Christ; a form of religion, but without its inherent power.  It all appears legit and acceptable, but it is a sham.  It is not what Jesus intended for us.  The intimacy has lifted. We speak about Him, but not to Him. 

There is a deficiency in a heart that does not claim Him as an intimate friend.  It frightens us so that we avoid the presence of the Lord.  The children of Israel had absolutely no desire to meet with God face-to-face.  They insisted that Moses should go on without them.  What prompted this?

We have an untamed God.  On any given Sunday, out ushers seating us should be handing out life vests, and issuing flares and whistles.  We would be tied to our chairs.  For we are in the presence of a God who is awesomely loving, and faithfully unpredictable.  He is a Lion, wild and untamed, and hanging out with Him also turns us into a wild disciple, who is a bit edgy and untamed.

Having JDD will revert us to a soft domestic soul, disengaged from a spiritual authenticity.  Oh, we travel to what we believe the general direction of good religion.  We are missing the attitude of “more Jesus”.  It’s old hat stuff, but I must say it anyway– more Jesus–less religion.  

Resting in God, Completely.

 
My soul rests in God

 The Lord my God hath given me rest on every side.
1 Kings 5:4

This was part of the preparation for the building of the temple. Times of quiet in one’s life should not be idle times. There is other work to do then. These are days for temple-building. 

True living is not all activity – struggle, conflict, gathering money, toiling with one’s hands. 

Building of character is the great work of life. This goes on best in the quiet. We ought not to wait for idleness to compel us to be still; we should get the quiet into our life even in our busiest times. We must have a restful spirit if we would build up the inner temple. There should be “silent times” in every day’s life. 

The secret of Daniel’s noble character, while carrying a great part of the burden of the kingdom of Babylon was that he never forsook the place of prayer. Not even fear of the lion’s den could make him neglect devotion. 

There is no other secret of a true and noble life amid the world’s strifes and trials. We must keep quiet within, that we may build up in our hearts the temple of God. -JR Miller