Sunday, February 17, 2013

Chariot Wheels

In the devotional "Joy & Strength" Romans 8:9 is used with Charles Gore's quote :
Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
That life is carnal in which our spirit, meant for God, is dragged at the chariot-wheels of our lower life and that is spiritual which is ruled and mastered by the Spirit. Secular business is spiritual if it is ruled by the divine Spirit according to the law of righteousness.
"Dragged at the chariot wheels of our lower life", wow! What an image. There are times we each feel frustrated regarding our spiritual walk. I think this image sums it up fairly well! He says that turning secular affairs to spiritual is done by us "being ruled by the divine Spirit according to the law of righteousness." That cannot happen without our consent and our dedication to becoming instruments in God's hand. We must yield to His ways and His workings inside us for this to be accomplished.
Later in the same devotional Andrew Murray is quoted as saying:
Take time not only to secure stillness from man and the world but from self and its energy. Let the Word and prayer be very precious; but remember, even these may hinder the quiet waiting."...These may "so engage us that we do not come to the still waiting on the All-Glorious One. Though at first it may appear difficult to how know thus quietly to wait, with the activities of mind and heart for a time subdued, every effort after it will be rewarded; we shall find that it grows upon us, and the little season of silent worship will bring a peace and a rest that give a blessing not only in prayer, but all the day."
Contrast the dragging your spiritual self under the chariot wheels of busy-ness with the still waiting on the All-Glorious One. Ponder your life in the contrasting images.
The praying Mantis in a mandala.
When I go to the church office to do intercession on behalf of the Crossing on Wednesday mornings much of this occurs within me. I present before The Lord the names of those leading us at the Crossing. If I am aware of particular leadership concerns I lift those to Him. I pray over the prayer requests that people have submitted to the prayer team during that past calendar week. I pray to know God better and I spend time praising Him in worship and adoration. Best of all, I also get to a place where there are no words and we commune together. Often there are no images or insights during this time, just a holy touch that is better than life itself. The silence of this time may last barely a minute, or minutes on end. I am much less likely to engage in a friendly conversation at this point as my focus and attention are on the "All-Glorious One."
Whether you go some place outside of your home (with its many distractions) or create a place within your home to "subdue the activities of mind and heart" I pray you will daily find a "little season of silent worship." As you practice doing this, "it will bring a peace and a rest that give a blessing not only in prayer, but all the day."
More about the praying mantis another day!

1 comment:

  1. well said..one moment one hour of silent worship leads to a life time..

    ReplyDelete

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