HABITS FOR SPIRITUAL HEALTH


Happy New Year! At the beginning of each new year, I always wonder what might lie ahead. Last year, no one could’ve predicted the flooding in the Midwest, the housing crisis, the economic collapse, the terrorist attack in Mumbai, etc. Usually, we are positive and hopeful on January 1, and it is common to make new commitments and resolutions to improve one’s life in the coming year. We know that losing weight is the #1 resolution for Americans! But I would like to suggest and encourage some spiritual resolutions that can improve your Christian growth and strengthen your relationship wth the Lord in the year ahead.

Last Sunday I had to be the “preacher” (not something I prefer at all!) and my sermon addressed the importance of “Habits For Spiritual Health.” I am going to summarize what I shared with the congregation as my first blogpost for 2009. Perhaps my words will inspire you to begin or recommit to some things that will strengthen you in your walk with Jesus this year. Here, in a nutshell, is what I preached last Sunday:

I started with “good news:” that you can have a relationship with the God of the universe! God has made this possible through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. All you have to do is say “Yes” to Him! Realize you really can’t make it in life on your own; that no matter how hard you try to control everything and even do things right, you’re doomed to failure, because sin still has influence on this earth. Just admit your failings, your darker, hidden habits, your self-centeredness, and your need of a Savior. Then thank God for His indescribable love, and for the gift He’s given us in our Savior, Jesus, and you will be poised to begin a relationship with the God of the universe yourself, for all eternity.

But then I shared some “bad news” (or at least some news that is not as nice and easy to swallow) that comes in the words of Jesus Himself: “If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must deny himself and take up his cross day after day and come with me.” Deciding to say “yes” to God’s gift in Jesus means, in the words of Oswald Chambers, giving up all rights to yourself. Your life is no longer your own to do with as you please. New and different obligations are placed on you, including how you treat others, use your money, and spend your time. This really irritates our American, individualistic understanding of life too! It’s very inconvenient and upsetting. Maybe a relationship with God is going to cost more than you can afford to pay.

I said that this little scenario goes to the very core of developing “habits for spiritual health” because, in order to have a relationship with God (or with anyone else), it is necessary for time to be spent together in meaningful, engaging, nurturing ways. This is not always easy or as tangible and obvious with God as it is in our human relationships. That’s why the word “habits” is so crucial here. Another word for this is “exercises”--and I put in a strong plug for our ‘Fit ‘N Free’ aerobics class here at church to make the point!


Also, it is far easier to develop bad habits than it is to instill good, healthy habits into our lives. This is why it may be more like “taking up a cross” when you commit to habits for spiritual health! It can be tough to do. It takes practice. It has to do with commitment and with setting priorities. Skills need to be learned and developed. It can be very inconvenient, especially with the way our lives are today in America. But if you claim to be a disciple of Jesus, all of this is necessary. As that pesky verse about “carrying your cross” says, it has to do with following Jesus; with being a disciple of his. To be a disciple is to become like the one you follow; whom you accept as Master. You willingly offer your devoted allegiance to him. Disciple is also related to the word discipline--not in the way we usually understand this word though; as correction or punishment. Discipline has to do with systematic instruction; from a Latin word that means “to learn” or “to instruct.” Therefore, if we are truly a disciple of Jesus, we must be disciplined in our learning and in our following of him. He is our Master! Our Mentor and our Model.

Then I shared three spiritual habits that were important to Jesus, and that I continue to practice in order to be a better disciple of Jesus: the written Word (Scripture), prayer, and generosity.

