Journal Luke 6 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man…building a house…who dug deep and…laid the foundation on the rock. And, when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it BECAUSE it had been well built.
But, the one who hears and does not do them (obey My words) is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49
Observation: What are the differences in paying lip-service to the Word and not? What are the differences between the Gospel as a word and not as a lifestyle?
Analysis: The more I write, the more I am convicted of my lack, my shortfalls…
I am not down on myself, falling into despair…I recognize I have a long way to go on the narrow road.
How many days do I portray a “lip service” Christian? A guy who knows all the right things to say, all the gestures to do with my eyes, with my hands? And still can candidly say, “My heart is far from You…”
That’s who Jesus is talking to here—me.
Going through the exercise of the Reading Plan and Journaling, I get to turn the Bible from a book to a mirror. When I look at and READ scripture, letting the Holy Spirit talk to me, there is so much to gain. Yes, there are places where the Scriptures are talking about someone else, BUT only as an example of my actions first.
The metaphor of “house-building, temple-building” and the like is very relevant in this manner: To build a strong dwelling place, you first must have a plan.” And that is not different in building a spiritual place in me, i.e., becoming mature, becoming a disciple.
I was reading Piper’s “50 reasons why Jesus came to die” this morning (a study book of Saturday Morning Coffee at IHOP—meeting next on 8/15 at 730am). There was a statement that caught my eye, “But his heart was perfectly in love with God, and he acted consistently with that love.” (pg 25) Point: If I say “I love God” then my goal and objective is to act consistently with that love and first and foremost direct that love to God alone.
I ran across this quote from Jonathan Edwards the other day: “A true love of God must begin with a delight in his Holiness.” It follows, therefore, that to delight in obeying his commandments, his directives, that which comes before all of that is a delight in His Holiness.
To be grounded in Him means I am parallel grounded in his Word, delighting in and embracing. Obedience without having this foundation is somehow lacking and may be off the mark in total.
Prayer: Lord, please, please don’t let these be only words on a pack for me. I WANT this to be DRIVEN in my heart. AMEN.