Friday's Living Water

Scripture –

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 (Amplified)


Reading - Slowly read the Scripture passage several times


Meditation - Take some time to reflect on the words and phrases in the text. Which words, phrases or images speak to you most?



Prayer - Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.



Contemplation - What word or image captures the spirit of the passage for you?

It is Thursday already! Over the half way point in the week. How has your week been? Have you had a chance to begin to Lectio Divina or to slow down and chew on God's Word? His Word! It is incredible, it is always there to teach if we just give it the time. Yes, there has been much to absorb this last week. For some it is all new, for others it is a refresher. May we continue to have teachable hearts and a passion to discover His Truths! These entries make reference to what we are learning in His word. You might ask, "But we haven't done that yet!" You are right but the time is coming to apply these lessons so please hang on! Pastor John will be introducing another spiritual discipline with this entry so let's begin!


"I rejoice in your word like one who finds a great treasure. . . Those who love your law have great peace and do not stumble." (Psalm 119:162, 165)

I pray that you are rejoicing in what God is teaching you in His Word. A 'great treasure'. . . what if that was our attitude every single time that we opened the Bible, 'Wow, I'm about to discover a great treasure! I'm gonna be rich!!'

I hope that you also enjoyed the Ignatian method of devotional reading.

Today I want to add to our disciplines.

Fasting

One of the most powerful ways to enhance our 'spiritual hearing' is through the discipline of fasting. Fasting, like solitude, is one of the ways that we clear our minds of distraction seeking to focus on hearing and experiencing God.

John Wesley said: "First, let fasting be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him. Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven." (Foster, p.55)

In a dry season not too long ago I was meditating on fasting and I wrote this: "Lord, you are showing me how undisciplined my life is - like an athlete who rarely trains but eats a lot of pizza and stays up late watching TV. And not that discipline draws me near to You, but it clears the path of those distractions that keep me from you." Can you relate?

Fasting helps us to pull ourselves from that which we physically depend on the most - and to attach ourselves to Jesus. Thomas a Kempis said: "Unless a person be disengaged from all creatures, he cannot with freedom of mind attend divine things. For that is the cause why there are so few contemplative persons to be found, for that few can wholly withdraw themselves from things created and perishing . . . And unless a man be elevated in spirit, and freed from all creatures, and wholly united to God, whatever he knoweth, and whatever he hath, is of no great importance."

Many times when it comes to fasting we get too caught up in what we are missing, or following the precise 'fasting rules and regulations.' Fasting is simply giving up something that we depend on for the purpose of giving ourselves more completely to God.

Fasting food can be done for a meal, or a day, or 3 days (please be wise and begin with a couple of meals before trying to fast for a more lengthy period). It can be giving up something you will really miss or something you depend on. [I highly recommend the Optional Training this week as Foster does a great job talking more about the details of fasting.]

I'll be honest. Nobody I know, including myself, 'enjoys' fasting from a physical perspective. It's hard. But remember the ultimate goal of fasting is to make us more attentive to Jesus and give Him glory. That makes it all worth it!

Welcome

Welcome to this Creek Living Water Blog site! It is a place to visit and drink in God’s living Word.

2 Timothy 3: 16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

Pastor John has shared about experiencing God’s Word. The series opened with:

Study this Book of Instruction continually.
Meditate on it day and night
so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.
Only then will you prosper
and succeed in all you do.
Joshua 1:8

Spiritual disciplines are the practices God uses to change our inner lives. None of the ‘disciplines’ is more important than taking in God’s Word. Think for a moment as we reflect on our lives. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I’m empty and broken. I haven’t prayed since I don’t know when, and I haven’t really read my Bible in over a year.” Or maybe, “My devotional life is bankrupt.” We may not have time; we may think it is unnecessary. But what about when the storms do come? What about when our neighbor finally opens up and we have the opportunity to share hope? What about that teachable moment with our children? What about when we face the accusations of our boss? Are we ready? Do we have the foundation to lift above the circumstances?

How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,

Who seek Him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:2

There is an incredible need for each of us to feast on the Bible. So much of the time we read His Word like we are eating a Big Mac on a 15-minute lunch break. We choke it down in 30 seconds. He desires us to linger over and enjoy His Word like we would a 6-course 3-hour meal.

Welcome to the opportunity to do just that in a slightly different format than many of you are familiar with! We will focus on small portions with an in-depth process. This will allow the text to master us, and to shape us. It is a loving approach that can humble. It can be a mystery. Are we willing? Isn’t it exciting?

“Our world is hungry for genuinely changed people. Leo Tolstoy observes, ‘Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.’ Let us be among those who believe that the inner transformation of our lives is a goal worthy of our best effort.” (Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Over the next few days we will review how this process works. We will review the four steps of Lectio Divina. Guidelines will be suggested on how to feast on God's Word.