It is well after midnight here in Springfield, but I am honestly nowhere near ready for sleep. Today I had an internship meeting at OnCourse magazine. I am currently in the development stage of my story ideas for the next issue. One that I am completely stoked about is the spiritual column, which will be dealing with the concept of contentment as opposed to progress in our Christian walk. The ideas pouring out of my brain for this story were too exciting to keep to myself, so I figured I would write them on the blog (even though I will be assigning the story to someone else haha).
The most important thing to remember when looking at these two seemingly incompatible ideas is the fact that contentment is not the same as stagnation. In the evangelical community at large, people often make the mistake of taking someone's contentment for them simply being stagnant. Stagnation is sitting motionless in one stage of your walk with God, and having no intent of going further. Just as a pond that is stagnant begins to grow all kinds of filth and algae, so a person who is stagnant in their walk with Christ. They begin to become bogged down with the filth all around them and many eventually fall away from their relationships with Christ altogether. Those who don't fall away become wrapped up in license and begin to look for all the ways that they can blur the line between right and wrong and still call themselves "Christians."
These kind of people are not the type of people that this article will be addressing. I am more interested in contentment. Contentment is getting to a stage in your walk and learning to be happy and enjoy it, while looking ahead toward the next level. It is not about standing still. It is about walking in thanksgiving and gratitude while you are in one level. Did you know that in the Bible (specifically the Old Testament), God gives Moses several feasts and parties that the Jews must engage in. The feasts were a time for good food, family enjoyment, relaxation, getting away from the stresses of life, and giving praise to God for His provision to them. God even goes so far as to say that anyone who does not take part in the feasts and parties will be killed! When is the last time you heard that God preached from the pulpit? The God who says, "Take time to relax and party, or I'll kill you." That is certainly not a common view that we have of God. However, I think these scriptures show us that God does want us to take time to be content in Him. Just because we are at one level does not mean we have to stay there. If that's not a reason to stop and party and praise God, then I don't know what is.
Progress is a different animal, because it presupposes the idea that you cannot just stay in one place in God. This unnerves us because we are so horrified by the notion of change from what is comfortable. We love change when it comes to something that we do not quite appreciate. Just look at the last presidential election. Most people voted primarily for the purpose of bringing about some kind of change. The truth of the matter is that God is extremely interested in bringing about change in our lives, and the sooner we get accustomed to it the better. Just as God loves for us to be content and thankful for our current walk, He is also given great pleasure by encouraging us toward the next level. Contentment and progress must go hand in hand in order for God's purpose in our lives to be fulfilled. If you lean too far one way or too far the other, it may be time to reevaluate your walk. Are you so anxious to get to the next thing God has for you that you don't take anytime to thank him for what He is currently doing or what He's done in the past? Or are you so comfortable with where He's brought you that you can't bear the thought of leaving? In either situation, you must realize that God is a God of balance. There are two sides to every coin and two parts to every walk. Stop and take a minute to enjoy where God has you. Then pick your head up, look toward the next checkpoint, and do what you know God is calling you to.
So I'm thinking that whoever ends up writing this will do a great job. Those are just my thoughts. In the end, I am still just trying to sort this whole thing out myself. God bless.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Good News: God Speaks
More often than I care to admit, I will catch myself being spiteful about my upbringing. I was brought up in a church, born and raised in a pew. My parents were the most committed, most sown in, and most ministry-oriented people that I knew. My mom's philosophy was, "If the doors are open, we're there." I sat in church service after church service and sermon after sermon, and I heard every angle of the gospel explained in rich detail. It was great.