1. The Written Word Of God (see Psalm 119:9,11, 05; II Timothy 3:14-17; Luke 24:25-27)


Some of what I preached about Scripture I took from an earlier blogpost (see October 23) to explain why reading, studying, and applying Scripture is so indispensible for healthy growth and renewal, both individually and as a church. Because it is a trustworthy account of God’s purposes and actions in dealing with His creation and His people on this earth, I must understand and appreciate the incredible message that it sets forth. However, I’ve also discovered that the Bible lets me know that not everything is to be known and answered or figured out. “God is God and I am not!” The Bible puts me in a correct posture before the God of the universe, as His dear child, but also as a limited human creature who can only bow before this awesome God in wonder and in worship. If Scripture simply answered everything for us, explaining everything at our level, it would not have the appeal, the fascination, and the transcendent impact it is meant to have on us, on the world, on spiritual reality. We sometimes hear that the Bible is a “living Word,” or “living document,” and I have certainly found this to be true. As I have continued to read and study this fantastic book, and especially the past eight or nine years that I have used a method to read through the entire Bible each year, I have gleaned many new insights, rich meanings, fresh connections within the Bible itself, and discovered more concrete connections between Scripture and everyday reality.

At the Covenant Annual Meeting last June, one of our finest preachers and seminary teachers, John Weborg, spoke about the Bible. He offered some fantastic perspective on why we who claim to follow Christ must develop habits that allow us to deeply engage the written Word of God. I offered some highlights of his sermon:

"It’s possible to treat the Bible as a consumer, as you would read USA Today or Reader’s Digest: quickly! You just want a quick summary of everything, like email or text messaging. It’s all for consumption.

Or you can treat the Bible as capital, with seriousness and intention, realizing its true weight and potential, building up resources and the critical capacities of your mind so you can deal with the hard questions of life."

Weborg asked: “If the Word of God is central to our lives, do we treat it as such? Do we engage it regularly, alone or in gathering together to read it? To ask “what does it say?” in regard to the issues facing us today? We’re not consumers looking for email messages from God, but for biblical perspective--and we’re not going to get it in one night! This book takes awhile to read; it is a long story." John gave several examples of how to read and apply Scripture that are challenging and weighty, not simplistic or shallow at all. He continued: "The Bible is this kind of capital for us. Its interest grows the more you read it. But you’ve got to read it! It’s a big book with an awful lot in it. Delve into it, and practice more of what it says, especially the hard stuff. The Bible is great capital for the socially separated, the spiritually silenced, and for those striving for service where they can take risks for the sake of the Kingdom."

He ended his sermon with this: “Settle down with the book. Prepare to be unsettled--then resettled. Prepare to be funded by a spiritual capital you didn’t know possible. It’s a word that demonstrates its claim. You can bank on it!”

Through the healthy spiritual habit of engaging Scipture in this manner, you too will be renewed, challenged, and enlivened in your relationship with Jesus. I’ve found it to be true. Indeed, “you can bank on it!”

2. Prayer (see Philippians 4:6-7)


To be honest, I’m rather new at this practice. It has only been since the “school of prayer” that we offered here at church about 12 years ago that I would consider myself a man of prayer. Which is not to say that I didn’t pray before. I have exercised this “spiritual muscle” somewhat ever since I was very young, and I did try from time to time to make it a healthy habit. However, in looking back to how I understood and engaged in prayer prior to that “school of prayer” in 1996, I realize that I had only been wading in the shallow end of what prayer is intended to be and to do in the lives of Christians. I never dove in to the wild, brisk, exhilarating ocean that so beautifully illustrates this immeasurable resource of connection to God. Never before had I learned to swim in its renewing and healing waters which, I now realize, is imperative for anyone who seeks to follow Christ. Prayer is a discipline--a practice--that is as essential to spiritual growth and life as breathing is to physical life. Without it, you die. It’s that simple; that cut-and-dried. There is not--there cannot--be any life in Christ without prayer. If we continually make excuses, allow other things to have more priority in our lives, or look on prayer as a burden, consider these helpful words from Emilie Griffin: "When there is no time to do it, that's when you most need to unclutter the calendar and go apart to pray. When the gridlock in your schedule relentlessly forbids it is the time you most need it. That is when your heart beats against the prison walls of your enslavement and says, "Yes, Lord, I want to spend time with you."

