Luke – Running After Papa

3 Wrong Preoccupations – James 5:1-3

James identifies wealth (also translated as abundance) in three forms: 1) Grain; 2) Clothing; 3) Gold or Silver.

It’s obvious here that James is very concerned about the priorities of his audience – “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” – and their preoccupation with accumulation of wealth.

God’s not opposed to riches or wealth; he’s opposed to our priority being riches and wealth.

James is addressing our preoccupation with provision, status (or influence), and security.

Provision / Status / Security

Every one of these references is to the attitude of acquiring to excess or hoarding them.

“…Your wealth is rotting away…” A predominant measure of wealth in that day and age was grain. Remember Jesus’ parable of the man who built bigger barns to hold his grains? (Luke 12:13-21) It actually addresses this mentality of hoarding and storing it up.

“… your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags…” Clothes defined status, power and influence. See James 2:2 – how are the rich man and the poor distinguished? By their clothes. I suspect most average people had only 1 change of clothes at all. Remember when the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years? God specifically calls out one of his blessings in that their clothes didn’t fall apart. Here James references that fine clothes are moth-eaten, other translations say rotted. This implies that these clothes weren’t worn, but sitting somewhere – that the owner has more than he/she can wear and, in fact, never wears these. The last I checked, no moths ever ate any of my clothes while I was wearing them. No clothing article ever rotted while it was being worn and cared for. The implication of them being moth-eaten and rotted is that they were stored somewhere and never worn, used, touched, or cared for.

“… your gold and sliver have become worthless…” I believe the gold and silver reference to represent security for the future. James says that the gold and silver have become “worthless”. Other translations say they have “corroded”. Regardless, it’s an implication of one of two options. The first is along a similar theme as the first two –much excess and a long time in storage. While I’m quite aware gold and silver don’t rust – and I’m sure James was also aware – the second implication could be that the gold and silver would devalue and become worthless over time.

Isn’t this true anyway? In the end, isn’t everything worthless except our spirit? If we preoccupy ourselves on provisions, status, and security, then our spirit will spend eternity in hell. Just as James alludes to in verse 3 – “…the very wealth you were counting on will eat away at your flesh like fire.”

When we preoccupy ourselves with knowing and being known by Jesus, He promises to provide all that we need.

Luke 11:9-13 “⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Running After Papa…

Day 2 – “whatever things are true”

Phil 4:8 (NKJV) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

True.

Paul admonishes us in Philippians 4:8 to meditate on “whatever things are true.”

The Greek word used in this verse is alethes and is defined as “2. loving the truth, speaking the truth, truthful,” which seems to me is very directed around my words – those words I think and those I speak. Hopefully they are always in that order (think then speak) and hopefully some of the words I think don’t ever make it to the “spoken” category!

I’m reminded of the words of Jesus…

Luke 6:45 (NKJV)
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “true” as:

1a : steadfast, loyal b : honest, just c archaic : truthful

2a (1) : being in accordance with the actual state of affairs <true description> (2) : conformable to an essential reality (3) : fully realized or fulfilled <dreams come true> b : ideal, essential c : being that which is the case rather than what is manifest or assumed <the true dimension of the problem> d : consistent <true to character>

So what’s in my heart? If I take a peek inside, do I find those characteristics that line up with Webster’s definition of steadfast, loyal, honest, just, ideal, essential, and consistent? Does that describe what’s going on in my heart?

Are the words I speak – I’m supposed meditate on them first – in accordance with the actual state of affairs?

Do I make any assumptions? Am I speaking from first hand knowledge and not “something I heard” or am I filling in the blanks as I go?

Can I factually verify what I say (and meditate on)?

In Joshua 22:10-34 the tribes of Israel were really quick to judge the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and half-tribe of Manasseh for building an altar. Israel didn’t get the facts first. They thought those two and a half tribes were building the altar in order to sacrifice there and the rest of Israel took up an offense because the LORD had strictly commanded ALL of Israel to worship where He had established the tabernacle.

In reality, the tribes of Ruben, Gad and half-tribe of Manasseh, which were separated from the rest of Israel by the Jordan, didn’t want future generations to be accused of not being part of Israel, so they built an altar in that place as a remembrance – a memorial – a tribute to their lineage and heritage for future generations.