That is, until I came into contact with life outside of the church. When I made the decision to come to Evangel, I was coming off of 19 years of nearly perfect church attendance and I had a mind filled with all the Assemblies of God doctrine and years of church sermons and illustrations that you could possibly handle. This worked out just great for a while. In fact a majority of my last two years at Evangel were like a dream come true. They were practically perfect, right down to the little golden halo hanging above my head. Then I got shaken a bit. Under the stress of school, I began to find myself plagued by anxiety. There was a devastating space between me and God. It was what I can only describe as a very large disconnect. I was knocked out of my perfect little experience, and for the first time in my life, I was forced to implement everything that I knew about God. I finally had to pray regularly. I had to fight for everything I was so sure I believed in. I had to prove my faith and perseverance. I quickly found myself unable to do so. It became more and more apparent that all the years of being churched to death had indeed taught me very little about what it meant to truly seek God. I was more lost than someone who had never even heard the gospel, because I thought that I knew everything about God! I was clueless.
The fact of the matter is, I knew of God, but I did not know Him. I knew only what my parents and my pastors had told me about Him. In reality I knew nothing of the living God. I was a retarded and lacking Christian on so many levels. The depth of my hypocrisy was overwhelming as I looked back and forth and up and down for even the smallest glimpse of God in the most remote places. I couldn't find Him at school, and it was getting more and more difficult to find Him at church (this was not the church's fault but mine).
However, I am now beginning to learn how to hear Him speak. For instance, on Thursday between the hours of 5 and 9, God spoke to me three seperate times (though all in reference to the same thing). He spoke to me through a close friend, then through scripture (which another friend showed me, and then through a complete stranger. I would like to tell the entire story, but maybe in a later post.
I guess my point is that it's never enough to simply sit and hear what you should do during trials. Everyone has their own opinions about what brings you through a trial, but I have found that quieting yourself and simply learning how to hear is the best possible thing that you can do. And never underestimate the importance of prayer. I heard a saying once that I have kind of latched onto: "If you're having trouble praying, talk to God about it." It is so simple to talk to God and if you seek Him, you will certainly find Him eventually.
That is, until I came into contact with life outside of the church. When I made the decision to come to Evangel, I was coming off of 19 years of nearly perfect church attendance and I had a mind filled with all the Assemblies of God doctrine and years of church sermons and illustrations that you could possibly handle. This worked out just great for a while. In fact a majority of my last two years at Evangel were like a dream come true. They were practically perfect, right down to the little golden halo hanging above my head. Then I got shaken a bit. Under the stress of school, I began to find myself plagued by anxiety. There was a devastating space between me and God. It was what I can only describe as a very large disconnect. I was knocked out of my perfect little experience, and for the first time in my life, I was forced to implement everything that I knew about God. I finally had to pray regularly. I had to fight for everything I was so sure I believed in. I had to prove my faith and perseverance. I quickly found myself unable to do so. It became more and more apparent that all the years of being churched to death had indeed taught me very little about what it meant to truly seek God. I was more lost than someone who had never even heard the gospel, because I thought that I knew everything about God! I was clueless.
The fact of the matter is, I knew of God, but I did not know Him. I knew only what my parents and my pastors had told me about Him. In reality I knew nothing of the living God. I was a retarded and lacking Christian on so many levels. The depth of my hypocrisy was overwhelming as I looked back and forth and up and down for even the smallest glimpse of God in the most remote places. I couldn't find Him at school, and it was getting more and more difficult to find Him at church (this was not the church's fault but mine).
However, I am now beginning to learn how to hear Him speak. For instance, on Thursday between the hours of 5 and 9, God spoke to me three seperate times (though all in reference to the same thing). He spoke to me through a close friend, then through scripture (which another friend showed me, and then through a complete stranger. I would like to tell the entire story, but maybe in a later post.
I guess my point is that it's never enough to simply sit and hear what you should do during trials. Everyone has their own opinions about what brings you through a trial, but I have found that quieting yourself and simply learning how to hear is the best possible thing that you can do. And never underestimate the importance of prayer. I heard a saying once that I have kind of latched onto: "If you're having trouble praying, talk to God about it." It is so simple to talk to God and if you seek Him, you will certainly find Him eventually.
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