I can’t pinpoint exactly what happened to me during that school of prayer that wakened me to the exciting realm of prayer. It was definitely a movement of the Holy Spirit. It’s easier to look back and see how I prayed before and realize the transformation within me after that three day event. All I know is that a huge new vista was opened to me, regarding the reality and power and energy of prayer, and I dove into it. As I have practiced and explored this resource of spiritual nuture, I have connected with God in ways I never knew before. Some of you here know what I’m talking about! Some of you are, perhaps, just a step away from discovering what I’ve found in prayer. Some of you are probably skeptical; others may be downright cynical, thinking “what on earth is he talking about?!” I can understand why you might feel this way about prayer. From the outside looking in, prayer appears as nothing, as just a holy religious activity, ineffective, even impotent, meaningless. Again, from Oswald Chambers: “Naturally, prayer is not practical. It is absurd. We have to realize that prayer is stupid from the ordinary common sense point of view.” All I can do here, from the inside looking out, is testify to what prayer has become in my life as a disciple of Jesus. Prayer allows us to tap into realities that are beyond our understanding and comprehension, to cooperate with the movement and plans of the God of the universe, to impact people and situations and events--and even the future--in ways that money or power or worldly influence can never do. Praying people are simultaneously in touch with the here and now and with what’s happening in eternity. Through prayer, we are fully engaged with the truest, ultimate reality that is far bigger, transcendent, and supernatural than what we humans grasp with our senses. Honestly, it is so invigorating, stimulating, challenging, FUN! Simply put, prayer changes things, and through prayer we can participate in those changes with our Lord Jesus.

3. Generosity (see Matt. 6:19-20; Acts 20:35b; II Cor. 8:7; 9:6-7,13)


I confessed that my testimony to developing this healthy habit comes from living and serving with everyone here at Hilmar Covenant Church! It is their witness and practice throughout these past 28 years that has challenged me and helped me discover the thrill and freedom of living a life of generosity, not only financially but in terms of time, talents, and relationally. Before coming to Hilmar, I always carried a feeling of concern--even apprehension--about money. Also, because of other issues early in my life, I was always hesitant about freely stepping out and trying new things, taking on challenges, doing anything I was not sure I could accomplish. I avoided anything unfamiliar and I kept my life carefully circumscribed and contained, under my control, never risking anything.

This was “me” when I arrived in Hilmar and began ministry on June 19, 1980, and I stressed again that it has been through living and serving among the people of Hilmar Covenant that I have grown far beyond these former patterns, attitudes, and actions. Then I enumerated a long list of things that I have learned here in Hilmar: what it is like to give sacrificially of one’s time to help and serve others, from taking positions of leadership on professional boards to serving the community through school and civic organizations to giving time sacrificially to assist people during times of crisis, grief, and need. I have seen how they have used their talents and abilities to freely bless others: medical professionals giving assistance, farmers encouraging young people interested in agriculture, teachers helping students beyond the classroom, the women offering food, clothing, compassion and consolation, and the men helping to build, assist, and support projects and people in need when those people have no one else to turn to. In terms of relationships--where to begin? The way so many offer themselves to others--in our church, our community, and beyond--is truly awesome, and generous! Teaching Sunday School, leading 4-H, sharing their lives with children and young people, visiting the elderly, the shut-ins, the sick, writing to and supporting missionaries, befriending people who are lonely and in need, caring for their workers--where to stop? Financially, too, I have never known people to be more generous than the people here at Hilmar Covenant. They give, of course, to church, but also to community events and projects, to fund raisers of every kind, to conference and denominational ministries, in times of crises, in times of celebration, to support special pleas (like the KICY offering last fall and missionary Christmas gifts), to help people and projects be successful--on and on it goes.