It’s so important for me to “get the facts” before I make assumptions, before I take up an offense – even a holy offense.

Usually, when I take up an offense, even a holy offense, it is based and rooted in some sort of selfish motive, ultimately. It may take me a little digging to uncover that motive, but most of the time Father reveals the wickedness in my own heart as only He can (Jer 17:9), even when I think it’s justified. I often don’t really have to look very hard at all to see how I personally benefit from my perceived resolution of the offense I’ve taken up.

Even notice the phrase, “… take up an offense…”. No one can put and offense on me; no one can give me an offense; I have to take it. I have to pick it up. I have to carry it. “I… I… I…” – that is an amazing indicator of a selfish, prideful attitude somewhere in the mix.

“… whatever things are true…” That’s a pretty good filter for what I choose to meditate on today.

…Running After Papa (and renewing my mind)

Prayer: Ask, Seek, Knock?

Luke 11:5-13 ESV
5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Verse 10 is an interesting verse.

We’ve all said “ask, seek, knock” a million times and it brings back many childhood bible lessons. The interesting words to me in this verse are actually the “result” words: receives, finds, and “will be opened”.

Receives = it’s what we read it to be with the connotation of being granted “something.”

Finds = to discover, to uncover, to gain or learn information not previously known.

Will be opened = this is the word that caught me off guard. It means “to open”, but what’s interesting is the connotation of “open”. While the action word before it is knock (and implies knocking on a door or gate). All the rest of the definitions of this word, anoigo (in the Greek) – patah (in Hebrew), imply speaking: speaking the complete truth, to cause to be able to see -even spiritual truth.

This is the same word used in Revelations 3:20

20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

For me, “ask / receive” is a basic level of request, and because God is a good Papa and our relationship is based on sonship with him and not friendship – as the neighbor’s relationship is based – He promises that “everyone who asks receives“. Does mean I’m getting a Porshe? Not at all. The neighbor’s request had nothing to do with the himself. He was seeking something needed for someone else. He was not seeking selfish desires and wants.

“Seek / Find” implies a little more direction and time. There is much satisfaction in gaining understanding of something not previously known or finding something of value when seeking it.

“Knock /Opened” indicate an action-like persistence and shameless gumption. Heb 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. While I do not believe at all that I can “do” anything to make God answer my plea, I do believe my heart has to be right and I have to have confidence as I approach my Father in Heaven as his son.

Daddy, I let me come boldly into your presence… I’m knocking, knowing that it will be opened…
Running After Papa…

Prayer:Backwards

Luke 11:1-4 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

A thought hit me the other night as Dawn and I were reading this passage. We were reading it from the New Living Translation and it appears a little differently:

Luke 11:1-4 (NLT)
1 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.”

It appeared to me that Jesus’ prayer was a sort of stack rank on the things he felt were the most important.

The Holiness of God
God’s Kingdom on earth
God’s provision on earth
Forgiveness – both our own forgiveness and our forgiving others
Steering clear of temptation

If this is the order in which Jesus ranked them, then shouldn’t the items at the top of my list be the most important and garner the bulk of my time, attention and energy? Why do we have it all backwards?

How much more time do I spend focused on the bottom of this list that I do on the top of the list? In another study I did last week, I ran across the same Greek word translated as “temptation” in this verse and was interested in one of its definitions. The Greek word is peirasmos and it referenced being of the temptation the devil used to divert Jesus from his divine errand.

Romans 7:15 (NKJV)15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

When I spend my time and energy in NOT giving in to temptation, then ultimately I am focused on the temptation! I believe our enemy wants us to be so focused on the temptation and worrying about staying away from it, that it diverts us from our divine errand of being about God’s holiness and His Kingdom on earth. He wants us so consumed with the temptation that even if we don’t ultimately fall into the very sin that we are trying to avoid, we at least never spend any time or energy on the top of the list that Jesus enumerated in is prayer!

What if, instead, we spent the majority of our time focused on the Holiness of God and what part we play in His Kingdom here on earth? If I am focused on God’s holiness and busy about my role in God’s kingdom on Earth, how much time do I have to fall into temptation? How much time do I have to worry about it? How much more effective would I be in what He has for me to do?

