Other Things

Developing a Spiritual Life: Other Things

Developing a Spiritual Life: Other Things

We’re doing a series on the Spiritual Life and what it takes to have a spiritual life. So for the next few weeks we’re going to be exploring what a spiritual life can be. Last week we began our series and we talked about covenant, but we also talked about the fact that Jesus has paid the price for us.

This week we’re talking about the distractions from our spiritual life.

Have you ever gone to pray or have a devotion. You get into your quiet place, you close your eyes and you begin, “Dear Lord...” and without warning all these other ideas pop into your head.

“Don’t forget to add this to the grocery list.”

“Did you turn off the iron?”

“Oh I promised the neighbor I’d ___________”

[Illustration: Ever seen the movie UP? - “Squirrel!”]

And we begin to get anxious. In that anxiety the deceiver presents us with a lie, “You don’t have time for this. Look at all these other things.”

Anxious -

anx*ious\’an(k)-shes\ adjective

Characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency

Characterized by, resulting from, or causing anxiety

ardently or earnestly wishing (anxious to learn more).

What makes you anxious? What makes you worry?

For so many people we get nervous or anxious about things that we cannot control. The what if’s of our world.

I learned something not too long ago that is a great way of looking at our world, there is the circle of concern and the circle of influence. We are concerned about a lot of things: family, friends, our health, the economy, nuclear proliferation, famine in Africa, North Korea, political issues...

We have influence in a lot of things: our communities, our churches, our schools, our family, our friends, our health...

It is where these two overlap that we should focus because it’s where we’re concerned and have an influence.

You have influence in the school district because you’re a citizen. But if you don’t have kids in the system, so it’s unlikely it’s on your priority list of concerns.

“The spiritual life is not a life before, after, or beyond everyday existence. No, the spiritual life can only be real when it is lived in the midst of the pains and joys of the here and now.”

The spiritual life is lived within the present - the gift of today. (Did you catch that? - Present? Gift?)

What makes you anxious? What makes you worry?

It’s funny how many people when you ask them will profess not to have many fears. They might mention bees, or heights, the welfare of their children, keeping their job or something we might consider more mundane.

Yet I hear people talking about North Korea, terrorism, famine Ethiopia, Afghanistan, gang violence, politics, and a myriad of other subjects and their voices get tight they increase in volume, their body posture gets more aggressive and you can see the anxiety building.

“Do not worry!

In our lives we live in a production oriented culture. Our lives are busy, busy, busy. Kids today are so scheduled that they can’t keep track of their own schedules - they need a personal assistant (not just a chauffeur) to make sure they get to everything.

It’s not that much different for adults. Busy is seen as a status symbol. If we’re not shuttling our kids, the neighbors kids, we’re shuttling the grand kids.

Now we have this odd expression: “Make time”.

“Can you make time for me?” Or as a command, “You need to make time for this.

What they mean is, “Am I important enough for you to use some of your time on me?” and “This needs to be a priority in your time.”

Matthew 6:25 ESV

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Matt 6:25

Some of us think we’re obeying this because we really don’t worry about our food or drink, about our clothes, or even about living. For much of the world this is a daily concern. It’s not necessarily ours here in the United States.

But we must realize that our worries have become about our possessions

“Do not worry! Earthly goods deceive the human heart into believing that they give it security and freedom from worry. But in truth, they are what cause anxiety.”

Discipleship The Simplicity of Carefree Life

Do not worry! Earthly goods deceive the human heart into believing that they give it security and freedom from worry. But in truth, they are what cause anxiety

I don’t know if any of you are hoarders, but we do have some strange ideas in our culture. If someone gives us a gift we’re thankful. But what if we have no use for it? We don’t want to give it away because we don’t want to offend the one that gave it to us and we have this strange idea that re-gifting is a bad thing. OR we hold on to stuff because well it has sentimental value. This makes sense for a few things - but how much is crowding our closets our garages, our basements, that we no longer use but are “anxious” about throwing or giving it away?

Discipleship The Simplicity of Carefree Life

Worry collects treasures, and treasures produce more worries. We desire to secure our lives with earthly goods; we want our worrying to make us worry-free, but the truth is the opposite. The chains which bind us to earthly goods, the clutches which hold the goods tight, are themselves worries.

Matthew 6:26 ESV

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew

Are you not of more value than they?

We are the pinnacle of Creation. It was not until we as human beings male and female were created that God said, “It was VERY good.”

Yet this raises a great question. Where is your value? Where is my value?

Is it in the things we possess?

Are we trying to keep up with the neighbors?

Are stuck in the game of comparing ourselves to everyone else?

Matthew 6:27-

Matthew 6:27 ESV

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Matthew 6:28–29 ESV

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Matthew 6:28 ESV

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,

In the following verses Jesus reminds us that God has taken care of the fields that is basically something to be burned.

Matthew 6:30–32 ESV

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Mt. 6:30-

And then we get to this little gem. Something we’ve been focusing on for a long time - and that is where our focus should be.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

It starts with that contradictive word, “BUT”. What are we to do instead? Seek first, as our priority. It’s true, when our priorities are in the right order, things seem to take care of themselves. Well, actually, we know that it is God who does the work.

Jesus concludes with this remark:

Matthew 6:34 ESV

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

When I read that last sentence I picture the disciples nodding in agreement and thinking, “Yeah, you got that right.” because they like us did worry, they were anxious about tomorrow. Jesus wants us to stay focused in the present.

Again, quoting my friend Bonhoeffer,

Discipleship The Simplicity of Carefree Life

Worry is always directed toward tomorrow. But the goods are intended only for today in the strictest sense. It is our securing things for tomorrow which makes us so insecure today.

We live in a world of distraction. Let us focus on the gift of the present. Let us seek first God’s Kingdom.