I shared how Lee Barkhousen used to irritate me when he’d say that “your checkbook tells where your priorities and commitments truly lie: with the Kingdom of God or with the things of this world.” But a number of years ago, something clicked and I took Lee’s good word to heart, after finally being set free from my old attitudes about managing my finances and resources. I began to fill my checkbook with as many entries as possible that helped to do what Lee said: build up the Kingdom of God. What I discovered is the absolute, almost giddy, thrill of trying to get rid of as much of my financial assets as possible to Kingdom priorities and, in the process, purposefully shattering the grip that the world tries to place on me with its priorities.

I told how I have personally benefited from their financial generosity throughout the years as well, and it has been their example that broke my former patterns and helped me develop the joyful habit of “checkbook generosity.” Their financial risk bought me to Hilmar in the first place. Their creative use of funds helped me buy my home. Their willingness to budget experiences of learning and growth has nurtured and expanded me in countless ways. They have helped me and many others fulfill our passion for global missions, like going to Mexico, India, China, Taiwan, Ecuador, and Brazil. They gave so much to make my sabbatical to Israel possible that I not only had enough funds to spend four fanatstic months there in 2006, I had plenty left over to return in 2007 and continue my sabbatical experience with Bridges For Peace! More recently, they have committed to supporting Harvey and Linda Lundquist in Alaska, beyond what some think is reasonably feasible financially for our church budget. It is this spirit and practice of generosity that has soaked into my own being. I eagerly continue to make it a personal habit, and I encouraged them to acknowledge and continue in this habit too. Our God is greater and works in ways far beyond the human accounting and reasoning that we are so often tempted to rely on. God’s economy is different from the world’s systems. Prayer helps us discover this, see it clearly, begin to rely on it, and to practice it. Scripture affirms it! So in a wonderful way, all three of these particular habits for spiritual health interact and engage each other, allowing us to grow deeper and richer in our relationship and walk with the Lord.

One final thought about spiritual habits: they don’t remain the same! It’s not like once you set down a plan to read the Bible or to practice prayer or to be generous that you’ll be doing them exactly the same way for the rest of your life. No! And that’s another wonderful, life-giving thing about developing habits for spiritual health: they are also fluid, in motion, related to the realities you face in life. In fact, it is not the habits themselves that are even the real focus here, but on what they enable you to be and to do in your relationship with Christ. I then gave a personal testimony of two recent examples that show how the spiritual habits in my life have shifted and changed: going to Mexico the first time in 1999 and reading “The Dangerous Act Of Worship” in 2007. Because of my willingness to do something completely uncomfortable and even frightening to me, like going to Mexico, many of my spiritual habits were transformed:  the way I spend my time, prioritize my finances, build relationships (now with the very kids I never thought I could relate to), what I pray about, how I read Scripture, and my passion and commitment to the global Church. As a result of reading "The Dangerous Act of Worship," I began to read the Bible differently, with a fresh set of spiritual lenses that has made the impact of the Bible in my life stronger and richer, causing me to reach for more in my relationship with God.  Again, as in 1999, my habits of reading Scripture and praying were changed; refreshed.  These new understandings have also impacted my priorities. 
 
Now, at the beginning of 2009, let me encourage all of you reading this blog to engage in healthy spiritual habits during the coming year. These habits are not just “oughts” or “shoulds” and they are never to be sources of spiritual pride. Because they are rooted in life, they will continue to have meaning and purpose because they will always connect you to Jesus wherever you are, whatever you are doing in your life every day. It is in this way that the wonderful meaning of that verse I spoke of at the beginning of my sermon truly comes alive: “If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily--day after day--and come with me.” It is a sweet thing to accept this; to “take up the cross of Christ” in your own life, because it leads to a sweeter relationship with Him. It is not difficult or boring or irrelevant at all. For as Jesus also said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Once again, our expectations turned upside down and inside out: it is a delight--not a burden--to truly follow our Model, our Mentor, our Master--our Savior! Healthy spiritual habits actually help to make it easier! When we come to Jesus, really come to Him, accepting His cross in our lives, He promises to give us rest.

You can bank on it!