This is a mind shift for me.

Stay tuned because tomorrow I’m writing about the next few verses in Luke 11, continuing Jesus’ teaching on prayer…

Running After Papa…

Faith: It matters to others…

I love the story in Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26 of the men who brought their paralyzed friend to be healed by Jesus. Luke makes it fairly clear that they weren’t going for the show or to watch Jesus, they were going with specific intent of their friend walking home. Luke describes how, because of the crowd, they couldn’t even get their friend in the door, so they climb on the roof and lower him in his bed from the roof to get him in front of Jesus.

Let your mind run with that picture for just a moment or two and you’ll begin to understand this was no easy task. Climbing over crowds, getting up on a roof, hoisting a paralyzed man – let’s say conservatively he was 130 pounds of dead weight – up onto the roof without dropping or dumping him, removing part of the roof big enough for a bed to be lowered down, lowering this same 130 pounds down being careful to keep it level on all corners as not to drop their paralyzed friend on top of Jesus and the crowd in the house, etc., etc., etc.

Luke 5:20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke 5:24b …He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

Make a mental note that it was not just the paralytics faith in play here – in fact, it’s not clear if his faith had anything to do with it at all. The point is this: The friends’ faith played a significant role in the complete healing (both inner and physical) of the once paralyzed man.

Matthew 13:54-58 and Mark 6:1-6 recount the time when Jesus went back to where he grew up, only this time in full ministry mode. As he began teaching, they were astonished at his teaching and couldn’t believe it was the same carpenter’s son who grew up here – to the point that they were offended at him.

Matthew 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Can you imagine limiting Jesus? The community’s faith – or lack thereof – squelched the move of God in their midst leaving the sick, sick; the oppressed, oppressed; those in bondage, in bondage.

Last example (for today)… Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10 tell the story of the Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant. The Centurion so believed in Jesus’ healing power that he knew all Jesus had to do was to speak it and it would be done. The Centurion understood authority. He knew Jesus didn’t need to see the servant, or speak to him, or touch him, he only need to speak and it would happen. The amazing part is that the Centurion wasn’t a Jew. He didn’t grow up in the synagogues and under the tutelage of the priests.

Matthew 8:10-13 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! … 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

The interesting phrase in this one is “as you have believed.” As the Centurion believed, so the servant was healed. I wonder if that why I don’t see miracles of faith sometimes in my life and the lives of those around me. Has my faith limited the move of God in my life and in those around me?

My faith isn’t just mine. My faith can directly affects others. My faith can bring healing and freedom to others, or it can squelch the move of God in others. Your faith isn’t just yours. It affects others. Your faith can bring healing and freedom to others, or it can squelch the move of God in others.

Heavy thought…

I think tomorrow I’m going to start studying on how to grow my faith…. because it matters to others…

Running After Papa…

Counting the Cost (Luke 14:26)

Luke 14:26 NLT “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” (emphasis mine)

Whoa! I must hate everyone else by comparison? I thought God is Love; Jesus is Love. Jesus loved everyone!

“… otherwise you cannot be my disciple.”

Those are some pretty heavy words. I don’t ever want to be told I cannot be His disciple. There are no half-hearted attempts that count. This discipleship thing is significant, it is real, and it has costs. Verse 28 begins with “But don’t begin until you count the cost…” It costs to follow Him. It is very expensive. It costs a lot. It costs everything.

There are costs in putting Jesus so far first that – in comparison – you hate everything else. I remember in high school being on the volunteer fire department. I went to a training class one Saturday in the middle of the summer in Texas. It must have been 112 in the shade. By any standards, it was HOT! It didn’t matter if it was a humid heat or a dry heat. It was HOT!

During these training exercises, the facility had a two story house structure built out of cynder blocks. They would put flamable furniture and hay bales in the house and ignite them and we would don our fireproof coats and protective gear and go into the structure and learn the right ways to put out fires.

The point of this story is that when I came out from putting out the fire on the second story, I took off all my fire gear. It was so hot inside that house that when I removed my gear, I literally got chills I was so cold in the 112 degree summer heat.

While it’s not a perfect comparison, it does give some context to this verse. I love my wife more than any human being on earth and I love my kids almost as much. You could say that my love for them is HOT by anyone’s measure. But Jesus is saying that my love for Him should be so much “hotter” that all my other relationships should feel cold, like that Texas heat after coming out of a burning building.

So what could it cost me? For those around us who don’t understand, it could cost friendships. We could be ridiculed. We could be inconvenienced. We could suffer loss financially, physically, emotionally. Some could die – literally – for the sake of Jesus. Some of us could have to turn our backs on everything we knew, every comfort we have, everything we enjoy to follow Him to some dark and hard place. It could cost A LOT.

Luke 14:33 NLT “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.“

Our cars, our Juicy Couture purses, our sports, our cheerleader competitions, our friends, our bank accounts, our investments, our security, our grades. Whatever those things are that bring us the most pleasure in life, Jesus says we have to give them up to be his disciple. Our appearance, our shoes, our jerseys, our clothes, our guitars, our pianos, our jobs, our positions, our hobbies, our status, our children’s hobbies, our houses, our kids schools, our location, our foods, our wines… whatever it is, it all has to be emotionally given up.

And it’s not just the physical “stuff” of life. Jesus asks us to give up our rights, our expectations, our will, our wants, our needs, our desires, our duties, our ownership, our rules, our way of doing things, our rituals, our habits, our clubs, our associations… you get the point. We’ve got to give it ALL up.

When we’ve emotionally given up all that we have and everything we are, it’s no big deal if Jesus asks us to give it up or give it away physically.

This is counting the cost. All or nothing. Following Jesus isn’t a $0.00 down, $199/month lease for two years. It’s all or nothing.

Galatians 2:20 ESV “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

If you’ve been reading my posts for long, you know this is my life verse. It always seems to come back to this verse for me. I am dead. Jesus is alive.

Running After Papa…

The Kingdom of God (Luke 8:1-5)

Luke 8:1-15 (NKJV)

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, ² and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

The Parable of the Soils

Matt. 13:1–23; Mark 4:1–20

⁴ And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: ⁵ “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶ Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. ⁸ But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

⁹ Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

¹⁰ And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

‘Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.’

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³ But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

The New King James Version. 1982 (Lk 8:1-15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

I have become fascinated with the phrase “Kingdom of God” and “the Gospel.”

Jesus preached the gospel. (See about a dozen or so verses in Matt, Mark & Luke) That means my definition of “the gospel” and what Jesus preached are likely two different things… given that Jesus had not died or risen from the dead yet (key points in my definition of “the gospel”)… so what is it?

Jesus spent his time preaching about the good news (preaching the gospel) of the kingdom of God.

It was verse 10 that caught my attention… that Christ said the mysteries of the Kingdom of God had been given to us. This is just the first post. I have much to dig into…

Be Like Christ

Matt 20:28 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve”

Luke 22:27 “I am among you as one who serves”

Jesus spent his entire three and a half years with the apostles trying to teach them to “Follow me.” That didn’t just mean to go where he went, but to go HOW He went there – in complete submission to the Father, in complete humility.

Phil 2:1-8 (NIV)
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

From the book Humility, by Andrew Murray:
“Humility is a virtue that only comes in power when the fullnesof the Spirit makes us partakers of the indwelling Christ and He lives within us.”

Only by emptying ourselves completely – a.k.a. dying to our “self” (Gal 2:20) – can we be filled completely with His Spirit which gives us the virtue of Christ’s humility.

Abundance of good treasure

Romans 10:8-10 (ESV)

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Lots of words with much deeper meanings that we describe in their English translations here.

heart – the word kardia – means “inner self, never the literal body part called the “heart,” this is a reference to the areas of the inner self, including: the volition, the mind, the desires, etc., though the facility of the intellect make be slightly more emphasized.” The volition (will), the mind (mind), the desires (emotions) all make up the soul… that battleground between the spirit and the flesh. This is where we store up good treasure OR we store up bad treasure according to Jesus in Luke 6:45.

Luke 6:45 (ESV) 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

It is the same word used in Luke as is used in this Romans passage. The interesting part to me in these passages is that heart (kardia) and mouth (stoma) are both used together in the same sentences. Stoma (the mouth) literally means the fleshly mouth that utters sounds. So, in a way, it could very well represent the flesh. That would mean to me that the condition of my soul is reflected in what comes out of my mouth and my flesh.

Back to the Romans passage…

near – can mean “be close to a place“, but can also mean “be close to a time.” Which changes everything in the context of this verse.

proclaim – means “to proclaim with the goal to persuade, urge, warn to comply”, “to announce publicly”.

word of faith – doctrine, trustworthiness, Christian faith, what can be believed

confesses – According to Strongs (homologeo) – “1 to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent. 2 to concede. 2a not to refuse, to promise. 2b not to deny. 2b1 to confess. 2b2 declare. 2b3 to confess, i.e. to admit or declare one’s self guilty of what one is accused of. 3 to profess. 3a to declare openly, speak out freely. 3b to profess one’s self the worshiper of one. 4 to praise, celebrate.“

OK. THAT is a drastically different meaning than to “utter” something. I think we’re too quick to assume someone is a follower of Jesus based on our Western definition of “confess.” I’ve always struggled with this verse because only God can know if a person truly believes in his heart. The heart and someone’s belief is hidden. All we look for is someone to say “Jesus is Lord,” and that’s good enough.

What we need to be looking for now is the NEW definition of “confess.” When someone truly believes and understands the grace Christ afforded them, they cannot help but “confess” Jesus is Lord with praise and celebration and declaring themselves both by word and action to be a worshiper of Christ. This worship comes from adoration and thankfulness, not out of duty or because someone said so. Everything about salvation is about relationship, not religion.

I’ll try to tie it all together. First – His Word is near me- near in location and near in timing. He wants to use me at any place, at any time to proclaim publicly that which is trustworthy, with the goal of persuading and urging others to the Truth. However, there is something that can influence my vocal utterances – my heart (my soul, if you remember our definition). In my heart I can store up good treasure or bad treasure. That is my choice. What I store up, is what will come out.

How can I persuade others of the truth, if I’ve stored up bad treasure?

I can’t just put “enough” good treasure in either. Jesus was very specific in the word “abundance” and it means exactly what it says, “in excess”, “scraps left over”, “overflow”, “plenty.”

So today’s exercise for me is “How do I store up an abundance of good treasure in my soul (mind, will, and emotions)?”

Off to the prayer gym…

Oswald Chamber’s devotional book My Utmost For His Highest may be one of my all time favorite devotional books. For some reason, I really dig the classic and turn of the century authors. Anyway, I happened onto today’s devotional on Intercessory Prayer.

I am not a natural intercessor. I admire those who can boldly enter the throne room of Papa and stay there for hours on behalf of others… I love being around those men and women who can – with authority and fervor – pray, pray, pray. I know those men and women who are spiritually gifted to intercede on behalf of other. I am not by nature.

From Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest – Intercessory Prayer devotional today:

True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance. Intercession means to “fill up…[with] what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (Colossians 1:24), and this is precisely why there are so few intercessors. People describe intercession by saying, “It is putting yourself in someone else’s place.” That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective.

OK. I know I’m not an intercessor, but I do from time to time attempt to intercede on behalf of my family, my friends or some other specific situation God burdens me for. But I’m honest enough with myself to know that I don’t stay at it long enough until I have God’s perspective on the situation. My prayers are much more in the “flare prayer” category.

The verse this devotional is based on is Luke 18:1 “…men always ought to pray and not lose heart…” I do lose heart in my prayers. I’m not beating myself up about it, but I know its a spiritual discipline I need to shore up.

A few years ago, I could not read the Bible for more than about 1 chapter. Now, I get engrossed in studying the word. I could spend hours in the Word. I wish I had a job that would pay me to spend time in the word and write. WOW! How awesome would that be! But it’s a discipline I have worked on. Scripture Memory is another spiritual discipline. Prayer is too. I just need some time in the prayer gym.

I Cor 9:24-27 (NLT) Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

It looks like I’ve found a new workout for my spiritual program. I’ve found some muscles I haven’t paid attention to. I can endure in many other disciplines, but I NEED to endure in this discipline so that I come away with God’s perspective on those things I intercede for.

Thank you Dad for this revelation. Thank you for this new workout. Help me be diligent in exercising and learning this discipline… this spiritual weapon that I need to wield.